Emotion Over Law Riot

Heads up readers, by continuing to read the rest of this post, you agree to read the following post as one of my Riot posts. My Riot posts are based on my military and law enforcement training and background as well as my personal experiences defending our country, borders, and all enemies, foreign and domestic.  If this post offends you, it is probably because you have unknowingly succumbed to liberal political correctness, humanism, leftist political influence, and have forgotten what being a true American is all about.

To start with, the America we live in today is NOT the same America our forefathers helped create. There is absolutely no proof or evidence that America is the greatest country in the world. Our forefathers built this country with sweat, blood, and tears. We have taken that for granted and turned our country into a wuss country determined to make everyone’s life cushy, comfortable, and coddled by our government into an attempt to enrich everyone’s life without any effort on our part.

Snowflakes, millennials, socialists, and now members of the Democratic party are willing to give in to everyone’s demands in an effort to gain votes for power.

Americans have been reprogrammed to vote on emotion rather than logic or US law. 

Americans protest defense and security spending for the US but oblivious about spending on illegal immigration and the benefits, care and security spent on illegal immigrants. Americans then complain of tax increases and reduced income tax returns. 

So, how does all this tie into my point of the mass illegal problem at our border that is my main focus? Well, let’s start with US law and how Democrats, liberals, and the media is spinning the news for their gain. Take any news report from any news media outlet on the current mass “asylum seekers” that CNN, NBC, or any other news media outlet is reporting on these days. The current mass migration is being reported as the Republicans’ and Trump’s fault, it is mostly displayed by reporting the family separations, caging of people, immigrant deaths in US custody, deportations, and any other negative perspective to make the current administration look bad. Is it really reported to make a change? NO! it's reported in an effort to influence you into voting for those who are determined to make President Trump look bad.

They offer no solutions to fix the problem but keep screaming immigration reform and blame Trump when the real problem arose during the Bush and Obama administrations. I saw it first hand living along the border working at a US Border Patrol station. You won’t hear of that in the media.

I remember spending my entire shifts processing reports on illegal aliens from all over the world instead of processing my primary mission of reporting illegal narcotics, weapons, dangerous gang members, currency seizures that affected US security and international law. Even threats of potential terrorist activity on our border had to take a lower priority over violation of US law and sovereignty even when it was being trampled on by the thousands every day. Why? One word, politics! It is NOT about helping the downtrodden humanitarian help, it’s about votes. Check your emotions and how you vote.

The political correctness and Kumbaya feelgood, do good warm fuzzy feeling, appealing to your emotions being pedaled by Democrats and leftists has taken hold and other countries and immigrants are taking full advantage of it by gaming our antiquated policies and draining our resources. Many Americans refuse to accept that because they are so absorbed with doing what THEY feel is the right thing to do and ignoring US law. The same law that every other sovereign country in the world upholds regarding illegal immigration, we are voting to ignore and now place blame on one person to take our focus away from the problem at hand.

I will not blame only the Democrats on this issue. Both parties have struggled with this issue for decades but neither party has made any significant changes to fix the problem of illegal immigration nor the exploited loopholes and unintended consequences that are now affecting our country in a negative way.

As a veteran and US citizen who has served our country for 21 years, a civic leader, business owner, and world traveler, I can honestly say from experience that as an American, I am not entitled to the same benefits as an illegal immigrant who violated US law has today. 
  

Many other struggling Americans don’t have those same benefits. Why? Even though they are denied those benefits by no fault of their own, they do not qualify and sometimes because of the same laws that benefit non US citizens. In many cases, there are US laws that screw US citizens, be it tax laws, divorce laws, real estate laws and even VA laws that put US citizens in dire straits or on the streets. Yet, illegal aliens with no vetting or rights are allowed into our country with benefits and told to report back in a year to process their residency hearing. Yeah, right!

I, as a veteran was denied any benefits for 12 years but still chose to continue serving my country on a border security mission to defend our country. During those 12 years, I watched as illegal aliens by the thousands got benefit after benefit that I and many other American veterans were denied. Chew on that for a bit.

I finally got accepted by the VA in 2018 and now in the process of applying for my benefits but the red tape is more difficult than the immigrants’ residency or asylum application. Go figure.

So, if we continue with the current submission to our immigrants’ and asylum seeker problem, where will we be a couple of years from now? Well, let’s look at a few of the histories of other countries we refuse to learn from. I met a Swiss couple at our church who was travelling the US for six months. I befriended them and later learned that Switzerland had fallen for the total humanitarian effort from their liberal government who wanted to “do the right thing”. Once the African families back in Africa found out about the right things to say to Swiss border guards, the Africans came in droves to the point of Switzerland was being overrun by Africans who later demanded their African rights and created a revolt against the Swiss who were trying to convert Switzerland into African culture by demanding native signage, religion, laws, and other compliances. 

