The Southern Border

Just where is the Southern Border?

Mexican nationals man lookout stations strategically located on the highest observation points in Arizona a hundred or more miles from the official border. They brandish AK-47's, shoot transgressors, and use sophisticated scrambling communications equipment. They observe and report every movement of the American Border Patrol and law enforcement officers to provide cover for their colleagues to safely transport (smuggle) dope and people into the United States.

So, just where is the border? Since armed Mexican nationals control the entry points for non-citizens of the United States and commerce (dope, drugs, etc.) then it follows in effect these lookout stations have become the border since our own law enforcement officials cannot control the entry of non-citizens at the "actual" designated border. So, we have ceded large portions of the United States territory in Arizona to Mexico while the elite intellectuals in the American ruling class boycott and file lawsuits against the people of Arizona for their attempts to enact laws to protect and control the Arizona-Mexico border. Insanity? You make the call.

Can Texas be next?

Mexican Kids

I heard on FoxNews TV the other day that when the Border Patrol catches an illegal Mexican kid under age 15 in the United States they simply return him to Mexico without any record. It makes no difference what the kid was doing. If they are over 15 but less than 18 they make a record with name, fingerprint, etc. and return them to Mexico.

The Mexican thugs are more and more using these kids to do their dirty work because if caught the kids will just be returned to Mexico. The kid that was recently shot by the Border Patrolman was 15, but had a record of six interdictions. That means that in the one year after turning 15 he had been apprehended 6 times by the Border Patrol and returned to Mexico. This is absurd insanity. When the Border Patrol catches these little brats they should be put in a detention environment for a full year that is so tough and harsh that when returned to Mexico they will think long and hard before they do anything to get caught and put back into such an environment. I don't mean to torture or abuse, but to make it like a really tough disciplined military "boot" camp.

Its utterly ridiculous to let these bratty little thugs engage in these "cat 'n mouse" games back and forth across the border to tantalize the Border Patrol. What they are doing is creating a diversion to draw the attention and resources of the Border Patrol on them while some place else along the border they are successfully smuggling drugs and/or people into the United States.

Bureaucracy and Oil

There's an old saying that zero compounded is still zero. Ignorance compounded is still ignorance. Bureaucracy compounded is still bureaucracy. Fifty-four days and counting as crude oil gushes from the bottom of the ocean in the Gulf of Mexico. Why can't it be stopped? Why is it taking so long to stop it?

In a word, BUREAUCRACY!

When bureaucracy meets bureaucracy nothing much gets done and what is accomplished takes a long, long time. At one end of the spectrum we have a British company laden down in the true sense of European bureaucracy, and at the other end of the spectrum we have an American (?) president and his administration laden down with their own sense of bureaucracy. Thus, not much gets accomplished because its the burden of bureaucracy and its inefficiencies that rules the day.

I spent most of my adult working life with two major American oil companies, AMOCO and ARCO. ARCO was the major player in the discovery and development of the Prudhoe Bay Field on The North Slope of Alaska, and the construction and operation of the pipe line from Prudhoe Bay across Alaska to the port at Valdez on the southern coast of Alaska.

I spent the most part of five years working in Alaska during the development and construction phases. British Petroleum (BP) was a minor partner and not the behemoth oil giant it is today. That came about through the acquisition of AMOCO and ARCO by BP with backing of the British government. Working on the North Slope we often wondered why it took BP so long to something and why so often it went askew. BP's management style was in keeping with European government bureaucracy, "bean counting" (accounting), and excessive regulation. Whereas, the American style was engineering oriented with a determined "lets get it done" attitude. That's what is missing today in the Gulf disaster.

Crude Oil Spill - Gallons or Barrels?

Has anyone noticed?

Ever since the crude oil began to spew forth from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico the national press has reported the estimated amounts in gallons. That is until several days ago when BP began to recover some amount of the oil flowing out of the ruptured pipe, and now the national press is reporting the amounts of crude oil recovered in terms of barrels. In oil field terminology one barrel contains 42 gallons. I don't mean to minimize the seriousness of the situation. It is very serious. But, it does give cause to pause and ask: Why now barrels and not gallons? Is this the liberal main stream press again trying to shape public opinion? You make the call.