Texas Sheriff Investigates Barrage of Gunfire From Border Thursday, July 13, 2006 Associated Press HARLINGEN, Texas — South Texas sheriff's deputies were investigating Thursday whether Mexican gunmen who fired on deputies and Border Patrol agents from across the Rio Grande had crossed into the U.S. Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino said 200 to 300 shots were fired from automatic weapons Wednesday night, but no one was injured on the U.S. side and police did not fire back. "This type of incident is a very good example of why I will not allow my deputies to patrol the river banks or the levees anywhere close to the river," he said. "We do have drug trafficking gangs, human trafficking gangs, that will not hesitate to fire at us." Trevino said the shooting appeared to have started in Mexico, at a riverside ranch owned by a family from Donna. Two brothers said they were with their father at the ranch when vehicles full of armed men drove into the ranch and opened fire on the ranch house, killing a ranch hand and taking their father hostage, Trevino said. The brothers hid for several hours in their corn field before swimming across the river, which is at that point only about 30 to 40 yards wide. They called their mother from a cell phone, who called police. The mother said someone may have been killed, and police and the Border Patrol initially went to the river bank to search for a body. Once there, the gunfire began. "There is no doubt about one thing, that we were shot at from the Mexican side," Trevino said, "a barrage that lasted over five minutes, maybe even seven." He said the deputies did not shoot back because they could not see the assailants through the trees on the other side. On Thursday, a police commando team finished securing the area and deputies were to begin searching for bullet casings that would prove some shots were fired from the U.S. side. Trevino said such proof could lead to charges of attempted capital murder, though he said the chances of finding and prosecuting the gunmen were "next to impossible." Trevino said Mexican police are conducting their own investigation but had not yet been in contact. He said it was too early to determine a motive, but theories were that a drug gang was trying to get control of a ranch adjacent to the river or that gang members thought there were drugs on the ranch to steal. U.S. Customs and Border Protection statistics indicate violence on the border has escalated. In the Rio Grande Valley sector alone, there have so far been 76 reports of violence against Border Patrol agents since the start of the fiscal year Oct. 1, including shootings, physical assaults, vehicle assaults, threats, and rock throwings. There were 35 such reports for the previous fiscal year. Border-wide, there were 566 assaults against agents for fiscal year 2005, compared to 548 in 2004 and 375 in 2003. Border Patrol spokesman Roy Cervantes said most of the violence was a result of increasing enforcement which is making smugglers more desperate. "Front-line agents in the Rio Grande Valley sector know full well what impact their efforts are making on these criminal organizations," he said. "Unfortunately these organizations' frustrations are becoming more violent."

:shock:

Pennsylvania City Passes Anti-Illegal Immigrants Law Thursday , July 13, 2006 Associated Press HAZLETON, Pa. — The City Council approved a law Thursday night designed to make this small city in northeastern Pennsylvania among the most hostile places in the U.S. for illegal immigrants to live or work. The 4-to-1 vote came after nearly two hours of passionate debate. Opponents argued it was divisive and possibly illegal, but supporters said illegal immigrants' growing numbers have damaged the quality of life here. "We must draw the line, and we are doing it tonight," Mayor Lou Barletta told a packed council chambers. Barletta proposed the Illegal Immigration Relief Act last month as a response to what he said were Hazleton's problems with violent crime, crowded schools, hospital costs and the demand for services. The ordinance would deny licenses to businesses that employ illegal immigrants, fine landlords $1,000 for each illegal immigrant discovered renting their properties, and require city documents to be in English only. "The illegal citizens, I would recommend they leave," Barletta said after the meeting. "What you see here tonight, really, is a city that wants to take back what America has given it," said the mayor, who said he wore a bulletproof vest to the meeting. He said he had not been threatened but took precautions because the issue was so emotionally charged. Outside City Hall, about 300 people gathered with opponents of the measure, some with signs that read "Bias," separated by a line of police from supporters, some waving American flags. Anna Arias spoke at the council meeting against the law. She asked the council, "Are any of us ready to support U.S. citizens born of someone who is undocumented?" Several people in the audience responded, "Yes!" She warned the council that approving the ordinance would make Hazleton "the first Nazi city in the country." Council Vice President Jack Mundie voted for the ordinance. "We're against illegal immigrants that are coming here and that are draining the resources of our city," he said. The Republican mayor's proposal has thrust the city, with a population of 31,000, to the fore of the national debate on illegal immigration. The number of Hispanic residents in Hazleton, a former coal-mining town about 80 miles northwest of Philadelphia, has increased dramatically in the past six years. City officials acknowledge they do not know how many are illegal immigrants, whom Barletta has blamed for higher crime rates, failing schools and a diminished quality of life. Carolina Taveras, a 30-year-old naturalized citizen from the Dominican Republic who moved to Hazleton from New York City a year ago, said before the council's vote that the mayor's proposal has made her feel unwelcome. A few doors down from where Taveras was getting her hair done at a downtown beauty salon that caters to Hispanic women, restaurant owner George Giannakouros said he is sympathetic to Barletta's approach. "I agree with the mayor. There is a problem," Giannakouros said. "I work at my business at night. I like to feel safe." In a letter sent to Barletta earlier this week, attorneys with the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund threatened to sue on the grounds that the law infringes upon the federal government's power to regulate immigration. The lone "no" vote was cast by councilman Robert Nilles, who expressed concern about the legality of the ordinance. Nilles tried to amend the law by stripping out a portion regulating landlords, but his motion died for lack of a second. The law passed the council 4-1 on a preliminary vote last month. A similar measure was approved Tuesday by the supervisors in Hazle Township, which surrounds the city of Hazleton. Other municipalities across the country also have considered acting to address illegal immigration. Ordinances similar to the Hazleton measure have been proposed in the Florida communities of Palm Bay and Avon Park and the California towns of Escondido and San Bernardino.

