Proximate And Fundamental Causes Of The Border Crisis

Mary O'Grady of the WSJ tackles the border debacle (subscriber, but Google News sometimes sneaks by) and gets kudos from Cafe Hayek and Reason:

What Really Drove the Children North

Our appetite for drugs caused the violence that made life unbearable in much of Central America.

In a nation where it is not uncommon to hear the other side of the Rio Grande referred to as "South America," it is amusing to observe the recent wave of self-anointed experts in the U.S. opining authoritatively on the causes of child migration from Central America.

Some of these are talking heads of conservative punditry who seem to know zip about the region and show no interest in learning. They wing it, presumably because they believe their viewers and listeners will never know the truth and don't care. What matters is proving that the large number of unaccompanied minors piling up at the border is President Obama's fault for somehow signaling that they would not be turned back. The origins of the problem are deemed unimportant and the fate of the children gets even less attention.

Thank heaven for four-star Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly, who knows something about war and failed states and now heads the U.S. military's Southern Command, which keeps an eye on the region. He has spent time studying the issue and is speaking up. Conservatives may not like his conclusions, in which the U.S. bears significant responsibility, but it is hard to accuse a four-star of a "blame America first" attitude.

To make the "Obama did it" hypothesis work, it is necessary to defeat the claim that the migrants are fleeing intolerable violence. This has given rise to the oft-repeated line that "those countries" have always been very violent.

That is patently untrue. Central America is significantly more dangerous than it was before it became a magnet for rich and powerful drug capos. Back in the early 1990s, drugs from South America flowed through the Caribbean to the U.S.

Well, "always been very violent" covers a lot more history than is relevant; per UN statistics, the murder rate in Guatamale and El Salvador has been roughly flat for ten years. So why is the surge in unaccompoanied minors ocurring now, rather than two or five years or seven years ago?

But when a U.S. interdiction strategy in the Caribbean raised costs, trafficking shifted to land routes up the Central American isthmus and through Mexico. With Mexican President Felipe Calderón's war on the cartels, launched in 2007, the underworld gradually slithered toward the poorer, weaker neighboring countries. Venezuela, under Hugo Chávez, began facilitating the movement of cocaine from producing countries in the Andes to the U.S., also via Central America.

So by this history the relevant Central American countries have been on a downward spiral for seven years. Again, why the border surge now? And why all the reporting about immigrants surrendering to the Border Patrol and asking for their 'permiso'? Why the UN report that surveyed children held by the Border Patrol and delivered this:

Guatemala:

Sixty-two percent of the children did not mention serious harm as a reason for leaving. Eighty-four percent of the children shared hopes for family reunification, better opportunities for work or study, or helping their families as a reason for coming to the U.S.

Honduras:

Forty-three percent of the Honduran children did not mention serious harm as a reason for leaving. Twenty-one percent of the children discussed situations of deprivation. Similar to the children from Guatemala, 80% of the Honduran children shared their hopes for family reunification, better opportunities to work or study, or to help their families as a reason for leaving, but very few gave one of these as the only reason.

I am in complete agreement that our War on Drugs is a disaster that has been crushing South and Central America for decades and ought to be dramatically reimagined ('Mend it, don't end it' is probably the politically expedient catchphrase we are looking for). But as to why the surge is happening now, I have no doubt that Obama's imaginative and compassionate interpretation of the law is encouraging people to come north and hope to benefit from an amnesty, a DREAM II, or something similar.

Our war on drugs has created a flammable (and untenable) situation to our south; Obama is throwing matches. I blame Obama for the current flames, but a real, long-term solution requires a redirection of our drug war as a starting point. (And don't ask about the jobs magnet...)

Comments

[Ignatz]

Ideologues are always blind; they only ever get it right by happenstance.
Strict, ideological libertarians are revealed to be just as blind and irrational as left wing ideologues when reality bumps up against their ideology.

[Danube on iPad]

I believe the surge is caused by Dark Forces who are waging asymmetrical warfare against us.

[DebinNC]

Adding to the illegals flooding here from CA due to "Our appetite for drugs", BOzo and Holder are orchestrating a massive release of pardoned drug offenders from federal pens. Can pardoned felons legally vote?

[Captain Hate]

Our appetite for drugs caused the violence that made life unbearable in much of Central America.

Who is this "our" O'Grady is talking about? My appetite for drugs is nil so I don't feel one iota of responsibility for this. Maybe she should address this to 404 who was joking about crack in White House pies.

