West Texas in Flames

The things we perceive as important can change with the wind, literally.  I started this morning by looking at things I might want to blog about, checking various news stories, and thinking of topics important to me.  I had delayed my decision as to topics until the evening, but when evening rolled around, real events made my choice easy...and hard to write about.

West Texas is on fire at the moment, and firefighters, assisted now by local oil crews, have been fighting fires since early afternoon.  Those of you who are a little familiar with the area may well wonder what there is to be burn out here.  Well, the answer is nothing, and everything.  Nothing...in the sense that there is basically nothing in the Permian Basin but tumbleweeds, tall grass, and mesquite bushes.  And everything, in the sense that there are tumbleweeds, tall grass, and mesquite bushes.  That combination is lethal in the tender box conditions currently in existence in West Texas.  With these sudden and terrible fires comes the sudden shift in priorities.

For one family, the result of the "grass fire" was immediate and tragic.  A car stopped along Interstate 20 in Midland because smoke had covered the Interstate and brought visibility.  That vehicle was immediately struck by three more vehicles, which were then hit by a semi-truck.  Unfortunately a young girl was killed in that accident.  If you think grass fires are minor, this one showed how real the danger can be. 

At the same time as the fire and wreck were happening on Interstate 20, a grass fire was sparked in Andrews County and immediately engulfed several hundred acres, threatening oil rigs and gas production facilities.  That fire is still burning some five hours later.  And just forty miles away, a large fire raged in Big Spring, threatening a large gasoline refinery.  Several homes and buildings have been lost as the fire burns on.  Just south of there, in Forsan, yet another fire is burning, and has consumed at least one ranch house.

Topping all of that, the entire town of Matador has been evacuated as a large and uncontrollable wild fire descended on that city. My heart and my prayers go out to the people of Matador.  And also to the people fighting the fires, as they will be working into the night.

I know a lot of serious things happened in the world in the past twenty-four hours.  The Middle East is in turmoil.  Qaddafi may be on the way out of Libya.  And the "War on Drugs" rages on in Mexico.  But right now, for just a few hours, the most important thing going on is the effort to put out multiple fires before any more lives are lost and more property is destroyed.  West Texas is burning, but in a few more hours the fires will be out, the firefighters will return to their homes, and once again the larger world will overshadow life as we know it in West Texas.

President Obama Signed A Temporary Extension to the Patriot Act

I did not vote for Mr. Obama in 2008, nor did I vote for his opponent.  There was, after all the layers were pealed away, very little difference in the politics that Obama and McCain would have brought to the White House.  But, one difference, I thought, was that President Obama would begin the destruction of the most despicable pieces of legislation ever fostered against the United States Constitution and the American people.

I must say that I really believed Obama when he said he did support not many provisions of the USA PATRIOT ACT.  If you recall, Obama also spoke of the swift end he envisioned for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  I also thought Obama would follow his word and begin immediate withdrawals from those to situations as was safe and practical.  He spoke of being against these wars, as well as the expenditure involved in two such massive military operations.  Not that Obama was so noble, but that he could use money from the military budget for more "Democrat-like" programs.  But, two years after his election, we are still involved in military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, with plans for an exit proceeding ever so slowly.

I believed that Mr. Obama would make short work of the USA PATRIOT Act by directing federal agencies not to utilize it, by having the Justice Department to pursue nullifying USA PATRIOT in the federal court system, and by using his Congressional majority to strike down USA PATRIOT through the legislative process.  In fact, Mr. Obama is now nearly indistinguishable from George (Dubb-ya) Bush in his politics.  Wasn't George a Republican?  No matter, it is politics as usual no matter who occupies the White House.  I remember after Obama moved into the White House he went on a nearly non-stop George W. Bush bashing tirade in the press, but he is in fact following his predecessor's footsteps in these matters.

