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Locked on 05/01/2007 8:56:34 PM PDT by Admin Moderator, reason:
New thread: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1826963/posts |
Posted on 04/01/2007 6:46:34 PM PDT by nwctwx
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Wow, Saraah Olson’s story is quite disturbing. Thanks for posting that Cindy.
Snip: Cattle imports from the Mexican state of Coahuila were stopped today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said.
The suspension came after several recent tuberculosis cases were traced to cattle, mostly feeders, from Coahuila, said Karen Eggert, APHIS spokeswoman in Riverdale, Md.
Lawsuit over Mexican avocados has local support
Snip: The co-owner of Fallbrook-based Del Rey Avocado, Lucy said Wednesday that he is happy the California Avocado Commission decided to sue the U.S. Department of Agriculture in connection with a federal policy change that this year allows avocados from Mexico into California for the first time in nearly a century.
Filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, the lawsuit alleges that state agriculture inspectors found that shipments of Mexican avocados coming into California on Feb. 1 contained armored scale insects that, if allowed to become established in California, could devastate the important agriculture industries in the state. The insect species that were discovered were not previously known to exist in California, the lawsuit alleges.
Through March 31, 12 percent of the Mexican avocado shipments that passed through state-run checkpoints contained the armored scale insects, the lawsuit alleges.
US State Department updates Mexico travel warning
FDA warns consumers about health risks of potentially contaminated olives
Snip: The olives are sold under the following brands: Bonta di Puglia, Cento, Corrado's, Dal Raccolto, Flora, Roland and Vantia, and have codes that start with the letter "G" and are followed by 3 or 4 digits. All sizes of cans, glass jars and pouches of Cerignola, Nocerella and Castelvetrano type olives are affected.
Symptoms of botulism include general weakness, dizziness, double vision, trouble with speaking or swallowing, difficulty in breathing, weakness of other muscles, abdominal distension and constipation.
US food imports rarely inspected
Snip: Just 1.3 percent of imported fish, vegetables, fruit and other foods are inspected — yet those government inspections regularly reveal food unfit for human consumption.
Frozen catfish from China, beans from Belgium, jalapenos from Peru, blackberries from Guatemala, baked goods from Canada, India and the Philippines — the list of tainted food detained at the border by the Food and Drug Administration stretches on.
Thanks for the heads up, MamaDearest.
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_3028.html
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
This information is current as of today, Thu Apr 19 2007 20:03:37 GMT-0700.
Mexico
April 19, 2007
This Public Announcement advises U.S. citizens on security situations in Mexico that may affect their activities while in that country. This Public Announcement supersedes previous Public Announcements for Mexico dated January 18, 2007 and September 15, 2006. This Public Announcement expires on October 16, 2007.
Narcotics-Related Violence - U.S. citizens residing and traveling in Mexico should exercise caution when in unfamiliar areas and be aware of their surroundings at all times. Violence by criminal elements affects many parts of the country, urban and rural, including border areas. In recent months there have been execution-style murders of Mexican officials in Tamaulipas (particularly Nuevo Laredo), Michoacan, Baja California, Guerrero (particularly Acapulco), Nuevo Leon (especially in and around Monterrey) and other states. Though there is no evidence that U.S. citizens are specifically targeted, Mexican and foreign bystanders have been injured or killed in some violent attacks demonstrating the heightened risk in public places. In its effort to combat violence, the Government of Mexico has deployed military troops in various parts of the country. U.S. citizens are advised to cooperate with official checkpoints when traveling on Mexican highways.
In recent years dozens of U.S. citizens have been kidnapped in Nuevo Laredo with more than two dozen cases still unresolved and new cases of kidnap for ransom continue to be reported. No one can be considered immune from kidnapping on the basis of occupation, nationality, or other factors. Drug cartel members have been known to follow and harass U.S. citizens traveling in their vehicles, particularly in border areas including Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros. U.S. citizens who believe they are being followed should notify officials as soon as possible. U.S. citizens should make every attempt to travel on main roads during daylight hours, particularly the toll (“cuota”) roads, which are generally more secure. It is preferable for U.S. citizens to stay in well-known tourist destinations and tourist areas of the cities with more adequate security, and provide an itinerary to a friend or family member not traveling with them. U.S. citizens should refrain from displaying expensive-looking jewelry, large amounts of money, or other valuable items.