Switzerland eventually had to put a stop to immigration. Austria, same thing. France had to ban burkas and head coverings, the Muslims protested and caused riots. Germany allowed Syrians into their country who then almost immediately started committing rapes and even burning down their own government provided temporary housing in protest of their denial of their Muslim lifestyles and later tried to implement Sharia law in Germany. Sweden is the latest country who tried to do the right humanitarian effort thing only to being forced to stop Syrian immigration due to the massive influx that drained almost all their resources allocated for immigrants’ accommodations and demands.

Here's what I observed while working the border. Not every "asylum seeker" and immigrant comes to the US from Central America with a regurgitated sob story of certain death if they are returned to their native country. At one point during my duties on border security, I observed that immigrants from many other countries around the world used Mexico as a gateway to an easy entrance into the US. There were some immigrants from countries I had never even heard of and had to Google the countries they came from before I processed the reports. I remember even Canadians and people from Equatorial Guinea and Burkina Faso people were being detained at our southern border. How about Eswatini? How the heck are we supposed to know how these people are legit asylum seekers or terrorists with malintent? 

Why then, is the US still not learning from others’ mistakes? My opinion from being on the inside, Americans make decisions based on emotion rather the logic or law. Politicians are making laws to appease the voters, not so much for the interest of our country, but for votes. It’s not all their fault, we demand it and they gain from it in one way or another.

Today is May 7, 2019 and over 2,400 “asylum seekers’ and illegal immigrants from eight countries turned themselves in or were caught last week in only three counties of south Texas alone. If the current trend continues as it has, that number will exceed the numbers from the massive 2014 immigrant influx. From my experience, that number will increase this summer and surpass to 2014 numbers by at least 5,000 per week in just my sector. Keep posted to see if my prediction is right.

Some of those immigrants will die en route to the northern US or in the south Texas border counties of Willacy and Brooks counties from the unforgiving summer heat. I know because one of my duties was to keep track of the heat related deaths in the south Texas ranch lands. 

Before the hate comes, I just want to state that I am not a hater and am for legal immigration for all. I just ask for conformance to US law and assimilation into US culture. I’m OK with acceptance of other cultures, races and religions as long as they don’t demand Americans conform or submit to their beliefs or their native or religious laws.

If I go into your home, I will live by your rules and respect them. If it offends me or I disagree, I will leave in peace. If I accept you into my home, you live by my rules and respect them. If you don’t like them or disagree, leave in peace. I won’t force you, don’t force me.

Next week, "Who's to Blame For This Mess?"

eModicus

Having Fun With Mary Jane

Here is an essay I posted months ago that either got accidentally deleted by me or censored and removed by Google for key words or labeled as something Google din't agree with. It is an essay I wrote for a college class while I was working on a border security mission along the US-Mexico border. It is based on a true story but edited by my boss who is now the border security director for the great State of Texas.

Only specific locations, agencies and names have been edited but the plot and story line remains true. It also ties in nicely with my previous post titled "Mexican Cartel Business Models and Operations".

Here we go.

The War on Drugs is slowly starting rear its ugly head in American neighborhoods that have in the past been known as quaint and quiet settlements of peace and tranquility. Why now? What has changed that has caused the dread of drugs, violence, and gangs to invade the sanctity of our neighborhoods? In more ways than one, we have opened the door and in some cases, invited the beast in with our justification of our addiction to the very drugs that has already torn Mexico apart.

  It’s easy to condemn the violence in Mexico and blame it on various factors such as greed, addiction, corruption, and poverty. While these are important factors in the violence in Mexico, there must be a catalyst. Without oxygen, a fire cannot burn. While Mexico may be the fire, the US’s insatiable hunger for drugs is the oxygen providing the fuel for that fire. To add to the explosive equation, Americans’ sale of weapons to Mexicans for profit is the kindling we throw in the fire to keep it going.  American gun runners justify gun sales to Mexicans by telling themselves they are only conducting business and it’s not their business what the customer does with the guns. Even when, the seller knows that those guns are going into the hands of cartel members and will most likely kill many people. He has convinced himself that as long as he doesn’t hurt anyone, his hands are clean of the innocent blood that runs in the streets of Mexico.

  As Americans that live a pretty sheltered life compared to people in other countries, we tend to turn a blind eye to anything that we find offensive or may otherwise hurt us. Even the occasional recreation marijuana smoker who has convinced himself that marijuana is a harmless narcotic, has also convinced himself that it’s not his responsibility what happens before the marijuana get to him. To put things in to perspective, I find it moronic that Americans will protest, start movements, and boycott companies that sell jeans because the manufacturer they buy the jeans from exploit child slavery. They will gladly give up their name brand jeans so a child in Bangladesh doesn’t have to work for $5.00 a month in a sweatshop. Americans will boycott stores that sell products that harm an endangered lizard in some remote part of the world. They will gladly give up products that contribute to “global warming” in favor of a more expensive “green” item for the sake of environmentalism but will not give up their recreational drug because they have their rights and they’re “not hurting anyone”.

  The fact is Americans don’t want to know what happens once the marijuana plant is harvested. They’d rather believe that what happens in Mexico may not be morally right but they still have the right to smoke a “joint” when they feel like it. Besides, it’s easier to get stoned without knowing the death and destruction that has occurred in Mexico so they can numb their minds for a while.