The good news for all Americans is that the extensions of USA PATRIOT are only for three months, and at the end of that time, the US Congress will once again debate then vote on USA PATRIOT.  The bad news is that in only three months the US Congress will once again debate then vote on USA PATRIOT.  I am not holding out much hope that Congress will do what it was mandated to do and vote the will of the people.  Polls show time after time that most people are deeply opposed to USA PATRIOT.  This most vicious attack on American civil liberties was perpetrated on US by a Republican Congress working with a Republican President.  Now the Republican Congress is working with a Democratic President.  I am ashamed to say that it appears that Republican representatives and senators, who should feel OBLIGATED to remove USA PATRIOT without prejudice will in fact vote to extend it, and for as long as possible, if I am not mistaken.  I think several Democrats will support it as well.  And, since Obama has already signed the extension, he will obviously sign the law keeping USA PATRIOT in place. 

I hope we say goodbye to Mr. Obama in 2012, but the next president may not be any different and may not be anymore inclined to restore our liberties than was that most popular PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE who has turned out to be not a very promising President.

Exit: El Condor - Big Score for the Federales

Today the Mexican Federal Police officially announced the death of El Condor, the leader of the Juarez Cartel.  El Condor, aka Luis Humberto Peralta Hernandez, was killed Tuesday in Cuidad Juarez, Chihuahua in a shootout with federal officers.  He was not immediately identified because he was carrying false credentials at his death.  Other cartel members were captured.  El Condor was the latest in the long list of Juarez Cartel "leaders" via the various untimely deaths of his predecessors.  I am sure even now a scramble is going on to crown the new leader.

The death of El Condor comes only days after the murder of Agent Zapata and the attempted murder of Agent Avila.  News of this gangster's death also comes on the heals of a massive federal roundup of cartel members operating in the United States.  The various federal law enforcement agencies of the United States had to "push back" against the "bullies" in Mexico who had now taken to murdering US agents as well as the routinely targeted Mexican officials, officers, local politicians, and anyone else perceived to stand in the way of the cartels.  It is unfortunate that Mexico's "War on Drugs" has dragged on five years before the United States reacted at a national level.  I hope more national action is taken to aid the government of Mexico since the security of the United States border as well as interior cities where the cartel members operate are obviously under siege as well.

I noticed that Mr. Peralta Hernandez (El Condor) was actually a ranking member of the Mexican Federal Police as late as 2009, a federal investigator.  Unfortunately, the rifle assigned to Mr. Peralta Hernandez has been linked through ballistics to at least 96 murders.  Certainly El Condor was in a position not only to know about federal operations and the identifies of federal operatives in Mexico, he was also in a position in which he conceivably gained the trust of many of those he later assassinated.  But the real point of this post is that Presidente Felipe Calderon made a big ranting press statement decrying Ambassador Pascual's "ignorance" as regards the Ambassador's assertions that there possible some criminal elements embedded within the Federal Police and other Mexican enforcement agencies.  The Ambassador further alluded to the possibility that there was evidence of some complicity of federal agents in the operations carried out by the cartels.

Well, surprise, El Presidente, as we see, El Condor had infiltrated the Federal Police and has probably personally set back police operations  for years, as well as committed so many murders and untold other criminal acts against the very people he was supposed to be protecting.  I wonder if Mr. Calderon will possibly send a private note of apology to Ambassador Pascual.  I doubt it, but the Ambassador is certainly vindicated of his "ignorance" by the revelations of El Condor's activities while still under color of his office.

Mexico's War Has Spilt Over to US

With the killing of ICE Agent Zapata, the Cartels apparently made themselves "fair game" here in the United States.  Several federal agencies, supported by local police in cities across the United States, have begun "Operation Bombardier," a strategic operation to round-up members of various cartels who are operating in the United States to facilitate drug and arms transportation on this side of the border.  As of this post, well over one hundred persons have been arrested, hundreds of pounds of drugs, and several weapons have been confiscated.  The US government is "pushing back" after the brazen murder of Agent Zapata.  According to Special Agent Carl Pike of the DEA, the United States government has been "bullied" and now the various agencies are pushing back.  http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7443931.html 

Apparently federal agencies had ongoing investigations and had obtained "the goods" on hundreds of Americans working for the cartels.  With the death of Agent Zapata, it appeared that the cartel leaders had possibly given the "green light" to killing US agents as well as Mexican police and officials.  Many of those arrested were dangerous, as illustrated by the shooting of Houston Police Officer Nainash Patel.  Officer Patel was shot by a potential arrestee as Patel and other officers and agents executed search and arrestees warrants in Houston.  Fortunately Officer Patel is in good condition.  The criminal is in the hospital but his condition and identity was not released. 