Oaxaca City - U.S. citizens traveling to Oaxaca City should be aware that from May to November 2006, protests in Oaxaca City became increasingly violent resulting in at least nine deaths. On October 27, 2006, a U.S. citizen was shot and killed in Oaxaca City as a result of the violence and disorder caused by ongoing civil unrest in the city. Many of the issues that were the basis for the protests remain unresolved. U.S. Citizens planning to travel to Oaxaca City should check on current conditions before beginning their travel.
Demonstrations - Demonstrations occur frequently throughout Mexico and are usually peaceful. However, even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence unexpectedly. During violent demonstrations or law enforcement operations, U.S. citizens are reminded to remain in their homes or hotels, avoid large crowds, and avoid the downtown and surrounding areas. Since the timing and routes of scheduled marches and demonstrations are always subject to change, U.S. citizens should monitor local media sources for new developments and exercise extreme caution while within the vicinity of any protests. The State Department reminds U.S. citizens to avoid participating in demonstrations and other activities that might be deemed political by Mexican authorities. The Mexican Constitution prohibits political activities by foreigners, and such actions may result in detention and/or deportation.
For more detailed information on staying safe in Mexico, please see the Mexico Consular Information Sheet at: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_970.html . For the latest security information, U.S. citizens traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department’s Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov where the current Worldwide Caution Public Announcement, Travel Warnings and Public Announcements can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the United States, or, for callers from Mexico, a regular toll line at 001-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays). American citizens traveling or residing overseas are encouraged to register with the appropriate U.S. Embassy or Consulate on the State Department’s travel registration website at https://travelregistration.state.gov .
For any emergencies involving U.S. citizens in Mexico, please contact the closest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. The U.S. Embassy is located in Mexico City at Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, telephone from the United States: 011-52-55-5080-2000; telephone within Mexico City: 5080-2000; telephone long distance within Mexico 01-55-5080-2000. You may also contact the Embassy by e-mail at: ccs@usembassy.net.mx . The Embassy’s Internet address is http://www.usembassy-mexico.gov/ .
Consulates:
Ciudad Juarez: Avenida Lopez Mateos 924-N, telephone (52)(656) 611-3000.
Guadalajara: Progreso 175, telephone (52)(333) 268-2100.
Hermosillo: Avenida Monterrey 141, telephone (52)(662) 289-3500.
Matamoros: Avenida Primera 2002, telephone (52)(868) 812-4402.
Merida: Calle 60 No. 338 K, telephone (52)(999) 942-5700
Monterrey: Avenida Constitucion 411 Poniente, telephone (52)(818) 345-2120.
Nogales: Calle San Jose, Nogales, Sonora, telephone (52)(631) 311-8150.
Nuevo Laredo: Calle Allende 3330, Col. Jardin, telephone (52)(867) 714-0512.
Tijuana: Tapachula 96, telephone (52)(664) 622-7400.
Snip: COMPTON, Calif. A 24-year-old gang member from Moreno Valley was sentenced Friday in Compton to 155 years to life in state prison for murdering an Iraq war veteran who was home on leave, and trying to kill the victim's pregnant wife and brother.
Man sentenced for fatal gang shooting in Memphis
Snip: A man pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the shooting death of a 9-year-old boy caught in the crossfire of rival gang members.
Snip: Crips Gang member, Christopher Jerome Thomas, police say confessed to opening fire inside the Pure Gold Elk's Lodge after getting into an argument with his girlfriend.
I understand.
Jihad and the collapse of the Swedish model
Snippets: Native Swedes have thus been reduced to just another ethnic group in Sweden, with no more claim to the country than the Kurds or the Somalis who arrived there last Thursday. The political authorities of the country have erased their own people's history and culture.
A Swedish man was nearly killed for the crime of wearing clothes with his own national flag while Sweden was participating in the 2006 football World Cup. Some “Multicultural youths” found this to be an intolerable provocation, and the 24-year-old man was run down by a car in Malmö, where Muhammad is becoming the most common name for newborn boys.
Feriz and Pajtim, members of Gangsta Albanian Thug Unit in Malmö, explain how they mug people downtown. They target a lone victim. “We surround him and beat and kick him until he no longer fights back,” Feriz said. “You are always many more people than your victims. Cowardly?” “I have heard that from many, but I disagree. The whole point is that they're not supposed to have a chance.” They didn't express any sympathy for their victims. "If they get injured, they just have themselves to blame for being weak," said Pajtim and shrugged.