  It has been determined that 90% of marijuana bought in the US is grown in Mexico which translates to about 60% of the profits that goes to only a few individuals within several cartels in Mexico. I also find it pathetic that Americans are on Wall Street protesting big business and government because of fiscal greed causing lower standards and conditions for lower class Americans but we have absolutely no problem stuffing our cash into cartel pockets and fueling the drug war in Mexico lowering the standards and conditions of Mexicans. If that seems pretty harsh, consider that the US accounts for 85% of the cartels’ overall business of narcotics in 2010. That overall “business” literally translates to virtual slavery, forced labor, threatened lives, families separated, risking life and limb to transport the narcotics, torture, extortion, kidnapping, getting shot, decapitated, burned alive, or killed. Being caught and jailed in the US is actually the preferred option. That means that we sent millions of dollars to Mexico each year to raise the standard of living for a few ruthless people and lower it for everyone else.

  In the Sierra Madre, The Tarahumara Indians who retreated from the Spaniards to the area have been especially hit hard by the cartel enforcers who have forced them into growing marijuana for the cartels instead of their traditional corn and other crops. Since the Tarahumara use no formal currency, they are only compensated with trinkets and allowed to live. Once the marijuana is harvested, it is processed by poor villagers who are often made to work under the watchful eyes of armed guards to prevent the theft of any marijuana. Stolen marijuana can earn them more if sold on the street than what they get paid, which is often in only food for the day. Workers who steal are killed or subject to torture in front of the other workers to discourage any more thefts. They are only paid in a day’s worth of food so they won’t leave for risk of starving. Once the marijuana is processed, it is ready for packing and transportation. This is probably the least dangerous task of the process depending on the cartel since this process is usually done by better paid members of the cartels but often tortured and killed for stealing any amount of marijuana.

  The mayhem starts once the marijuana is done being processed and the dope starts its journey to various points in the U.S. Starting from the remotely located packing shed in the Sierra Madre mountains, transport drivers are accompanied by armed guards to defend against rival cartels and armed thugs trying to score a quick load to sell on the street. In January of 2010, a truck load of marijuana that had left a shed destined for the Mexico – Texas border was hijacked 200 miles from its destination in Juarez. Armed gunmen supposedly from a rival cartel shot and killed the driver and two escorts. They only managed to steal about 300 of the 1,125 pounds of marijuana from the transport truck before the load escort truck caught up and engaged the hijackers killing one of them. 

 The marijuana was loaded into the escort truck and continued on its way. The bodies were left hanging out of the vehicle and on the road to be picked apart by wild animals until authorities arrived a day and half later. There was no investigation and no one claimed the bodies.

  The load later arrives at a small ranch north of Chihuahua to be divided up in to smaller loads to be distributed to the couriers whose job it is to take the smaller loads to the people along the border who are going to cross the loads into the US. At this point some of the freelance couriers tend to steal small amounts from their loads either for sale or personal use. Since some of the crossers or “Cruzadores” often have exact weights they are to receive, the courier must remain in the room while the load is weighed to ensure the exact weight has been delivered as ordered. These independent couriers are often inexperienced and sometimes carry loads a few times for quick money and think they outsmart the cruzadores and don’t realize they will be held accountable for every ounce of marijuana they transported until it’s too late.

  One week after the hijacking, an 18 year old boy and his 17 year old partner were found bound and gagged with packing tape and single shots to the head. The shed they were found in also had a scale and used packing tape rolls commonly found to wrap marijuana bundles. The two boys were thought to be couriers as both had been previously caught by police with marijuana. They had both dropped out of grade school in search of income and recruited by local plaza henchmen to transport. The 18 year old’s mother initially denied the body was her son out fear of retribution by the cartels who had killed her husband a year before. The 17 year-old’s body was claimed a month later by an uncle after he was buried in a grassless plot with a simple wooden tombstone that reads Jaime G. 2010.

  The marijuana load has now reached the border and ready to be crossed. The cruzadores are usually young men with intimate knowledge of the territory they work in. Their job is to cross the loads into the US with the help of information from lookouts on both sides of the border. They carry multiple cell phones, life preservers, and sometimes, a bag of homemade road spikes to thwart law enforcement vehicle if chased. They know what times the Border Patrol scouts come by, they watch for law enforcement aircraft, and boats. A recovery team remains on the Mexican side to recover the load if the cruzador has to splash his vehicle into the river.

  In one incident, the driver had returned to the river because a police officer was hot on his tail. The driver headed back to the river and alerted his recovery crew that he was coming in. His passenger, wearing a red Polo shirt stayed on the phone and guided the recovery crew to the splashdown location as their route changed. As they neared the river, the stolen truck they were driving blew a tire. The driver accelerated to compensate for the flat tire but kept losing control. He drove off the river bank at an angle faster than anticipated. The sudden stop as the truck hit the water caused the driver to hit his head on the window or door frame. He was disoriented and could not get out of the vehicle before it started sinking. The recovery crew waiting on the Mexican side of the river managed to recover most of the floating bundles but made no effort to extract the driver before the vehicle sank. His body was found two days later by US Border Patrol patrolling the river. He was carrying a fake Texas driver’s license and $275.00 in cash. He was 21 years old. 