I have contended for months that the "War on Drugs" in Mexico was spreading into the United States, and this is borne out with the nation-wide arrests of cartel members in the United States.  Operation Bombardier will continue for another day or so.  If the trends continue, there could easily be three hundred or more people  in jail at the conclusion of this sweep.  It is encouraging that our federal agencies are acting now to catch these criminals.  I wonder what the reaction across the border will be.  Will the cartels increase their assassinations in response to Operation Bombardier?  Will they put out the word that US officials and agents should be left alone? And the bigger question: Will the arrest of the American side of the cartels disrupt narcotics flow across the border in any noticeable way?  All of this remains to be seen, but I believe that Operation Bombardier heralds an increase in US involvement with Mexico's War on Drugs.  I hope that our leaders see now that a military presence along the border is necessary.  We spend billions of dollars fighting in foreign lands, and billions of dollars in foreign aid to nations so distant that we only have a dim concept of where these countries fit on the globe.  I believe it is time for those resources to be brought back and brought to bear on the border, and that our armed forces protect us from the chaos that the Mexican government just cannot seem to stamp out there.

Mull of Kintyre: Has It Really Been Thirty Years!

This blog post, of course, will date me beyond all deniability.  You see, in 1977 I bought an eight-track tape (if you don't know what that is, look it up...I mean "Google" it.  You will get no sympathy from me!) of Paul McCartney and Wings that had several good songs on it, as was usual for McCartney and Wings.  But then there was this strange, weird song.  It was by no means a rock and roll song, and it was seemingly did not belong on the same album (Google THAT too, if you don't know what that is).  And right in the middle of this number, there were honest to goodness bagpipes!  As Paul sang the words, something strange was happening to me.  As the chorus ended and the bagpipes started, my finger hovered over the "change track" button on my "tape deck" (thats right, GOOGLE those terms!) but I could not move to punch that little button.  The words and the music had become strangely haunting.  Keep in mind I was sixteen at the time, and the last thing I wanted to do was listen to bagpipes in stereo!  But I just could not push that button.  Somehow this strange and unseen place that Paul sang about had become visible in my mind.  Of course I did not know what a mull was, but even at sixteen years old I was pretty sure that Kintyre was in Scotland or Ireland, maybe Wales.

This is the truth, although hard for me to admit over thirty years later - as I drove around in my old white Chevrolet, with Mull of Kintyre blasting out as loud as my speakers could go without "buzzing,"  I was CRYING!  Paul McCartney was singing about his new home in what was I suppose his old stomping ground, or maybe he had just adopted his new residence.  I was young, what did I know?  But Paul had managed to write lyrics that were highly charged with visualizations even an ignorant American teenager could identify with.   And his words, combined with the haunting, mysterious music of those bagpipes, which faded in and out with the chorus, evoked a feeling I could not understand.  I felt somehow connected to that place that I had never seen, to those images that I had never known.  It was almost as if I had been transported to Scotland in the blink of an eye.  And the feeling was so intense that I was actually crying!

That winter and the following spring I played Mull of Kintyre over and over until the tape broke because it had worn thin on Track Three.  I was somewhat of a cheap skate and I never attempted to buy another tape.  In a year or so, eight-track tapes had gone the way of the dinosaur, but I also did not buy the tape in its cassette version, either.  Somewhere along in this time, I was converted to full-time country music when the radio station where I was employed became an all-country channel.  After that, I started buying mostly country music, and I just never got around to finding another McCartney and Wings tape.