The wave of robberies the city of Malmö has witnessed is part of a “war against the Swedes.” This is the explanation given by young robbers from immigrant background in interviews with Petra Åkesson. “When we are in the city and robbing we are waging a war, waging a war against the Swedes.” This argument was repeated several times. “Power for me means that the Swedes shall look at me, lie down on the ground and kiss my feet.” The boys explain, laughingly, that “there is a thrilling sensation in your body when you're robbing, you feel satisfied and happy, it feels as if you've succeeded, it simply feels good.” “We rob every single day, as often as we want to, whenever we want to. The Swedes don't do anything, they just give us the stuff. They're so wimpy.”
Reinfeldt said this following a visit to an area called Ronna in Södertälje, near Stockholm. One year earlier a police station in Södertälje was hit by shots from an automatic weapon following a major confrontation between immigrant youths and police. The trouble in Ronna started after a Swedish girl had been called a “whore” and reacted to this. Ethnologist Maria Bäckman, in her study “Whiteness and gender,” has followed a group of Swedish girls in the immigrant suburb of Rinkeby outside Stockholm. Bäckman relates that several of the blond Swedish girls stated that they had dyed their hair to avoid sexual harassment.
Note: My family thinks I’m a great cook. I love to make a nice Ham dinner, pork chops, bacon and scrambled eggs, etc. No one has thought my cooking is a hate crime, but of course, we’re a typical American family.
###
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=25186_The_Ham_Steak_of_Hate&only
weblog:
Thursday, April 19, 2007
“The Ham Steak of Hate”
~
http://www.sunjournal.com/story/208385-3/LewistonAuburn/Hate_incident_in_city/
“’Hate incident’ in city”
By Bonnie Washuk , Staff Writer
Thursday, April 19, 2007
LEWISTON
#
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=25182_Ham-_The_New_Hate_Crime&only
weblog:
Thursday, April 19, 2007
“Ham: The New Hate Crime”
~
“Police investigate ham incident at school”
April 19, 2007
LEWISTON, Maine
You’re welcome.
There a lot of points of interest in that article.
How very sad.
Snip: The first Islamic sermon issued by a major German broadcaster went online Thursday, with a community leader preaching on the mercy of Allah.
I as a Muslim (Sunni) don't feel any sorrow
Snip: ...........It's an English language blog by a Sunni Salafi who openly supports al Qaeda in all its manifestations. In regards to the Virginia Tech massacre:
And whatever strikes you of disaster - it is for what your hands have earned… (ash-Shura: 30)
In other words, whatever sins you have committed O Americans, then expect “Tragedies” upon “Tragedies” from both internally and externally. This University shooting was an example of an internal tragedy as well as the Columbine shooting a few years ago. I, as a Muslim, don’t feel any sorrow over what tragedies occur to the Americans, whether internally or externally, whether gargantuan or minute, because the Americans simply deserve a punch in the nose for their internal evils as well as the evils they exported and also because Allah Ta’aala says: And grieve not over them nor be in distress from what they conspire. (an-Naml: 70)
The entire post is really addressed to Muslims, chiding them for feeling sorry for any American that dies. It then goes on to explain that since America's leaders reject Islam, then as Americans: these kuffaar would face the sword.
A heck of a story, I do believe her.
Yep, I do, too.
>>>>”It’s absolutely tragic that this young man was safer aboard a ship off the coast of Iraq than he was in his own hometown...
Very sad. Prayers for this man’s family.
http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/concern/18862/index.htm
“National Drug Threat Assessment 2007
National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC)”
Publication Date: October 2006
#
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=32867
Opium Funds Taliban Operations, Hurts Afghan Economy, Fallon Says
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 19, 2007 – The illicit, but lucrative, opium trade is helping to finance Taliban operations while placing a stranglehold on Afghanistan’s economy, the commander of U.S. Central Command testified during a Congressional hearing yesterday.
In fact, some military analysts credit the recent relative lull in Taliban activity to their participation in the annual opium harvest that’s under way now in Afghanistan, Navy Adm. William J. Fallon told House Armed Services Committee members.
“This is opium harvest season, I’m told, and that’s probably one of the reasons why the Taliban have been relatively quiet in the last couple of weeks because (intelligence analysts) tell me they’re busy out in the fields harvesting their crops,” Fallon told committee members.
Opium is a powerful illegal narcotic that’s derived from poppy plants cultivated by many Afghan farmers as a cash crop. Heroin is an opium derivative and most of Afghanistan’s opium is sold on the European drug market.
Fallon said it is unfortunate that some Afghans are dependent on opium-poppy farming for their livelihoods.
