I was very happy to learn two things late last night: first, that a temporary restraining order had been put in place against the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's plan to begin implementing the license changes allowing Waste Control Specialists to import nuclear waste from several other states into Texas. Nothing has changed other than there is still time to halt the impending disaster. But it was a ray of hope, nonetheless.
The second thing I learned was that one person who read my blog yesterday was from, or at least in, Slovenia at the time he or she viewed my blog. I was both honored and thrilled about the distant reader, but even more, I was curious about Slovenia itself. I have to plead my ignorance here. I mean, I know Slovenia was at one time a part of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and that Yugoslavia collapsed as a nation shortly after the demise of the Soviet Union in the early nineties. I knew the approximate location of Slovenia on the new globe. But that is the extent of my knowledge of that nation, other than what I have read in the past few minutes.
But I wanted to send a "hello" to the reader or readers in Slovenia, and to wish a Happy New Year!
In my reading, I learned that Slovenia had actually been a "nation" several times since the last days of the Roman Empire. But the coolest little tidbit I learned was that if one vacations in Slovenia, one can enjoy spending time in the Alps, then drive an hour or so to the Mediterranean coast and enjoy the beach, making Slovenia a very attractive tourist destination. In fact, it turns out that tourism is one of the largest segments of the Slovenian economy. Slovenia also seems to be a relatively stable state, making it all the more desirable for timid tourists like myself. Of course, Slovenia has seen its share of bloodshed and warfare over the centuries, right up to the last century when several thousand refugees fled there from regions less peaceful.
That is the extent of my knowledge of Slovenia, but I am eagerly reading more as I get the opportunity. I again thank the reader from Slovenia for honoring me with at least one visit to this blog, and even more, for giving me a spark of curiosity and desire to learn more about this little nation, about the size of our own New Jersey, or more familiar to Texans, about the size of Brewster County in West Texas. Maybe it is not totally out of the realm of possibility that my lovely bride and I someday could visit that distant land, climbing the Alps in the morning and walking in the ocean surf later that afternoon. Sounds like a plan!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Hog(skin) Heaven Served In Bowls
I have to admit that I have abandoned my wife, at least for the next few days. I have left the real world for that place that can only be found once a year, but which often allows me to see more football in a few days than in all of the regular high school, college, and pro-football season combined. I am of course talking about College Bowl Week.
I always start the college football season intending to keep track of my favorite teams, an almost impossible task considering how many favorite teams I have at the start of the season, as well as those I may adopt during mid-season. My favorite teams are picked, not by the possibility that they may end up in the Rose Bowl, but merely because...I like these teams, for various reasons. Not always because they are winning teams, either.
For instance, my list of favorite teams starts with my standards: Texas Tech, the two Floridas and the Hurricanes, Marshall's Thundering Herd, the UTEP Miners, the Oklahoma STATE Cowboys, and the Grambling Tigers. Usually by the second or third game, I have adopted other "favorite teams" such as Army and Navy, the Mich. Wolverines, the Colorado Buffaloes, the Vols, the USC Trogans, and...well, I think you get the drift. In fact, there have been several college seasons where I have never had to "lose" a bowl game because both of the teams playing in a given bowl were my "favorites." That is the ultimate win-win scenario.
Then there are the teams that are not my favorites, but I like to see them win anyway. That list includes the Texas Aggies, SMU, TCU, Ohio State, and ANYONE playing against Oklahoma. I know this will probably cause a drop in my readership (in the US of A) but the Texas Longhorns are not on my favorite list, except if they are playing Oklahoma. Truthfully, I would be for the North Korean Nuclear Missile Control Squad if they were playing against Oklahoma!
I have a special place in my heart (that sounds awfully sentimental) for two teams: the Marshall Thundering Herd, and the Grambling Tigers. For reasons made obvious by the movie, I will always have a soft spot for Marshall. I have admired the Grambling team because they were a determined and disciplined team over the years, and they were coached by the second most winningest coach in history (though he may not be all that well known), Eddie Robinson. Mr. Robinson coached the Tigers from 1941 to 1997. In that time his teams won 408 games, losing less than 170 games. Around 200 of Robinson's former players have gone on to the pros. Mr. Robinson was stricken with Alzheimer's at some point in or around 1996. Some felt that he was losing his grip on his team in the late nineties and this could very well be attributed to his declining health. But he was a great coach and a great man. Unfortunately Eddie Robinson's Alzheimers took a turn for the worse in 1998, causing him to lose his ability to communicate or to recognize people, other than his bride. He spent the last few years of his life in her care. He died in 2007.
So I am once again in Hog(skin) heaven...and I have to go...NOW! Halftime is over!
I always start the college football season intending to keep track of my favorite teams, an almost impossible task considering how many favorite teams I have at the start of the season, as well as those I may adopt during mid-season. My favorite teams are picked, not by the possibility that they may end up in the Rose Bowl, but merely because...I like these teams, for various reasons. Not always because they are winning teams, either.
For instance, my list of favorite teams starts with my standards: Texas Tech, the two Floridas and the Hurricanes, Marshall's Thundering Herd, the UTEP Miners, the Oklahoma STATE Cowboys, and the Grambling Tigers. Usually by the second or third game, I have adopted other "favorite teams" such as Army and Navy, the Mich. Wolverines, the Colorado Buffaloes, the Vols, the USC Trogans, and...well, I think you get the drift. In fact, there have been several college seasons where I have never had to "lose" a bowl game because both of the teams playing in a given bowl were my "favorites." That is the ultimate win-win scenario.
Then there are the teams that are not my favorites, but I like to see them win anyway. That list includes the Texas Aggies, SMU, TCU, Ohio State, and ANYONE playing against Oklahoma. I know this will probably cause a drop in my readership (in the US of A) but the Texas Longhorns are not on my favorite list, except if they are playing Oklahoma. Truthfully, I would be for the North Korean Nuclear Missile Control Squad if they were playing against Oklahoma!
I have a special place in my heart (that sounds awfully sentimental) for two teams: the Marshall Thundering Herd, and the Grambling Tigers. For reasons made obvious by the movie, I will always have a soft spot for Marshall. I have admired the Grambling team because they were a determined and disciplined team over the years, and they were coached by the second most winningest coach in history (though he may not be all that well known), Eddie Robinson. Mr. Robinson coached the Tigers from 1941 to 1997. In that time his teams won 408 games, losing less than 170 games. Around 200 of Robinson's former players have gone on to the pros. Mr. Robinson was stricken with Alzheimer's at some point in or around 1996. Some felt that he was losing his grip on his team in the late nineties and this could very well be attributed to his declining health. But he was a great coach and a great man. Unfortunately Eddie Robinson's Alzheimers took a turn for the worse in 1998, causing him to lose his ability to communicate or to recognize people, other than his bride. He spent the last few years of his life in her care. He died in 2007.
So I am once again in Hog(skin) heaven...and I have to go...NOW! Halftime is over!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
More Waste For Texas - And Don't Drink The Water
This person's blog says it so much more eloquently than I could ever have done. Here is the link:
http://haroldsimmons.blogspot.com/2010/12/texas-agency-says-state-will-be-liable.html#comment-form
The Texas Sunset Commission has examined this issue (the WCS dump site and Harold Simmons and Company) and has found that neither WCS nor Mr. Simmons will be liable for any disasters or even routine cleanups in the WCS Andrews facility. We already knew this, but now it is entered for the record into the Texas Legislature records as well.
The anonymous blogger who gleaned this information stated also that he is contributing this anonymously because of the tendency for people who speak out against WCS or Harold Simmons to find themselves the subject of law suits and other means of intimidation. But his information can be checked merely by looking at the Sunset Commission website or other state websites.
Here is the deal in a nutshell: Harold Simmons, through WCS, managed to sell the WCS site to the people in Andrews as a means of saving their city from economic collapse by creating seventy-five jobs and boosting the local economy. The people of Andrews bought it and voted for it. But they were promised a facility that disposed of radioactive "medical waste." Also waste from Vermont was placed there via the Texas-Vermont Pact. Since then, the WCS facility has also taken in "by-products" from federal nuclear facilities, and recently, sludge from the Hudson River that was contaminated with PCB. But the biggest "surprise" of all was the application for a license to accept nuclear waste from thirty-six other states. And it appears this will happen soon unless we (TEXANS) began really raising a fuss about this.
Texans were not allowed to vote on the deal to allow thirty-six states to dump their nuclear waste here. In fact most Texans were not even aware of this impending disaster until just before Christmas, when the "public comment period" was announced by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The public comment period of course coincided with the Christmas holiday period. On purpose? Duh...
I doubt that even the most frightened Andrews resident would have voted for this mess if the truth had been told up front. But the rain has already fallen out of the clouds as far as the WCS facility is concerned. It is here and there is not much to be done about that. BUT we do not have to sit by with our hands under our backsides while unelected commission members on various commissions rail road this disgusting and disastrous law onto our shoulders. I will remind you once again: WCS and Harold Simmons have no responsibility for the cleanup of accidents or just a routine cleanup of the WCS site itself. Texans (YOU and ME) will pay for all this. Harold Simmons and Company have only one responsibility and that is to collect money (MAKE A PROFIT) from dumping this mess in Texas. I can assure you that HS and Company are already working on another deal to pollute some other area and make a profit in the process. I just wonder if the other states will be so cooperative as Texas has been.
By the way, when I say Simmons and Company, I include the several local and state politicians and bureaucrats who are also lining their pockets with the proceeds from the Simmons election/legislation/politician buying corporation. Oops...I mean campaign contributions and lobbying fees. It is all legal I presume. But we, Texans, have been betrayed by our "leaders" from city officials all the way up to the former president of the United States and the current governor of Texas. You can be assured that none of these people will retire in the Andrews area at the conclusion of their stellar political careers. Actually, I doubt if they will even drink the water should they ever stop in Andrews.
http://haroldsimmons.blogspot.com/2010/12/texas-agency-says-state-will-be-liable.html#comment-form
The Texas Sunset Commission has examined this issue (the WCS dump site and Harold Simmons and Company) and has found that neither WCS nor Mr. Simmons will be liable for any disasters or even routine cleanups in the WCS Andrews facility. We already knew this, but now it is entered for the record into the Texas Legislature records as well.
The anonymous blogger who gleaned this information stated also that he is contributing this anonymously because of the tendency for people who speak out against WCS or Harold Simmons to find themselves the subject of law suits and other means of intimidation. But his information can be checked merely by looking at the Sunset Commission website or other state websites.
Here is the deal in a nutshell: Harold Simmons, through WCS, managed to sell the WCS site to the people in Andrews as a means of saving their city from economic collapse by creating seventy-five jobs and boosting the local economy. The people of Andrews bought it and voted for it. But they were promised a facility that disposed of radioactive "medical waste." Also waste from Vermont was placed there via the Texas-Vermont Pact. Since then, the WCS facility has also taken in "by-products" from federal nuclear facilities, and recently, sludge from the Hudson River that was contaminated with PCB. But the biggest "surprise" of all was the application for a license to accept nuclear waste from thirty-six other states. And it appears this will happen soon unless we (TEXANS) began really raising a fuss about this.
Texans were not allowed to vote on the deal to allow thirty-six states to dump their nuclear waste here. In fact most Texans were not even aware of this impending disaster until just before Christmas, when the "public comment period" was announced by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The public comment period of course coincided with the Christmas holiday period. On purpose? Duh...
I doubt that even the most frightened Andrews resident would have voted for this mess if the truth had been told up front. But the rain has already fallen out of the clouds as far as the WCS facility is concerned. It is here and there is not much to be done about that. BUT we do not have to sit by with our hands under our backsides while unelected commission members on various commissions rail road this disgusting and disastrous law onto our shoulders. I will remind you once again: WCS and Harold Simmons have no responsibility for the cleanup of accidents or just a routine cleanup of the WCS site itself. Texans (YOU and ME) will pay for all this. Harold Simmons and Company have only one responsibility and that is to collect money (MAKE A PROFIT) from dumping this mess in Texas. I can assure you that HS and Company are already working on another deal to pollute some other area and make a profit in the process. I just wonder if the other states will be so cooperative as Texas has been.
By the way, when I say Simmons and Company, I include the several local and state politicians and bureaucrats who are also lining their pockets with the proceeds from the Simmons election/legislation/politician buying corporation. Oops...I mean campaign contributions and lobbying fees. It is all legal I presume. But we, Texans, have been betrayed by our "leaders" from city officials all the way up to the former president of the United States and the current governor of Texas. You can be assured that none of these people will retire in the Andrews area at the conclusion of their stellar political careers. Actually, I doubt if they will even drink the water should they ever stop in Andrews.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Officer Erika Gandara, Another Police Officer Lost In Mexico's War
The last police officer working in the town of Guadalupe, Mexico...only three miles from the Texas border, was kidnapped last week and is still missing. Erika Gandara was the only officer still working in Guadalupe after all the other officers were either killed or kidnapped. The citizens are now without any protection other than passing army patrols. And another family has lost a loved one who only wanted to serve her community.
I am somewhat of an optimist but ever the realist. I hope for this family's sake that Ms. Gandara is released and able to return to her family. I think it is unlikely, however, that she will be seen alive again. Ms. Gandara is one of a growing number of officers who refuse to quit or who take over police duties in cities where multiple officers have been killed by the drug cartels. It is a testament to the strength and determination of these brave but isolated officers who take seriously their oath of office, and continue to serve as police officers against all odds. Ms. Gandara, as well as many other officers in the same predicament would rather honor their badges and serve bravely rather than dishonor the badge by turning and running in the face of severe danger.
I hope many of you will join me in taking a few minutes to honor Ms. Gandara and these other Mexican heroes. I also would like let the brave citizens of Mexico that their plight is on our minds, and that we understand and empathize with them; innocent people who are doing one of the hardest things they could ever be asked to do - carry on with their lives in spite of all that is going on, in spite of all the death and heartache, and to hold out the hope that the legitimate government of Mexico will prevail soon, and restore some measure of peace and normalcy to that nation.
I am somewhat of an optimist but ever the realist. I hope for this family's sake that Ms. Gandara is released and able to return to her family. I think it is unlikely, however, that she will be seen alive again. Ms. Gandara is one of a growing number of officers who refuse to quit or who take over police duties in cities where multiple officers have been killed by the drug cartels. It is a testament to the strength and determination of these brave but isolated officers who take seriously their oath of office, and continue to serve as police officers against all odds. Ms. Gandara, as well as many other officers in the same predicament would rather honor their badges and serve bravely rather than dishonor the badge by turning and running in the face of severe danger.
I hope many of you will join me in taking a few minutes to honor Ms. Gandara and these other Mexican heroes. I also would like let the brave citizens of Mexico that their plight is on our minds, and that we understand and empathize with them; innocent people who are doing one of the hardest things they could ever be asked to do - carry on with their lives in spite of all that is going on, in spite of all the death and heartache, and to hold out the hope that the legitimate government of Mexico will prevail soon, and restore some measure of peace and normalcy to that nation.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Post-Christmas Post
I hope everyone had a great Christmas. In my own home, it was one of the best ever because both of my children were on hand. My spouse and I are truly blessed because our children still think we are "cool" and still love to spend time with us. That (the time with them and with my spouse) was the best Christmas gift of all, beside the Greatest Gift that was given two thousand years ago.
By late Sunday night everyone had left our humble abode and quiet once again had descended on the Meeks Residence. I thought about how special this Christmas was, and about one of the things that had made it so special. That particular thing was that Sherron and I decided to give the children "memories" that we had collected with them over the years. And one added blessing was, as my wife and I went through the "memories box" to find the items that we would give our children, we rediscovered three little New Testaments. You have probably seen these, or you may even have copies that were presented to you at the birth of your own children. Just for a brief moment, as I saw the little Bibles there, I felt a prick in my heart as I remembered our little angel, Bryan, and his short life with us. Although much of the hurt and sadness is gone, and I am greatly comforted that Bryan is with The Good Shepherd, our Lord Jesus, just for a moment I felt myself wondering about this little boy and what his life might have been had he stayed with us just a little longer. But two children remain and and have been a joy and a blessing in our lives.
Child A and Child B are both over twenty-one years of age, and my wife and I felt that it was time to pass on some of the memories to them. For instance, when both of the children were younger, their favorite television show was "Gargoyles." Several years ago we saved for each child a small "pop-up" book that contained a Gargoyle mini-adventure, so we presented the books to each child. Later on we engaged the children in collecting all of the "state quarters." Both of the children completed, with our help, the collection folders (well, mostly). So this Christmas we gave each child his and her quarter collection. Both of them had practically forgotten about the quarter collections and were surprised to get them. We also passed along pictures of years past. Don't worry, they got "real" Christmas gifts as well.