As fate would have it, some thirty years later (give or take) I was corresponding with one of my cousins on Facebook when she mention that she liked "Mull of Kintyre."  I told her that I liked it very much too, in fact, that I had found it to be a haunting and mysterious song.  She had had the same experience.  So I "Googled" "Mull of Kintyre" and found it online.  When I played it on the PC, I was again struck with that haunting, mysterious feeling of years ago.  Although Paul McCartney sings of a place I have never been, the words of his song seemed to transport me there, and it was almost as if I was a native there.  Like Marty Robbins once asked: Could it be that a man can disappear from life and live another time?  Well, that is a little deep and off the wall, but somehow I truly felt like I had been there.  Mull of Kintyre is probably one of Paul McCartney's most heartfelt songs   It was a very popular song, topping the charts in Great Britain, Australia, Canada, Europe...but I did not remember it doing so well in the United States.

A few minutes of research verified my belief.  Although Mull of Kintyre was so very popular overseas, even becoming a popular Christmas song, here in the US of A, Mull of Kintyre as a single never made it anywhere near the Top Ten.  I learned something else, as well.  In all of the concerts Paul McCartney has done in the United States, he never included Mull of Kintyre on any of the venues.  This would not have been disturbing I suppose, except that Paul unfailingly performed Mull of Kintyre in Canada, Britain, Australia, and other points overseas.  I did not come across any direct quotes from Paul or his management, but there are some who say that Paul refused to perform Mull of Kintyre as sort of a protest or boycott when he played in North America.  And I firmly believe this to be a loss for Paul McCartney fans here.

Now, some thirty years after the fact, I have noticed that Mull of Kintyre has received thousands of hits on Youtube.  That being the case, I hope, if you are not familiar with it, you will give Mull of Kintyre a listen.  It is as sweet and mystreious - and haunting - as it was thirty years ago.

Mexico's President Felipe Calderon Screaming Again

President Calderon of Mexico has blasted various US officials and agencies, particularly U.S. Ambasador to Mexico Carlos Pascual, whom the Presidente declared to be "ignorant" and whose comments are directly undermining the effectiveness of US/Mexico cooperation in Mexico's "War on Drugs."  http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/7441545.html  Mr. Calderon's use of "ignorant" as a descriptor of Ambassador Pascual is very interesting.  Only a few months back Mr. Calderon violated one of our own honored President's sage advice pertaining to ignorance.  President Abraham Lincoln once said " Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt." 

In May, 2010 President Calderon was "hosted" by President Obama at Congress, where Mr. Calderon made an obviously contrived and un-heartfelt speech about the awful immigration law that had recently been passed in Arizona.  All the while Mr. Calderon spit out scathing criticism of Arizona officials who were finally taking action that the US federal government should have taken long ago, I suppose he hoped that the United States people would stand and clap like a bunch of Congressmen...I meant walruses (so sorry, Congress) at his speech, while ignoring the fact that in Mexico illegal immigrans were being detained and mistreated by Mexican federal forces, then sent back to their countries of origin without being given any civil remedies whatever!  But this bit of hypocracy was not missed by US (the people of the United States) at all, Mr. Calderon. 

Now, President Calderon has accused the above mentioned Ambassador Pascual of making statements in classified cables (unfortunately made public by Wikileaks) in which Mr. Pascual displays his "ignorance" by putting in writing his beliefs that Mexican federal forces may not be totally reliable (wow, this is a heart-stopping surprise, where is the nitroglycerin?) and that the identities of US operatives and operational details of both US and Mexican agencies may have been compromised at times during US/Mexican "cooperative" efforts.  For this, Mr. Calderon has decided that Ambassador Pascual is "ignorant."  I believe the ignorant dog barked last, Mr. Calderon.

Mr. Calderon said further that Ambassador Pascual's statements were undermining federal "efforts" in the ongoing "War on Drugs."  I, for one, can understand Ambassador Pascual's concerns.  For instance, slain ICE Agent Zapata and his wounded partner, Agent Avila, were ambushed and gunned down shortly after meeting with other US agents.  Somehow, the two unfortunate agents (who were unarmed due to Mexico's tough - and uneffective - gun laws) were tracked and forced off the road by persons believed to be members of one of several cartels operating in the area.  Surely a coincidence?  The Ambassador may have suspected otherwise, based on his experiences at seeing other agents compromised, other operations somehow anticipated by the cartels.  But according to President Calderon, the "War on Drugs" would be going much better if the United States, through its federal agencies, had fully cooperated and  had not made such disparaging internal statements.