House Passes Voting Rights Act (Protected Species Act) Renewal Thursday , July 13, 2006 Associated Press WASHINGTON — The House voted Thursday to renew the 1965 Voting Rights Act, rejecting efforts by Southern conservatives to relax federal oversight of their states in a debate haunted by the ghosts of the civil rights movement. The 390-33 vote sent to the Senate a bill that represented a Republican appeal to minority voters who doubt the GOP's "big-tent" image. Southern conservatives had complained that the act punishes their states for racist voting histories they say they've overcome. "By passing this rewrite of the Voting Rights Act, Congress is declaring from on high that states with voting problems 40 years ago can simply never be forgiven," said Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga., one of several lawmakers pressing for changes to the law to ease its requirements on Southern states. The House overwhelmingly rejected amendments that would have shortened the renewal from 25 years to a decade and would have struck its requirement that ballots in some states be printed in several languages. Supporters of the law as written called the amendments "poison pills" designed to kill the renewal because if any were adopted by the full House, the underlying renewal might have failed. Supporters used stark images and emotional language to make clear that the pain of racial struggle — and racist voting practices — still stings. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., displayed photos of civil rights activists, including himself, who were beaten by Alabama state troopers in 1965 as they marched from Selma to Montgomery in support of voting rights. "I have a concussion. I almost died. I gave blood; some of my colleagues gave their very lives," Lewis shouted from the House floor, while the Rev. Jesse Jackson, another veteran of the civil rights movement, looked on from the gallery. "Yes, we've made some progress; we have come a distance," Lewis added. "The sad truth is, discrimination still exists. That's why we still need the Voting Rights Act and we must not go back to the dark past." The very debate over changes to the act is -*test*-('")ament to the influence of Southern conservatives, even over their own GOP leaders who had hoped to pass the renewal as a fresh appeal for support from minorities on Election Day. With rare bipartisan support among leaders of the House and Senate, the renewal was widely expected to sail through Congress and on to the White House for President Bush's signature. Republican leaders, however, were forced to cancel a House vote last month when conservatives rebelled during a closed meeting against provisions they contended singled out Southern states for federal oversight despite the civil rights progress they had made in recent years. Unable to satisfy the dissenters and eager to pass the bill this week, Republican leaders announced late Wednesday they would allow the House to consider amendments, none of which passed. The amendment that would have extended the act for a decade, rather than the 25 years in the bill, was rejected 288-134. The proposal to strike requirements in the law that ballots in districts with large populations of non-English speakers be printed in other languages failed 238-185. "What unites us? It's our language, the English language," said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif. Without the amendment, the act is "hurting America by making it easier not to learn English." Democrats made clear early in the day they would vote against the renewal if any of the amendments were added. "Any one of them would be a weakening of the Voting Rights Act," said Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California. The White House also weighed in during the debate, saying in a statement that the Bush administration "supports the intent" of the renewal. The statement did not take a position on the amendments proposed by lawmakers who represented the GOP's conservative base. Their objections to the renewal already were being echoed by some Senate colleagues from the same states. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., noted that the act doesn't expire until next year. "It's 13 months away and we're creating a political situation that doesn't need to be created," Coburn said in an interview. He said changes such as those proposed by the House amendments needed time for consideration. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., called lawmakers who wanted to loosen the requirements in the law "ideological soul mates" of lawmakers who opposed the 1964 Civil Rights Act. "For them, this is not a debate about fairness, it is about ideology. Ideology has no place in today's debate," Hastings said. "We should do this not for the partisan benefit but because, as John Kennedy said, it is right." ____________________________________ "Yes, we've made some progress; we have come a distance," Lewis added. "The sad truth is, discrimination still exists. That's why we still need the Voting Rights Act and we must not go back to the dark past." The dark past? Poor choice of words. Why don't they just hand them the keys to the nation? How much more can the government possibly give them? The proposal to strike requirements in the law that ballots in districts with large populations of non-English speakers be printed in other languages failed 238-185. That's a form of discrimination there. Aren't ballots printed in Idiobionics in addition to English now? "What unites us? It's our language, the English language," said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif. Without the amendment, the act is "hurting America by making it easier not to learn English." I wish one of these SOB's would inform KING GEORGE II of this... :roll:

