Oct. 17, 2006, 5:28PM
Border Patrol, lawmen outgunned by cartels
Homeland Security panel also says traffickers are forming ties with U.S.-based gangs
By MICHELLE MITTELSTADT
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
The U.S. Border Patrol and other law enforcement agencies at the U.S.-Mexico border are outgunned by increasingly ruthless and well-armed Mexican drug cartels, a new congressional report concludes.
"The cartels use automatic assault weapons, bazookas, grenade launchers and improvised explosive devices," the House Homeland Security oversight subcommittee report said. "In contrast, U.S. Border Patrol agents are issued 40-caliber Beretta semiautomatic pistols."
The report, scheduled to be released today by U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, said drug cartels are able to break the encryptions on Border Patrol and sheriffs' deputies' radios.
"Lookouts for the cartels, using military grade equipment, are positioned at strategic points on the U.S. side of the border to monitor movements of U.S. law enforcement," it continued.
Fear of terrorism
Even as the traffickers expand their drugrunning routes to smuggle immigrants into the United States, they are forming dangerous alliances with U.S.-based criminal gangs such as MS-13 and the Latin Kings, according to the congressional panel.
McCaul, whose district stretches into western Harris County, chairs the subcommittee.
The former federal prosecutor expressed concern that trafficking networks could use their delivery routes to smuggle terrorists or weapons of mass destruction into the U.S.
"The thing that keeps me up at night when I think 'What can we do to prevent another 9/11?' is that they own these delivery routes," he said in an interview Monday.
Hezbollah members already have entered the U.S. from Mexico, the report confirmed.
"As if narco-terrorist violence were not enough, extensions of Middle East terrorism have crept into the United States," the report stated. "Islamic radical groups that support Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamiya Al Gamat are all active in Latin America."
McCaul said he commissioned the report to bring focus to the national security threat and rising violence at the border, which has witnessed a spree of murders and kidnappings linked to warring drug cartels, particularly in Nuevo Laredo.
The federal government has added Border Patrol agents, detention beds and high-tech surveillance systems to deter illegal crossings, he said, with less attention to the border's other problems.
"We put billions of dollars in trying to stop the flow coming in, in a more reactive way, and what I'm suggesting is we also need to take a look at the other piece of this problem and identify what is the root cause and attack the root cause head on," he said. "In my view, the head of the snake is the cartels."
McCaul urged better intelligence gathering in Mexico and Latin America. And he called for greater cooperation with the Mexican government to crack down on the cartels.
Still, he acknowledged that expanding the partnership is difficult in light of persistent corruption in Mexican law enforcement ranks and the deadly attacks the cartels have launched on Mexican authorities.
Growing population
Citing federal estimates that the Border Patrol apprehends only 10 percent to 30 percent of illegal crossers, the report said as many as 10 million illegal immigrants may have entered the U.S. last year.
Estimates by the Pew Hispanic Center and other experts peg the illegal immigrant population in the U.S. at 11 million to 12 million.
And while federal law enforcement seized 1.1 million pounds of cocaine and 6.8 million pounds of marijuana, McCaul's staff estimated the total cocaine flow may have topped 11 million pounds.
"While the United States has taken positive steps to secure its borders, much more is needed to combat an increasingly powerful, sophisticated, organized and violent criminal network which seeks to move illegal contraband ... into our country for profit," the report concludes.
michelle.mittelstadt@chron.com
source: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/4263968.html
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Oct. 18, 2006, 5:09AM
Border crimes down by 60%, Perry says
Governor notes offenses fell in 27 Texas counties after a crackdown on illegal crossings
By GARY SCHARRER
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau
AUSTIN - A crackdown on illegal border crossings has produced a "stunning" reduction in crime for 27 Texas counties, Gov. Rick Perry said Tuesday.
"Borderwide, we experienced an average crime reduction of 60 percent because of intensive operations under Operation Rio Grande," Perry said of the border security effort.
The governor's office did not provide specific statistics on crime rates for the counties that share a border with Mexico. Zigifredo Gonzalez, sheriff of Zapata County, said property crime has dropped at least 60 percent in his county since state and local officials formed Operation Rio Grande in February.
The effort was necessary because border counties "were being overrun" by criminals, and federal officials ignored sheriffs' pleas for help, Perry said.
The governor wants lawmakers to appropriate $50 million a year to continue Operation Rio Grande, which combines extra law enforcement patrols with better weapons and technology at 13 illegal crossing points and 16 secondary crossings.
The operation proves that an increased law enforcement presence at known trouble spots makes the border more secure and border communities safer, the governor said.
Extra law enforcement on the border also will make it harder for terrorists to enter the U.S., Perry said.