Oh yes, Mr. Calderon gave one other hint at why the "War on Drugs" in Mexico is being lost.  It has nothing to do with corruption in Mexican federal, state, and local enforcement agencies.  Instead, the losing drug war effort can be squarely blamed on the United States (yes, again!) because the mere $1.4 BILLION dollars in aid ( http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35749.htm ) from the United States to Mexico is "insufficient."  Same old story...a government throws money at a problem...the problem only gets worse.  Only in this case, Mr. Calderon is throwing OUR MONEY (I mean YOURS and MINE, Class!!) at the problem.  The President's War on Drugs started in 2006.  Since then, there have been over 35, 000 people killed in the war.  Policemen, elected officials, judges, and innocent civillians are all represented in the casualties.  But the cartels are as strong as ever, drugs are flowing as thick as ever, and the Mexican people murdered by the numbers as whole cities are abandoned to the cartels.  The federal agencies are all but powerless outside of their headquarters, and sometimes they are not safe in their own facilities.

So President Calderon has screamed and clamored, and gotten the attention of the world media so that he can explain why the "War on Drugs" is not over, nor is "victory" imminent.  President Calderon has but two more years to win this war.  If the past four years reflect on the prospects for the final two years, it is safe to say that Mr. Calderon should be looking for another job.  And based on his knowledge, as opposed to Ambassador Pascual's "ignorance," Mr. Calderon will probably be looking for work OUTSIDE Mexico.

Napolitano: Mexico Violence and Illegal Border Crossings Down - What Planet is She On?

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced to the (real) world from the University of Texas at El Paso that "border crime and illegal border crossings" have "fallen sharply" over the past two years.  Really?  Have you not been following Mexico's War, Ms. Napolitano?  In the same newspapers that cited Ms. Napolitano's amazing announcement, we read that Cuidad Juarez has just seen its bloodiest weekend in memory, with over fifty people murdered from Thursday to Sunday night, just past.  And these are only the KNOWN murders.  And on February 4, 2011 the latest police chief of Nuevo Laredo, who had been in office just over a month, was shot dead gunmen believed to belong to one or another of the cartels.  Of course he lasted longer than his predecessor, who was gunned down the same day he took office.  So, border crime is down?  Sharply??

Ms. Napolitano also asserts in this speech that illegal border crossing are down by thirty-six percent over a period of two years.  This information is supposedly based on the numbers of people detained by the Border Patrol (ICE).  The one border patrolman I know personally has not mentioned a decrease in the number of border crossings.  He has noted, however, that it has become quite a bit more dangerous for the "illegal border crossers" to make the trek through Mexico and into Texas.  In addition to the usual dangers associated with illegal border crossings, Mexican citizens are being robbed and killed as they make their crossings by various means. 

After announcing that border crime and illegal border crossings are down "sharply" Ms. Napolitano proceeds to accuse Republicans of "politicizing" the Border "issues."  Again, Ms. Napolitano...WHAT WORLD ARE YOU LIVING IN?? (pardon my grammar.)  Guess what...the Border "situation" and "problems" ARE POLITICAL ISSUES, MADAM SECRETARY.  The federal government has opted not to respond to the DEMAND from United States citizens throughout the border states, other than prosecuting state and local officials who ARE trying to protect their jurisdictions.  After years of pleading for help, state officials took action.  Ms. Napolitano and her boss, Mr. Obama, chose to ignore the roar of the crowd.  So now, OF COURSE these are political issues, and I believe the "winner" will be the politicians or officials who take action.  By the way, Ms. Napolitano, if you think that border crime is down "sharply" I urge you to go spend a few days along the border and let us know what you find "first hand."

More than fifty people killed in one weekend, including several officers.  One US agent murdered just two days ago, the other injured badly, by drug cartel members.  Nuevo Laredo needs ANOTHER police chief.  I don't know about you, but somehow I do not find Ms. Napolitano's words very comforting.  And after her speech, I don't find her credibility very comforting either.  If the Chief of Homeland Security believes the border is safer now that it was two years ago, I wonder how safe we will be in another two years?  So Ms. Napolitano, please go back to that planet from which you come, maybe Planet Disney, but I think more  likely Planet Denial.  I choose to entrust my safety to those officials and officers grounded in reality, and to those who are "politicizing" border "issues."  It seems to me that the federal government is, as usual, prosecuting the wrong "offenders."  But then again, how many other problems have been "solved" by the federal powers that be?  On, THAT many? 