"What unites us? It's our language, the English language," said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif." I dunno....I've stood perplexed in front of Americans in all four corners of the USA, unable to decipher what they insisted was "english!!". Near as I could figure out, they all wanted the money in my pockets. . . .

Businessman Wants Immigrant Smuggling Charges Dropped 2:44 PM EDT, July 17, 2006 Associated Press NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- A Connecticut businessman accused federal prosecutors of overreaching and misrepresenting the law when they charged him in one of the state's largest immigrant smuggling cases. Jose Calhelha was charged in January with smuggling immigrants from Portugal to work in his chain of Dunkin' Donuts restaurants. U.S. Attorney Kevin O'Connor said Calhelha exploited the American dream Prosecutors have since dropped one of the most serious charges in the case, one accusing him of shuttling 10 or more aliens into the country, and Calhelha asked this week that the entire case be thrown out. Authorities said Calhelha placed employment advertisements in Portuguese newspapers, then illegally brought managers to the United States to work in his 10 stores in Branford, Westbrook, Derby, East Haven and Old Saybrook. But defense attorneys say the federal smuggling law requires that prosecutors show Calhelha knowingly brought illegal immigrants into the country. The immigrants at issue in this case arrived on commercial planes and, because they were from Portugal, were allowed legal entry to the country without visas. "One may not be guilty of 'bringing in' aliens if he did nothing to bring them in," attorneys wrote. Prosecutors have a week to respond to the motions. Calhelha and his daughter, Diana, are set to go on trial in September. . http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-17132218.apds.m0163.bc-ct--restjul17,0,263271.story?track=rss

NEW LIBERAL BUZZWORD...
It's Undocumented Aliens Now... :roll: Fresh From The Desk of; 8) BEDPREAD COMMUNICATIONS AND USED TRUCK SALES 8) Nearly 90 Undocumented Immigrants Found in Arizona Desert Wednesday, July 19, 2006 The Associated Depressed... TONOPAH, Arizona — Authorities were searching a desert area about 50 miles west of Phoenix again early Wednesday after nearly 90 illegal immigrants were found a day earlier, many suffering from dehydration and exhaustion from searing temperatures. Seven immigrants and three sheriff's deputies were taken to hospitals for treatment, said Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Officers used a helicopter, canine units and all-terrain vehicles and conducted foot patrols to search for others believed to be in the area, officials said. "We know they're still out there because there's sounds in the brush," said Lt. Paul Chagolla, a sheriff's department spokesman. "We can hear them. They've hunkered down." The sound they hear are their beans falling through the grilles of their Hibaches... :wink: Lt. Chuck Siemens, who was in charge of the search operation, estimated that fewer than 20 people were still out in the desert. Thirteen illegal immigrants were found by late Tuesday night after about 75 were rescued Tuesday afternoon, according to authorities. The immigrants told authorities that three people had died in the desert but authorities were still searching for bodies late Tuesday and couldn't confirm that, said Chagolla. Arpaio, whose office made the discovery, said investigators suspect that the immigrants were left in the location until smugglers could arrange transportation for them to be taken elsewhere. "They are stashing them out there," Arpaio said. Authorities gave water to the immigrants, who were being turned over to federal immigration authorities, Arpaio said. Siemens said some of the immigrants said they had not had water since Sunday and were desperate. "They were bombarding us for water. We passed out water bottles and it was a frenzy," he said. Federal officials said groups of illegal immigrants have been found in that part of the county before. Arpaio, whose office had previously brought more than 250 cases against illegal immigrants under a new Arizona smuggling law, said the immigrants found Tuesday won't be arrested. They were not caught in the act of being transported by a smuggler — a necessary element of proving the state crime, Arpaio said. Other immigrants who might be found in the area will be charged under the state crime if they are caught being transported by a smuggler, Arpaio said. "We are now zeroing in on the smugglers," Arpaio said. HEY GINGO MF! IT IS ME, JosB ...Genuine Badasss revolutionary human rights smuggler! Take me to jail... :? Even though immigration had long been considered a federal responsibility, state lawmakers passed the law over frustration with Arizona's porous border with Mexico and the costs of health care and education for illegal immigrants and their families. The law targets smugglers, and Maricopa County's top prosecutor has said that those who paid to be sneaked into the country also can be charged as conspirators. Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, is Arizona's most populous county. I am so damn tired of the silliness...I could just