What I don't think the children realize yet, even at their grand old age of "over twenty-one," is that they each gave their parents the best gifts that we could have asked for....a few hours of their time on the day that the world has chosen to honor as Christmas, the birthday of Jesus...the Greatest Gift of all.
By late Sunday night everyone had left our humble abode and quiet once again had descended on the Meeks Residence. I thought about how special this Christmas was, and about one of the things that had made it so special. That particular thing was that Sherron and I decided to give the children "memories" that we had collected with them over the years. And one added blessing was, as my wife and I went through the "memories box" to find the items that we would give our children, we rediscovered three little New Testaments. You have probably seen these, or you may even have copies that were presented to you at the birth of your own children. Just for a brief moment, as I saw the little Bibles there, I felt a prick in my heart as I remembered our little angel, Bryan, and his short life with us. Although much of the hurt and sadness is gone, and I am greatly comforted that Bryan is with The Good Shepherd, our Lord Jesus, just for a moment I felt myself wondering about this little boy and what his life might have been had he stayed with us just a little longer. But two children remain and and have been a joy and a blessing in our lives.
Child A and Child B are both over twenty-one years of age, and my wife and I felt that it was time to pass on some of the memories to them. For instance, when both of the children were younger, their favorite television show was "Gargoyles." Several years ago we saved for each child a small "pop-up" book that contained a Gargoyle mini-adventure, so we presented the books to each child. Later on we engaged the children in collecting all of the "state quarters." Both of the children completed, with our help, the collection folders (well, mostly). So this Christmas we gave each child his and her quarter collection. Both of them had practically forgotten about the quarter collections and were surprised to get them. We also passed along pictures of years past. Don't worry, they got "real" Christmas gifts as well.
What I don't think the children realize yet, even at their grand old age of "over twenty-one," is that they each gave their parents the best gifts that we could have asked for....a few hours of their time on the day that the world has chosen to honor as Christmas, the birthday of Jesus...the Greatest Gift of all.
Friday, December 24, 2010
One Day Before Christmas
It is two days before Christmas...this is really the first year that I have not been sneaking to the stores to get that last minute gift(s) like I have done in the past. For several years I only went shopping on one day...Christmas Eve. The upside of that was that no one had a chance to shake the box and try to guess what their gift might be. The other upside was that I saved quite a bit on wrapping paper in this manner as well. But there is something satisfying about having the gifts either made or bought before December rolls around.
I will not rant this year about how Christmas has become so "commercialized." We already know all that. But one fact I learned about commercialization of Christmas is about old Santa Claus himself. If the sources are correct, Santa Claus wore either a green or brown suit right up to the time Coca Cola began its Christmas marketing campaigns. I have not run across the year exactly, but it was well before the turn of our current century. It seems that the Coca Cola artists were told to work Santa into the Coke ads. Viola, the Jolly Old Elf changed his wardrobe overnight. Sporting his now famous red coat and red pants with the white trim, and wearing his long, bright white beard, our familiar Saint Nick made his Christmas debut taking a long swallow of Coca Cola.
Locally, many good Samaritans are making Christmas bright for less fortunate people in the area. The Midland Sheriff's Office held a fundraising drive. They were able to raise enough money to take forty-one children shopping to the tune of one hundred dollars each. The Rough Riders in Odessa raised funds and were able to take toys to the children in hospitals in Odessa to help insure the children had a better Christmas than they might have had otherwise. Blue Santa is working overtime, and many groups are providing Christmas meals for those in the area who may need a good meal that day.
For me, I am happy just being around and seeing the joy of Christmas time. We (spouse and I) are by no means wealthy or "rich" but we have reached that point where a box of home-made candy or a jar of fresh prickly-pear jelly is appreciated as much as any "gift." The better part of Christmas now is seeing the kids having fun with their new toys, and greeting the people we have not seen in some time.
I said I would not rant about Christmas Commercial, but I have to throw this one in. A news anchor on one of the channels produced a chart that showed the cost of buying all the gifts mentioned in "The Twelve Days of Christmas," from the partridge in a pear tree to the twelve drummers drumming. It seems that if one were to purchase the gifts mentioned or rent the services of the performers involved, in today's dollars the cost would be nearly four hundred thousand dollars. Quite a sum considering the food for the party has not been ordered yet.
By the way, hello to Italy!
So if you have not purchased all your gifts, go on to the stores, but don't get in a big rush. You still have a day and a half. They won't close the doors until everyone in line has paid for all their stuff. If you ARE finished with your shopping, or you will just buy gifts for the ones you missed after the New Year, just relax and listen to the children out playing with their pre-Christmas presents. And be glad that, unlike myself, you will not be mistaken for that Jolly Old Elf as you walk around the stores or the mall.
I will not rant this year about how Christmas has become so "commercialized." We already know all that. But one fact I learned about commercialization of Christmas is about old Santa Claus himself. If the sources are correct, Santa Claus wore either a green or brown suit right up to the time Coca Cola began its Christmas marketing campaigns. I have not run across the year exactly, but it was well before the turn of our current century. It seems that the Coca Cola artists were told to work Santa into the Coke ads. Viola, the Jolly Old Elf changed his wardrobe overnight. Sporting his now famous red coat and red pants with the white trim, and wearing his long, bright white beard, our familiar Saint Nick made his Christmas debut taking a long swallow of Coca Cola.
Locally, many good Samaritans are making Christmas bright for less fortunate people in the area. The Midland Sheriff's Office held a fundraising drive. They were able to raise enough money to take forty-one children shopping to the tune of one hundred dollars each. The Rough Riders in Odessa raised funds and were able to take toys to the children in hospitals in Odessa to help insure the children had a better Christmas than they might have had otherwise. Blue Santa is working overtime, and many groups are providing Christmas meals for those in the area who may need a good meal that day.
For me, I am happy just being around and seeing the joy of Christmas time. We (spouse and I) are by no means wealthy or "rich" but we have reached that point where a box of home-made candy or a jar of fresh prickly-pear jelly is appreciated as much as any "gift." The better part of Christmas now is seeing the kids having fun with their new toys, and greeting the people we have not seen in some time.
I said I would not rant about Christmas Commercial, but I have to throw this one in. A news anchor on one of the channels produced a chart that showed the cost of buying all the gifts mentioned in "The Twelve Days of Christmas," from the partridge in a pear tree to the twelve drummers drumming. It seems that if one were to purchase the gifts mentioned or rent the services of the performers involved, in today's dollars the cost would be nearly four hundred thousand dollars. Quite a sum considering the food for the party has not been ordered yet.
By the way, hello to Italy!
So if you have not purchased all your gifts, go on to the stores, but don't get in a big rush. You still have a day and a half. They won't close the doors until everyone in line has paid for all their stuff. If you ARE finished with your shopping, or you will just buy gifts for the ones you missed after the New Year, just relax and listen to the children out playing with their pre-Christmas presents. And be glad that, unlike myself, you will not be mistaken for that Jolly Old Elf as you walk around the stores or the mall.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Two Days Before Christmas
I am sitting at this moment in my lovely bride's new office at her work. She is so happy to be back here at MMH and we are both glad to be back in beautiful (to some) West Texas. I have been blogging for a few months, and as we approach Christmas time, I have reached a lull in my job that has allowed me to take a few moments and look back at my blog and the enjoyment it has brought to me.
I know that a blog should probably address itself to one topic or issue, or it should be a blog about one's experiences, etc. For me, I have found that what started out to be a blog about my daily life (based on the assumption that at least one person would read it while I was separated from her while working out of state) turned into my venting post, my way of informing others about the progress of my book (Bailey Black), and about my take on certain issues. And I don't I have specific issues that I blog about, but instead, issues that leap out at me, that catch my attention, are what I blog about. A book I read the other day said that if a blogger were writing to maintain readership, the blogger would find his certain "niche" and fill that niche, leaving the other issues to other bloggers. So far I have not heeded that advice.
Instead, I blogged some about my home life, sometimes about experiences, and sometimes about political issues or current events. Maybe I have not found my niche, or maybe my niche IS "no niche." Regardless, in my blogging experience, I have noted with great interest and great satisfaction, as well as a good deal of humility, that readers who have chosen to glance at my blog include many people from the United States, as well as some people from Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, India, Israel, Croatia, and even Singapore and Taiwan. It is so humbling and at the same time exciting to know that people in those far off places were, at least once, led to read my blog. I hope that most of you who have read this blog have found it worth the minutes of your life that it took to read it.
I am not an expert in any field (history, maybe, if you ask me the right questions) but, like all of us, I can observe or read, then make my own conclusions about things. My occasional rants about Waste Texas are truly heartfelt and hopefully will encourage others to find out for themselves what is going on and maybe, by uniting with other like-minded folks, to to something about the plague, no the disaster, that is about to be visited upon this state. I also found it my pleasure and my honor to, in some small way, pay tribute to a true hero, the Mexican state policeman Rolando Flores Villegas, who gave his life trying to solve, and indeed did solve, the homicide of Texas citizen. Agent Flores was tortured then beheaded after he revealed the identity of two people he intended to arrest for this murder. And I also, through my blog, attempted to let those in Mexico know that people here in the United States were aware of and concerned with the plight of Mexicans who are caught in the middle of a great three-cornered war between two major drug cartels and the Mexican government. No, I did not provide any answers, but perhaps a little encouragement to a people who are literally in deadly danger as they go through their daily lives.
No doubt there will be more issues I will rant about. And there will also be happy events in my life that will be blogged about as well. The turn of events in little Kermit, Texas will be a target for me very shortly. But right now, there is something that is bigger and more important that anything I could possibly say here. Christmas is only two days away. Everywhere there are people doing good for others in keeping with the spirit of the season. I am having so much fun eating Christmas cookies and guessing about what are in certain specially wrapped packages under the tree that I just can't stay very long in the ranting mood. Those things are not forgotten, but Christmas - and the reasons behind it - have moved to front and center stage.
I would like to take this time to wish to all of my readers, especially to my followers, a very Merry Christmas and not only the usual "Happy New Year" but my wish and my dream that the new year holds in store for you a lot of great things, and a lot of adventure. I would like all of my readers to know that having you here day after day reading this little blog is a great Christmas gift for me. And it is a gift that keeps on giving. Such places as Taiwan, Singapore, India, Croatia and Denmark are places that I have often wished I could see first hand, although I doubt I will make it to most of those places. But I am so glad that someone from those exotic lands saw fit to read my blog. I hope you occasionally find it interesting and helpful. To a few of you who are serving in the military in the United States as well as in posts abroad, I wish you a Merry Christmas, and I want you to know that you are remembered here, and your service and sacrifice mean so much to us back at home. I must tell you that I know I could not go through the things you endure. You are all heroes to me.
I am sure that on Christmas Day I will take a rest from blogging, and I am sure most of you will have more important and more dear tasks awaiting you than reading this blog. But I look forward to blogging on after the holidays, and to having each of you here visiting this blog. It is truly an honor and a blessing to me.
I know that a blog should probably address itself to one topic or issue, or it should be a blog about one's experiences, etc. For me, I have found that what started out to be a blog about my daily life (based on the assumption that at least one person would read it while I was separated from her while working out of state) turned into my venting post, my way of informing others about the progress of my book (Bailey Black), and about my take on certain issues. And I don't I have specific issues that I blog about, but instead, issues that leap out at me, that catch my attention, are what I blog about. A book I read the other day said that if a blogger were writing to maintain readership, the blogger would find his certain "niche" and fill that niche, leaving the other issues to other bloggers. So far I have not heeded that advice.
Instead, I blogged some about my home life, sometimes about experiences, and sometimes about political issues or current events. Maybe I have not found my niche, or maybe my niche IS "no niche." Regardless, in my blogging experience, I have noted with great interest and great satisfaction, as well as a good deal of humility, that readers who have chosen to glance at my blog include many people from the United States, as well as some people from Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, India, Israel, Croatia, and even Singapore and Taiwan. It is so humbling and at the same time exciting to know that people in those far off places were, at least once, led to read my blog. I hope that most of you who have read this blog have found it worth the minutes of your life that it took to read it.
I am not an expert in any field (history, maybe, if you ask me the right questions) but, like all of us, I can observe or read, then make my own conclusions about things. My occasional rants about Waste Texas are truly heartfelt and hopefully will encourage others to find out for themselves what is going on and maybe, by uniting with other like-minded folks, to to something about the plague, no the disaster, that is about to be visited upon this state. I also found it my pleasure and my honor to, in some small way, pay tribute to a true hero, the Mexican state policeman Rolando Flores Villegas, who gave his life trying to solve, and indeed did solve, the homicide of Texas citizen. Agent Flores was tortured then beheaded after he revealed the identity of two people he intended to arrest for this murder. And I also, through my blog, attempted to let those in Mexico know that people here in the United States were aware of and concerned with the plight of Mexicans who are caught in the middle of a great three-cornered war between two major drug cartels and the Mexican government. No, I did not provide any answers, but perhaps a little encouragement to a people who are literally in deadly danger as they go through their daily lives.
No doubt there will be more issues I will rant about. And there will also be happy events in my life that will be blogged about as well. The turn of events in little Kermit, Texas will be a target for me very shortly. But right now, there is something that is bigger and more important that anything I could possibly say here. Christmas is only two days away. Everywhere there are people doing good for others in keeping with the spirit of the season. I am having so much fun eating Christmas cookies and guessing about what are in certain specially wrapped packages under the tree that I just can't stay very long in the ranting mood. Those things are not forgotten, but Christmas - and the reasons behind it - have moved to front and center stage.
I would like to take this time to wish to all of my readers, especially to my followers, a very Merry Christmas and not only the usual "Happy New Year" but my wish and my dream that the new year holds in store for you a lot of great things, and a lot of adventure. I would like all of my readers to know that having you here day after day reading this little blog is a great Christmas gift for me. And it is a gift that keeps on giving. Such places as Taiwan, Singapore, India, Croatia and Denmark are places that I have often wished I could see first hand, although I doubt I will make it to most of those places. But I am so glad that someone from those exotic lands saw fit to read my blog. I hope you occasionally find it interesting and helpful. To a few of you who are serving in the military in the United States as well as in posts abroad, I wish you a Merry Christmas, and I want you to know that you are remembered here, and your service and sacrifice mean so much to us back at home. I must tell you that I know I could not go through the things you endure. You are all heroes to me.
I am sure that on Christmas Day I will take a rest from blogging, and I am sure most of you will have more important and more dear tasks awaiting you than reading this blog. But I look forward to blogging on after the holidays, and to having each of you here visiting this blog. It is truly an honor and a blessing to me.
Waste Texas...I Hate To Be So Far Behind...But Maybe I Was Helpless Anyway
During much of 2008 through June 2010 I worked as a private investigator, spending most of my time in Louisiana, far South Texas, or Colorado. It appears that during that time I fell very far behind in my understanding of what was going on my backyard, near Andrews, Texas.
I totally missed the fact that tons and tons of PCB cleaned from the Hudson River in NEW YORK was sent to the Waste Management Specialists (WCS) disposal facility in Andrews. You remember, the facility that was built to accept low-level radioactive medical waste? I fail to see how PCB is "medical waste" but what do I know? After all I am just one of the many dumb desert dwellers who are standing in the way of progress for the City and County of Andrews. I guess I would be a tree hugger if there were any trees outside of the Andrews city limits. Oh...off track again!
So PCB or chlorinated biphenyls, will be dumped in the WCS landfill in Andrews. This compound is a carcinogen is linked to thyroid disease, learning, memory and immune system disorders. In the Hudson River, fish samples were found to have lethal amounts of this chemical. So the fish there cannot be eaten for the above reasons. The water from the Hudson, one assumes, is used as drinking water, after treatment of course. Does that clear out the hazard posed by PCB?
More to the point for you and I, some one million pounds (plus) of PCB was dumped in the Hudson over the years by General Electric. GE has spent $750 million to clean up the mess and rail road us...I mean "it" to Andrews. By the way, the railroad route went through many large cities, and in West Texas it passed through Lubbock on the way to WCS. I wonder what would have been the consequences of a derailment or other accident along the way? But, not to worry! Once the filth from New York reached its final resting place at WCS, everyone was safe! Right? Well, no...not really. Putting aside common-sense which would tell us this waste was safe nowhere, a spokesman for the Sierra Club, Texas Chapter, once again raised the alarm that this toxin was being dumped, I mean, disposed of right on top of the upper reach of the Ogallala Aquifer. The claim of course was immediately countered by both WCS (Linda Beach, VP of WCS Andrews) and the leaders of Andrews (in this case Glen Hackler, the Andrews City Manager), who once again let us know that the WCS facility was safe, and the PCB was contained. Never mind that it was placed five hundred feet over the aquifer. And we already know the WCS facility does not leak radiation. NOT!!
