This Blog is created to stress the importance of Peace as an environmental directive. “I never give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it’s hell.” – Harry Truman
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From what I have read about the southern border, it is a humanitarian crisis alone. There is no one storming the border, at least not yet. If Russia has it's way that may become a reality someday.
At least 70 percent of the adults coming to the border are being returned to their home countries where there is an asylum application process. The only people being accepted into the USA from the southern border are pregnant women and unaccompanied minors to the age of 17.
The politics surrounding the USA southern border has been cultivated for the past four years and the idea that the border is an open crossing is a lie.
The people coming north from the countries below our southern border are very misinformed. The USA, especially Texas, is not the place to take refuge. Dr. Fauci is correct there is still an increase in COVID-19 cases in 21 states in the country. There are also Americans unwilling to take the vaccine. The USA isn't even close to herd immunity as only 25 percent of Americans have received their first shot and a portion of that, approximately half, have received their second shot.
Texas has been through enormous tragedy and sincerely needs to correct the path. That is not conducive to illegal immigrants crossing the border. Texas has a significant history of not only allowing illegal immigration but, fostering it to provide a cheap workforce. So, any objection by the politicians is all show and not substance. Using those immigrants as television fodder is just wrong. Those folks are grossly misinformed, need to go home and apply for asylum properly.
The idea that southern states do not want illegal immigrants is a lie. The idea the southern border states want to end illegal immigration only manifested politically in the recent decades by the Republicans. Their change in politics started when President George W. Bush wanted to pass immigration reform. The Republicans in Congress opposed him. At that point, immigration reform is something Democrats want and not part of the Republican Party rhetoric.
There is a strong history of cheap labor (work Americans won't do because of cheap pay) in Texas using illegal immigrants.
April 1, 1995
By Leon F. Bouvier and John L. Martin
...Within the lifetime (click here) of a few Texan old timers the state has surged from about three million inhabitants (1900) to well over 18 million and it is still growing rapidly. Texans are rightfully proud that the state is attractive to newcomers, but as conditions in the state change, so too do the benefits and costs of continued rapid growth.
The components of population growth are fertility, mortality and immigration. This study is not about mortality or fertility, although it notes that a decrease in immigration from abroad would not, by itself, be sufficient to stabilize population size. Rather the focus is on immigration and how it has contributed to change in Texas' population and what the prospects are for the future, if current trends continue....
Vice President Harris is perfectly suited for the diplomatic initiative that will return the order to the southern border and stop the chaotic and misinformed migrating people.
Mr. DeJoy is ridiculous. The lines in the US Post Office are already long. The mail is already slowed. He is not putting forward a better post office, he is disabling the USA Mail. The only redeeming aspect to his ideas is to end the punitive pension program started under the Bush White House. The only reason that is in the proposal is that it is the only palatable part. It is called politics.
While the entire government is going to need clean fuel vehicles, LaJoy's idea is not a good one. If there is to be a revamping of vehicles to clean electric transportation throughout the US Government, it will take place over a period of time, and that will have to come in legislation from Congress. LaJoy is not qualified to make those decisions. It is the tail wagging the dog.
Since LaJoy seems to think the pension burden is too great for the Post Office that should be a stand-alone bill that even the Republicans can support.
We need an experienced Post Master General and a supportive Board of Governors to begin to untangle the mess Trump created.
Washington - President Joe Biden (click here) called on Congress to "immediately pass" legislation that would close loopholes in gun background checks and ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines in his first public remarks after a mass shooting at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, killed 10 people.
"I don't need to wait another minute, let alone an hour, to take common-sense steps that will save the lives in the future and to urge my colleagues in the House and Senate to act," Biden said Tuesday, speaking from the White House State Dining Room.
Biden said he and first lady Jill Biden are "devastated" by the shooting, adding that he "just can't imagine how the families are feeling – the victims whose futures were stolen from them."...
A 21 year old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa was known by the FBI through an investigation of another person. The FBI was getting too close to the truth. Alissa is part of whatever the FBI is investigating.
Alissa had plans. The investigation was getting too close and his plans would have been ruined. I can’t help but think Alissa’s residence would provide excellent insight.
He could get his weapons and he acted killing ten precious American lives and leaving families with empty chairs at dinner still yet again. There are ten dead and a multitude of victims behind those deaths. This is the problem with the gun lobby. People in this country have privacy rights. That is a deeply held belief by most if not all Americans. The authority in this country at every level is hobbled by that deeply held belief and fundamental right. There is only one way to end military style weapons from killing innocent Americans and that is to control the availability of them. There is no other method. Background checks make some impact, but, people intent on these acts manage to get past the check to the guns. We have seen that “Oops” they shouldn’t have had that gun many times; too many times.
The supply of powerful guns is not needed in this country. There has to be a ban put in place. It is the only sure fire way of eliminating that danger. It not only protects unsuspecting Americans, but police and would end the profits of straw purchasers. There is a whole host of reasons, some domestic and some international to return a law that works. We know the ban works.