Charles Stobaugh Found Guilty - Kathy Munday Stobaugh Was Never Out Of Our Hearts

I attended my high school class reunion in 2004 in Gatesville, Texas.  The reunion was great because of all the people there.  As most of you know, it is a special pleasure to see all those old friends that you went to school with so many years ago, and to catch up on the old times.  It is always (almost always) fun and interesting to find out how far everyone has gone since graduation, and what has gone on since the last reunion.  Along with all the reminiscing, it is just a pleasure to get to know people that you may not have known as well in high school. 

In 2004, I had the privilege to speak with Kathy Munday Stobaugh during that reunion.  I had never really gotten to know her in high school, and that is my personal loss, I will readily admit.  I was helping out in the kitchen preparing for the beginning of the reunion.  Kathy walked in, began helping organize things, and also just began smiling and talking with everyone.  She literally brightened the party that night.  For those of us who had not known her well during the school years, it was truly a blessing to talk with her and hear her laugh as she told some of her stories.  By the time the reunion was over, those of us who had spoken at length with Kathy came away feeling so happy to have spent the time with her, and share with her in her own new-found happiness.

You see, Kathy Munday Stobaugh  told me and a few others that she was getting divorced soon, that she would have the papers signed before the end of the year (2004) and that she was eager to begin her new life.  Kathy talked about her final realization that she did not have to live in an abuse-filled marriage for the rest of her life.  She let everyone know that she was eager to continue her new career as a teacher in Sanger, Texas.  She and another former class-mate planned  a major shopping trip for the upcoming Christmas season.  At last, the reunion ended and we all went our separate ways.  I watched Kathy Munday Stobaugh drive away that night, never imagining that none of us would ever see her alive again.  The last possible thought I could have imagined was that in just a few short weeks she would disappear.  That was much more of a shock than the fact that the only viable suspect was her husband, Charles Stobaugh.

Unfortunately, Kathy Stobaugh's body has never been found.  Charles Stobaugh stopped cooperating with the police only a few days into the investigation of Kathy's disappearance.  Over the next few months Charles Stobaugh generated a web of conflicting accounts and outright lies concerning Kathy's last moments with him.  Kathy Munday Stobaugh was never seen again.  Even more telling, she never again attempted to speak to her children.  She never appeared at her job again or even called the school to let them know she was not coming back.  Her bank account never saw any further activity, and her divorce attorney waited for Kathy at that last appointment that Kathy would never keep.

Days turned to weeks, to months, and finally to years.  Kathy's mother never saw her daughter again, nor even learned where her body was hidden.  Mrs. Munday passed away and I am sure that she and Kathy are now reunited in a much fairer land than this.  But in this vale of tears in which we live, Kathy's surviving family saw the years pass with no word from Kathy, with no news from the police, and no sense of closure, if there is such a thing.

Finally, after six years, Charles Stobaugh was put on trial and eventually found guilty of murder.  Tomorrow we will learn what his sentence will be.  No doubt he will appeal the sentence for one reason or another.  Regardless, he has been held accountable for what he did to Kathy, and hopefully he will spend a good long time behind bars for his crime.  Unfortunately, with no body ever found, and no indication of a crime scene ever located, there will always be whispers from some corner that Kathy Munday Stobaugh is still alive and well, maybe in some other state or even out of this country.  Already there are rumblings on the Internet that Project Innocence or some other "justice watch dog" has already shown an interest in the verdict of this trial.  But we should all understand that the jury found no "reasonable doubt" that Kathy Stobaugh had been murdered and that Charles Stobaugh was the murderer.

My hope is that the Munday family will find comfort now, and will eventually be reunited with the children that Charles Stobaugh alienated from the them.  Above this, I hope that Charles Stobaugh will do the right thing and take that final step, letting the Mundays know where he laid Kathy's body after he snuffed out her beautiful life. 