Like I said, I am a year late in learning this information, but at least I should be comforted by the words of Ms. Beach and Mr. Hackler. I guess I would be, if I had not learned some other information. For one, Mr. David Barry, spokesperson for the Environmental Protection Agency for Region 6 says, "Yes, the facility does sit above the Ogallala aquifer. It sits on the southern end of the aquifer." Even more telling to me, is the fact that one employee with the Texas Commision on Environmental Quality quit his job after serving sixteen years with the Commission. He had strongly recommended against the WCS operation and the continuing addition of varieties of material to be dumped at the facility. This employee was so frustrated that he could no longer continue working for the agency that was supposed to be securing environmental quality for all of us, the citizens of Texas.
What about the attitudes of the people in Andrews. Still divided it seems. One citizen told a television reporter that WCS was great for the community, that the company had done so much for the economy and the schools there. He was not concerned about the hazards at all. If WCS said the facility was safe then it must be. But another Andrews resident summed it up this way: "All of our time has been wasted. We've all been played for suckers. We've all been pointless impediments to a process that resulted in issuing this license from the first day."
I hate to do so, but I must agree with this last gentleman. It appears that in Texas, no matter what the hazard, no matter what the damage to the people and the environment, no matter how long it will take nature to repair the damage (thousands of years), if there is MONEY to be made, if POLITICIANS (at any level) stand to gain, the right money and influence peddled in the right directions will prevail over the will of the people, the common good, and most of all, over any common-sense reasoning that such activity will ultimately cost thousands of dollars in medical bills, funeral expenses, and environmental cleanups. If someone can yell that "the sky is falling" and get a few scared people to listen, all the better!
I still feel bad about being so far behind the times, but I have to wonder if it would have done any good to have been on the scene back in 2009 considering all the opposition that has gone before me and the fact that Waste Texas...I mean Waste Control Specialists have gotten their way no matter what.
(Sources for information and quotes are from NewsChannel 11)
I totally missed the fact that tons and tons of PCB cleaned from the Hudson River in NEW YORK was sent to the Waste Management Specialists (WCS) disposal facility in Andrews. You remember, the facility that was built to accept low-level radioactive medical waste? I fail to see how PCB is "medical waste" but what do I know? After all I am just one of the many dumb desert dwellers who are standing in the way of progress for the City and County of Andrews. I guess I would be a tree hugger if there were any trees outside of the Andrews city limits. Oh...off track again!
So PCB or chlorinated biphenyls, will be dumped in the WCS landfill in Andrews. This compound is a carcinogen is linked to thyroid disease, learning, memory and immune system disorders. In the Hudson River, fish samples were found to have lethal amounts of this chemical. So the fish there cannot be eaten for the above reasons. The water from the Hudson, one assumes, is used as drinking water, after treatment of course. Does that clear out the hazard posed by PCB?
More to the point for you and I, some one million pounds (plus) of PCB was dumped in the Hudson over the years by General Electric. GE has spent $750 million to clean up the mess and rail road us...I mean "it" to Andrews. By the way, the railroad route went through many large cities, and in West Texas it passed through Lubbock on the way to WCS. I wonder what would have been the consequences of a derailment or other accident along the way? But, not to worry! Once the filth from New York reached its final resting place at WCS, everyone was safe! Right? Well, no...not really. Putting aside common-sense which would tell us this waste was safe nowhere, a spokesman for the Sierra Club, Texas Chapter, once again raised the alarm that this toxin was being dumped, I mean, disposed of right on top of the upper reach of the Ogallala Aquifer. The claim of course was immediately countered by both WCS (Linda Beach, VP of WCS Andrews) and the leaders of Andrews (in this case Glen Hackler, the Andrews City Manager), who once again let us know that the WCS facility was safe, and the PCB was contained. Never mind that it was placed five hundred feet over the aquifer. And we already know the WCS facility does not leak radiation. NOT!!
Like I said, I am a year late in learning this information, but at least I should be comforted by the words of Ms. Beach and Mr. Hackler. I guess I would be, if I had not learned some other information. For one, Mr. David Barry, spokesperson for the Environmental Protection Agency for Region 6 says, "Yes, the facility does sit above the Ogallala aquifer. It sits on the southern end of the aquifer." Even more telling to me, is the fact that one employee with the Texas Commision on Environmental Quality quit his job after serving sixteen years with the Commission. He had strongly recommended against the WCS operation and the continuing addition of varieties of material to be dumped at the facility. This employee was so frustrated that he could no longer continue working for the agency that was supposed to be securing environmental quality for all of us, the citizens of Texas.
What about the attitudes of the people in Andrews. Still divided it seems. One citizen told a television reporter that WCS was great for the community, that the company had done so much for the economy and the schools there. He was not concerned about the hazards at all. If WCS said the facility was safe then it must be. But another Andrews resident summed it up this way: "All of our time has been wasted. We've all been played for suckers. We've all been pointless impediments to a process that resulted in issuing this license from the first day."
I hate to do so, but I must agree with this last gentleman. It appears that in Texas, no matter what the hazard, no matter what the damage to the people and the environment, no matter how long it will take nature to repair the damage (thousands of years), if there is MONEY to be made, if POLITICIANS (at any level) stand to gain, the right money and influence peddled in the right directions will prevail over the will of the people, the common good, and most of all, over any common-sense reasoning that such activity will ultimately cost thousands of dollars in medical bills, funeral expenses, and environmental cleanups. If someone can yell that "the sky is falling" and get a few scared people to listen, all the better!
I still feel bad about being so far behind the times, but I have to wonder if it would have done any good to have been on the scene back in 2009 considering all the opposition that has gone before me and the fact that Waste Texas...I mean Waste Control Specialists have gotten their way no matter what.
(Sources for information and quotes are from NewsChannel 11)
Monday, December 20, 2010
Prison Break in Nuevo Laredo Accomplished with Either Threat or Corruption
Over one hundred and fifty felons "escaped" from the federal prison in Nuevo Laredo (across the river from Laredo, Texas) by walking through the main entrance that had been somehow left open. The prisoners left their cells, then their units, then walked through the main entrance and out to freedom. By the time the news was out, there was little doubt that the "escape" had been accomplished with the blessings of the warden. The only bright side is apparently the prisoners simply left instead of killing the guards and other staff before their exodus. The only question remaining is whether the prison warden accepted bribes to release the prisoners, or accepted an offer that "he could not refuse." Perhaps he traded the the prisoners' freedom for the sparing of his own life by one or more of the drug cartels. Once again, this is another blatant display of the arrogance and disdain held for the Calderon led "war on drugs" as well as for the very idea of "government by law."
Mr. Felipe Calderon, Mexico's president, clearly does not have his country under control, as now even the federal prisons have caved in to criminal demands, or worse, actually become part of the criminal payroll. The military and federal police seem to be relatively loyal to the legitimate government, but how many other institutions at local, state, and federal level are in the hands of the drug cartels and other criminal gangs?
I blogged a few days ago concerning the question of why the war in Mexico (as I call this situation) should even matter to citizens of the United States. Well, if you live in Laredo or along the Texas border, you now have one more very serious reason to "care" and to demand state and federal protection. There is little doubt that many of the escaped prisoners made a bee-line for the Rio Bravo and the relative safety to be found in Texas. No doubt many of these criminals have contacts in Texas who are willing to harbor them. The police and border patrol officers in the general area have, on top of all the regular headaches, the additional problem of detecting and detaining the Mexican prison escapees who may enter Texas. And Texas citizens, many of them unarmed, have the additional fear of being targeted by these criminals as they attempt to penetrate further into Texas and the other border states.
With the northern prisons now under or potentially under the control of the cartels, one has to wonder what national institutions will next fall under criminal control. If prison wardens do not have the fortitude to stand their grand against threats and use of criminal force, what other institutions could be expected to do the same? It appears that, as in the days following the Mexican Revolution and the continued violence under the outlaw rulers in the border states of Mexico, Northern Mexico is once again out of the hands of the legitimate government. Only with great determination and military might can Calderon once again secure his nation.
Mr. Felipe Calderon, Mexico's president, clearly does not have his country under control, as now even the federal prisons have caved in to criminal demands, or worse, actually become part of the criminal payroll. The military and federal police seem to be relatively loyal to the legitimate government, but how many other institutions at local, state, and federal level are in the hands of the drug cartels and other criminal gangs?
I blogged a few days ago concerning the question of why the war in Mexico (as I call this situation) should even matter to citizens of the United States. Well, if you live in Laredo or along the Texas border, you now have one more very serious reason to "care" and to demand state and federal protection. There is little doubt that many of the escaped prisoners made a bee-line for the Rio Bravo and the relative safety to be found in Texas. No doubt many of these criminals have contacts in Texas who are willing to harbor them. The police and border patrol officers in the general area have, on top of all the regular headaches, the additional problem of detecting and detaining the Mexican prison escapees who may enter Texas. And Texas citizens, many of them unarmed, have the additional fear of being targeted by these criminals as they attempt to penetrate further into Texas and the other border states.
With the northern prisons now under or potentially under the control of the cartels, one has to wonder what national institutions will next fall under criminal control. If prison wardens do not have the fortitude to stand their grand against threats and use of criminal force, what other institutions could be expected to do the same? It appears that, as in the days following the Mexican Revolution and the continued violence under the outlaw rulers in the border states of Mexico, Northern Mexico is once again out of the hands of the legitimate government. Only with great determination and military might can Calderon once again secure his nation.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Mr. Tom Jones, the Arrogant Mouthpiece for Harold Simmons
"The state and county get 5% of our gross revenue," Jones said. "We look at it like we're a solution to a national problem. The way this is put together is a win-win situation for everybody."
Mr. Tom Jones of Waste Control Specialists offered those comforting words on April 10, 2010, as quoted by NewsWest 9. I notice only two winners in this situation: the owners of Waste Control Specialists and the City and County of Andrews. Really, the politicians who make up the government of Andrews and Andrews County are only temporary winners if you consider that they must live in the cesspool they have created for themselves and their constituents. So really, Mr. Jones, it is just a WIN SITUATION for Waste Control Specialists and Harold Simmons.
Does this sound a little arrogant to anyone?! Mr. Jones, Waste Management Specialists, and Harold Simmons see themselves as "a solution to a national problem." Thank goodness for our savior and benefactor Tom Jones! What would become of Andrews, Texas without the economic boom offered by Waste Control Specialists! And smiling down on us all like a god on high is Harold Simmons, who generously built (with our money) a radioactive waste facility for the good people of Andrews. I know Mr. Simmons could only have had the best interest of the people in Andrews in mind as he built this waste facility. I almost get goose bumps as I bask in the warm glow of this man's generosity!
Thank you so much, Mr. Jones, for letting us know that Waste Control Specialists will solve all our problems. I know you are only interested in the BEST for us!
Ummm...wait a minute. Let's review:
Mr. Simmons built a radioactive waste facility that was only to receive and dispose of medical waste.
The Waste Control Specialists facility would generate jobs galore for the Andrews area.
No "dangerous" waste would be brought into the area.
The City of Andrews and the County of Andrews would receive five percent of the gross profits from WCS.
Once again, what could be wrong with this "national solution?" Won't we all benefit from this facility? Won't the environment be safe?
Oh, there are just a couple of tiny little things...
There are those pesky leaks and other environmental issues that have plagued WCS to this very day.
And, oh yes, they forgot to mention that from day one Harold Simmons was working his influence and control behind the scenes so that other kinds of nuclear waste would eventually be accepted.
Oh yes, there is the little thing about THIRTY SIX OTHER STATES dumping their waste in Texas.
Also, the Ogallala Acquifer is in imminent danger of contamination from this dump site.
And the BIG ONE --
Harold Simmons and company can reap all the profit (but five percent tossed out like food scraps to the government of Andrews) and then JUST WALK AWAY in fifteen years, making US (TEXANS -NOT JUST CITIZENS OF ANDREWS), responsible for the mess, and leaving all of us lucky Texans as the owners of the nuclear waste out here in Andrews.
As all of this transpires, no doubt Mr. Tom Jones will be crowing about the great Waste Control Specialists as the "national solution" in some other economically depressed and emotionally fearful community. Who knows, maybe he can even guaranty seventy-five jobs for the new contamination site, I mean Waste Facility, maybe somewhere near Yellowstone Park or in the Rocky Mountains.
Mr. Tom Jones of Waste Control Specialists offered those comforting words on April 10, 2010, as quoted by NewsWest 9. I notice only two winners in this situation: the owners of Waste Control Specialists and the City and County of Andrews. Really, the politicians who make up the government of Andrews and Andrews County are only temporary winners if you consider that they must live in the cesspool they have created for themselves and their constituents. So really, Mr. Jones, it is just a WIN SITUATION for Waste Control Specialists and Harold Simmons.
Does this sound a little arrogant to anyone?! Mr. Jones, Waste Management Specialists, and Harold Simmons see themselves as "a solution to a national problem." Thank goodness for our savior and benefactor Tom Jones! What would become of Andrews, Texas without the economic boom offered by Waste Control Specialists! And smiling down on us all like a god on high is Harold Simmons, who generously built (with our money) a radioactive waste facility for the good people of Andrews. I know Mr. Simmons could only have had the best interest of the people in Andrews in mind as he built this waste facility. I almost get goose bumps as I bask in the warm glow of this man's generosity!
Thank you so much, Mr. Jones, for letting us know that Waste Control Specialists will solve all our problems. I know you are only interested in the BEST for us!
Ummm...wait a minute. Let's review:
Mr. Simmons built a radioactive waste facility that was only to receive and dispose of medical waste.
The Waste Control Specialists facility would generate jobs galore for the Andrews area.
No "dangerous" waste would be brought into the area.
The City of Andrews and the County of Andrews would receive five percent of the gross profits from WCS.
Once again, what could be wrong with this "national solution?" Won't we all benefit from this facility? Won't the environment be safe?
Oh, there are just a couple of tiny little things...
There are those pesky leaks and other environmental issues that have plagued WCS to this very day.
And, oh yes, they forgot to mention that from day one Harold Simmons was working his influence and control behind the scenes so that other kinds of nuclear waste would eventually be accepted.
Oh yes, there is the little thing about THIRTY SIX OTHER STATES dumping their waste in Texas.
Also, the Ogallala Acquifer is in imminent danger of contamination from this dump site.
And the BIG ONE --
Harold Simmons and company can reap all the profit (but five percent tossed out like food scraps to the government of Andrews) and then JUST WALK AWAY in fifteen years, making US (TEXANS -NOT JUST CITIZENS OF ANDREWS), responsible for the mess, and leaving all of us lucky Texans as the owners of the nuclear waste out here in Andrews.
As all of this transpires, no doubt Mr. Tom Jones will be crowing about the great Waste Control Specialists as the "national solution" in some other economically depressed and emotionally fearful community. Who knows, maybe he can even guaranty seventy-five jobs for the new contamination site, I mean Waste Facility, maybe somewhere near Yellowstone Park or in the Rocky Mountains.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
In My New Settlement...AGAIN!
I am finally in my final resting place (for a few months, anyway), having moved into my own apartment and out of Child B's apartment. It is strange, the circumstances in which we often find ourselves. We always hear of children moving back home...but not so often about able-bodied, working parents moving into their children's homes. Now, granted, I hope that (if I am still in the quick and not the dead) if I get so old that I set out on the front porch and snap at people all day, my Child A or Child B will see fit to shelter me in my old age. Of course there is always the possibility that they would simply deposit me into the nearest rest home.
What's that? Sweetie is yelling at me. It seems you are not supposed to call those places REST HOMES! THEY ARE NURSING HOMES, HONEY! I like to think she yelled at me because I am hard of hearing, not because she is upset but is seated on the next cushion over. I could have heard a whisper just as well at that distance. But I digress...
So Sweetie and I have our own apartment again. It brings back memories of the first little honeymoon cottage. We had no real furniture, although someone had donated to us the two essentials, a large evaporative cooler, and a bed. I guess, in retrospect, the cooler was really not an essential. Anyway, so now we have only three pieces of furniture: an entertainment center, a dresser, and a roll top desk. I forgot to mention the two camp chairs, but in the event of company, the visitors will not have ANY furniture. I have a sneaking feeling that Sweetie is about to demand...er, request that trip to the local furniture stores where we can leave the last of our earthly wealth. Moving really drains the bank account, you know. Nonetheless, I am SO happy that we are finally in our semi-final home. Of course there will be the move from the apartment to the house, but since we have not bought the house yet, there is still a little time to recover from the move.
I am so thankful for the help we had last night. Both Child A and Child B participated, as did my ever helpful brother-in-law. My sweet and beautiful sister-in-law told us, however, that we would need to HIRE SOME HELP (I think from the yellow-pages) NEXT @#$!&*%!!^#%% YOU DECIDE TO MOVE!! She did not, at that moment, sound like the dear sister-in-law I have come to know and love. Not to despair, folks. She was herself again after we stopped for victuals at Rosa's. For your trivia pleasure, there do not appear to be any Rosa's Cantinas anywhere near the Houston area. So there is a point in favor of the Permian Basin!