Nationwide, 650 people from "special interest countries" were caught last year entering the country illegally, he said. "This shows the potential of terrorist organizations to infiltrate our border is a real threat that must be taken seriously."
gscharrer@express-news.net
source: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/4267164.html
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Wednesday October 18, 2006
News
Blanket students quiz Conaway
By Steve Nash — Brownwood Bulletin
BLANKET — Students had no trouble coming up with questions for U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway Tuesday in a 30-minute session in the Blanket school district’s cafeteria.
Topics included the Second Amendment, immigration, the war on terror, Internet neutrality and a blast from Conaway’s past — playing on a high school state championship football team.
Conaway has visited other area schools recently, including Zephyr earlier this month.
Students in Jessica Richmond’s senior government class hosted Conaway’s visit to Blanket.
Conaway, fielding questions from the group consisting of seventh-through-12th-graders, offered observations including:
Second Amendment — The Founding Fathers were correct, Conaway said, noting that the right to bear arms is “a very important right.”
“None of (my guns) have ever loaded themselves, left my house and committed a crime,” Conaway said.
Immigration — It’s a three-pronged issue, Conaway said: There should be resources on the border to stop illegal immigration, there should be no jobs and no opportunities for illegal immigrants and there should be improvements to immigration laws themselves.
War on terror — It is actually misnamed, Conaway said, as it is actually a war against “violent jihadists” who want a “Taliban-like rule” with Baghdad as the capital.
Winning a state football championship — Conaway played on the 1965 Permian High School championship team in Odessa. The previous year, Conaway said the team had a losing record. Winning the championship took “hard work, repetition and being prepared,” he said.
He said he never imagined, 41 years ago, that the championship would be “of any interest to anyone, anywhere.”
After Conaway spoke, students presented Conaway with a Blanket Tigers hat.
source: http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2006/10/18/news/news02.txt
Note from Steve, Wonder if the students and the Congressman talked about the 16 % approval rating (c- below) of Congress and all of the "Republican Scandal & Corruption Eruptions" ? Bet not !
Big Democratic wins likely on Election Day
NBC/WSJ poll: Public's opinion of GOP hits record low
Mark Murray
Political reporter
WASHINGTON - Just 20 days until Election Day, the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds approval of the GOP-held Congress is at its lowest mark in 14 years, the Republican Party's favorability rating is at an all-time low and President George W. Bush's approval rating remains mired in the 30s -- all ominous signs for a party trying to maintain control of Congress.
In fact, according to the poll, Republicans are in worse shape on some key measures than Democrats were in 1994, when they lost their congressional majorities.
"There is not a single number in here that would suggest the Democrats will not have their best showing in a decade -- and maybe two decades," says Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart, who conducted this survey with Republican Bill McInturff.
Landslide of bad GOP news
The poll, which was taken of 1,006 registered voters from Oct. 13-16 and has a margin of error of plus-minus 3.1 percentage points, comes a few weeks after Republicans encountered a series of setbacks, including the release of an intelligence estimate calling the Iraq war a "cause célèbre" for Islamic militants, journalist Bob Woodward's unfavorable portrayal of the Bush administration's handling of Iraq, and the news that former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., had inappropriate correspondence with teenage congressional pages.
In the survey, Bush's approval rating is at 38 percent, a one-point decline from a previous NBC/Journal poll released earlier this month after the Foley news first broke. Perhaps more revealing, only 16 percent now approve of the job Congress is doing -- its lowest mark since 1992.
source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15319792/
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Note from Steve, You'll need your guns to protect yourselves with Republicans running the State and the Country ! Read story below for yet another example of why I support Kinky Friedman for Governor.
Web-posted Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Some Texans really take to Kinky's way
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second in a five-part series profiling candidates for Texas governor.
By Enrique Rangel
Globe-News Austin Bureau
enrique.rangel@morris.com
Kinky Friedman
AUSTIN - Of all five gubernatorial candidates, Richard "Kinky" Friedman is the only one who regularly makes his audiences laugh.
"I support gay marriage because I believe they have a right to be just as miserable as the rest of us," the entertainer recently told a large and friendly University of Texas crowd.
Part of his trademark, along with his black hat, vest and jeans - as well as the unlit cigar that is always in his mouth - is his constant flow of punch lines.
Yet, as even his critics admit, Friedman is no joke. He really wants to be governor and has made that clear since he made the announcement in February of last year in front of the Alamo in San Antonio.
"I am running because the governor we have has failed us," he said referring to Republican incumbent Rick Perry.
Although in the early days of his campaign Friedman made education one of his key campaign issues, lately he has been talking more - and tougher than his opponents - about law enforcement issues, particularly border security and crime.
"There is no real immigration policy," either in Texas or at the federal level, he told the UT students. "And it should be because when (William) Travis drew his line on the sand at the Alamo, the men who crossed it all knew they were going to die and they crossed the line.
"So there's another line we call the border and it should be honored and respected and we are not doing it now," he added. "Let me tell you, the governor says things are under control but I've talked to just about every sheriff in Texas and they all say things are getting worse."