[daddy]

Washington Times tells us: ISTOOK: The secret is out: ‘Unaccompanied minors’ are only one-fourth of illegal border-crossers

A Border Patrol report reveals that “unaccompanied minors” are only one-fourth of the current invasion from Central America across our Southwest border. The crossings by family units have increased almost five times faster. This contradicts White House and media efforts to elicit public sympathy by focusing public attention on children.

Total other-than-Mexican (OTM) apprehensions were 202,951 in the Southwest Border Sector (with three-fourths of those in the Rio Grande Valley) from Oct.1 through June 30. Of those, 57,525 were “unaccompanied alien children.” The other 145,426 persons were among 55,420 “family units” who also crossed the border, according to the report...

[squaredance]

This was disappointing, to say the least, out of the WSJ.

It is patently absurd on the face of it--one need not research the recent history of the countries in question or the drug business in South and North America to see this. Very simple common sense analysis exposes this as the utter propaganda it is.

It is both an attempt to cover for the regime accompanied by some rocking on someone's hobby horse, the so-called war on drug.

It is almost a bit of "inadvertent journalist", however, considering she does bring in the cartels. She either cannot or will not connect the dots.

I would posit that the Progs, particularly in this administration, are working in collusion with forces, governments, elements in governments and non governmental players, not all of which are NGOs, "south of the border", to get these people up here. It is not merely that the administration is somehow implicitly dangling "permisos" in front of then from the White house and The Hill, but rather a case of direct and coordinated involvement to create this "crisis". Certainly, they would have to involve the cartels in this (in fact it is getting to the point that the cartels are state actors in parts of Mexico).

We have seen this before in Fast and Furious: collisions with drug cartels by high level US officials. I imagine that is we could even find the extent of this is would break shatter the government.

The truth is that they just got ahead of themselves and enough came in it the time window to raise alarms. This was not supposed to happen.

Now if you do not think that the democrats are not crunching numbers and strategically placing these people in the nation to turn red states blue, you are out of your mind.

The Democrat Party is engaged in asymmetric warfare against the USA no less than Hamas is against Israel.

Watch them get away with it. Palin is right.

Of course, the real tip off that this article is mere propaganda is the totally unfounded and uncalled for swipe about Americans calling "South America" anything south of the border. This of course not true--in all my travels and all by discussions with Americans J have in fact never heard this usage. When Americans say "South of the Border" they almost invariably mean Mexico, for nations immediately below that they say "Central America", and below that "South America". Goodness, has this person forgotten all the goings on during the Regan Years in Central America? Americans have not, I can assure her.

What is comic here is that the people in "South America" do not call it "South America" in every day speech--really that is more of a term used by outsiders, particularly in Europe and N. America. Add to that, many of the cartels (and most certainly the bulk of the product) and many of these immigrants indeed do come from South America.

What we and the world do use to refer to all nations "south of the border" is "Latin America", and this phrase is often used by "South Americans" (along with "Northern Cone" and "Southern Cone"). I imagine that is what she really "heard", her snottiness just got the better of here. I am surprised that the WSJ editors let that one slip by. This shows the gradual decline of that rag.

Given the effects that both this invasion and the drug cartels have on our country, it is abused to say that Americans are not painful of the geography "south of the border".

[Ignatz]

HBO tries to trick Sarah Palin for cameo in TV show which calls Republican women Republic*nts".

There is a war on women just as there is a war on blacks and both are from the left.

Sarah Palin uses the word "target" and is excoriated.
Hollywood commies make a show where vampires crash a Ted Cruz function at W's library to massacre and kill conservatives and it's ever so funny, maybe even brave.

[Beasts of England]

All my drugs come from South America, so I'm guilt-free, as well. Thank goodness!!

[AliceH]

I find it odd that "America is to blame" is somehow a refutation of "Obama is to blame".

Seems a tacit admission that Obama and America are non-intersecting, no?

[narciso]

Well expresso is the thing that keeps my servers spinning, I caught one episode of
True Blood on DVD, I was looking for Mephistopheles as executive producer,

the question, is why is it happening now, a mulligan for o'Grady who is usually right on the ball.

[squaredance]

Door Prize to AliceH.

[Donald]

That's funny bout that Trueblood thing. I know Alan Ball. Really. Haven't watched a second of that show since about the first half hour, but I tuned in waiting for The Leftovers just in time to see the final sequence.