No charges have been filed in the case. Goodwin said the driver of the pickup truck ran into the bus because he wasn't paying attention. The driver of the pickup, while obviously at fault, was released after submitting to a MEXICAN FIELD SOBRIETY TEST... After a preliminary investigation, the trooper decides to give the driver the -*test*-('"). "OK Pedro. You can leave the scene if you use three English words in a complete sentence." Pedro agrees and begins to think (I think I smell mesquite burning). The trooper gives him the three key words, "Green, Pink and Yellow. Now use all three in one complete sentence." Pedro thinks for a short while, begins to grin and replies, "The phone, It went green, green, green...I pink it up and sey yellow?" He was released with a complimentary salutation card from Immigration with King George II's photo on it giving a high five. :? Why were there no Puerto Ricans on Star Trek?* *(Because they don't plan on working in the future either...)

Expanding range of Mexican trucks a mistake, ORE-IDA says By eTrucker Staff The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has come out strongly against a pilot program described by Acting U.S. Secretary of Transportation Maria Cino that would allow Mexican truckers beyond the 20-mile border zone to which they now are restricted. Cino’s comments appeared in an interview published in the July 24 issue of Traffic World magazine. The magazine quoted Cino as saying the proposed one-year pilot program would involve about 100 Mexican motor carriers and could be unveiled by the end of 2006. OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer called the pilot program a "mistake." “Without having fully complied with congressional directives, a move by the U.S. Department of Transportation to open U.S. roadways to Mexican trucks puts the interest of foreign trade and cheap labor ahead of everything else, including highway safety, homeland security and the well being of hard-working Americans,” Spencer said. U.S. law currently restricts Mexican and Canadian trucks and drivers to carrying international shipments between their home countries and individual points in the United States. They cannot yet move loads from point to point within U.S. borders, as supporters of the North American Free Trade Agreeement long have advocated. “Not a single state enforces the directives established by Congress in 2001 regarding Mexican motor carriers,” Spencer said, referring to the law that lays out specific criteria for the U.S. and Mexican governments to establish before American roadways can be fully opened to Mexican trucks. The legislation also imposed comprehensive safety requirements on Mexican trucking companies before they are granted conditional authority and allowed into the United States. Among other requirements, safety exams must verify that Mexican trucking firms have drug and alcohol--*test*-('")ing programs, proof of insurance and qualified drivers with clean driving records. Besides safety and security concerns, issues that remain to be settled involve immigration, customs, reduced tax revenue for roads, and the impact of Mexican competition on the U.S. trucking industry and the livelihoods of American truck drivers, Spencer said.

Trucking Headlines e Trucker.com Background checks begin Aug. 10 for foreign hazmat haulers By Jill Dunn Starting Aug. 10, Canadian and Mexican truckers must undergo a federal background check before transporting placarded hazmat loads into the United States. The U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection’s Free and Secure Trade program oversees the background checks, which are stipulated in a six-year federal transportation funding bill passed in 2005. That bill bars Mexican and Canadian truckers from bringing hazmat, including explosives, into the United States after Aug. 10, 2006, unless their background check is equivalent to American hazmat truckers. More information is available on the Hazmat Threat Assessment Program at www.tsa.gov or by calling (877) 429-7746.

I feel better now. :shock:

My last load of hazmat to 'the Great Satan' was a load of yellowcake... Since the Bush Family Evil Empire took control I decided to NEVER AGAIN haul that shit to the USA. I didn't want to be accused of supplying the ingredients of WMD's to a rogue nation. The government of the USA doesn't meet MY standards. . . .

The government of the USA doesn't meet MY standards. Yet you seem so fascinated by it.... :roll:

"Yet you seem so fascinated by it...." It's...It's...like watching a car wreck, in slow motion. Fascinating....!! . . .