“It’s painful to watch this, because the impact of this criminal activity runs throughout the country and I suspect it’s one of the reasons life is challenging in Afghanistan, because it appears that at every level, from growers to farmers on up to higher levels, there’s some degree of gain from this illicit trade,” Fallon said.
As desirable as it would be to remove opium as Afghanistan’s mainline cash crop, Fallon pointed out that a viable alternative agricultural crop would have to be identified to replace it.
“I think we have to come up with a realistic alternative,” Fallon told committee members. Some have proposed that orchard crops could one day replace opium growing in Afghanistan, he noted.
“What I don’t know how viable this is as a realistic, major ‘muscle mover’ in the (Afghan) economy,” Fallon said, noting that he’s been told it would be very challenging to get the orchard produce to market, given the rudimentary and poor state of Afghanistan’s roads.
In fact, that’s why ongoing work to establish a ring of paved roads that connect Afghanistan’s major municipalities is such an important project, the admiral said.
“Everybody that I’ve talked to, from President (Hamid) Karzai on down, tells me (the new road network) is absolutely essential to the economic future” of Afghanistan, Fallon said.
Fallon took over as CENTCOM’s chief March 16. Since then, he has traveled to Iraq, Afghanistan and other Middle Eastern countries that come under his command’s purview.
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=32877
Iraqi Forces Thwart Terrorist; Insurgent Bomb Hits Ambulance
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 19, 2007 – A quick-thinking Iraqi soldier thwarted a would-be terrorist, U.S. soldiers found a weapons cache, and a terrorist bomb hit an ambulance, wounding three Iraqis during operations in Iraq April 17.
An alert Iraqi army soldier from the 2nd Iraqi Army Division identified and engaged a driver attempting to attack an Iraqi combat outpost with a suicide car bomb near April 17, near Nablis.
The driver was shot and killed by the soldier, causing his bomb to detonate prematurely. The blast, although missing its intended target, killed three Iraqi civilians and wounded four others.
Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division, responded to the scene and offered assistance moving the wounded to a local hospital.
Elsewhere, a terrorist bomb detonated against an Iraqi ambulance near the Salah Ad Din town of Mukayshifah, severely injuring three civilians April 17. Coalition forces responded to the blast site and provided medical assistance to the injured. All three wounded civilians were transported to a coalition medical facility for treatment.
“This is a deplorable act by the terrorists in this area to target injured Iraqis and medical personnel,” said Col. Bryan Owens, commander of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. “It is apparent that terrorists don’t differentiate amongst Iraqi civilians, Iraqi security forces, and coalition forces. No matter who pays the price, these terrorists are content as long as they continue to cause death, destruction and damage to the Iraqis and their infrastructure.”
In another operation, Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers found five containers filled with explosives April 17 near Al Shira, on the site of a vacant hospital that was destroyed two days earlier by insurgents.
After receiving information from villagers that insurgents had used explosives to destroy the building April 15, soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, investigated the site.
Upon examination of the destroyed building, the soldiers discovered four propane tanks filled with explosives and a separate container filled with an unknown explosive substance.
Soldiers are currently investigating the incident to find those responsible for destroying the building.
(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/defense/
#
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/04/20070419-3.html
“President Bush Discusses the Global War on Terror in Tipp City, Ohio”
Tipp City High School
Tipp City, Ohio
April 19, 2007
1:05 P.M. EDT
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1820449/posts
“Rolling Gunfight on Southwest Freeway Kills 1”
The Houston Chronicle ^ | 4-17-07 | Robert Crowe and Kevin Moran
Posted on 04/19/2007 9:28:43 PM PDT by BnBlFlag
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “April 17, 2007, 5:15PM Rolling gunfight on Southwest Freeway kills 1 Several others wounded in possible battle between rival smugglers
By ROBERT CROWE and KEVIN MORAN Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
TOOLS Email Get section feed Print Subscribe NOW Recommend At least one man was killed and several were wounded when rival immigrant-smuggling gangs engaged in a noontime gunbattle that started on the Southwest Freeway and ended on the feeder road, police said.
Authorities suspect one gang was attempting to steal a load of immigrants from the other.
“It’s unknown if it was a coyote operation or a rip of some sort,” said Sgt. C.E. Elliott of the Houston Police Department homicide division. “ ... We’re still looking at that.”
About noon, the occupants of two trucks — one carrying at least 10 people — exchanged gunfire while heading northbound on the freeway, Elliott said. The vehicles exited at Bissonnet and ran a red light before one truck crashed into an older model Honda Accord that was not part of the chase.
