Wolves watching the henhouse.

I’ve been one to defend Bush-Cheney and some of the things administration has done over the past 5 years. But this one…. nahhh. I can’t do it.

With LaShawn Barber’s recent review of a book on securing our b…

Another tidbit on ‘democracy’, while under US protection, the Panamian dollar had 1 to 1 parity with the US dollar. And all in all their economy was a model for the rest of the Southern Hemisphere. Nowadays, it’s not much different from the rest — corruption, graft, inflation etc, etc have conspired to put her back in 3rd world status.

Anyhoo, I think anything of vital interest should remain firmly with American entities. Not that it guarantees security, it’s just a matter of mitigating risk, notwithstanding Dubai’s desire to expand their portfolio for generating income.

Dubai could really help their case by actively combatting the Islamofacist message machine. One way would be to shutdown Al Jezeerah and cracking down on anyone that promotes radicalism. With action like that, I could be persuaded to accept the notion that this is all about economic growth/free trade and not a caliphate 5th flank maneouver.

There is no doubt that we need to re-evaluate our immigration policies with regard to Mexico. But if I’m in a sinking boat, it doesn’t help to speed up bailing the water out if the water keeps flowing in. Stop the influx, then address some of the other issues. For example, skip the guest worker part, but allow higher immigration levels, and require whole families, not just a worker. One of the reasons a worker can come in and send money back as a form of economic aid to Mexico is because single men will tolerate conditions that would not be tolerable for a family. The cost of living is so much lower in Mexico, that “Papa” can work for barely livable wages here and when the earnings are sent home, the family lives fine and may even have savings. Having “Mama” and the kids in the USA would create a need for higher wages to support them, and stop sending cash out to Mexico to serve as their no-pay welfare system. Add to that, “Pop” is definitely going back to Mexico because his family is there. I’d rather have someone who definitely wants to stay and become a citizen – even if originally they need a hand up – which they _might_ do if they have family with them. We also need to establish English as the official US language.

Rescind Mr. President. Faith is a misplaced emotion in the long war on terror, and the assurance that U.S. ports will be secure when they are managed by a firm owned by a government in one of the most volatile parts of the world, is worthless.

Sometimes citizen initiative sticks a dirty thumb in diplomacy, but that is the price of democracy. I am not one who sees the Minutemen as vigilantes.

There is a dynamic at work along the US side of the Mexican border that is not readily apparent to the most in the US. There is a wide strip of US nationals of Mexican origin who live along the US border with Mexico. They cleave to their heritage, folk customs and family ties while being committed to the advantages of US citizenship. In other words, they are in the melting pot, but not yet melded.

I suspect that the politicians in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas are at best stymied by these border Mexican-Americans. I do not know how volatile this strip of mixed-Americans is, but I seriously doubt that it is all smooth sailing in the region.

All of the governors and senators of these four states tread lightly when dealing with the US border Mexican-American citizens. That should tell us all a great deal.

Obviously, President Bush was first the Governor of Texas and I suspect that his sensitivity to border issues is born of unspoken practicalities.

As I recall, when Texas was admitted to the union, there was an understanding that because of its size, it could be further subdivided into smaller states. I would not be surprised if the Mexican-American population of Texas was not big enough to create a rather sizable border state.

This is not to say that there is any move to fracture Texas into smaller parts. But, I suspect, there is a sleeping giant in the border states that like the proverbial sleeping dogs are best left alone in the minds of politicians of the region.

However, the border problem is far greater than the politics of the four border states. Furthermore, national pressure can force the politicians of the border states to take action, while giving them cover with their citizens.

The Minutemen are merely an example of the pressure on the politicians that cause them to face the inevitable. Nobody appreciates a wake-up call in the form of ice water in the face.

Thank you for your service to this great nation.

I am afraid that it is National I.D. card time folks. If you have one, you have no work problems. If you do not have one or a guest worker I.D. you have a real problem, as does any employer who hires you anyway.

The I.D. is going to be sophisticated with some type of DNA match built in and counterfeit safe.

2.) The UAE ownership of the US port facilities.

This is purely a classic, capitalistic money deal. The UAE has tons of oil profits. Their oil is finite. Best they invest the money they have to take them beyond the cheap oil days. They are investing in vibrant economies. In other words, they are acting like any smart pension fund.

They are also betting (silently) that the USA will come out on top in the battle with extreme Islam.

After all, the US can nuke every Muslim or it can divide them and woo those who cooperate and hunt down those who don’t. The UAE has pretty well got it figured out: camel riders finish last.

Their ownership neither gives them access to security information nor a way around security.

3.) LaShawn’s peeve about posts vs. blogs.

William Safire has a good page on the language of the internet in last Sunday’s NYT magazine.

…The fact that Carter is on board scares the beejeebus out of me, but I also can’t help but wonder how much of Clinton’s and Frist’s concern has to do with 2008.

that means “money”…

which means if enough money changes hands, that little bit of info about something called “security” at ports can be sold at a price (and you can best believe if someone owns it, they don’t have to be on the dock to know what security measures are in place, it is an investment and part of being good at that means knowing what’s going on with the company and keeps it making money)

Ally or not, don’t American’s own anything in their country anymore? There is a time when you come face to face with what happens when GREED runs amuck!