Egyptians Celebrate The Overthrow of Tyranny; Here...the USA PATRIOT ACT Gains An Extension

How ironic is the news today.  TV reports are full of celebration in Egypt and other Middle Eastern nations as the people rejoice with the fall of President Mubarak.  Other nations in the region are now protesting against their own dictatorial governments, and no doubt many "heads of state" are feeling somewhat less than secure in the current situations.

Our government by way of the United States House of Representatives has, by contrast, slapped the American people in the face while blatantly ignoring their own oaths to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States as the Law of the Land.  By voting to extend the USA PATRIOT Act through 2011, our "representatives" have prolonged this despicable legislation and once again reaffirmed their intentions to ignore the Constitution once again. 

Senator Rand Paul now takes the fight AGAINST the renewal of the USA PATRIOT Act to the Senate.  I hope and pray that more reasonable heads prevail, and that most of the Senators stand up to the tyranny that USA PATRIOT represents.  They have the power in their hands to do the will of the vast majority of the people (oh yes, that is the Senators' job - to represent the people) as well as to take the only LEGAL recourse available and strike down USA PATRIOT. 

It is outrageous to me, and a most horrific outrage against the American people, and indeed all people in the world that have come to believe those inalienable rights enumerated in that most Beloved of All Human Produced Documents.  It is outrageous to know that a body of legislators who are elected by the people, not only to represent the people in Congress, but also TO DEFEND The UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION have not all stepped forward as one, ripped away this terrible concession to Tyranny, and cast away the USA PATRIOT Act into the four winds, where it could never be called Law again.

One more thing:  It is very easy to check the votes of your Senator and Congressman.  If you love USA PATRIOT, you are in good shape.  If you wanted your representatives to vote against it, well, welcome to the reality of those we have elected to represent us.

Drug Cartels are "Insurrectionists," Aren't They?

United States Undersecretary of the Army Joseph Wesphal is doing the "Westphalia Waltz" on his statement from Monday that the drug cartels were so powerful that they were "insurrectionists" and that he could personally see where it might be appropriate for United States armed forces to support the current government of Mexico by committing combat units to Mexico's War on Drugs. 

Apparently certain people both in the United States and in Mexico were upset by the Underscretary's words.  For one thing, Wesphal seemed to disparage the Mexican government's power and strength to overcome the cartels.  But the second, and possibly most alarming aspect, is the gentle hint that American forces might join the fray.  The Mexican government and the Mexican people may well be more wary about an American incursion into Mexico than they are about the Cartels' power.  The memory of the War of 1842 and the Expeditions of the early twentieth century probably still leave a sour taste in the mouths of many Mexicans.  Remember, most of the southwestern United States was taken in the 1842 war.  Okay, I know it was "purchased" but let us call it what it really was - a land grab that was followed by a ten million dollar payment to ease this Nation's conscience.

I propose that the United States withdraw its armed forces from most of the endless and non-productive conflicts in which we are currently involved, return most of these forces to the States, and then militarize the southern border.  I have confidence that the legitimate government of Mexico will prevail, or the people themselves will eventually rise and overcome the cartels.  In either scenario, armed forces of the United States would and should remain on the northern side of the Rio Bravo.  If the Mexican government needs U.S. military intervention, let it request such aid, then determine what specific missions the United States military would undertake, and how long U.S armed forces would operate in Mexico.  And, I would like to see Congress stand up, use their war powers and stop the US-Mexican operations on a specific deadline.

I personally would not like to see the forces of ANY nation occupy cities or the country side in the United States.  I am reasonably sure that Mexican citizens feel this same sense of hesitation and distaste for any prospect of United States troops occupying Mexico, regardless of the pretext or the need to do so.  The Undersecretary of State called the cartels "insurrectionists."  He apparently did not have the blessings of those above him to make these statements.  But the truth is, the cartels are challenging the very existence of the legitimate government of Mexico.  I don't know about you, but the last time I checked, this was indeed the definition of being in a state of "insurrection."  I am proud of Joseph Westphal for saying what he really meant, but I am not pleased with his resort to the "Westphalia" waltz to save his skin and save face for those who are not dealing successfully dealing with the problems of Mexico in a decisive way.