As I sit here, I am slowly becoming more and more aware of the ever-growing number of sore places over my poor and aging sack of bones. Indeed, as I was assisting in moving the entertainment center last night, my muscles literally gave out, and Child A had to take over my end of the furniture. I thanked him profusely as I lay spasming on the living room carpet. But a few minutes later, and with the help of a stick and a spoon, they were able to pour me into the Tahoe for the much anticipated trip to Rosa's. I did not possess the strength to drive to the restaurant. No, my friends, I simply lay puddled in one of the rear seats. By the time we arrived at said eatery, I was able to stumble and crawl under my own power to the order line.
Yes, was truly great to be settle once again...again, and to have all the loved ones there for help and support; and to tote me back to the Tahoe at the conclusion of our evening meal.
What's that? Sweetie is yelling at me. It seems you are not supposed to call those places REST HOMES! THEY ARE NURSING HOMES, HONEY! I like to think she yelled at me because I am hard of hearing, not because she is upset but is seated on the next cushion over. I could have heard a whisper just as well at that distance. But I digress...
So Sweetie and I have our own apartment again. It brings back memories of the first little honeymoon cottage. We had no real furniture, although someone had donated to us the two essentials, a large evaporative cooler, and a bed. I guess, in retrospect, the cooler was really not an essential. Anyway, so now we have only three pieces of furniture: an entertainment center, a dresser, and a roll top desk. I forgot to mention the two camp chairs, but in the event of company, the visitors will not have ANY furniture. I have a sneaking feeling that Sweetie is about to demand...er, request that trip to the local furniture stores where we can leave the last of our earthly wealth. Moving really drains the bank account, you know. Nonetheless, I am SO happy that we are finally in our semi-final home. Of course there will be the move from the apartment to the house, but since we have not bought the house yet, there is still a little time to recover from the move.
I am so thankful for the help we had last night. Both Child A and Child B participated, as did my ever helpful brother-in-law. My sweet and beautiful sister-in-law told us, however, that we would need to HIRE SOME HELP (I think from the yellow-pages) NEXT @#$!&*%!!^#%% YOU DECIDE TO MOVE!! She did not, at that moment, sound like the dear sister-in-law I have come to know and love. Not to despair, folks. She was herself again after we stopped for victuals at Rosa's. For your trivia pleasure, there do not appear to be any Rosa's Cantinas anywhere near the Houston area. So there is a point in favor of the Permian Basin!
As I sit here, I am slowly becoming more and more aware of the ever-growing number of sore places over my poor and aging sack of bones. Indeed, as I was assisting in moving the entertainment center last night, my muscles literally gave out, and Child A had to take over my end of the furniture. I thanked him profusely as I lay spasming on the living room carpet. But a few minutes later, and with the help of a stick and a spoon, they were able to pour me into the Tahoe for the much anticipated trip to Rosa's. I did not possess the strength to drive to the restaurant. No, my friends, I simply lay puddled in one of the rear seats. By the time we arrived at said eatery, I was able to stumble and crawl under my own power to the order line.
Yes, was truly great to be settle once again...again, and to have all the loved ones there for help and support; and to tote me back to the Tahoe at the conclusion of our evening meal.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Mexicans Retake Their Town
In a spectacular, but not surprising, turn of events many citizens of the town of Ascension, just south of the New Mexico border, took justice into their own hands. Police had just arrested two kidnapping suspects when they were surrounded by large number of local citizens demanding the police "kill" the suspects. The officers placed the two men an a patrol vehicle and took shelter there themselves, but were unable to leave the area due to the crowd. A helicopter bringing military help was not able to land after other people congregated under it. Ultimately the two suspects died in the heat of the patrol car. But the news reporter noted that many of the people had broken fingers and hands beating these suspects, and that the suspects were bloody and weak-looking when they were first placed in the police car.
As it turns out, the above incident is just one of many that have taken place over the past few months but have gone largely unreported in the United States. More stories like this have been covered in the British, Irish, and even Australian press. The citizens of several Mexican cities have created sophisticated systems of town protection such as armed groups assigned to certain blocks, and others assigned to create road blocks as soon as a kidnapping or other crime is reported. Some incidents have included severed heads left in prominent locations, and notes with the heads warning the DRUG CARTELS "this is what happens to those who kill women and children." One person told reporters that the security committees were not out to interfere with the drug trade, which is none of their business, but only to stop the gang members from terrorizing citizens, extorting from businesses, and kidnapping and killing local residents.
The return to vigilantism was probably inevitable since legal authorities were either helpless to do anything or were part of the cartels. Unfortunately, while the intention of the security committees were noble, the reality is that some of the vigilantes have begun a program of "social cleansing" meaning that people perceived as "criminals," whether associated with the cartels or not, have been harassed, forced to leave their homes, or even "lynched" by the vigilantes. Victims of this social cleansing include pickpockets, burglars, and other petty criminals who have nothing to do with the drug cartels.
From the outside looking in, it is very easy to understand the feelings of the people. There is no sense of security and trust for the police and military, and the weekly, even daily atrocities of the drug cartels go unabated. No wonder citizens have taken the initiative to protect themselves and their property. It appears on the whole that these people are not concerned with "winning the war on drugs" but just want to be left alone to live their lives in peace and (relative) security, the same things you and I desire here in the United States. It is unfortunate that some of the actions of these vigilantes have gone beyond self-protection, but I for one applaud their initiative and their bravery in taking action to protect themselves. Remember, even the legal authorities we know and respect are only "legal authorities" because "we the people" have set these authorities in place.
May God bless the Mexican people and keep the innocent safe as this terrible war goes on.
As it turns out, the above incident is just one of many that have taken place over the past few months but have gone largely unreported in the United States. More stories like this have been covered in the British, Irish, and even Australian press. The citizens of several Mexican cities have created sophisticated systems of town protection such as armed groups assigned to certain blocks, and others assigned to create road blocks as soon as a kidnapping or other crime is reported. Some incidents have included severed heads left in prominent locations, and notes with the heads warning the DRUG CARTELS "this is what happens to those who kill women and children." One person told reporters that the security committees were not out to interfere with the drug trade, which is none of their business, but only to stop the gang members from terrorizing citizens, extorting from businesses, and kidnapping and killing local residents.
The return to vigilantism was probably inevitable since legal authorities were either helpless to do anything or were part of the cartels. Unfortunately, while the intention of the security committees were noble, the reality is that some of the vigilantes have begun a program of "social cleansing" meaning that people perceived as "criminals," whether associated with the cartels or not, have been harassed, forced to leave their homes, or even "lynched" by the vigilantes. Victims of this social cleansing include pickpockets, burglars, and other petty criminals who have nothing to do with the drug cartels.
From the outside looking in, it is very easy to understand the feelings of the people. There is no sense of security and trust for the police and military, and the weekly, even daily atrocities of the drug cartels go unabated. No wonder citizens have taken the initiative to protect themselves and their property. It appears on the whole that these people are not concerned with "winning the war on drugs" but just want to be left alone to live their lives in peace and (relative) security, the same things you and I desire here in the United States. It is unfortunate that some of the actions of these vigilantes have gone beyond self-protection, but I for one applaud their initiative and their bravery in taking action to protect themselves. Remember, even the legal authorities we know and respect are only "legal authorities" because "we the people" have set these authorities in place.
May God bless the Mexican people and keep the innocent safe as this terrible war goes on.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Small Business Falls Victim To The War In Mexico
As the War for the Existence of Mexico continues, there is a group of victims that so far has gone unsung. That is the small businesses trying to grow, or even to simply remain "in business" in the face of the this war. According to Bloomberg Business Magazine http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-06/mexico-s-boom-obscures-harm-done-to-small-companies-by-narcotics-violence.html many small businesses are having to pay the cartels "protection" money simply to keep their doors open. In cities where more than one cartel operates, it is possible that business owners must pay protection to two or more cartels. This of course cuts into the profits of these small businesses. The amount of profit loss cannot be accurately appraised due to lack of statistics on this kind of thing. On top of profit loss, small businesses are losing customers due to the perceived (and ACTUAL) risk of being caught in the sudden gun battles that frequently erupt on the street. For the same reason, it is difficult for some of these businesses to maintain adequate numbers of employees or to protect them at work. In fact, company owners are dressing like employees so that they themselves are not targets of kidnappings for ransom.
On the other hand, large businesses continue to thrive in this unhealthy climate. For one thing, large concerns have the ability to hire security and to fortify their property. Larger businesses are also able to install video systems to curtail illegal activity on or near their property. The resources available to these companies allow them to pressure the police and government to solve crimes involving these businesses or to make sure their properties are adequately patrolled, while the remainder of these cities go virtually without police protection. In fact, according to Bloomberg, several American businesses are actually building new facilities in these war-torn areas, or expanding their existing facilities. Workers in these businesses earn over twice as much as the average municipal officer. It is actually little wonder that many police officers do not want to risk their lives for this kind of pay.
President Calderon, in one of his more lucid moments, has called for the establishment of "unified state police forces" to replace local police. His reasoning is that higher paid, better trained, and better equipped police officers who answer to a central state authority would be more motivated to bring order to Mexican cities and less pressured to look the other way as criminals terrorize the nation. Also, the Mexican people would possibly have more trust and confidence in state police. As it stands, many citizens are afraid to report crime or supply information because they cannot be certain that the very officers they confide in are not working for the cartels. This is a very valid concern, as has been borne out by the arrest of police officers for their involvement with the cartels.
In the meantime, small businesses continue their struggle to survive as the war in Mexico rages on. In Monterrey and its suburbs, as only one example, there have been 954 drug war-related homicides as of October of this year. Over the entire nation the death toll was around 10,000 in the same time period. Small businesses are losing both customers and profits in this war, with many small businesses ultimately closing. Others, though, continue to keep on keeping on in spite of, and possibly in defiance of, the drug cartels' demands for "protection" fees and the constant danger these business owners face, not just in keeping their businesses open, but simply existing, as their cities and their nation fall apart around them.
On the other hand, large businesses continue to thrive in this unhealthy climate. For one thing, large concerns have the ability to hire security and to fortify their property. Larger businesses are also able to install video systems to curtail illegal activity on or near their property. The resources available to these companies allow them to pressure the police and government to solve crimes involving these businesses or to make sure their properties are adequately patrolled, while the remainder of these cities go virtually without police protection. In fact, according to Bloomberg, several American businesses are actually building new facilities in these war-torn areas, or expanding their existing facilities. Workers in these businesses earn over twice as much as the average municipal officer. It is actually little wonder that many police officers do not want to risk their lives for this kind of pay.
President Calderon, in one of his more lucid moments, has called for the establishment of "unified state police forces" to replace local police. His reasoning is that higher paid, better trained, and better equipped police officers who answer to a central state authority would be more motivated to bring order to Mexican cities and less pressured to look the other way as criminals terrorize the nation. Also, the Mexican people would possibly have more trust and confidence in state police. As it stands, many citizens are afraid to report crime or supply information because they cannot be certain that the very officers they confide in are not working for the cartels. This is a very valid concern, as has been borne out by the arrest of police officers for their involvement with the cartels.
In the meantime, small businesses continue their struggle to survive as the war in Mexico rages on. In Monterrey and its suburbs, as only one example, there have been 954 drug war-related homicides as of October of this year. Over the entire nation the death toll was around 10,000 in the same time period. Small businesses are losing both customers and profits in this war, with many small businesses ultimately closing. Others, though, continue to keep on keeping on in spite of, and possibly in defiance of, the drug cartels' demands for "protection" fees and the constant danger these business owners face, not just in keeping their businesses open, but simply existing, as their cities and their nation fall apart around them.
New (To Me) Gizmos Put Bailey Black In "E-Print"
In the process of getting my book, Bailey Black, through the publishing process, I have not only learned that many people like to use Kendle products instead of buying and reading books, but I also learned that there are several other venues for electronic books, such as Literati and Google e-books. My publisher (PublishAmerica) also offers books in e-book form. I am just assuming, from a non-computer geek standpoint, that a person simply purchases an e-book and downloads it to his or her computer. In the interest of those who use these media, Bailey Black will soon be available in the e-format. I love the computer age.
For me, though, I remain a dinosaur as far as new ways to read. I like to curl up in a nice easy chair (a borrowed one as I don't own one yet) and read my books. I much prefer the old fashioned paper books to the electronic ones. The books lined up on bookshelves give me a homey, comfortable feeling that no e-thing could offer. Yes, I know, this is old fashioned. Someone reminded me of all the trees that could be saved if we went to electronic "books" instead of the printed kind. I know that is true. Perhaps my connection to books also reflects my desire to keep the foresters and the paper industry (as well as my publisher) in business. It is a sad fact that "progress" or advancing technology sometimes dooms entire industries. Many times certain segments of industries fall prey to technological innovation. So the printing and publishing business is going.
Actually I will be a very happy person if anyone buys my book in one of its several e-forms. Royalties are royalties after all. I can see the advantages offered buy such things as Kendle and Literati. For instance, many books can be stored on one's reading machine. When traveling, how much more convenient it would be to have all the books you wanted in a device smaller than a single book. It hardly takes any space at all in a person's carry on bag. No doubt as time goes on, the e-readers will become more advanced and offer more features, perhaps eventually merging with I-pads or similar instruments to create fully loaded computers that will be smaller than the one-gig jobs now available.
Technology is always changing, but one constant remains. In a crowd of readers, you will always be able to find me. I am the gray headed guy wearing glasses and reading the only paper book in the room.
For me, though, I remain a dinosaur as far as new ways to read. I like to curl up in a nice easy chair (a borrowed one as I don't own one yet) and read my books. I much prefer the old fashioned paper books to the electronic ones. The books lined up on bookshelves give me a homey, comfortable feeling that no e-thing could offer. Yes, I know, this is old fashioned. Someone reminded me of all the trees that could be saved if we went to electronic "books" instead of the printed kind. I know that is true. Perhaps my connection to books also reflects my desire to keep the foresters and the paper industry (as well as my publisher) in business. It is a sad fact that "progress" or advancing technology sometimes dooms entire industries. Many times certain segments of industries fall prey to technological innovation. So the printing and publishing business is going.
Actually I will be a very happy person if anyone buys my book in one of its several e-forms. Royalties are royalties after all. I can see the advantages offered buy such things as Kendle and Literati. For instance, many books can be stored on one's reading machine. When traveling, how much more convenient it would be to have all the books you wanted in a device smaller than a single book. It hardly takes any space at all in a person's carry on bag. No doubt as time goes on, the e-readers will become more advanced and offer more features, perhaps eventually merging with I-pads or similar instruments to create fully loaded computers that will be smaller than the one-gig jobs now available.
Technology is always changing, but one constant remains. In a crowd of readers, you will always be able to find me. I am the gray headed guy wearing glasses and reading the only paper book in the room.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Mexico's War: Why Does It Matter To US?
Someone asked me recently why I blog about Mexico's Civil/Drug/Government war so often. Why do Mexico's troubles matter to someone in the United States? Who cares? These are good questions, and I will give my version of reasons that "their" war matters to us and has implications for Texas and the other border states.
First, I blog about the war in Mexico because I have a great deal of sympathy for the people that are living through the carnage and watching their loved-ones die day by day. From the time I first heard the story of the Alamo siege, I have had a leaning toward the justified underdog in a fight. It seems that the authorities and civilians in many Mexican cities across many states are at the mercy of whichever cartel(s) may be in control at the time. The people are left almost defenseless against the outrages of the dopers because many police departments are undermanned if not outright abandoned. One citizen against one criminal, maybe that would be an equal match. But usually it is several criminals acting together, terrorizing a town, then escaping to one of the rancherias in the countryside. Anyone who acts against these criminals or aids the authorities is sooner or later dealt with by the cartels. The citizens are at the disadvantage...they are the underdogs at the moment. I hope legal authorities will regroup and retake their nation. In the meantime, I can only look on from a distance and pray for the best for those people caught in the crossfire. And one other thing I can do; I can blog about it and let readers from Mexico know that someone cares about them. I know that is little enough, but it is a morale booster just the same.
Second, why do Mexico's troubles matter to us here in the United States? Actually they matter to anyone who lives close to Mexico or who travels to Mexico. Just ask one unfortunate Canadian family if the Mexico War matters to THEM! If you or I were to travel to the usual border towns, we would face the possibility of crime brought on by the drug dealers crossing back and forth over the border. But even more dangerous, we would be faced with the very real possibility of being struck by stray bullets from the shootouts happening south of the border. It is literally just across the river. Several residents in American border towns have had this very thing happen. So from a safety standpoint, the war in Mexico poses a threat of life and limb for anyone near the border. People traveling along border highways face similar risks. If your loved-ones frequent the border towns, they are constantly in danger.