  It is possible that the passenger had to pay some retribution to his cartel bosses for his loss of some of the load. Since he was not identified, it could not be confirmed that the body of a young man with a red Polo shirt found two weeks later in Mexico was that of the passenger. Hog tied and blindfolded, he had signs of torture and a gunshot to the back of the head and has yet to be identified.

  A smaller load that was part of the original load from the ranch in Chihuahua has successfully made it through the law enforcement gauntlet and arrived at its destination in Austin, Texas. There, the Ford minivan drives into a neighborhood and down an alley into the back yard of well manicured house where kids play in the front yards.  The Neighborhood Crimewatch signs on the corners of the neighborhood help create the illusion of a safe neighborhood. The marijuana bundles are cut out of the quarter panels and headliner and stashed in the garage, shed and bedrooms. Over the course of a week, other vehicles arrive and the process is repeated until the house is full and the load is ready to be moved further north. In the middle of the night, a cloned insulation truck backs into the driveway where the dope is loaded into the van. The next stop is Atlanta, Georgia.

  The home owner who rented the house had his suspicions about the three Hispanic men who rented the house and paid in cash. He wonders why these men with no kids would move into the area claiming to work for a local company. He looks at the $ 2,800.00 in cash in his hands and dismisses his suspicions. Besides, the last two families couldn’t afford the rent and he has bills to pay. He tells himself that he’s only doing business and he’s not hurting anyone and hands them the keys.

  The truck leaves the Austin stash house early in the morning with a male driver and female passenger. Their cover story is that he found a job in Georgia and they are moving to a new home there. At the same time, a scout vehicle follows three or four car lengths behind them. They will follow the van and never lose sight of it or the driver for the entire journey. The scout’s job is to intercede for the van if law enforcement gets involved. The scout car is usually clean of any contraband or may even be rigged with empty hidden compartments or have an odor of marijuana to occupy law enforcement to give the van time to get away while the scout car is searched. If law enforcement gets behind the moving van on the road, the scout car will commit some type of traffic violation, initiate a pursuit or otherwise attract the officer’s attention in an attempt to stop the scout vehicle instead of the van.

  So far, it has been an uneventful trip for the van and scout car. Once in Louisiana, the scout notices a black Ford Mustang that has been following them for the past 250 miles and is starting to get concerned. Could it be a local gang trying to steal their load? Or maybe a cartel supervisor making sure his load is where it’s supposed to be? Either way, the scout is not only watching out for law enforcement, but an unknown threat. In Tallula, Louisiana, the scout calls the van driver on his burner phone and has him make a detour through town and take Highway 80 instead to be on the safe side. Once in Mississippi everything seems calm and the black Mustang is gone. On the Interstate 20-61 interchange, the scout notices a white pickup following them. Again, the scout’s concern rises then panic sets in as he spots a state trooper on the side of the road. He frantically tries to warn the van driver but it’s too late. The scout sighs in relief as they both pass the trooper and the trooper remains parked. The white pickup is still following though. The scout finally gets the van driver on the phone and tells him to slow down and keep an eye on the white pickup and the green Expedition that been following them.

  They decide to stop for fuel and a quick meal then head out again. After loading up on energy drinks, burgers and fuel at the gas station, a police officer pulls in to the gas station. The scout looks at the van driver as he’s getting in the van and nods casually then looks over in the direction of the officer. The officer notices the Texas license plates and keeps looking. The officer gets out of his unit and walks into the store as the scout places the fuel pump back in the pump holder.

  The van is already a few miles down the road and he has to catch up. Five minutes later the scout spots the van and catches up. Another five minutes goes by and the scout is relieved the officer didn’t question him. As he’s bragging to himself about his getaway, he looks up at his rear view mirror and sees flashing red and blue lights. His heart drops and quickly makes a plan to lose him then, he sees a second patrol car behind him. He quickly pulls over instead. The officer is a narcotics officer familiar with the smuggling routes and concealment techniques used by smugglers. His back up brings out the K9 to search the vehicle knowing the vehicle is a scout and following the load vehicle. The officer has already put out an alert for the van when he was at the store. The officer runs a background check and arrests the scout for a warrant out of Texas and other minor charges.

  The van driver can’t reach the scout on the phone after 20 minutes and throws the phone out the window to avoid any association with the scout if he sings to the police. He takes his van off the highway and starts taking back roads to avoid capture. The next day, the van arrives in Atlanta and pulls into another suburb neighborhood. He doesn’t recognize the man at the house and feels uneasy about turning the dope over to him. He notices what is probably a gun under his shirt and wonders if the man is a rival planning to steal the load. The code word he gets from the man checks out and the van keys are turned over to the man with the gun. The man with the gun tells him he’s there because “Rudy” got shot and arrested by police in a raid at the other house.