Trust me when I tell you that Alan is a fuckin cunt of the absolute first order (He thinks I'm a fucking asshole, cause I found religion).

His complete love of his homosexual brethren takes a back seat to truth and gay politics. George Bush, the only world leader to address the only real AIDS epidemic in the world is the bad guy. The closeted passive aggressive homosexual is some kinda messiah. Durn.

Ya know, I'm an Ayn Rand Ojectivist (Who loves Jesus, they'res a lot of us, really )and libertarian guy.

If the focus of my life is no longer bringing the system down (And as a lost 54 year old widower, that's exactly where I am), then if George Bush and Mitt Romney aren't enough as a compromise as decent honorable Americans doing their best to do right by the citizens of this country, then there is nothing to talk about.

[Ignatz]

Hey Donald, as a lost, widowed, 55 year old libertarian who loves Jesus too, if you ever want to email me mine is flipper95665 at hotmail.com.

If nothing else you can crow about how young you are. :)

[Beasts of England]

Maybe if the majority of Central and South American countries didn't have arbitrary and infantile ideas about governance and economics, their citizens wouldn't need or want to engage in the drug trade.

Until they rectify their own stupidity, I have no sympathy for them whatsoever. Let 'em chew coca leaves.

[Captain Hate]

a mulligan for o'Grady who is usually right on the ball.

This is a surprising outlying point.

[narciso]

HBO is the network that aired 'Julianne's Bender' off on heavy rotation, another more
subtle did, the New Founders who direct the
Purge, are supposed to be Tea Party, just because we're just the type to countenance extreme violence, sarc.

Keying off the other thread Cameron's tories, are exactly the blanc mange, devil may care party, contemptous of traditional family and country, the top men salivate over, they couldn't win an outright majority
last time,

[Ignatz]

-- Let 'em chew coca leaves.--

I believe that is the reelection slogan for Evo Morales who is not only running for reelection as pres of Bolivia but was just reelected as leader of Bolivia's largest coca growers union and promises to expand the acres for coca production.

What other country has been so addlepated as to elect a drug sucking socialist......never mind.

[matt]

Isn't the United States keeping the economies of Bolivia and Peru and to a lesser extent Colombia afloat? What to do?

This morning as I was walking the hounds I came upon by happenstance an empty vial of medical marijuana on the sidewalk. That vial contained good, American grown marijuana, I would presume.

Knowing first hand the effects that pot has upon schizophrenics and those with bipolar disorder, the dangers are clear. Further, when the still forming brains and psyches of those under 23 or so are considered, pot is a bad idea.

I have noted in the past that 40-45% of all of those incarcerated are in the clink for drug related offenses, some non-violent, many violent. Addicts will do almost anything for the high.

The FBI stats also report that over 50% of inmates have mental health problems. In my involvement locally, the prison ministers I work with report that here it is more like 80%.

We're doing it wrong.

Rep. Tim Murphy of PA has introduced HR 3717, which is a great start towards addressing the mental illness aspect.

However, we need to look at root causes and solutions. Close to $1 Trillion has been spent on the war on drugs and we have lost it. We have a prison population 10X that of the 1970's. We also have the lowest crime rates since the 1940's.

I believe we need a dual or multi-track system. Drug and alcohol camps a la Sheriff Joe with treatment and sobriety conditioning. AA meetings, group therapy. If they stay clean after 2 years their records are cleared but not sealed.

This still doesn't deal with crimes committed while high; murder, rape, robbery, etc. and those cases would have to go through the conventional prison system. And then there are the just plain baddies like dealers, smugglers and common criminals.

We need to look at our society, which has become empty and meaningless as well. There is a starvation of the soul that is fostered by the loss of God. People fill that with what they can.

Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" wasn't a lot, but at least it was something. Drugs are everywhere today. We are a self medicating nation.

So how does something so deep in our national identity now change?

[jimmyk]

We are a self medicating nation.

I may be inclined to join them if we elect a Democrat for President in 2016.

[James D.]

Matt, you're absolutely right, and I think you hit the true problem near the end:

There is a starvation of the soul that is fostered by the loss of God. People fill that with what they can.

And to your litany of problems from the drug war, I'd add that the militarization of police is a huge problem as well (there are other factors that feed into it besides the drug war, but that's the biggest one, I think).