Another aspect of the Mexican war that concerns us is a selfish angle, I admit, but we can no longer feel safe in crossing the border to visit the Mexican border towns for shopping or to see relatives, and we are not safe when traveling to "safe" places like Cancun or Acapulco. The war has made these tourist attractions just as dangerous as the border towns.
Finally, who cares about Mexico's war? That one is harder to answer. Obviously I care about it. Probably at one level or another you care about it as well. I assure you that if we had to spend a few days there we would probably be more concerned. Bur one thing that should be appalling to us is the death toll since 2006. It has steadily climbed and now stands at nearly thirty thousand, with the count growing daily. I believe that as the war in Mexico goes on and becomes more fierce, as the government allows the situation to get further and further out of control, and as more and more people are murdered, the occasional events that take place in Texas and the other border states will become more common, so that people traveling on the southern highways will no longer be safe. In fact, even Texas law enforcement officers will no longer be safe. Many deputies, policemen, and state troopers patrol lonely, isolated areas where help may be miles away instead of minutes. Game wardens and border patrolmen may inadvertently encounter these criminals. Right now it seems that the drug barons have the advantage even in rural Texas.
So I have ranted on for several lines. What is my solution, you ask? For the troubles in Mexico, I really don't have one. The people must decide to stand with authorities and take on the drug lords, running them out of the towns and the countryside, even killing some if necessary. The criminals are, after all, engaged in a war to take over drug routes. Part of that war means terrorising local citizens into cooperation or at least scaring them so that they look the other way and do not cooperate with the police or military. Mexico's history is one of mistrust of authority, with state governments pitted against the central government, and cities often opposing state and federal rule. Haciendas and rancherias may have their own private armies. In this situation, chaos will continue until the people grant some respect and authority to the government. In return, the Mexican government, at all levels, must operate according to the letter and spirit of the law, and throw off the long history of bribery and corruption that bred mistrust of the government in the first place. So the future of Mexico as a federation of states is entirely in the hands of its citizens.
I do not advocate an American intervention (invasion) of Mexico as our nation has done numerous times in the past. One problem is that American soldiers could not distinguish between law-abiding citizens and the criminals just by looking at the people. Ambush and entrapment would be rampant just like it is currently in Afghanistan and Iraq. I doubt if the "success" rate would be any better in Mexico under those circumstances. On top of that, Mexican citizens would more than likely resent another American occupation of their nation, even if the intention were well-placed.
What I do advocate is an immediate withdrawal of American forces from all the un-winnable wars they are engaged in at the moment. Our forces need to leave Iraq, Afghanistan, the Baltic region, Japan, Guam, to name the ones I actually know about. I read that American forces are stationed in over one hundred nations. I am sure many of these forces could be returned to the United States. These forces could then be deployed along the border with the mission of sealing the border and keeping criminal forces south of the Rio Grande. The Border Patrol could then man its check points and carry out its non-military mission of preventing illegal aliens from entering this country. Our policemen and deputies would be free to pursue their legal responsibilities in the relative safety they did before the drug wars got out of hand. Incidentally, the United States armed forces would be ordered to deal with any incursions with deadly force, not with observe and report orders like the national guard has at the moment. Maybe United States forces, if INVITED into Mexico, could secure pacified areas so that Mexican forces could prosecute the war without fear of losing gains made in combat. Citizens could return to those cities and live their lives again. Instead of training militant Arabs and Muslims, our forces could train Mexicans to establish local defense groups to defend their homes against new incursions by the drug lords.
We, as the United States, have an interest in seeing the Mexican war concluded, for our safety, and for the safety of the Mexican people as well. While an armed invasion of Mexico may not be in order, I believe that United States forces should seal our borders and protect our own citizens. Perhaps with support available from the United States, it may be that the Mexican federal government will take the initiative to regain control of their nation, and protect the lives and property of their people.
First, I blog about the war in Mexico because I have a great deal of sympathy for the people that are living through the carnage and watching their loved-ones die day by day. From the time I first heard the story of the Alamo siege, I have had a leaning toward the justified underdog in a fight. It seems that the authorities and civilians in many Mexican cities across many states are at the mercy of whichever cartel(s) may be in control at the time. The people are left almost defenseless against the outrages of the dopers because many police departments are undermanned if not outright abandoned. One citizen against one criminal, maybe that would be an equal match. But usually it is several criminals acting together, terrorizing a town, then escaping to one of the rancherias in the countryside. Anyone who acts against these criminals or aids the authorities is sooner or later dealt with by the cartels. The citizens are at the disadvantage...they are the underdogs at the moment. I hope legal authorities will regroup and retake their nation. In the meantime, I can only look on from a distance and pray for the best for those people caught in the crossfire. And one other thing I can do; I can blog about it and let readers from Mexico know that someone cares about them. I know that is little enough, but it is a morale booster just the same.
Second, why do Mexico's troubles matter to us here in the United States? Actually they matter to anyone who lives close to Mexico or who travels to Mexico. Just ask one unfortunate Canadian family if the Mexico War matters to THEM! If you or I were to travel to the usual border towns, we would face the possibility of crime brought on by the drug dealers crossing back and forth over the border. But even more dangerous, we would be faced with the very real possibility of being struck by stray bullets from the shootouts happening south of the border. It is literally just across the river. Several residents in American border towns have had this very thing happen. So from a safety standpoint, the war in Mexico poses a threat of life and limb for anyone near the border. People traveling along border highways face similar risks. If your loved-ones frequent the border towns, they are constantly in danger.
Another aspect of the Mexican war that concerns us is a selfish angle, I admit, but we can no longer feel safe in crossing the border to visit the Mexican border towns for shopping or to see relatives, and we are not safe when traveling to "safe" places like Cancun or Acapulco. The war has made these tourist attractions just as dangerous as the border towns.
Finally, who cares about Mexico's war? That one is harder to answer. Obviously I care about it. Probably at one level or another you care about it as well. I assure you that if we had to spend a few days there we would probably be more concerned. Bur one thing that should be appalling to us is the death toll since 2006. It has steadily climbed and now stands at nearly thirty thousand, with the count growing daily. I believe that as the war in Mexico goes on and becomes more fierce, as the government allows the situation to get further and further out of control, and as more and more people are murdered, the occasional events that take place in Texas and the other border states will become more common, so that people traveling on the southern highways will no longer be safe. In fact, even Texas law enforcement officers will no longer be safe. Many deputies, policemen, and state troopers patrol lonely, isolated areas where help may be miles away instead of minutes. Game wardens and border patrolmen may inadvertently encounter these criminals. Right now it seems that the drug barons have the advantage even in rural Texas.
So I have ranted on for several lines. What is my solution, you ask? For the troubles in Mexico, I really don't have one. The people must decide to stand with authorities and take on the drug lords, running them out of the towns and the countryside, even killing some if necessary. The criminals are, after all, engaged in a war to take over drug routes. Part of that war means terrorising local citizens into cooperation or at least scaring them so that they look the other way and do not cooperate with the police or military. Mexico's history is one of mistrust of authority, with state governments pitted against the central government, and cities often opposing state and federal rule. Haciendas and rancherias may have their own private armies. In this situation, chaos will continue until the people grant some respect and authority to the government. In return, the Mexican government, at all levels, must operate according to the letter and spirit of the law, and throw off the long history of bribery and corruption that bred mistrust of the government in the first place. So the future of Mexico as a federation of states is entirely in the hands of its citizens.
I do not advocate an American intervention (invasion) of Mexico as our nation has done numerous times in the past. One problem is that American soldiers could not distinguish between law-abiding citizens and the criminals just by looking at the people. Ambush and entrapment would be rampant just like it is currently in Afghanistan and Iraq. I doubt if the "success" rate would be any better in Mexico under those circumstances. On top of that, Mexican citizens would more than likely resent another American occupation of their nation, even if the intention were well-placed.
What I do advocate is an immediate withdrawal of American forces from all the un-winnable wars they are engaged in at the moment. Our forces need to leave Iraq, Afghanistan, the Baltic region, Japan, Guam, to name the ones I actually know about. I read that American forces are stationed in over one hundred nations. I am sure many of these forces could be returned to the United States. These forces could then be deployed along the border with the mission of sealing the border and keeping criminal forces south of the Rio Grande. The Border Patrol could then man its check points and carry out its non-military mission of preventing illegal aliens from entering this country. Our policemen and deputies would be free to pursue their legal responsibilities in the relative safety they did before the drug wars got out of hand. Incidentally, the United States armed forces would be ordered to deal with any incursions with deadly force, not with observe and report orders like the national guard has at the moment. Maybe United States forces, if INVITED into Mexico, could secure pacified areas so that Mexican forces could prosecute the war without fear of losing gains made in combat. Citizens could return to those cities and live their lives again. Instead of training militant Arabs and Muslims, our forces could train Mexicans to establish local defense groups to defend their homes against new incursions by the drug lords.
We, as the United States, have an interest in seeing the Mexican war concluded, for our safety, and for the safety of the Mexican people as well. While an armed invasion of Mexico may not be in order, I believe that United States forces should seal our borders and protect our own citizens. Perhaps with support available from the United States, it may be that the Mexican federal government will take the initiative to regain control of their nation, and protect the lives and property of their people.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
A Tribute To Hermila Garcia Quinones
Miss Garcia was a brave woman who took a job no one else would. On October 9, 2010 she was appointed police chief of Meoqui, in Chihuahua. She, for her own reasons, elected not to carry weapons as the other officers did. Nonetheless, she was a target just because she stood in the way of the drug cartels. She was assassinated yesterday on her way to work. Two carloads of gunmen against an unarmed woman. She took a post that had been vacant for nearly two years, and that several male officers had refused to take. Being chief of police is a particularly dangerous job in Mexico. The decision she made to be unarmed is beyond me, but she nonetheless willingly took that risk because she wanted to help control the cartels' operations in her town. I have to admire her bravery and her devotion to a task so dangerous and nearly impossible to accomplish. Incidentally, there are three other ladies who have become police chiefs in Mexico cities as no one else would take the "top cop" positions.
I hope Miss Garcia is honored as a hero in her city and nation. She left behind her parents whom she was supporting. She was a lawyer prior to becoming chief of police. Rest In Peace, Chief Garcia
I hope Miss Garcia is honored as a hero in her city and nation. She left behind her parents whom she was supporting. She was a lawyer prior to becoming chief of police. Rest In Peace, Chief Garcia
Public Comment on Waste Texas
It seems that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has opened a period of public comment on the plan to allow up to thirty-six states to dump their radioactive waste in Texas, specifically in West Texas near the New Mexico border, between Andrews, Texas and Eunice, New Mexico. I am always a little skeptical about "periods of public comment." Why? Because it has been my experience that the decision of whatever agency involved with whatever controversy has already been made prior to any pubic comment. I sincerely hope I am wrong, and that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality can still be swayed by public opinion.
I would like to ask any Texan who may read this, or any person, do you really want RADIOACTIVE WASTE in your back yard? Do you really believe the "assurances" of Waste Control Specialists that your water via the Ogallala Aquifer is "safe" from all chances of contamination from a leaking storage facility? The WCS facility is LEAKING NOW! Do you really think it will leak LESS with MORE nuclear waste? Most important of all, though, is this: Do you really want Texas to become the dumping ground for all the radioactive waste in the United States? Think about it. Thirty-six other states DID NOT ALLOW IT, although they are eager to sign onto the DUMP ON WEST TEXAS DEAL! I don't blame citizens in other states for wanting this hazardous material safely out of their states, away from their homes. Do you?
You may think to yourself, this issue does not concern me. I live in Texas, but not in Waste...I mean West Texas. Well, wake up, people of Dallas, Houston, Austin, Waco, Amarillo, and all points in Texas. The hazardous waste bound for Andrews will pass through your city or county on its way to Andrews. The interstates meet in Dallas and Houston before continuing west. Interstate 35 through Waco is a major corridor and an alternate to connections to West Texas. If you do not live along a transport route, you will sooner or later be exposed to the transport trucks as you drive through Texas. If you live along the lower Ogallala Aquifer, of course your drinking water is in immediate danger of contamination. We are all at risk, every single Texan, as well as the people of Eunice, New Mexico.
I am outraged that the plan to dump radioactive waste in Texas was even considered, for the second time. I am even more outraged that the plan now includes waste from thirty-six states. Remember, we are already bound to accept waste from Vermont.
I am outraged (BUT NOT SURPRISED) that our elected officials did not look out for our (THEIR CONSTITUENTS) interest in ratifying the Texas-Vermont Compact in the first place. There is an easily traced money trail from WCS to several elected officials, as documented by several news sources and environmental groups. Those officials were returned to office, in most cases. We were asleep I guess. The commissioners that control the Pact, as well as other officials that secured the WCS dump site near Andrews, were NOT elected and had nothing to lose (of course much to gain) by approving the dump site over the objections of many citizens and in the face of much scientific evidence indicating the instability and unsuitability of the Andrews -Eunice area for a radioactive waste disposal site. As born out by public record, WCS has been cited numerous times for noncompliance with state and federal regulations. And the facility is leaking now.
I am outraged that Mr. Harold Simmons actually used very little of his money to build the disposal facility. The people of Andrews (a lot of them, anyway) actually voted to finance Mr. Simmons with bonds (read YOUR MONEY - NOT HIS), due I suspect to all the people screaming about how Andrews was a dying town and the sky would fall in on this city if the bond were not approved. Fear works, as we know from the passage of the PATRIOT Act. At this point in time, I wonder how many people would like to rethink their vote. It is too late to undue what has been done, but it is not too late to stop the Thirty-Six Plan yet. But it will take a lot of people standing together in the face of a billionaire and all the resources at his disposal.
Even more so, I am outraged that the license granted to WCS allows Mr. Simmons to walk away from the disposal facility at the end of the fifteen year period from the date it was opened. If WCS simply abandons the operation, as they legally can do, I bet you can't guess who becomes the new owner by default. Oh, wait, you can? That's right, the taxpayers of Texas. Remember the people of Texas who are were not "effected" by the WCS facility in Andrews because they live so far away from West Texas? Guess what? THEY will be paying for the cleanup along with residents of the immediate area. The facility will have to be repaired and maintained ad infinity since the waste stored there will not go away for a long, long, long, time. Taxes will go on just as long, too, right up to the second Gabriel blows his horn.
Mr. Simmons should be (but of course IS NOT) ashamed of what he and his organizations have done for this and other states. But, our elected officials and their UNELECTED friends on the various commissions should be even more ashamed. They could have prevented this catastrophe. But money greases a lot of wheels. This money can even be traced to George W. Bush. Is that a surprise? Actually it was to me, but I guess it should not have been. Campaigns need funds. The fund makers need favors. And they get them. I suppose Harold Simmons is probably the safest person from the wreckage and environmental damage he has caused. He can simply get on his jet and vacate the area when Waste Texas becomes too dangerous a place in which to live.
I would like to ask any Texan who may read this, or any person, do you really want RADIOACTIVE WASTE in your back yard? Do you really believe the "assurances" of Waste Control Specialists that your water via the Ogallala Aquifer is "safe" from all chances of contamination from a leaking storage facility? The WCS facility is LEAKING NOW! Do you really think it will leak LESS with MORE nuclear waste? Most important of all, though, is this: Do you really want Texas to become the dumping ground for all the radioactive waste in the United States? Think about it. Thirty-six other states DID NOT ALLOW IT, although they are eager to sign onto the DUMP ON WEST TEXAS DEAL! I don't blame citizens in other states for wanting this hazardous material safely out of their states, away from their homes. Do you?
You may think to yourself, this issue does not concern me. I live in Texas, but not in Waste...I mean West Texas. Well, wake up, people of Dallas, Houston, Austin, Waco, Amarillo, and all points in Texas. The hazardous waste bound for Andrews will pass through your city or county on its way to Andrews. The interstates meet in Dallas and Houston before continuing west. Interstate 35 through Waco is a major corridor and an alternate to connections to West Texas. If you do not live along a transport route, you will sooner or later be exposed to the transport trucks as you drive through Texas. If you live along the lower Ogallala Aquifer, of course your drinking water is in immediate danger of contamination. We are all at risk, every single Texan, as well as the people of Eunice, New Mexico.
I am outraged that the plan to dump radioactive waste in Texas was even considered, for the second time. I am even more outraged that the plan now includes waste from thirty-six states. Remember, we are already bound to accept waste from Vermont.