  The van is unloaded and the dope split up into three other vehicles where it will be driven to Memphis, Philadelphia, and New York to be distributed to the dealers. In Memphis, five of the 12 dealers are arrested and one is shot and killed by a competitor for selling on his turf. One of the five arrested will serve 20 years in prison because he is a felon in possession of a firearm and was implicated in a rival gang hit.

  The marijuana has finally made its way from the Sierra Madre to the party at a neatly landscaped family house in a quiet subdivision where a 20 year old Sam lights up the joint.

  From harvest to lighting up, about 32 people were forced to work under deplorable conditions, eight people were killed, six were arrested, and two were shot. In addition, six international laws were broken, 24 US laws were broken, eight vehicles were stolen, approximately 12 stolen weapons were in possession of criminals, six officials were bribed, and several families were broken.

  This is just one of the hundreds of runs that happen 24-7, 365 all along the US-Mexico border and throughout the US. Within weeks, the entire process will be reversed but the loads will be US Dollars going to Mexico. The cartel leaders need that money to surround themselves with outrageous luxury and clout. They also need it to bribe officials and buy more guns to perpetuate their business. After all, the demand is there for the taking.

  But, Sam, Sam is an American with the right to smoke marijuana if he wants to. What happens in Mexico is not his doing. As a matter of fact, he condemns the violence in Mexico, but he tells everyone, he’s not hurting anyone, just having a little fun with Mary Jane.

eModicus

Mexican Cartel Business Models and Operations

Howdy from the Texas Mexico border folks. Today, I'll be talking bout the dang Mexican cartels and how they are structured and operate. I'll only cover the general topics from my experiences working in the border security field.

A bit of background here, For about a year, my duties working as an analyst and information gatherer, I spent almost four hours a day reading Mexican news sites and television news channels to gather information on what was going on along to US / Mexico border that could or would affect our sector. I also followed several Twitter feeds from reliable sources in Tamaulipas, Reynosa, Monterrey, and Matamoros, Mexico. As we received information, we would corroborate with other sources and our Mexican liaison unit to verify validity.

The two cartels in our area of operation were the Gulf Cartel (CDG) and the Zetas while keeping an eye on other cartels from neighboring territories to watch for alliances or conflicts.

A very common misconception Americans have about the Mexican Cartels is that they are nothing more than a large group of undisciplined bunch of thugs just looking to sell drugs. Well, nothing could be further from that misconceptions. It is true that many of the lowest ranking members are recruited from the drudges of society. Most of them are hired to do the dirty work and are often drug addicted street thugs working for their next hit. Those are the expendables which are easily replaced and come dime a dozen.

The creepy part of reality here is that most if not all Mexican drug cartels now have a very familiar structure any capitalist would recognize. For starters, one must understand that while some cartel leaders such as Osiel Cardenas Guillen, founder of the Gulf Cartel may has started from humble beginnings as a small time marijuana and heroin dealer, he soon learned from associates that to continue expansion and growth, he must add structure to his organization. Through association, contacts and common sense, his nephew, Juan Garcia Abrego eventually started brokering deals with the Columbians drug manufacturers and took the task of transporting narcotics to the US directly after the Columbians practically lost all their shipment routes in the Caribbean to US law enforcement.

CDG (Gulf Cartel) graffiti marking their territory in Reynosa, MX. about 10 miles from my house. 

Abrego then gained almost 50% of the profits in transport fee profits from the Columbians. Abrego's smuggling business then slowly started to take the form of a modern day corporate entity to support the rapid growth they were experiencing by hiring experts in their fields. From CFOs, CIOs, Vice Presidents, Marketing directors, and in some cases even publicists, right down to the plaza bosses (franchisees), and enforcers, the Gulf Cartel became a juggernaut of drug smuggling and profit.

 Gulf-Zeta Cartel custom embroidered logos on caps just like any other business would have. Note the automatic weapon magazines in background.

Custom embroidered uniforms with the Gulf-Zeta logo.

Other cartels started then their own structuring and eventually challenged the Gulf Cartel. That was the point when the Gulf Cartel hired it's own army, Los Zetas, a former Mexican US trained special forces group that went rouge and joined the dark side for profit and became the most feared organization in Mexico and Central America. Only about two years later, a falling out between the two over the killing of a Gulf Cartel leader, the Zetas broke away from the Gulf Cartel and formed it's own group who the challenged the Gulf Cartel.

Fast forward a few years to about 2002 when the Mexican cartels and some Columbian cartels started brokering deals with other counties to join their manufacturing and smuggling efforts. In many cases, the cartels started recruiting technology experts for communications, engineers for submarine and tunnel construction, counterfeiters, and even social media gurus.

 Gulf Cartel Facebook post used for intimidation and recruiting. Note the gold plated AK weapon.

As mentioned above, the cartels have now recruited and embedded operatives in the US by way of gang members and profiteering US citizens. The map below depicts were some of the major operatives that are conducting cartel business in the US that are only depicted by DEA and does not display local, county, state, or other federal agencies' priority points. My area of operation is depicted by McAllen DO in the southernmost tip of Texas.