When police are trained to act more as an occupying army than as public servants (and members of their own communities); and when they're given military weapons and equipment - but no training or guidance to use them; and when they have looser rules of engagement and less oversight in our own streets than our troops have in active war zones abroad...well, that, too, is tremendously damaging to the country, in myriad ways.

[rse]

VP Biden's Task Force report on Workforce Training released today http://m.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/skills_report.pdf

[Porchlight]

However, we need to look at root causes and solutions. Close to $1 Trillion has been spent on the war on drugs and we have lost it. We have a prison population 10X that of the 1970's. We also have the lowest crime rates since the 1940's.

Respectfully, matt, isn't this a Fox Butterfield? Might it be that we have low crime rates because the criminals are all in jail instead of on the streets? One might be tempted to conclude that the $1 trillion was well spent.

[narciso]

the demand is certainly part of it, marijuana was made illegal, but it wasn't a serious problem until the 60s, cocaine similarly hit
the big time in the late 70s, heroin somewhere in between,

[Jane]

So if the goal is to return them to their families, Why are they randomly shipping them here and there?

[narciso]

that's clearly not the goal,

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Jul-21/264617-jihadists-sell-syrian-oil-to-iraqi-businessmen.ashx#axzz387JNTtpx

[narciso]

so, the plot thickens;

http://hotair.com/archives/2014/07/22/july-crisis-ukraine-alleges-a-russian-military-officer-pulled-the-trigger-on-mh17/

[matt]

That is all crime, porch. Not just the War on Drugs. Murder, assault, robbery, theft, etc.

The War on Drugs was just one facet of law enforcement.

By the way, I would assume that the incidence of illegal immigration from Mexico has spiked as well.If all of the newspapers in Mexico and Central America are screaming how easy it is to gain asylum, then the same places will be exporting their excess population to our borders.

Since we can't trust a word our government says anymore, this just compounds the problem of getting to the truth.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Matt-- In NYC and other Blue Cities as well as Sun Belt cities like Phoenix, Houston and Orlando, warehousing the recidivist criminal population starting in the mid 80s has been the primary reason for falling crime rates. Those men, small relative to the general population, cause a high percentage of crimes. It's a sad but true fact of life. My wife ran the data back in the late 80s for the NYC dept of Corrections.

[GMax]

And now Rasmussen finds a significant enthusiasm gap as well:

Perhaps problematic for Democrats is that 65% of GOP voters and 55% of voters not affiliated with either major party are more likely to vote this year, compared to 53% of those in the president’s party.

[Cecil Turner]

I'm reminded of the Groseclose study of media bias, and the last two ranked national news outlets (bigger numbers=lean left):
19 New York Times 73.7
20 Wall Street Journal 85.1

The idea that the current crisis is unrelated to illegals' perceptions of effective amnesty, especially in the face of a survey overwhelmingly supporting that as the main cause, is past ridiculous into fever-swamp territory.

Yes, I'm sure violence and drugs (and the "war") are contributing factors . . . but that ain't the story they're telling.

[Ignatz]

This is what passes for conservatism at NRO;
say you oppose "the obvious danger of Obama’s policies: that they are part of a campaign to place the might of the federal government against traditional moral views about sex — indeed, to place it behind the proposition that those views are the equivalent of racism",
and then say it's a good thing employers are disregarding those traditional views including this line;
"Sensible employers will almost never consider sexual orientation or gender identity when making hiring decisions."

Really? Forget the homosexual aspect of it; even psychology still figures somebody with gender identity issues is seriously screwed up. Would an employer be sensible if he wanted to hire a guy who wanted to have his hands or feet surgically removed? But a guy who wants his willy whacked off is so stable as to render nonsensical an employer who hesitated hiring him.
What is it NRO is conserving?

[rse]

This is the twitter feed for the signing of the WIOA today. https://twitter.com/hashtag/WIOA?src=hash

Now that it is law there is open rejoicing by the various groups who had been so quiet.

[Ignatz]

Chief Politico political columnist Roger Simon ;
Rick Perry sending 1,000 National Guard troops to border to shoot small children. Could make good headlines -- in Russia.

If Politico had professional standards something that unprofessional and biased and that reflected that poorly on the organization would be a firing offense.

[Threadkiller]

Someone mentioned this on one of the threads:

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/07/22/police-investigating-mysterious-white-flags-on-brooklyn-bridge/

Pretty secure nation we are living in.