I am outraged (BUT NOT SURPRISED) that our elected officials did not look out for our (THEIR CONSTITUENTS) interest in ratifying the Texas-Vermont Compact in the first place. There is an easily traced money trail from WCS to several elected officials, as documented by several news sources and environmental groups. Those officials were returned to office, in most cases. We were asleep I guess. The commissioners that control the Pact, as well as other officials that secured the WCS dump site near Andrews, were NOT elected and had nothing to lose (of course much to gain) by approving the dump site over the objections of many citizens and in the face of much scientific evidence indicating the instability and unsuitability of the Andrews -Eunice area for a radioactive waste disposal site. As born out by public record, WCS has been cited numerous times for noncompliance with state and federal regulations. And the facility is leaking now.
I am outraged that Mr. Harold Simmons actually used very little of his money to build the disposal facility. The people of Andrews (a lot of them, anyway) actually voted to finance Mr. Simmons with bonds (read YOUR MONEY - NOT HIS), due I suspect to all the people screaming about how Andrews was a dying town and the sky would fall in on this city if the bond were not approved. Fear works, as we know from the passage of the PATRIOT Act. At this point in time, I wonder how many people would like to rethink their vote. It is too late to undue what has been done, but it is not too late to stop the Thirty-Six Plan yet. But it will take a lot of people standing together in the face of a billionaire and all the resources at his disposal.
Even more so, I am outraged that the license granted to WCS allows Mr. Simmons to walk away from the disposal facility at the end of the fifteen year period from the date it was opened. If WCS simply abandons the operation, as they legally can do, I bet you can't guess who becomes the new owner by default. Oh, wait, you can? That's right, the taxpayers of Texas. Remember the people of Texas who are were not "effected" by the WCS facility in Andrews because they live so far away from West Texas? Guess what? THEY will be paying for the cleanup along with residents of the immediate area. The facility will have to be repaired and maintained ad infinity since the waste stored there will not go away for a long, long, long, time. Taxes will go on just as long, too, right up to the second Gabriel blows his horn.
Mr. Simmons should be (but of course IS NOT) ashamed of what he and his organizations have done for this and other states. But, our elected officials and their UNELECTED friends on the various commissions should be even more ashamed. They could have prevented this catastrophe. But money greases a lot of wheels. This money can even be traced to George W. Bush. Is that a surprise? Actually it was to me, but I guess it should not have been. Campaigns need funds. The fund makers need favors. And they get them. I suppose Harold Simmons is probably the safest person from the wreckage and environmental damage he has caused. He can simply get on his jet and vacate the area when Waste Texas becomes too dangerous a place in which to live.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Unsettled In My New Settlement
Unsettled is the word for a few more days. I am living out of my suitcase at the moment and waiting eagerly for my apartment to be made ready. The primitive conditions in which I am living at the moment have reawakened me. I mean, when was the last time you lived without a home Internet connection? Specifically, any time I need the Internet, I must leave my suitcase and venture out to a nearby Wi-Fi hotspot or make the journey all the way to Greenwood so that I can pirate my brother-in-law's Internet. How very inconvenient! How did we EVER survive BEFORE we even HAD Internet!?
Country songs sometimes express my exact sentiments, that is, when some guy is not losing his wife, his kids, his home, his job, his dog, and...maybe...even his truck. But yesterday I heard a song in which the artist lamented the "old days" (probably around the time of Watergate) when there were no video games (PONG had yet to hit the market) and there were only three channels on the tube. Incidentally, in those days the Tube really had tubes in it. To make matters worse, the singer wailed, he had to walk over to the TV to change channels. He forgot to mention "rabbit ears" and how one unfortunate person had to hold them "just right" so that everyone else could watch the television show.
But I digress...
So I am overcoming the challenge of living "unconnected" only because there is light at the end of the tunnel. In just a few days my apartment will be "made ready." Dish cc will place the little dish out on the wall, and presto, I will be LIVE again! Plus there will be more than three channels on the television, which I will not have to get out of my chair to change via remote control. It will be nice to be "back to the future" again. But I did not mention the best part! It deserves a new paragraph!
The best part is that my lovely bride will be living in the same apartment that I do! That's right, boys and girls! We will both reside in the same town at the same time, and in the same house. The expenses will be cut dramatically by having only one household again. She did reside with me at the beach house, true, but before that we had been separated for two years by our jobs. Such was the trial of being a working detective.
I have enjoyed doing this little blog, and I will keep on blogging for the foreseeable future. I am truly grateful for all of you who have stayed tuned even when the blogging was a little thin. There is always something to talk about, if one can find a hot connection for transmitting. It is just a little more difficult when a person is still unsettled in his new settlement.
PS: A big thank you to the guy at Burger King on Midkiff Drive in Midland!! He provided me with free Internet today, as well as a free Large Drink. West Texas hospitality!
Country songs sometimes express my exact sentiments, that is, when some guy is not losing his wife, his kids, his home, his job, his dog, and...maybe...even his truck. But yesterday I heard a song in which the artist lamented the "old days" (probably around the time of Watergate) when there were no video games (PONG had yet to hit the market) and there were only three channels on the tube. Incidentally, in those days the Tube really had tubes in it. To make matters worse, the singer wailed, he had to walk over to the TV to change channels. He forgot to mention "rabbit ears" and how one unfortunate person had to hold them "just right" so that everyone else could watch the television show.
But I digress...
So I am overcoming the challenge of living "unconnected" only because there is light at the end of the tunnel. In just a few days my apartment will be "made ready." Dish cc will place the little dish out on the wall, and presto, I will be LIVE again! Plus there will be more than three channels on the television, which I will not have to get out of my chair to change via remote control. It will be nice to be "back to the future" again. But I did not mention the best part! It deserves a new paragraph!
The best part is that my lovely bride will be living in the same apartment that I do! That's right, boys and girls! We will both reside in the same town at the same time, and in the same house. The expenses will be cut dramatically by having only one household again. She did reside with me at the beach house, true, but before that we had been separated for two years by our jobs. Such was the trial of being a working detective.
I have enjoyed doing this little blog, and I will keep on blogging for the foreseeable future. I am truly grateful for all of you who have stayed tuned even when the blogging was a little thin. There is always something to talk about, if one can find a hot connection for transmitting. It is just a little more difficult when a person is still unsettled in his new settlement.
PS: A big thank you to the guy at Burger King on Midkiff Drive in Midland!! He provided me with free Internet today, as well as a free Large Drink. West Texas hospitality!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
A Rose By Any Other Name...Still Violates The United States Constitution
Even though this is the season to be jolly, I believe there will be many air travelers who will feel less than jovial as they attempt to check into their terminals and board the airliners. The Government, this time in the form of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), is once again "protecting" you and me from terrorists who may attempt to bomb airplanes. Apparently the only way for this "protection" to be effective is to violate every citizen air traveler's constitutional right to be secure from unreasonable search and seizure. Does anyone remember the "Bill of Rights?" For a refresher, these are the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution which enumerate (BUT NOT GRANT) our civil rights. For a further refresher, you should remember that our Founding Fathers stipulated that these rights were granted by God, or the Creator, if you will. So our Constitution does not GIVE us our rights, but only LISTS those inalienable rights ALREADY GRANTED TO MAN BY GOD. I wonder if this is even taught in public schools anymore...
Back to our story...
The TSA is charged with keeping us safe and preventing terrorists from boarding planes. To accomplish this mission, TSA employees are now empowered to force (presumed innocent) passengers to submit to either a pass through the radioactive scanner which of course X-rays a person, revealing not just what the person might be hiding under his or her clothing, but also revealing in great detail the person's genitalia, and for the ladies, the clear picture of their breasts under their bras. Of course, children will pass through the same machine and be revealed in the same gross detail. If this same equipment were posted at say, a public school, the operator of the machine would be arrested for child pornography. By the way, to perform this intrusive and EXPLICIT photography (if you don't believe explicit, you should see samples of these pictures on the Internet), the scanner machines must emit hazardous levels of radiation for fairly prolonged periods of time. The same radiation exposure WOULD NOT BE allowed by regulators at your local dentist's office. So, if one does not want to have his or her body exposed to the TSA employee, there is another option.
Option B calls for the air traveler to bypass the scanner machine and proceed to one of the TSA employees standing at the gate. This TSA employee will then proceed to perform a bodily search of the unfortunate air traveler. Police officers would be arrested for performing the same "pat down" during, say a check for weapons during a traffic stop or field interview. The TSA employee must, according to TSA policy, run his or her hands over the traveler's entire body. No, not to check for obvious bulges like concealed guns or knives. The TSA officer would run his hands across the person's body from head to toe, both front and back, along the insides of the person's thighs and pubic areas...well, you get the picture. This same activity would result in mucho kicked butts and sexual assault reports under any other circumstance. Do YOU want to go through this inconvenience and humiliation in front of other passengers? Do you really want a stranger groping you just because the stranger is wearing a nice uniform? Do you REALLY want said uniformed stranger to grope your children in the same fashion? After all, children can carry bombs, too!
I have to admit that back in 2002, in the wake of the 9-1-1 attacks, I was nonetheless infuriated that I (still the presumed innocent citizen, remember?) instead of walking with my loved one to the passenger waiting area and staying there with her until she boarded the plane, I was now forced to sit in a glassed-off little gallery where I could hardly see my loved one and could not communicate with her except by cell phone. Oh, I ranted and raved about it, but I took no other action. I would tirade to anyone who would listen that the terrorists had won, after all. And, in all seriousness, the terrorists have won, on at least two levels.
In the aftermath of the attacks, the Government stepped right in and took several actions that you and I, as citizens and taxpayers would never have allowed in the past. Airports were turned into armed and armored fortresses. The streets were barricaded with concrete pylons. Police officers patrolled the airports as usual, but were now armed with military grade rifles, and possibly other weapons out in the wings somewhere. People were no longer allowed to approach near the taxi areas and watch the planes come and go. Any movement outside a specified area immediately drew a great deal of attention, and more than likely resulted in the arrest of the poor airplane fanatic, like me. Remember, the terrorists in the 9-1-1 attacks HAD NO EXPLOSIVES OR WEAPONS when they went through the pre-attack screening system. Only AFTER they boarded the planes were they armed for their suicide missions. So, not only would the old system NOT have detected the terrorists, the NEW, IMPROVED, INVASIVE, and UNCONSTITUTIONAL scanners and search procedures would not have prevented the attacks either!
But, to protect us, the TSA was formed, the changes mentioned above were put in place, and another piece of America was surrendered to the world hysteria and fear of terrorism. But those changes weren't enough. So eventually the program of X-ray body scanners and intrusive, unreasonable body searches were put in place. Passengers must submit to these procedures or not board airplanes. So, the terrorists won on another level. The American people were buffaloed into giving up their freedom by the Government's shouts that the sky was falling and the only way to be safe was for the American people to finally submit themselves to the very humiliating and shameful body scans and searches now being implemented at airports across the nation. It almost appears that the Government can take any action it wants in the name of "public safety
and the American people will meekly follow along like scared sheep waiting for the slaughter...I mean the TSA security check point.
As I said earlier, I am as guilty as anyone in this matter. For the sake of simply getting through the checkpoints as quickly as possible, I gave up my personal dignity, but much more importantly, I surrendered my inalienable right to be free of unreasonable search and seizure. And who knows what other measures will be dreamed up and implemented "for our safety and protection" as time goes by. But I would like to remind you of something else. All of the new safety procedures did not stop the now famous "shoe bomber," who fortunately was not able to light the fuse to his crude bomb before citizens- you and me, or others very much like us - tackled this terrorist and arrested him, holding him securely until the plane landed. The new safety procedures did not catch the "underwear bomber" although the X-ray scanner provided a highly detailed image of the gentleman's penis. Again, it was alert and quick thinking passengers who saw the explosives and prevented this terrorist from blowing up the airplane. These are two highly publicized examples of how the new security procedures DID NOT PREVENT POTENTIAL TERRORISM. But I wonder if they are the ONLY ones! Hmmm...
Now Thanksgiving and the Christmas Season are upon us. Many more travelers will be taking to the skies. And yes, each and every one of these travelers will get the options - Option A: the porno body scanner; Option B: the public groping by the uniformed TSA officer. But something is amiss here. According to the news, the Director of the TSA is very worried about the very obvious potential for mass protest that is stewing just below the surface. He was on television today first pleading for our cooperation, then warning of dire consequences for those who chose to boycott or otherwise protest the invasive screening procedures. He was afraid of what many people might be thinking at this very moment: What if everyone in the passenger terminals simply refused to submit to search procedures any more invasive than the traditional walk through the metal detector? If all passengers boarding the airplanes revolted against the screening system and refused to board the planes unless simply allowed to pass through the metal detectors, would it shut down air travel all across the nation? Maybe...or maybe the TSA would have to defer (dare I say it!) to the wishes of the people and stop the silly, but very humiliating and very unconstitutional, excessive and over dramatic screening procedures so that passengers can simply get on their airplanes and fly away to meet their loved ones.
In the fifties and sixties, Black people across America took the initiative and began blocking highways, passage ways, doorways, or whatever it took to disrupt the normal flow of things. The resulting chaos got the attention of mainstream American and helped in the fight for full citizenship for minorities in this nation. Now, fifty years later, I hope Americans of all ethnic origins (yes, I being "White" also have an ethnic origin) will stand together with peaceful, civil disobedience to stop the TSA in its tracks, and allow freedom from unreasonable search (and from the associated delays) to go unabridged, as our inalienable right.
Back to our story...
The TSA is charged with keeping us safe and preventing terrorists from boarding planes. To accomplish this mission, TSA employees are now empowered to force (presumed innocent) passengers to submit to either a pass through the radioactive scanner which of course X-rays a person, revealing not just what the person might be hiding under his or her clothing, but also revealing in great detail the person's genitalia, and for the ladies, the clear picture of their breasts under their bras. Of course, children will pass through the same machine and be revealed in the same gross detail. If this same equipment were posted at say, a public school, the operator of the machine would be arrested for child pornography. By the way, to perform this intrusive and EXPLICIT photography (if you don't believe explicit, you should see samples of these pictures on the Internet), the scanner machines must emit hazardous levels of radiation for fairly prolonged periods of time. The same radiation exposure WOULD NOT BE allowed by regulators at your local dentist's office. So, if one does not want to have his or her body exposed to the TSA employee, there is another option.
Option B calls for the air traveler to bypass the scanner machine and proceed to one of the TSA employees standing at the gate. This TSA employee will then proceed to perform a bodily search of the unfortunate air traveler. Police officers would be arrested for performing the same "pat down" during, say a check for weapons during a traffic stop or field interview. The TSA employee must, according to TSA policy, run his or her hands over the traveler's entire body. No, not to check for obvious bulges like concealed guns or knives. The TSA officer would run his hands across the person's body from head to toe, both front and back, along the insides of the person's thighs and pubic areas...well, you get the picture. This same activity would result in mucho kicked butts and sexual assault reports under any other circumstance. Do YOU want to go through this inconvenience and humiliation in front of other passengers? Do you really want a stranger groping you just because the stranger is wearing a nice uniform? Do you REALLY want said uniformed stranger to grope your children in the same fashion? After all, children can carry bombs, too!
I have to admit that back in 2002, in the wake of the 9-1-1 attacks, I was nonetheless infuriated that I (still the presumed innocent citizen, remember?) instead of walking with my loved one to the passenger waiting area and staying there with her until she boarded the plane, I was now forced to sit in a glassed-off little gallery where I could hardly see my loved one and could not communicate with her except by cell phone. Oh, I ranted and raved about it, but I took no other action. I would tirade to anyone who would listen that the terrorists had won, after all. And, in all seriousness, the terrorists have won, on at least two levels.
In the aftermath of the attacks, the Government stepped right in and took several actions that you and I, as citizens and taxpayers would never have allowed in the past. Airports were turned into armed and armored fortresses. The streets were barricaded with concrete pylons. Police officers patrolled the airports as usual, but were now armed with military grade rifles, and possibly other weapons out in the wings somewhere. People were no longer allowed to approach near the taxi areas and watch the planes come and go. Any movement outside a specified area immediately drew a great deal of attention, and more than likely resulted in the arrest of the poor airplane fanatic, like me. Remember, the terrorists in the 9-1-1 attacks HAD NO EXPLOSIVES OR WEAPONS when they went through the pre-attack screening system. Only AFTER they boarded the planes were they armed for their suicide missions. So, not only would the old system NOT have detected the terrorists, the NEW, IMPROVED, INVASIVE, and UNCONSTITUTIONAL scanners and search procedures would not have prevented the attacks either!