The Officer is leaving behind seven children. Those are just more victims.
...the assault weapons ban of Boulder was blocked in a court proceedings.
I would like to know why the gunman with a wounded leg decided to shoot up patrons of a grocery store.
Fire DeJoy!
He is incompetent. He has fully demonstrated that. While willing to spend whatever it takes to purchase an entirely new fleet of vehicles, he can’t remain competitive. He is a ridiculous.
The US Post Office is required by the USA Constitution. It is a vital part of the definition of democracy. The best ally the USA has in running the Post Office is the union of workers, essential Americans at work. I strongly suggest the Board of Governors need to be replaced as equally as incompetent as DeJoy.
The union needs to work with a new slate of Board members and an experienced Post Master General to solve its problems if it actually has any.
I am very sorry to hear ten people are dead, including the Officer that first responded to the carnage.
I am not surprised there is silence about the shooter simply because I think we witnessed a new approach to responding to an active shooter scene. It appears Colorado may have restructured their law enforcement since the Capital insurrection. That response should be a model for every state if it isn’t already.
Again, I am very sorry to hear of the ten deaths and especially the Officer that died from his heroic actions that probably saved lives.
...is angry that 15 to 17 year olds from south of the USA border are crossing into the country. His argument is that they are old enough to be considered adult males and deported. He further states in their own countries they are part of the military. That is incorrect.
The countries south of the USA require men to be 18 years old to enlist. What Rep. Crenshaw went on to say is that these older teens should be returned to their home countries where they are enlisted to the drug cartels.
??????????????????!!!!
Does a light not go on for Crenshaw when he states the 15 to 17 year olds crossing the border can work at that age for the drug cartels?
This is the kind of dummied down response that causes problems when really attempting to pass laws and implement policy that are moral and don’t violate human rights objectives that the USA embraces.
To be clear boys 15 to 17 years old from south of the USA border are in fear for their lives because they are pressed into service by the drug cartels. What member of the GOP has the almighty right to justify hate of these teens by stating they have to be deported KNOWING they are man enough to serve with drug cartels?
The GOP leadership is at such a loss for real objections to the Biden Immigration Policy they will send teens back to their countries to service drug cartels that are sending drugs to the USA that is laced with fentanyl and kills Americans.
Enough of this idiocy. The GOP leadership needs to take their racism elsewhere!
"Morning Papers"
The Rooster
"Okeydoke"
Andrew Ross Sorkin is reporting in the New York Times today, there is enormous tax fraud that has been allowed to exist that when collected will net trillions into the USA treasury. It would pay the bills for the support programs during the COVID-19 health emergency.
There are hundreds of billions in unreported taxes. A 2019 I.R.S. analysis estimated that Americans reported less than half of all income that wasn’t subject to verification like a W-2, meaning that lots of business profits, rent and royalties go untaxed. That’s the largest reason that unpaid federal income taxes may amount to more than $600 billion this year, and more than $7.5 trillion over the next decade.
By one who is skilled in goodness, And who knows the path of peace: Let them be able and upright, Straightforward and gentle in speech. Humble and not conceited, Contented and easily satisfied. Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways. Peaceful and calm, and wise and skillful, Not proud and demanding in nature. Let them not do the slightest thing That the wise would later reprove. Wishing: In gladness and in safety, May all things be at ease. Whatever living beings there may be; Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none, The great or the mighty, medium, short or small, The seen and the unseen, Those living near and far away, Those born and to-be-born, May all things be at ease!
Depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain, not the soul.
“The Centerfold” was been a healthy mainstay of sexuality for American men. Feminists will hate me for saying it is okay to objectify women. Take it or leave it, the Playboy ideology worked well for the American man. Playboys had their “taste” in women, blond, brunette or redhead among other characteristics. It was a brew of sexuality that most modern men enjoyed while they attended church on Sunday to ask forgiveness to protect the soul.
I once had a man state to me, “Well, what do you think Sunday mornings are for if not to forgive everything that happened Saturday night.”
My sons grew up as playboys, but, my father did not. When he complained about my free wheeling sons I simply stated, “Well, that is easy for you to say, you are married to one of the sexiest women in town.” It never failed that a smile would come to his face.
...Samuel Perry is correct in this case. Long was definitely conflicted in regard to his sexually. But, he while conflicted, was faced with rejection of the one place he called home by people he depended on for emotional support.
Evangelism is an extreme in that it demands perfection to its demands according to their interpretation of the New Testament. It causes not peace of mind in following God’s teaching, but, conflict that leads to mental health problems. Those mental health issues within the practice of the faith is more pervasive than other faiths.
In the case with Long, he was conflicted and faced a failure of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. He was not prepared for the real world and was either unable or unwilling to turn to society in general for food, shelter and a way forward. He had no support other than his religion and God’s love was his highest priority, feared not just for his soul, but, his new reality. His soul won the fight and he desperately needed to end his conflict.