[Jane]

I'm not reading that article the same way as you Iggy. I'm pretty sure NRO is for leaving those decisions to employers and not getting the feds involved. I'm assuming you don't object to that.

[Tom Maguire]

I believe the surge is caused by Dark Forces...

I deplore this escalation - if they would limit themselves to Dark Matter we wouldn't notice.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Brooklyn Bridge Flag switch: yeah, I feel really safe in Mayor Bane's NYC.

[James D.]

Ignatz @ 3:16

Lovely.

So here's q question: if an R wins the White House in 2016, will they pull the press credentials for all these slanderous left-wing shops that do nothing but spread lies, disinformation and hate?

I would pay good money to see that.

[Man Tran on iPhone]

Mrs. MT picked up a book last week that she's been reading multiple passages to me. "the sociopath next door" by martha stout (all l.c.)

Fits comfortably with the current discussion. One in 25 in the general population is a sociopath. However, 20 percent of the prison population are sociopaths, while committing 50 percent of the violent crimes.

As long as we are discussing proper treatment, how about bringing that whole issue to the front. And while we are at it, start identifying 'our betters' who fit the description.

[Ignatz]

NRO said a sensible employer would not consider gender identity issues a red flag for employment.
That's, for want of a better word, nuts.

[Tom Maguire]

A Border Patrol report reveals that “unaccompanied minors” are only one-fourth of the current invasion from Central America across our Southwest border. The crossings by family units have increased almost five times faster.

In my "React first, research later" mode, let me blurt out that unaccompanied minors from central America can't be deported without a hearing (anti-trafficking law) but presumably families can. So the crisis of accumulating warm bodies is mostly young ones.

Obvious question - does the Border Patrol report mention any disposition of the many arrests? I really ought to read it...

[JiB]

I see where Sully has taken the anti-Semite position on Israel and Pohoderetz is beating him like the filthy rug he is.

Perry's use of the NG is a bit of a gamble. They have no police powers and Obama can federalize them in a nano-second.

[Ignatz]

ManTran,
My sociopath brother once sent me a review of that book suggesting it described me.
I told him to screw a light bulb in his mouth and go get a job at the local Bijou as a projector. :)

[Porchlight]

That is all crime, porch. Not just the War on Drugs. Murder, assault, robbery, theft, etc.

Do drug addicts not commit murder, assault, robbery, theft, etc? I don't know the percentages, but I imagine that the drug use rates of those committing the above crimes are quite high.

Isn't it possible that users who are busted for drugs and locked up then become unable to commit other crimes?

[Threadkiller]

Our three television network feeds (C-SPAN, C-SPAN2 and C-SPAN3) will soon be reserved for cable or satellite TV customers.

New Policy:

Real-time online access to C-SPAN, C-SPAN2, and C-SPAN3 will soon be available only to verified customers of C-SPAN's cable and satellite affiliates. A simple sign-in on the "Live TV" page of C-SPAN.org with your cable or satellite company credentials is all that's needed to watch any of our three TV channels in real time. (This process is similar to what's now required to access most other "TV Everywhere" programs or channels.)

http://www.c-span.org/about/TVeverywhere/

[jimmyk on iPhone]

"So here's q question: if an R wins the White House in 2016, will they pull the press credentials for all these slanderous left-wing shops that do nothing but spread lies, disinformation and hate?"

President Cruz would, President Walker might, President Jeb? Probably not.

[Miss Marple]

matt,

The country is aimless because a large part of the country has lost faith, and on top of that the secular things that used to also provide inspiration are gone, too.

Space program? Gone. College degree and upward mobility? Killed. Desiring that your son or daughter become a doctor? Not so promising. Patriotic movies? MIA

Human beings need inspiration, most notably from God. It used to be that our culture echoed the inspiration of the Church with aspiring secular objectives. Both sacred and secular are absent from most Americans' lives, now. The more fortunate chase the dollar and material goods in an empty existence. The poor are left eking out an existence with no hope in any direction.

[Threadkiller]

As long as the families request asylum, TM, they get their day in court.

They get released with a notice to appear.

[Porchlight]

In my "React first, research later" mode, let me blurt out that unaccompanied minors from central America can't be deported without a hearing (anti-trafficking law) but presumably families can. So the crisis of accumulating warm bodies is mostly young ones.