But, to protect us, the TSA was formed, the changes mentioned above were put in place, and another piece of America was surrendered to the world hysteria and fear of terrorism. But those changes weren't enough. So eventually the program of X-ray body scanners and intrusive, unreasonable body searches were put in place. Passengers must submit to these procedures or not board airplanes. So, the terrorists won on another level. The American people were buffaloed into giving up their freedom by the Government's shouts that the sky was falling and the only way to be safe was for the American people to finally submit themselves to the very humiliating and shameful body scans and searches now being implemented at airports across the nation. It almost appears that the Government can take any action it wants in the name of "public safety
and the American people will meekly follow along like scared sheep waiting for the slaughter...I mean the TSA security check point.
As I said earlier, I am as guilty as anyone in this matter. For the sake of simply getting through the checkpoints as quickly as possible, I gave up my personal dignity, but much more importantly, I surrendered my inalienable right to be free of unreasonable search and seizure. And who knows what other measures will be dreamed up and implemented "for our safety and protection" as time goes by. But I would like to remind you of something else. All of the new safety procedures did not stop the now famous "shoe bomber," who fortunately was not able to light the fuse to his crude bomb before citizens- you and me, or others very much like us - tackled this terrorist and arrested him, holding him securely until the plane landed. The new safety procedures did not catch the "underwear bomber" although the X-ray scanner provided a highly detailed image of the gentleman's penis. Again, it was alert and quick thinking passengers who saw the explosives and prevented this terrorist from blowing up the airplane. These are two highly publicized examples of how the new security procedures DID NOT PREVENT POTENTIAL TERRORISM. But I wonder if they are the ONLY ones! Hmmm...
Now Thanksgiving and the Christmas Season are upon us. Many more travelers will be taking to the skies. And yes, each and every one of these travelers will get the options - Option A: the porno body scanner; Option B: the public groping by the uniformed TSA officer. But something is amiss here. According to the news, the Director of the TSA is very worried about the very obvious potential for mass protest that is stewing just below the surface. He was on television today first pleading for our cooperation, then warning of dire consequences for those who chose to boycott or otherwise protest the invasive screening procedures. He was afraid of what many people might be thinking at this very moment: What if everyone in the passenger terminals simply refused to submit to search procedures any more invasive than the traditional walk through the metal detector? If all passengers boarding the airplanes revolted against the screening system and refused to board the planes unless simply allowed to pass through the metal detectors, would it shut down air travel all across the nation? Maybe...or maybe the TSA would have to defer (dare I say it!) to the wishes of the people and stop the silly, but very humiliating and very unconstitutional, excessive and over dramatic screening procedures so that passengers can simply get on their airplanes and fly away to meet their loved ones.
In the fifties and sixties, Black people across America took the initiative and began blocking highways, passage ways, doorways, or whatever it took to disrupt the normal flow of things. The resulting chaos got the attention of mainstream American and helped in the fight for full citizenship for minorities in this nation. Now, fifty years later, I hope Americans of all ethnic origins (yes, I being "White" also have an ethnic origin) will stand together with peaceful, civil disobedience to stop the TSA in its tracks, and allow freedom from unreasonable search (and from the associated delays) to go unabridged, as our inalienable right.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Bailey Black (The Book) is Here
I was too excited to blog very much yesterday due to the news arriving that Bailey Black was ready for purchase on the PublishAmerica bookstore located at http://www.publishamerica.com/ Once there, click on the Online Book Store Tab. I have to confess that, as happy as I am that the book is now published, I am suddenly very self-conscious and vulnerable. The big test is here: Will anyone actually like the book? That's right...I am suddenly struck with stage fright!
It reminds me of the days of my short-lived acting career in the Gatesville Civic Theatre. I was fortunate enough to be cast in a city play in my junior year of high school. I was the hero/villain Pound Sterling in the play "An Old-Fashioned Melodrama - Modern Style." I knew I was not an Oscar winner, but I believed I could play my part adequately. Well, just a few minutes into the first rehearsal, I found that acting was a little more complicated that I thought it would be. My most recent acting experience was playing "Joseph" in the elementary school play one Christmas in Gatesville. Anyone remember that? Kathy Munday played "Mary" in that play.
Anyway, back to "Pound Sterling." The cast worked for several weeks in anticipation of the dress rehearsal, on which night local senior citizens were invited as guests of honor. So, it was time to raise the curtain. The other cast members took their places...and the lights were on! After the curtain opened, I entered from stage left, went strolling to my X-mark at center stage, took a deep breath, gathered myself to project my voice across the auditorium.....and....
That's right. I had forgotten each and every one of my lines. In those first few seconds of dead air, that seemed like four lifetimes to me, I felt sweat breaking out on the beads of sweat that had suddenly formed on my forehead. I could just make out several hundred (okay, about a hundred) people in the darkened galleries...just enough to see that they were all looking AT ME. Never mind that I could not actually SEE their faces...I knew they were all staring at me, all acutely aware that I had no idea what I was supposed to say...
(Silence...plus crickets in the background...)
At this point, one of the cast members, the late Johnny Hendricks, ad-libbed "Pound! Don't you have something to TELL US?!"
Saved! Somehow those words galvanized my brain to take action. I literally felt the electric message flowing from my brain, across synapses to nerves, down my head to other nerves, finally activating my mouth.
"I have some GOOD NEWS! And some BAD news."
With that, I was able to stumble through my lines and finish dress rehearsal. That night was a disaster for Pound Sterling. But on the three nights that the play ran, I did manage to "get in character." But that burning, desperate, almost totally helpless feeling I had that night has returned to some extent as Bailey Black is now being offered for sale.
I sincerely hope that any of you who are feeling a little yearn for some arm-chair adventure will at least read the blurb about Bailey Black. If you are really brave, I hope you will see your way to buy a copy. Maybe if two of you want to be brave together, you can go in for halfies for one book. Then, if at least one of you likes the book, you can buy out your partner's interest if the other person does not like it. But on a serious note, I would like to express once again my thanks to those of you who have followed along through the publication process. I hope you will read my book, and most of all, I hope you like the story. And, in the weeks to come, I will be announcing signing events as they are finalized. Thank you all!
It reminds me of the days of my short-lived acting career in the Gatesville Civic Theatre. I was fortunate enough to be cast in a city play in my junior year of high school. I was the hero/villain Pound Sterling in the play "An Old-Fashioned Melodrama - Modern Style." I knew I was not an Oscar winner, but I believed I could play my part adequately. Well, just a few minutes into the first rehearsal, I found that acting was a little more complicated that I thought it would be. My most recent acting experience was playing "Joseph" in the elementary school play one Christmas in Gatesville. Anyone remember that? Kathy Munday played "Mary" in that play.
Anyway, back to "Pound Sterling." The cast worked for several weeks in anticipation of the dress rehearsal, on which night local senior citizens were invited as guests of honor. So, it was time to raise the curtain. The other cast members took their places...and the lights were on! After the curtain opened, I entered from stage left, went strolling to my X-mark at center stage, took a deep breath, gathered myself to project my voice across the auditorium.....and....
That's right. I had forgotten each and every one of my lines. In those first few seconds of dead air, that seemed like four lifetimes to me, I felt sweat breaking out on the beads of sweat that had suddenly formed on my forehead. I could just make out several hundred (okay, about a hundred) people in the darkened galleries...just enough to see that they were all looking AT ME. Never mind that I could not actually SEE their faces...I knew they were all staring at me, all acutely aware that I had no idea what I was supposed to say...
(Silence...plus crickets in the background...)
At this point, one of the cast members, the late Johnny Hendricks, ad-libbed "Pound! Don't you have something to TELL US?!"
Saved! Somehow those words galvanized my brain to take action. I literally felt the electric message flowing from my brain, across synapses to nerves, down my head to other nerves, finally activating my mouth.
"I have some GOOD NEWS! And some BAD news."
With that, I was able to stumble through my lines and finish dress rehearsal. That night was a disaster for Pound Sterling. But on the three nights that the play ran, I did manage to "get in character." But that burning, desperate, almost totally helpless feeling I had that night has returned to some extent as Bailey Black is now being offered for sale.
I sincerely hope that any of you who are feeling a little yearn for some arm-chair adventure will at least read the blurb about Bailey Black. If you are really brave, I hope you will see your way to buy a copy. Maybe if two of you want to be brave together, you can go in for halfies for one book. Then, if at least one of you likes the book, you can buy out your partner's interest if the other person does not like it. But on a serious note, I would like to express once again my thanks to those of you who have followed along through the publication process. I hope you will read my book, and most of all, I hope you like the story. And, in the weeks to come, I will be announcing signing events as they are finalized. Thank you all!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Bailey Black Hits the Book Store...sort of!
The day I have been waiting for has gotten here, and actually a lot faster than I believed it would. My contract allowed the publisher a year from September 10th to get the book published. Well, it is for sale on the PublishAmerica website under Bookstore. The easiest way to find it is to go to the search block and either type in Bailey Black or Wesley Meeks.
I am so excited about this at the moment that I am having difficulty focusing on my "real" blog. The book is simply entitled Bailey Black. It is not on the Amazon website yet, and probably not on Barnes and Nobles, but will be in the next few days to weeks. For an author, writing a book is easy compared to the thought of actually publishing it, knowing that other people will be reading it. What will they think about it? Will anyone read my NEXT book after reading this one? Oh the anxiety....
Nonetheless I am so happy that the book is out now. I will be doing some marketing now, book signings, and such...so cross your fingers...and thanks for all of you who have stood with me waiting for this moment.
I am so excited about this at the moment that I am having difficulty focusing on my "real" blog. The book is simply entitled Bailey Black. It is not on the Amazon website yet, and probably not on Barnes and Nobles, but will be in the next few days to weeks. For an author, writing a book is easy compared to the thought of actually publishing it, knowing that other people will be reading it. What will they think about it? Will anyone read my NEXT book after reading this one? Oh the anxiety....
Nonetheless I am so happy that the book is out now. I will be doing some marketing now, book signings, and such...so cross your fingers...and thanks for all of you who have stood with me waiting for this moment.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Bullet Proof Vehicles are Big Business in Mexico...and San Antonio
I was trying to get current news about the border situation, that is specific news. Of course the current news is that killing is going on non-stop. But the LACK of news from Mexico on United States outlets is really frustrating, almost as bad as the near news blackout on the Obama trip. But I ran across an interesting sidelight to the Mexican civil war.
It seems that people are getting their vehicles armored in record numbers. Politicians in Mexico (as in other nations) have done this for years, but now local business people, bankers, and even more mundane workers are getting their vehicles armor-plated. Of course, the crime bosses have long had this advantage. But it has become of the fastest growing business segments in Mexico. People simply wanting to survive their commutes to work or to drop off the children at school. Carjackings and kidnappings are rampant and have turned Mexico into the most dangerous country in the world, as far as nations that are "at peace" are concerned. Granted, Mexico is "at peace" in name only. More people dead there since 2008 than all the American soldiers killed in both Gulf Wars and up to the present occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.
The fact that "common people" are turning to ballistic armor for their cars is one of the most telling aspects of the state of the current government of Mexico. I am not talking about exotic cars and Humvees; people are getting their Camrys and Accords armored as well. Many citizens have had bullets hit their vehicles when gunmen were not visible and there were no evidence of gunfights in progress. These random bullets have proven deadly for many Mexican citizens as well as the occasional unfortunate tourist. By the way, tourists, if you have not figured out by now that maybe this would be a better time to visit Hawaii or even the Vatican than Mexico, well, you might need to read my previous posts. But you will be hard-pressed to find real time news from Mexico. There appears to be some sort of a media-wide agreement to limit coverage of Mexico. Of course it may be that coverage of the Mexican civil war would be detrimental to the "open-border" lobby, so that could be the reason for so little coverage.
My hat is off to those Mexican government officials and police officers who are still willing to serve in the face of such dire hazard. One of the biggest problems honest officials face is the knowledge that anyone in their organizations could be a "mole" for the various cartels. At the local levels, more and more cities are literally under the control of one or more cartels. In the latter case, the constant fighting between these cartels limits the regular functioning of these cities. Mexico is still in turmoil. The government of Mexico is apparently powerless to stop the fighting. So, the best that most Mexicans can do at the moment is take their cars to the local armor shop. But, take a good lunch supply with you...the wait for armor is up to twelve weeks. Even in San Antonio, the wait for service is several days.
It seems that people are getting their vehicles armored in record numbers. Politicians in Mexico (as in other nations) have done this for years, but now local business people, bankers, and even more mundane workers are getting their vehicles armor-plated. Of course, the crime bosses have long had this advantage. But it has become of the fastest growing business segments in Mexico. People simply wanting to survive their commutes to work or to drop off the children at school. Carjackings and kidnappings are rampant and have turned Mexico into the most dangerous country in the world, as far as nations that are "at peace" are concerned. Granted, Mexico is "at peace" in name only. More people dead there since 2008 than all the American soldiers killed in both Gulf Wars and up to the present occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.
The fact that "common people" are turning to ballistic armor for their cars is one of the most telling aspects of the state of the current government of Mexico. I am not talking about exotic cars and Humvees; people are getting their Camrys and Accords armored as well. Many citizens have had bullets hit their vehicles when gunmen were not visible and there were no evidence of gunfights in progress. These random bullets have proven deadly for many Mexican citizens as well as the occasional unfortunate tourist. By the way, tourists, if you have not figured out by now that maybe this would be a better time to visit Hawaii or even the Vatican than Mexico, well, you might need to read my previous posts. But you will be hard-pressed to find real time news from Mexico. There appears to be some sort of a media-wide agreement to limit coverage of Mexico. Of course it may be that coverage of the Mexican civil war would be detrimental to the "open-border" lobby, so that could be the reason for so little coverage.
My hat is off to those Mexican government officials and police officers who are still willing to serve in the face of such dire hazard. One of the biggest problems honest officials face is the knowledge that anyone in their organizations could be a "mole" for the various cartels. At the local levels, more and more cities are literally under the control of one or more cartels. In the latter case, the constant fighting between these cartels limits the regular functioning of these cities. Mexico is still in turmoil. The government of Mexico is apparently powerless to stop the fighting. So, the best that most Mexicans can do at the moment is take their cars to the local armor shop. But, take a good lunch supply with you...the wait for armor is up to twelve weeks. Even in San Antonio, the wait for service is several days.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
West Texas, NOT WASTE Texas
As usual, the theme "we must have progress, or our town will die" won out over common sense. This didn't happen recently. The radioactive waste facility, Waste Control Specialists - Andrews, has been in operation since 2002. The oil business in West Texas continued its "business as usual" meaning booms and busts were happening, and the bust was going on at the time. So, "progressives" and "visionaries" (please insert the names of several industry-connected or bought public officials, yes - you may include George "Dubbya" in this crowd) began shouting that the sky was falling and Andrews was sure to die! Never mind that Andrews has recovered from busts many times over the years. But here was an opportunity to bring permanent "wealth" to the city and the area. Waste Control Specialist could build its facility nearby, everyone from Andrews would get a job there, and we would all live happily ever after!
In fact many residents did not want this terrible facility to be built anywhere near Andrews. I, for one, did not want it built anywhere near Texas. But some loud residents, some powerful local politicians, and some BOUGHT state politicians (as usual) overwhelmed the opposition with money and political pressure. Not to mention the various statements of "facts" regarding the safety of the facility and the promise that only "low-level" waste would be stored at the facility. The people of Andrews were divided, many for, and many against, this facility. With the intervention of then Governor Bush and other Texas politicians (pockets lined of course, with contributions and so forth) the facility was approved and licensed, and is now in full swing.
Guess what? Is this a surprise? The Waste Control Specialists facility has been cited for six violations of various magnitude since 2004. Some of the violations were "fixed" (though the venting system is not functioning properly at the moment), but the major violation is ongoing, and will be ongoing for...who can say? The Texas Environmental Quality Commission (surprise again!) voted to allow this "exception" to regulations as long as Waste Control Specialists promised to fully comply...someday. The violation? Radioactive waste of the "hottest kind" was only to be stored at the facility for a year, before being transferred to permanent disposal sites. This waste disintegrates rapidly, releasing carcinogens that can cause bone cancer and other diseases. Not only was the waste kept too long (it is still there) but asphalt pads were found to have leaks, which of course means that leaking radiation will be introduced into the ground, and eventually into the West Texas water supply. Don't worry folks...the State and the owners now tell us the cracks, though not repaired, are not a significant source of radiation leakage. Don't you feel better? I don't.
Now plans are in the works to begin bringing in waste from thirty-six other states and store this radioactive waste at the leaking facility. This same idea was proposed in Ohio but the people there defeated it immediately. They don't want waste from other states. They don't even want their OWN nuclear waste. That's right, they want to ship it to Texas...specifically to the Waste Control Specialists facility near Andrews. On top of this, other nuclear waste sites, closed because of LEAKING facilities, are trying to gain approval to ship their waste to ... can you guess...WEST TEXAS! That wasn't hard at all, was it, class?