What I want to know is where did he find the abrupt personality path that lead to dispassionate killing to resolve his conflict to save his soul? That did not happen in an instant. Moving dispassionately to kill is a learned skill and not an abrupt, hysterical reaction. Logic won over chaos in his emotional mind. Who taught him that?
In 2021, the spring equinox occurs on Saturday, March 20. This event marks the astronomical first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
While people see the longer days as part of the first day of spring, other species are more about their instincts and temperature change. Due to the climate crisis the flyways are busy at different times of the year now, with migration shifting because of the warmer climate sooner.
September 25, 2020
By Brooke Bateman
The last few decades (click here) have seen an advancing onset of spring as temperatures have warmed due to climate change. Early spring may seem like something to revel in, but for natural ecosystems it can wreak havoc. Given the rapid pace of climate change, long established relationships can unravel, leading to mismatches in species phenology- the timing of seasonal and cyclic component of a species life. This phenomena can be seen with bird migration; millions of birds are migrating earlier as temperatures have warmed. Some species like the Black-throated Blue Warbler are migrating nearly a week earlier than they did 50 years ago. However, not all species are able to adapt as rapidly as others, subsequently leaving them a step behind during the integral breeding time. This can be as simple as birds like the Broad-tailed Hummingbird missing out on a key food resource needed for breeding, or as bizarre as birds turning into zombie-like killers to defend limited resources....
October 10, 2018
By Doyle Rice
Currently, the Violet-Green Swallow (click here) is one of the most threatened species due to the climate because they are a desert species and the climate is making their habitat far warmer than normal. This temperature increase is stressing most desert species.
About two-thirds of America's birds (click here) will be threatened with extinction if global warming rises by 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100, according to a report released Thursdayfrom the National Audubon Society, a bird-focused conservation group.
“A lot of people paid attention to last month’s report thatNorth America has lost nearly a third of its birds," said David Yarnold, CEO and president of Audubon. "This new data pivots forward and imagines an even more frightening future. It's a bird emergency."
About 389 out of 604 species are at risk of extinction from climate change. A few of the imperiled species include state birds such as Minnesota's common loon, New Jersey's goldfinch and California's quail.
To prepare the report – "Survival by Degrees: Bird Species on the Brink" – Audubon scientists studied 604 North American bird species using 140 million bird records, including observational data from bird lovers and field biologists across the U.S., Canada and Mexico....
One of the profound reasons the Endangered and Threatened Species classification started was to monitor Earth's life support. If other species were failing it would indicate a concern for the human condition. It is proving to be true. The Polar Bear is threatened and the lower 48 are now experiencing year-round upheavals in weather due to the climate crisis.
It bothers me there was a confession before Long had a lawyer assigned to his case. I think the judge has to be very cautious. Long needs psychiatric evaluation. It has to be determined that he understood what he was doing when he killed and understood the brevity of his actions at the time and when he confessed.
I do not believe in the death penalty. I think it makes a very poor statement about the country.
This case is heinous for the sheer numbers of people killed. It is also a sensitive group of people that lost their lives. They were women and an American minority. There is every reason to believe the prosecution will seek the death penalty.
What bothers me most about this case and the case of Dylan Roof is the young age they decided they had a mission more important than life itself. I doubt when they killed they thought they would be caught.
The problem in the USA, including many other young men that killed including Kyle Rittenhouse, is that these young men could have been indoctrinated to kill. I realize that may not be the case with Long.
The problem as I see it, is the predatory methods of organized hate groups. Families are losing their sons to a derelict subculture that has been allowed to exist for far too long in the USA. There are more young men in their later teens and early twenties ready to kill for a purpose outside the USA definition of it’s society.
We are struggling to erase racism in the USA because of unnecessary deaths of citizens at the hand of those that do not believe minorities should be a part of the USA. Let me make this clear, there is a subculture in the USA that turns our young men into killers. At a young age, these boys learn hate outside the influence of their families and grow to carry out killing for strange reasons. Hating skin color is a very strange and foreign reason to commit murder in the USA.
Long is 21 years old. He is joined by a growing number of young men, unafraid of the power of a gun, and killing without a second thought. These young men are removed from appreciating humanity and the beauty and value of life itself.
The USA has a problem with dispassionate killing in some young men. Dylan Roof sat among his victims before he killed dispassionately and simply walked away from his acts. Long sat in his car for an hour before he dispassionately walked out of the spa where he too killed and simply drove away to kill again. What are they meditating before they kill and who taught them that skill?
I am not surprised Robert Aaron Long is an evangelical looking to rid life of sexual imagery. Rather than growing into an adult body with a healthy outlook on life, they develop a necrosis about sex. It is ridiculous.
We live in a society that offers young people guidance in sex education classes and where birth control is considered a normal method of balancing normal human sexuality with the joys of parenthood.
The evangelicals need to get over themselves.
Having sexual neurosis is not exclusive of racism. Both can exist.
How many American young men and women were using birth control by the age of 17, even if just a condom? Raise your hands. Wow, look at that half the country knows where it’s at.