Cartel operatives operating in the US.

This map was posted in our office to show the primary sectors of Mexico the various cartel have claimed in the areas of the entire country of Mexico. This cartel territory map changed roughly every six months.

Before I let y'all go, I'll show you some of the known cartel logos and clothing items cartel members use to identify each in the US. You may recognize some of them.

So now you know a little more about the Mexican drug cartels and how they operate. How can the US stop this insanity? Well, no amount of legislation or bigger walls can stop this. There are two main issues here that cannot be fixed with laws or police action.

One: We as Americans demand our rights to narcotics if that is what we choose to do with our lives. As Americans, we will continue to demand our rights to get high if we choose to. Even if we don't agree with what is going on south of our borders or even condemn it, we continue to demand our drugs and as long as we do, Mexico and South America will continue to supply it without regard for the law because profit and gain rule in lands of government corruption. You know that.

Two. Greed and addiction. No matter how much money the cartels make, it will never be enough. No matter how much an addict needs his fix, his perceived need will never satisfy him but only increase. There can be no law created that can fix those issues. Greed and addiction cannot be cured by laws or walls. As it is now, prison sentences don't fix the problem. Permanent brain damage or the risk of death doesn't even scare people out of addiction. No law can change that. You know that.

So, our human rights over death and destruction of innocent people, broken families, ruined lives, societal breakdowns of all kinds will prevail because its our right to get high dammit and they want to get wealthy with no regard of who gets caught in the middle?


Ouch?

Have a great narcotics free, murder free, law breaking free, suffering causing free, family breaking free, arrest free, paranoia free, and self serving free day! Luv y'all.

eModicus

Illegal Criminals at our Doorstep.

Today is April 30th, 2019.

Last week, at my front doorstep, the Rio Grande River, two illegal aliens from El Salvador were captured by border patrol agents in La Joya and Roma, Texas. Both aliens were known criminal offenders. The one caught in La Joya was a previously deported alien with an active warrant for sexual assault of a minor in New York. The second alien was a convicted felon also wanted for sexual assault of a minor in Virginia.

Thankfully, both were caught. How many other criminals weren't caught and continued on to other communities in our country? Why does the US government continue to allow this to happen under the guise of humanitarian assistance knowing full well there is no legitimate vetting process for criminals if the Central American and Mexican governments will not provide the US with valid background information on criminals? Must we take all the immigrants at their word that they are seeking asylum knowing full well that they have all been told to request that once they get here?

My experience and opinion? They don't care. The Central American and Mexican government don't want these criminals, poor people and gang members in their countries so they dump them on the US. Those governments don't want the financial burden of supporting or taking care of those people. Basically, they'd rather keep the money for themselves. They're basically playing the US legal system plain and simple. They know full well the American legal system must accept asylum seekers and that all those requests will clog up our legal system and give them the time to keep getting rid of their problem population.

The Mexican government has the reason, the resources, and manpower to stop the immigrants and caravans but they refuse to do anything about it because they don't want to deal with them either, they'd rather pass the problem on to the US. So now the American taxpayers has to foot the bill for coddling illegal immigrants and granting them benefits Americans can't get. Free healthcare, shelter, housing, transportation, education, etc, etc. Some states even grant them driver's licenses and college tuition along with the right to vote!

Interesting side note. Most Mexican prisons in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas are conveniently located along the Mexican / Texas border because the Mexican officials know damn well that any prison escapees will would rather flee to the US rather than face longer sentence in Mexico.

After 21 years of service to my country including border security service, I don't have those same rights! I'm still $10,000.00 in debt for my college education and the guy who entered my country illegally got his education for free along with his other privileges that I have to pay for on a tight budget. Something is definitely wrong here. What is it? POLITICS, politics, P0IiT1k5,! No matter how you present it, its the same shitaki mushroom.

So, here I am, at ground zero of the "immigration problem" in McAllen, TX. and our local leaders are turning this into a political issue during our local elections. Since this is ground zero and in the national spotlight, our city has practically been forced to set up a respite center to handle almost 1000 immigrants a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. That humanitarian duty has been taken on by the the Catholic Charities of the RGV. At first, the immigrants were being temporarily housed at a former nursing home located in residential area.

Nearby residents eventually protested out of fear and the impact of immigrants in the area. The city then leased a larger building to the charity in the downtown area and essentially became the landlord to the charity. Local businesses in the area are now expressing their concerns about aliens interrupting and affecting business in the downtown area.

As of today, April 30th, The local candidates are at different ends of the spectrum. One candidate is accusing the the other of turning McAllen into a "sanctuary city" while his opponent is simply following current US law and assisting in humanitarian relief while not falling into the legal definition of "sanctuary city".

I normally don't name names but since this election is public record. I an free to post names. My personal issue is that I know both candidates on a personal level and I have an extremely high regard for both candidates. I have known the Wilkins family for many years and I hold them in extreme high regard and I feel they have McAllen in their best interest. The Ingram family has been in McAllen government for many years and I also feel they have McAllen's best interest at heart but I feel the main point of the problem at hand is, from what perspective is this particular issue being addressed? Is it political, humanitarian, or legal?