The facility in Andrews was sold to a very anxious group of people who fell for the lie that Andrews would somehow die if the nuclear waste facility was not built there. Actually it is much closer to Eunice, New Mexico, and offers the same hazards to people there. The Eunice residents had no input as they were not residents of Texas, though they will share the same fate as the people of Andrews. The facility was to hold only medical waste and other "low-grade" nuclear waste. As it turns out, the definition of "low-grade" is not static and has been changed by Congress to include weapons grade waste. No surprise there, either, kids.
I have just returned to the Permian Basin, but I am just as opposed to this facility as I was when I left the area. The are things to be done that can actually limit the waste stored at this facility and keep new parties (States) from dumping their waste in Texas. The main thing of course, is to demand these limitations and hold politicians, as well as local "leaders," accountable for monitoring the facility, and also accountable when safety violations occur. I do not have the facts at the moment to assess what economic impact this facility has had on Andrews and West Texas. Frankly, I do not care. The negative impact on the environment, and on you and me, cannot be measured in bribes...I mean campaign contributions, community grants from the company, and so forth. And further more, I am extremely opposed to, and ashamed of, the fact that such leaders as George W. Bush, as well as many local "community leaders," have allowed West Texas to be labeled WASTE, Texas. There is time to limit nuclear storage, prevent extremely dangerous waste from entering Texas, and above all, to once and for all time declare that this is West Texas, not Waste, Texas!
In fact many residents did not want this terrible facility to be built anywhere near Andrews. I, for one, did not want it built anywhere near Texas. But some loud residents, some powerful local politicians, and some BOUGHT state politicians (as usual) overwhelmed the opposition with money and political pressure. Not to mention the various statements of "facts" regarding the safety of the facility and the promise that only "low-level" waste would be stored at the facility. The people of Andrews were divided, many for, and many against, this facility. With the intervention of then Governor Bush and other Texas politicians (pockets lined of course, with contributions and so forth) the facility was approved and licensed, and is now in full swing.
Guess what? Is this a surprise? The Waste Control Specialists facility has been cited for six violations of various magnitude since 2004. Some of the violations were "fixed" (though the venting system is not functioning properly at the moment), but the major violation is ongoing, and will be ongoing for...who can say? The Texas Environmental Quality Commission (surprise again!) voted to allow this "exception" to regulations as long as Waste Control Specialists promised to fully comply...someday. The violation? Radioactive waste of the "hottest kind" was only to be stored at the facility for a year, before being transferred to permanent disposal sites. This waste disintegrates rapidly, releasing carcinogens that can cause bone cancer and other diseases. Not only was the waste kept too long (it is still there) but asphalt pads were found to have leaks, which of course means that leaking radiation will be introduced into the ground, and eventually into the West Texas water supply. Don't worry folks...the State and the owners now tell us the cracks, though not repaired, are not a significant source of radiation leakage. Don't you feel better? I don't.
Now plans are in the works to begin bringing in waste from thirty-six other states and store this radioactive waste at the leaking facility. This same idea was proposed in Ohio but the people there defeated it immediately. They don't want waste from other states. They don't even want their OWN nuclear waste. That's right, they want to ship it to Texas...specifically to the Waste Control Specialists facility near Andrews. On top of this, other nuclear waste sites, closed because of LEAKING facilities, are trying to gain approval to ship their waste to ... can you guess...WEST TEXAS! That wasn't hard at all, was it, class?
The facility in Andrews was sold to a very anxious group of people who fell for the lie that Andrews would somehow die if the nuclear waste facility was not built there. Actually it is much closer to Eunice, New Mexico, and offers the same hazards to people there. The Eunice residents had no input as they were not residents of Texas, though they will share the same fate as the people of Andrews. The facility was to hold only medical waste and other "low-grade" nuclear waste. As it turns out, the definition of "low-grade" is not static and has been changed by Congress to include weapons grade waste. No surprise there, either, kids.
I have just returned to the Permian Basin, but I am just as opposed to this facility as I was when I left the area. The are things to be done that can actually limit the waste stored at this facility and keep new parties (States) from dumping their waste in Texas. The main thing of course, is to demand these limitations and hold politicians, as well as local "leaders," accountable for monitoring the facility, and also accountable when safety violations occur. I do not have the facts at the moment to assess what economic impact this facility has had on Andrews and West Texas. Frankly, I do not care. The negative impact on the environment, and on you and me, cannot be measured in bribes...I mean campaign contributions, community grants from the company, and so forth. And further more, I am extremely opposed to, and ashamed of, the fact that such leaders as George W. Bush, as well as many local "community leaders," have allowed West Texas to be labeled WASTE, Texas. There is time to limit nuclear storage, prevent extremely dangerous waste from entering Texas, and above all, to once and for all time declare that this is West Texas, not Waste, Texas!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
West Texas
The deed is finally done. I said goodbye to the Third Coast and Some'r Surfin' on Thursday night and headed for central Texas. After a brief stopover at my mother's place, I traveled on to West Texas. I arrived in Midland just after 5:00 P.M. and just in time to visit with Child B before she left Midland for points unknown. I will see her again Monday. Later last night, I had dinner with Child A. He is also starting a new job and seems to be really happy with his new company. Unhappily, I had to leave my spouse in Houston, but she will make the trip out here in a few weeks...much better than the two year separation we had last time.
I am happy to be back out here in the desert; after all, it was my exposure to this area that eventually inspired to tale of Bailey Black. As I have mentioned on occasion, the pure blue sky and the unmatchable sunsets offset the sometimes less than spectacular scenery around the immediate Midland area. Just a few miles further west you will run across the sand dunes that comprise one of the largest beaches in the world, although they forgot to add water years ago when the dunes were formed. Yes, I will miss my daily walks along the beach, but I will save several dollars per week in Cheetos which I will no longer be feeding to the sea gulls. My spouse has always loved West Texas and she is thrilled to be returning to her old stomping ground.
As far as this blog, I still do not have Internet service, but there are a number of free wi-fi spots around so this will not be an issue. I really appreciate all my readers and I especially thank you for staying with me during the past few days when I was off the air. I will turn on my opinion mill again as I assume my new position in West Texas. So many things are going on locally, across the state, and across the nation. Around the world things just keep spiraling out of control. And at the same time good things are happening all around us. I believe that the good outweighs and overcomes the bad and that is as it should be. But occasionally bad things happen, corrupt officials try to use their power corruptly, and war and terror rage on. I try to keep an optimistic outlook (my wife's true function in life) as well as occasionally comment intelligently on some of the issues.
So...stay tuned. Once again, I appreciate each of you and I wish the best for all of you through the remainder of the year.
I am happy to be back out here in the desert; after all, it was my exposure to this area that eventually inspired to tale of Bailey Black. As I have mentioned on occasion, the pure blue sky and the unmatchable sunsets offset the sometimes less than spectacular scenery around the immediate Midland area. Just a few miles further west you will run across the sand dunes that comprise one of the largest beaches in the world, although they forgot to add water years ago when the dunes were formed. Yes, I will miss my daily walks along the beach, but I will save several dollars per week in Cheetos which I will no longer be feeding to the sea gulls. My spouse has always loved West Texas and she is thrilled to be returning to her old stomping ground.
As far as this blog, I still do not have Internet service, but there are a number of free wi-fi spots around so this will not be an issue. I really appreciate all my readers and I especially thank you for staying with me during the past few days when I was off the air. I will turn on my opinion mill again as I assume my new position in West Texas. So many things are going on locally, across the state, and across the nation. Around the world things just keep spiraling out of control. And at the same time good things are happening all around us. I believe that the good outweighs and overcomes the bad and that is as it should be. But occasionally bad things happen, corrupt officials try to use their power corruptly, and war and terror rage on. I try to keep an optimistic outlook (my wife's true function in life) as well as occasionally comment intelligently on some of the issues.
So...stay tuned. Once again, I appreciate each of you and I wish the best for all of you through the remainder of the year.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Has Anyone Failed To Get the Idea That Smoking Is Bad For You?
After decades of federal health awareness programs, anti-smoking advertisements, a ban of "on the air" cigarette commercials, and the recent law changes throughout the nation, do you think anyone above the age of six months has not grasped the idea that SMOKING IS HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH? Note to US Government: WE KNOW SMOKING IS BAD FOR YOU!!!
I do not smoke. I smoked some cigarettes and a nice cherry-wood pipe back in my day (read stupid teen) but I had given that up even before graduating high school. Some of my friends and relatives smoke. Many of them have smoked for decades. Only a few have gotten cancer, but all of them have trouble breathing, have a hacking cough, etc. That is inevitable. As someone once told me, "Cigarettes and tobacco are the only things sold that will kill you if you Do use them according to directions." Yes, I have known people who died prematurely after getting cancer. And I know others who are in their seventies and eighties, who have to carry their oxygen supply at all times as a result of smoking.
Another "down-side" of smoking is that cigarettes and tobacco products cost too much. An unfortunate corollary to this statement is that no matter HOW MUCH cigarettes cost, even the poorest person in the most dire of circumstances will have his cigarettes, NO MATTER what else he does not have, including food and clothing for his children. So, those that are addicted to smoking will smoke when they can afford nothing else. I think cigarette smoking is a nasty habit, but it is worse when the smoker really needs that money for something else, like one more gallon of milk and some food.
Up to now I bet you thought this was an anti-smoking blog. Not all! This is a free country (so far, Mr. Obama), and I do not condemn people, in general, who smoke, nor do I think I am "better" than a smoker. My weakness is Dr. Pepper. Even when I know I have had too much, I drink another can of it so I can think about how to cure my addiction. So, there might be some addiction out there for everyone. But smoking is one of those addictions that effects everyone around, and very immediately so. Have you ever had to sit and inhale someone else's smoke while eating in a restaurant. I, for one, am happy about the addition of designated smoking areas. Some establishments made better arrangements for this purpose than others, but I learned those places where I could eat without smoke. And smokers knew those places where they could eat, then smoke their cigarettes in peace.
I believe in limited government just as firmly as I believe in my right to eat in a non-smoking environment. That is why I am one of those oddballs that are firmly against "sin taxes." As you know, sin taxes are the governments way of making money off of people's vices. It is, I suppose, a very fair form of "user's tax." And I am all for taxing as a way of supporting legitimate government functions (My beliefs about government would take up several blogs so I will not go into that here).
I must draw the line when sin taxes, or any other taxes, become unfair and out of all proportion to the price of the particular vice in question. In other words, I am not opposed to a tax of a few cents on alcohol, tobacco, amusement park usage, etc. But I am opposed to all unreasonable tax, no matter what the product or service may be. The current tax on cigarettes, for example, adds well over a dollar to the price of a package of cigarettes. Of course, the primary ( I may have this one backwards, as far as the Government is concerned) purpose of a "sin tax" is to discourage people from participating in that particular vice. If cigarettes now cost "Y" instead of "X," people will stop smoking due to the prohibitive cost. Well, ladies and gentlemen of the bureaucracy, that has not happened yet. Smokers still smoke, but now they pay more and grumble louder. Some people are all for sin taxes and the corresponding revenues. I am not, because I believe that unreasonable tax is unreasonable, no matter its source (which of course, is always THE PEOPLE).
Why am I writing about this today? Well, because, the decades long government campaign against smoking (of course tobacco growers still receive their government "subsidies." This is a strange thing in itself) has had its effect. Tobacco sales have declined over the past few years. I believe this decline reflects the effectiveness of the anti-smoking campaign. So why now is the government (read unelected bureaucrats) trying to force cigarette companies to use new, larger, and more graphic warnings on cigarette wrappers. http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/news/20101110/fda-proposes-new-cigarette-warning-labels These new requirements will raise the cost of cigarettes again, and no doubt, the sin tax as well. But more importantly, the new rules represent the unelected administrators being able to force their will on the American people.
But the real issue, and the point of this blog, is that we, as Americans, have gotten the message. SMOKING IS HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH. I do not believe that larger, more hideous, more graphic ads will cause people to stop smoking. The numbers of people who quit smoking as a direct reaction to these horrible ads will be negligible. But the cost of printing the illustrated ads will passed on to smokers and, I believe, to all taxpayers, when stores must raise the cost of other products in order to pay for the increased cost of cigarettes. And there will be the usual added layer of bureaucracy to "administer" the new rules. I don't know about you, but I think government is big enough now. We all know smoking is bad now...we don't need new advertisements with pictures of sick people to discourage us from smoking. Speaking of sick people, maybe some of the creators of the illustrations should simply place their own photographs on the cigarette wrappers.
I do not smoke. I smoked some cigarettes and a nice cherry-wood pipe back in my day (read stupid teen) but I had given that up even before graduating high school. Some of my friends and relatives smoke. Many of them have smoked for decades. Only a few have gotten cancer, but all of them have trouble breathing, have a hacking cough, etc. That is inevitable. As someone once told me, "Cigarettes and tobacco are the only things sold that will kill you if you Do use them according to directions." Yes, I have known people who died prematurely after getting cancer. And I know others who are in their seventies and eighties, who have to carry their oxygen supply at all times as a result of smoking.
Another "down-side" of smoking is that cigarettes and tobacco products cost too much. An unfortunate corollary to this statement is that no matter HOW MUCH cigarettes cost, even the poorest person in the most dire of circumstances will have his cigarettes, NO MATTER what else he does not have, including food and clothing for his children. So, those that are addicted to smoking will smoke when they can afford nothing else. I think cigarette smoking is a nasty habit, but it is worse when the smoker really needs that money for something else, like one more gallon of milk and some food.
Up to now I bet you thought this was an anti-smoking blog. Not all! This is a free country (so far, Mr. Obama), and I do not condemn people, in general, who smoke, nor do I think I am "better" than a smoker. My weakness is Dr. Pepper. Even when I know I have had too much, I drink another can of it so I can think about how to cure my addiction. So, there might be some addiction out there for everyone. But smoking is one of those addictions that effects everyone around, and very immediately so. Have you ever had to sit and inhale someone else's smoke while eating in a restaurant. I, for one, am happy about the addition of designated smoking areas. Some establishments made better arrangements for this purpose than others, but I learned those places where I could eat without smoke. And smokers knew those places where they could eat, then smoke their cigarettes in peace.
I believe in limited government just as firmly as I believe in my right to eat in a non-smoking environment. That is why I am one of those oddballs that are firmly against "sin taxes." As you know, sin taxes are the governments way of making money off of people's vices. It is, I suppose, a very fair form of "user's tax." And I am all for taxing as a way of supporting legitimate government functions (My beliefs about government would take up several blogs so I will not go into that here).
I must draw the line when sin taxes, or any other taxes, become unfair and out of all proportion to the price of the particular vice in question. In other words, I am not opposed to a tax of a few cents on alcohol, tobacco, amusement park usage, etc. But I am opposed to all unreasonable tax, no matter what the product or service may be. The current tax on cigarettes, for example, adds well over a dollar to the price of a package of cigarettes. Of course, the primary ( I may have this one backwards, as far as the Government is concerned) purpose of a "sin tax" is to discourage people from participating in that particular vice. If cigarettes now cost "Y" instead of "X," people will stop smoking due to the prohibitive cost. Well, ladies and gentlemen of the bureaucracy, that has not happened yet. Smokers still smoke, but now they pay more and grumble louder. Some people are all for sin taxes and the corresponding revenues. I am not, because I believe that unreasonable tax is unreasonable, no matter its source (which of course, is always THE PEOPLE).
Why am I writing about this today? Well, because, the decades long government campaign against smoking (of course tobacco growers still receive their government "subsidies." This is a strange thing in itself) has had its effect. Tobacco sales have declined over the past few years. I believe this decline reflects the effectiveness of the anti-smoking campaign. So why now is the government (read unelected bureaucrats) trying to force cigarette companies to use new, larger, and more graphic warnings on cigarette wrappers. http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/news/20101110/fda-proposes-new-cigarette-warning-labels These new requirements will raise the cost of cigarettes again, and no doubt, the sin tax as well. But more importantly, the new rules represent the unelected administrators being able to force their will on the American people.
But the real issue, and the point of this blog, is that we, as Americans, have gotten the message. SMOKING IS HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH. I do not believe that larger, more hideous, more graphic ads will cause people to stop smoking. The numbers of people who quit smoking as a direct reaction to these horrible ads will be negligible. But the cost of printing the illustrated ads will passed on to smokers and, I believe, to all taxpayers, when stores must raise the cost of other products in order to pay for the increased cost of cigarettes. And there will be the usual added layer of bureaucracy to "administer" the new rules. I don't know about you, but I think government is big enough now. We all know smoking is bad now...we don't need new advertisements with pictures of sick people to discourage us from smoking. Speaking of sick people, maybe some of the creators of the illustrations should simply place their own photographs on the cigarette wrappers.
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