However, some of his remarks have gotten Friedman in hot water. For instance, when he was talking about the rise of crime in Houston, he attributed it to the large number of Katrina evacuees, who are predominantly black.
Despite being publicly scorned, Friedman has refused to apologize and says he is not afraid to offend anyone when discussing the issues. He believes - as did his friend Jesse Ventura eight years ago when he was elected governor of Minnesota as an independent - that he, too, can be elected and once in the governor's mansion he will change what he calls the culture of corruption in Austin.
WHO IS KINKY FRIEDMAN?
Born in Chicago in 1944 but grew up in Texas.
Graduated from the University of Texas in 1966. A fellow student nicknamed him Kinky because of his long, curly hair.
Served in the Peace Corps right after graduation.
Brags that he has never had a job in his life.
In the 1970s, he founded Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys. Became a mystery writer in the 1980s.
In 1986, he ran for justice of the peace in Kerrville but lost. Would appoint Willie Nelson as his energy adviser.
HIS STAND ON THE ISSUES.
PUBLIC EDUCATION. Wants more pay for teachers, though he hasn't given specific figures, and wants to do away with the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skill, or TAKS, test. He also wants to lower college tuition because, in his view, it is making it hard for middle class and economically disadvantaged students to get a higher education, unless they borrow heavily.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND BORDER SECURITY. He wants to put 10,000 National Guard troops on the border, compared to the current 1,500 soldiers, and give them law enforcement authority, which right now they don't have. And if the border becomes violent, he would consider martial law. Also, employers of illegal immigrants would be fined up to $50,000.
source: http://www.amarillo.com/stories/101806/new_5834253.shtml
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Published on Wednesday, October 18, 2006 by the Portland Press Herald (Portland, Maine)
In November, Remember: Character Counts
by Theo Stein
Just when the mess in Iraq and a nuclear North Korea threatened to push congressional scandals out of voters' minds, President Bush was there to offer a timely reminder.
This week, the Decider decided, is "National Character Counts Week," when "we renew our commitment to instilling values in our young people and to encouraging all Americans to remember the importance of good character."
I am not making this up.
And to reinforce the message, a number of congressmen and sundry names in the news have volunteered to demonstrate why character counts.
On Tuesday, we learned that former U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham used his seat on the Intelligence Committee to direct $70 million in authorizations to two government contractors.
To perform this service, Cunningham had to "persuade, cajole, deceive, pressure, intimidate, bribe or otherwise influence" congressmen, aides, Pentagon officials and a host of others, according to Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., a member of the Intelligence Committee.
For his hard work, Cunningham earned $2.4 million in bribes, an eight-year stay in the pokey and our thanks for demonstrating why character counts.
Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich, said while Cunningham's abuse of the public trust was "reprehensible," Harman's decision to release the report (after Hoekstra sat on it for five months) was "disturbing and beyond the pale."
To which I would refer the congressman to his president's proclamation, which declaims that "integrity, courage and honesty" are key elements of good character.
Thanks, too, goes to Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa.
On Monday, the FBI raided the office of Weldon's daughter and a close political supporter as part of a grand jury investigation into whether Weldon used his influence to benefit himself and his 29-year-old daughter's lobbying firm.
Weldon allegedly intervened on behalf of Itera International Energy Corp., one of the world's largest oil and gas firms, when U.S. officials canceled a federal grant to the Russian-owned company.
During this time, Itera, wouldn't you know, had retained Solutions North America, the lobbying firm that Karen Weldon and partner Charles Sexton operate.
Rep. Weldon protested that the House Ethics Committee, a bastion of integrity and fortitude, examined the matter and found no need to pursue it.
Too bad the Justice Department disagreed.
Then we have the tale of Grover Norquist, that selfless champion of the American taxpayer, who, it turns out, jeopardized his nonprofit's tax-exempt status by writing op-ed pieces to promote the clients of lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who is truly an example of why character counts.
Norquist, the Senate Finance Committee report said, lent his good name to an effort to have Congress provide a tax break for Abramoff client Brown-Forman, better known as the maker of Jack Daniels whiskey.
In recompense, the lobbyist had his clients send Norquist a cool $50,000, e-mails between these two paragons of good character suggest.
"What is most important, however, is that this matter is kept discreet," Abramoff wrote to another client implicated in the scheme. "We do not want the opponents to think that we are trying to buy the taxpayer movement."
It's not clear whether Abramoff's quid pro quo with Norquist and others broke any laws.
One would be remiss to ignore Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who belatedly amended a required financial report to include a $700,000 real estate profit or the $3,300 in campaign money he used for staff Christmas bonuses and recorded improperly.
Finally, we can point to the president himself.
On Monday, Bush signed a law that gives him and him alone the power to decide what constitutes torture when interrogating people that he has determined are enemy combatants.
Could there be a better example of why character counts?
Editorial writer Theo Stein can be reached at 207-791-6481 or at: tstein@pressherald.com