Families can be, but they aren't being and won't be. So they count in the accumulation crisis just as much as the UACs, at least until we have an executive willing to enforce the law.

The UACs are a red herring IMO.

[James D.]

MM, I agree completely.

I don't know exactly where or when the tipping point was. It seems as though the rot really starts to become visible in the mid to late 50's (I imagine that rse might have something to say about the timing there).

All the trends run together:

Attacks on faith and the pushing against any religion in public spaces.

Increasing violence (and celebration of violence) and gore in popular culture.

Increasing glamorization of drugs and drug culture in popular culture.

Decreasing social stigmas against sex before marriage, unwed motherhood and divorce.

Legalization of abortion on demand for any reason.

Less teaching of American history, and increased criticism of it.

Vastly increased immigration, combined with a decline in assimilation.

It's almost as though there was a concerted effort to undermine our culture and our civilization on multiple fronts, conducted over decades.

[Threadkiller]

Does this play for anyone?

http://www.c-span.org/video/?320586-4/washington-journal-handling-influx-unaccompanied-minors

[narciso]

my learned grandfather called these forces, that propound axemaker minds as rse, would put it, 'the hidden powers', I thought he was all too pessimist, but the last ten years have taught me otherwise, also Ignatius first in Agents of Influence, and later in a very Washington centric roman a clef, referred to them, re Lebanon and France,

[Porchlight]

Great comments today. narciso, your grandfather was right, but the success of the hidden powers has been so resounding that they almost don't need to hide the agenda anymore.

I think it was Rick B who said here years ago that Gramsci, were he ever released from the pit of hell, would weep to see his success here on earth.

[Porchlight]

It seems as though the rot really starts to become visible in the mid to late 50's (I imagine that rse might have something to say about the timing there).

Beatniks and rock and roll. I'm kidding, but there's some truth to it.

Martha Bayles's excellent book Hole In Our Soul, about increasingly nihilist pop culture, talks about this phenomenon.

http://www.amazon.com/Hole-Our-Soul-Meaning-American/dp/0226039595

[Tom Maguire]

As long as the families request asylum, TM, they get their day in court.

Yeah the story cleared that up. But I am still reeling from this "report" from the US Customs and Border Protection:

Beginning last year and specifically in the last few months, CBP has seen an overall increase in the apprehension of Unaccompanied Alien Children from Central America at the Southwest Border, specifically in the Rio Grande Valley. While overall border apprehensions have only slightly increased during this time period, and remain at historic lows, the apprehension and processing of these children present unique operational challenges for CBP and HHS.

They then present the same numbers shown in the Wash Times article: unaccompanied minors rising by 106% and 'family units' rising by 493%.

Are they utterly innumerate or do they think I am?

That said, they present 2013 figures for unaccompanied minors but not families, so a comparison is difficult. I smell a rat.

[lyle]

Some levity from a Vox parody:

The Halbig decision is a disgraceful attack on the Constitution’s Good Intentions clause. Ezra Klein explains. http://t.co/YEHiH9Pq1A

— Vox (@vauxnews) July 22, 2014

Sadly, there's some stupid prog who actually believes that the Constitution has a "Good Intentions" clause. That is, when they're not trashing the document altogether.

[narciso]

Yes, TM.

[rse]

Porch-I had never heard of Gramsci's Integral State vision until about 2 days ago when someone in China was explaining that the College Board's link to the Confucius Institutes and their refusal to hire anyone not a committed atheist meant that the institutions of higher ed were simply fulfilling their Civil Society obligations for his vision.

After I researched it I realized how it did fit well. Troublingly so and it was high time more people knew of that and properly put the March in the context of that greater vision.

sbw-remember my writing of Career Pathways in my book and being convinced Ga was merely piloting the return of School to Work? The WIOA celebrations are making that link clear except there are now 10 states in the Pathways to Prosperity Network. The link is on my blog from earlier today, but JOM readers will want to know MA, NY, Ga, and Ohio are all on the list. All linked to that 2011 fraudulent report out of Harvard GSE and Big Blue.

School to Work was one of the great controversies of the 90s. Now in place and most people do not know it. The Brothers Keeper also impacts because you cannot have vocational in urban and not same program in suburbs. Not equitable or just.

[Beasts of England]

I won't be rude and tangle with the resident SoCons, re: drugs, but I hope that it's not an issue in national elections anytime soon. It's a loser for the right. Just sayin'...