Elliott said the occupants of the two trucks “then proceeded to get out of their vehicles to have a shootout.”
One man collapsed beneath the overpass, on Bissonnet, apparently from gunshot wounds.
“Not only was he shot, but one of the vehicles that fled the scene ran over him,” Elliott said. That man’s condition was unknown.
One pickup fled north on the feeder road and stopped in a strip center parking lot about one block away. The truck had three flat tires, its passenger windows were shot out and at least five bullet holes riddled the exterior; one man inside was pronounced dead at the scene.
The shopping center includes a Chinese restaurant, Chase Bank branch and the Wiz-Kid Childcare Learning Center. Also nearby is the Star Kids Daycare.
The incident caused a traffic backup that lasted for hours, with officials’ closing off the northbound feeder road and diverting traffic onto Bissonnet.”
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/070416bloomington.htm
April 16, 2007
ICE arrests 49 immigration violators, criminals and fugitives in Willmar, Minn.
Four-day operation Cross Check nets sex offender, welfare fraud perpetrators
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested 49 illegal aliens, criminals and immigration fugitives during a four-day enforcement operation in Willmar, Minn., and the surrounding area.
Called “Operation Cross Check,” this localized, targeted enforcement initiative, which began April 10 and concluded April 13, is part of an ongoing nationwide initiative focused on arresting criminal aliens. During the operation, ICE officers arrested 49 illegal aliens, including 18 with criminal convictions. Also among those arrested were six fugitives - illegal aliens who had been ordered removed by a federal immigration judge but failed to surrender or leave the U.S. - and 25 aliens in violation of U.S. immigration law.
More than half of those arrested falsely claimed to be U.S. citizens born in Puerto Rico.
In addition, officers placed detainers on three other suspected illegal aliens currently serving sentences in Willmar for crimes. Upon their release, they will be turned over to ICE and placed into deportation proceedings. One of those is Jazmin Virgen-Ceja who was has been locally charged with several crimes, including criminal vehicular homicide and wrongfully obtaining more than $8,000 in public assistance.
“ICE will continue to fulfill our Congressional mandate to apprehend and deport those who entered our country illegally, especially those who have committed criminal acts,” said Scott Baniecke, field office director for the ICE Office of Detention and Removal Operations in Bloomington. “Our job is to help protect the public from those who commit crimes, and to protect the integrity of the nation’s legal immigration system.”
Following are some of those arrested with criminal convictions:
Williams Ruben Ramos-Castillo, 21, a citizen of Honduras, was arrested by ICE officers April 10. He was convicted March 27 of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct; the victim was 15 years old. Ramos-Castillo also has convictions for aggravated forgery, tampering with a vehicle, driving while impaired, and providing a false name to a police officer. A fingerprint check revealed that the U.S. Border Patrol had removed him to Mexico in 2005 under a different identity.
Fabiola Cisneros-Carreno, 31, a citizen of Mexico, was arrested at a residence April 10. Cisneros-Carreno was convicted of public assistance theft in Kandiyohi County District Court in December. She was ordered to repay more than $22,000.
Maria Morales-Torrez, 41, a citizen of Mexico, was arrested at a residence April 10. Morales Torrez was convicted of wrongfully obtaining more than $10,600 in public assistance in Kandiyohi County District Court.
Odelin Camacho-Bernal, 39, a citizen of Mexico, was arrested in Litchfield, Minn., on April 13. Camacho-Bernal was convicted of domestic abuse in December 2006. He was also convicted of disorderly conduct in September 2006 and was sentenced to 90 days in jail; he later served an additional 60 days for a related probation violation.
Jorge David Bazaldua-Moreno, 22, a citizen of Mexico, pleaded guilty to criminal vehicular injury in September of 2005. He was also convicted of property damage and sentenced to a year in jail in July 2003.
Some of the crimes of other criminal aliens arrested by ICE agents during this operation include: assault, possessing and distributing a controlled substance, driving while intoxicated, driving with a suspended license, fleeing the scene of an accident, disorderly conduct and obstructing arrest.
These arrests are part of ICE’s interior enforcement strategy, which was announced in April 2006 by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and ICE Assistant Secretary Julie Myers. A critical element of this interior enforcement strategy is to identify and remove criminal aliens, fugitives and other immigration violators from the United States.
— ICE —
http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/070416miami.htm
April 16, 2007
“Sports agent found guilty of alien smuggling”
MIAMI -
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