Mr. Wilkins claims that Mr. Ingram is turning our city into a sanctuary city in violation of the will of the citizens and US law. By a legal definition, McAllen is not being turned into a sanctuary city. The city of McAllen is acting as an extension of current US law and will be compensated for its  expenditures by the federal government.

As the process now stands, US Border Patrol Agents and CBP Officers are dropping of immigrants at the respite center for care and future transport. If McAllen were a sanctuary city, the federal government would be in violation of its own laws, not McAllen. From a humanitarian standpoint, McAllen is also complying with federal law by providing safety and humanitarian needs of non US citizens.

From mine and other McAllenites, (or as I like to call us, McAllenoids), view, it is our own outdated federal laws that have failed us miserably. It is and has always been illegal to enter the US without legal approval but now it has just been relabeled as an asylum and humanitarian issue so as to justify our government's actions and make the problem more palatable for voters. Criminals, drugs, and corruption are still entering our country and no one is taking that into consideration even though the issue is closely tied in with the immigration issue. No one is talking about how Central American countries and Mexico are doing absolutely nothing to help stop the flow of immigrants but are in most cases encouraging it.

While we're on this topic, let's not turn a blind eye to the pink elephant in the room. We as Americans love to stand on our soap boxes and gripe and bitch all we can about the current illegal immigration crisis but continue to hire illegal immigrants because of the cheap labor. We know even big businesses such as poultry processing plants and landscaping businesses do it under the radar. Farmers, ranchers, and labor companies do it all the time and pay in cash under the table. All you have have to do is browse through Craigslist and read between the lines to find the job offers. They usually state that the applicant must be willing to relocate to a northern US state.

Heck, we locals have known that  here in McAllen and the rest of the Texas people have knowingly hired illegals to avoid taxes and labor requirements. Hell, I've known border patrol agents and cops that hire illegals to save a buck or two. They just know what questions not to ask. Those illegals are well known to be hard reliable workers but ultimately, where does most of their pay go? Back to their country of origin to help others come to the US.

Just as with narcotics, Americans and American politicians complain about the drug epidemic in the US and blame Mexico and other South American countries. The drug problem in the US is still and forever will be an issue of supply and demand. The US's insatiable demand for drugs will always have a plentiful supply from our southern neighbors but the drug trade goes hand in hand with human smuggling because those actions are operated by the Mexican drug cartels. As long as the US will continue to give immigrants a free ride to a better live without question, the immigrants will continue to come, legally or illegally along with the narcotics. A free ticket will always be a given, especially when its politicized for votes.


OMG. Did that last paragraph offend you?
Not sorry.

Marijuana bundles aliens were forced to carry into the US by smugglers as part of their crossing deal. If detected by US authorities, the smugglers abandon the aliens and flee back to Mexico. The following investigations tie up Agents and officers for hours or days keeping them from their duties on the border, cartel members know this and exploit the setup to their benefit.

eModicus

At The Border

On April 22nd, I decided to go to the border just to see what if anything was going on. So here is what I saw that day in a one hour period. Below is the areas I took pictures from.

I first stopped at La Lomita Mission. A historical chapel built in 1863 by the Oblate priests. My father used to take me there as a boy. One of the first things I noticed was the abundance of border patrol vehicles in the area and only a few visitors. The chapel sits approximately 100 yards from the Rio Grande River where many illegal crossings take place. Fortunately, there has not been much damage or vandalism caused by the aliens crossing the river at this point.

By The way, If the proposed new border wall is erected, the wall will leave the chapel on the other side of the wall leaving it vulnerable to damage by aliens, vandalism, and ruin.

Just to the north of the chapel, about 50 yards, sits the legendary Pepe's on the River dance place, restaurant, and party hangout for the locals. The patio literally sits over the Rio Grande River. It was severely damaged by floods a few years ago and now sometimes used by coyotes as a staging point for transporting aliens into Mission. I noticed there is now an observation sky-box next to it for observing activity in Mexico.

About 10 years ago, I was at Pepe's for a cookout and dance. We heard gunshots on the Mexico side then a small inflatable boat flying down the river followed by a speeding Border Patrol boat hot on it's tail. The music continued as people ran to the deck to watch. No more as sometimes those bullets are directed at the US side.

I continued down the road and saw a border patrol agent parked alongside the road. I stopped to ask him a few questions about recent activity. He confirmed that the apprehension numbers are definitely rising at a "scary pace" as he put it. He also said that about 90 to 95% of immigrants detained are coming from countries other than Mexico including Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritria, China, and other countries. As we were talking, I noticed he locked in to the treeline behind me and we both saw a group of about five people rushing along the treeline. He flipped on his overheads and left in a hurry leaving me standing in a cloud of dust. Go gittum!

I left and headed towards Granjeno on FM 494 to head home. I stopped under the Anzalduas bridge where I remember many aliens being caught sneaking under the bridge. I noticed concertina wire had been put up on the fence by the Army.