Busy (But Who Isn't?)

I have been away from the blog for a couple of days.  There has been a lot going on with my work that has kept me busy, along with studying for an upcoming state licensing exam.  Busy, but who isn't?  The entire eastern half of the United States is blanketed in a terrible winter storm.  Here in Midland, the temperature has not cracked twenty degrees in three days.  But the snow was a beautiful blessing.  It was a blizzard, but deep enough for the kids to run around in and have fun.

Speaking of fun, I sometimes how to have fun.  The worries of my job, family situations, and just life in general seem to have robbed me of the capacity to have fun, or as some would say, to be a "kid."  But today, I became a kid, just for a few minutes, while watching to little boys running around and laughing in wonder at the strange and magical transformation wrought by the above mentioned winter storm. 

First, the two boys first saw a frozen mud puddle and took great pleasure in breaking the ice into a million dirty brown pieces.  They narrated the event with the appropriate exclamations of delight. Next, one of the little boys discovered a large icicle attached to the bumper of someone's car.  With just a second's work, the young man removed the icicle.  His friend exclaimed his amazement, then they both ran off, apparently so the young man could show off his treasure to hid mom or dad.  I could imagine the boy eating his icy treat after impressing everyone with his find.

A few seconds later a little dog ran out of some apartment and began executing tight, fast circles in the snow.  It looked like a fairly young dog.  Possibly this was his first snow storm.  He raced through the snow, sometmes slipping, then raced back to his master, lately emerging from some unknown apartment.  The owner called to the dog, but the dog simply turned and ran away, again making those dare-devil loops.  The dog was having a blast.  The owner...not so much.  Well, it WAS 18 degrees outside.  It is very far from there to zero!  I understood the dog master's position quite well.  Frostbite was probably just seconds away.  Finally the little dog, having completed close to tweny of those neck-popping loops, raced past his master to the warmth of that unseen apartment.  In just those few minutes I felt young again, "re-kiddified" if you will.

I had observed all this while walking to my vehicle through the cold and the ice.  I had to visit the local "W" store for some emergency items.  With the cold and the snow, it seemed that the Christmas-spirit had descended once again over Midland.  At the "W" store, for instance, people were joking and actually being "human" again.  The snow magic seemed to have effected everyone, spreading just a little more good cheer, temporary as it may be. 

I went through the "W" store and made my selection, just picking up the four items I needed.  Having found all the necessary items, I raced to the express checkout line.  There were only three people in front of me.  Of course the checker, a personable college-age guy, was a rather slow cashier.  After what seemed like three or four hours, but was in reality only five or ten minutes, it was my turn to get checked out.  I placed my four items on the counter and removed my wallet from my jeans.  At this point I noticed the young cashier staring at my purchases: two folding camp chairs and two quart-size boxes of ice cream. 

Seeing the boy's puzzled look, I told him, "My wife and I are going to sit in these folding chairs out on our patio and eat ice cream.  This young man's eyes widened in gaping disbelief.  He tried to talk, stuttering a few seconds, then said, "Seriously?!  Dude? I mean, it's really cold out there!"  The young cashier was genuinely concerned.  He seemed almost on the verge of throwing my purchases away in an effort to prevent my spouse and me from completing this act of utter insanity.  That's when I told him that I really was NOT going to sit outside in the folding camp chair and eat ice cream in the 18 degree air.  He first looked at me as if unconvinced of my sincerety.  Then, apparently realizing that I was not a danger to myself or others, he completed the sale and allowed me to walk away from the Express Line.

I guess we are all busy with our tasks at hand, but I forgot one thing.  It is so easy to get caught up, to become too busy, that we forget how to have fun.  We stop taking the opportunities to enjoy life, even the simple things such as a light dusting of snow.  But if we slow down, we notice the mundane but beautiful things, like icicles hanging from car bumpers.  If some little boy discovers this icicle, and we see the wonder in that child's eye at the strange and wonderful treasure he has found, it truly blesses us, it "kiddifies" our aging hearts once again.  And for a minute, just a minute...we are no longer too busy to enjoy the wonders and blessing of those little things.