All in all, not much activity but in all fairness, I was only in the area from 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM. Most activity in the area takes place very early in the morning and all night long yet I witnessed a group of about five making a run for it. I will continue to visit the border and post my observations as they are, not like a reporter from New York who is only here a few hours and reports his opinion as fact.

eModicus

At What Point is it a Crisis?

At what point would you consider President Trump's "immigration crisis" a real crisis? How many more needless deaths must occur? How many more children must be separated from their family? How much more taxpayer money must be spent on immigrant care and benefits before this problem is considered a true crisis?

Let's start with Democrats and leftists adamantly protesting that the border issue is a manufactured crisis started by President Trump to justify the border wall. Well, as the well proven saying goes, "numbers don't lie". So let's look at the numbers.


As of today, April 22, 2019, The US Border Patrol in the Rio Grande Valley sector apprehended a total of 164,000 people, surpassing the total number of apprehensions made in 2018. Last week, a large croup of 135 immigrants was detained near Roma, TX. That group was comprised mostly of families and unaccompanied children. In only three day of that same week, a total of 2,500 immigrants were detained throughout the RGV alone. These numbers do not reflect the immigrants detained in the rest of Texas or other states.

For the past couple of weeks, Border Patrol agents and Customs officers have been overwhelmed with the ever growing numbers of immigrants. Even the respite centers, shelters, and churches are overburdened with such a huge influx of humanity. Resources everywhere are stretched to breaking point while other immigrants are taking advantage of the situation and slipping by and avoiding the standing processes. Today, one of those immigrants who managed to enter the US near Abram, TX was found to be a known MS 13 gang member from El Salvador with an active warrant out of Minnesota. Fortunately, he was caught but how many more others aren't caught? Most MS 13 gang members can speak English and can blend in to a community or move around easily with the help of local gangs. 

There are believed to be some 10,000 MS-13 members scattered across the United States.

One aspect of this crisis that is under reported in the mainstream media are the deaths that occur during the immigration journey. Many occur soon after the immigrants leave their home country while travelling to Mexico. Many more occur in Mexico and others perish in the deserts north of the border during the blazing temperatures of summer.

In today's world of political correctness and fear of offending, the term asylum seekers is being used while I'm still using the term immigrant. The reason I still call them immigrants is because they are immigrating from their country to ours and in most cases illegally. The media prefers to refer to them as "asylum seekers". Let's be real here. The immigrants have been taught to claim asylum once they reach the US. We know full well that they're claim of asylum is bogus and that they know that by claiming asylum, the US must follow the procedures which allows them to remain in the US longer to await their hearing. The are then transported to their destination of their choice where they disappear.

I totally understand helping your fellow man in trouble and hurting but from what I have seen from the inside, many immigrants claiming to seek asylum or a better life simply prefer to live in the US because of the quality of life here, period.  If that's the case, why do they sneak in illegally and or lie to get in? Why do they constantly avoid the legal process? 

Back in 2014 when a similar situation was occurring, an agent friend of mine detained a small group of immigrant near McAllen. He found a few of them carrying printed booklets filled with tips on how and where to cross the border, the times of day, and days of the week to cross into our country. It also included what to say to agents if caught and phrases to regurgitate once in custody. The booklet even contained maps with routes to popular cities. 

 

At many popular crossing points along the Mexican border, immigrants can find vendors selling everything from water jugs to shoes with carpet glued to the soles to hide shoe prints. Other items for sale at these impromptu stands, Immigrants can also purchase items such as maps, flashlight, calling cards, sun hats, and even snacks.

Many of the smugglers (coyotes) often work for the drug cartels and work with smugglers already in the us. These coyotes often coerce or force the immigrants to carry drugs across the border. If there is any sign of US law enforcement intervention is detected, the coyote ditches the immigrants and flees back to Mexico leaving the immigrants literally holding the bag. Due to this happening so often, real smugglers caught crossing the river are now claiming to be immigrants who were forced to carry the drugs and they are soon returned to Mexico to try another time.


So, with with so many immigrants entering the US illegally and the majority claiming asylum, Who can we determine which claim is legitimate when almost every other claim is identical to the last claim? How can we be positive that the child really is a true family member? How can we be sure that some claiming asylum is not a criminal? Since most Central American countries do not share this information (most of which is inaccurate or incomplete), there is no true vetting process. In the meantime, the US continues to bear the cost and burden of treating the immigrants like welcome guests coming over for Christmas dinner.



CRI-SIS /ˈkrīsis/ noun. a time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger. 2. a time when a difficult or important decision must be made. 3. the turning point of a disease when an important change takes place, indicating either recovery or death.  

The question of whether the problem at the border should be called a crisis or not depends on a person's definition of crisis. In my experience dealing with this problem, I do consider it a crisis by it's very definition and not by a political interpretation.


Regardless of your interpretation, the problem of human suffering, deceit, and drugs still exists. Stop with the politics and help with a solution or just continue to be part of the problem.

eModicus