[Jack is Back!]

The founding fathers out that "good intentions" clause in about a hundred years ago when they gave us the 16th amendment so we could feel better. Much like the sedative they give for your colonoscapy.

[Porchlight]

I disagree about it being a loser, Beasts, though I'm not really interested in making it a big issue in national elections (unless conditions on the ground change mightily).

[Ignatz]

Martha Bayles was the film critic for the American Spectator years ago and was the best one I ever read anywhere.

[Jack is Back!]

...put that...

Grow finger, grow, damn it::)

[Jack is Back!]

TK,

Plays for me, But another Obamamaniac with no relevant exoerience exceot knowing how to find the Capitol.

[Threadkiller]

The video does not play for me. I will try it on my home computer later.

Are you saying the BP agent was an Obamamaniac or am I missing something?

[Jack is Back!]

TK,

Not an agent, A congressional liaison that then got promoted to CoS to the Commissioner,

[Thomas Collins]

"Now, to state it briefly, the overseers of the city must cleave to this, not letting it be corrupted unawares, but guarding it against all comers: there must be no innovation in gymnastic and music contrary to the established order; but they will guard against it as much as they can, fearing that when someone says 'Human beings esteem most that song which floats newest from the singer' someone might perchance suppose the poet means not new songs, but a new way of song, and praises that. Such a saying shouldn't be praised nor should this one be taken in that sense. For they must beware of change to a strange form of music, taking it to be a danger to the whole. For never are the ways of music moved without the greatest political laws being moved, as Damon says, and I am persuaded." [Plato, Republic, 4.424(c)-(d)]

The greatest music critic and gymnastic trainer of all time, Plato, would have agreed about the importance of the culture to the morals and laws of a society.

[Cecil Turner]

Not an agent, A congressional liaison that then got promoted to CoS to the Commissioner,

Lawyer, Republican. The first few minutes was a good recap of the border situation (and the problems of too many detainees), then it devolved into stupid question time.

[Jack is Back!]

Now that the black boxes are found and in good hands and the bodies are in The Netherlands, it was timely that US G2 found no Russian involvement but only "trigger happy" separatists.

Coincidence? We can now "reset" the "reset".

[Threadkiller]

Thanks JiB and Cecil. I try to not link things I haven't read or viewed with the exception of trolling Danube.

I could not play the video and the chopped up description made me assume it was an agent.

[Cecil Turner]

You're welcome. Bingel seemed pretty smart and well informed. The format wasn't the best way to get it out, but he is worth listening to.

Some good discussion of Gov Perry's efforts (of which he was generally supportive), and assorted other things (visa overstays, e-verify, judges, etc) . . . but many of the phone calls caused more distraction than illumination. I'd look for the transcript and try to skip the silly parts.

[Jack is Back!]

CT,

My bad. I misread his tenure and just assumed he was an appointee from the anointed one, And we knw what ASSUME means:)

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

The Bodies are back in the Netherlands? The Euro press have rightfully noted discrepancies in the Russian counts of bodies and partial/parts. Did these Russian monsters withold bodies or body parts riddled with warhead shrapnel/ I don't trust these Russian bastards about anything.

[narciso]

Already, they were supposed to be on the way to Kharkiv, as I pointed out, earlier, Girkin's
fmr. unit, the 45th reconnaisance (Spetznaz)
was active all through out that theatre of operations,

[Some Guy]

Proximate And Fundamental Causes Of The Border Crisis = Mom jeans

[MarkO]

The Russians blaming the CIA sounded like Obama blaming a video.

[Threadkiller]

http://www.truthrevolt.org/news/la-street-artist-blasts-obama-scandalous-fundraiser

[Threadkiller]

http://therightscoop.com/mark-levin-landmark-legal-to-conduct-depositions-on-top-epa-officials-including-former-top-official-lisa-jackson/

[Ignatz]

Dave Weigel [I know, sorry] says the movement to elect Warren is make believe.

[Ignatz]

Warren Harding = Good President.
Trigger warning TK, written by Ron Radosh.

[narciso]

ok, the cover story that they were targeting a military transport, which was going to land where, again,

[Jack is Back!]

Mrs. JiB birhday tommorow. So, everyone is welcome to come to the beach and enjoy food, wine, Belgian beer and music.

It's easy to get to. Fly into Daytona, after making at least one change, then drive 30 miles up I-95 to exit 289 and then 3.5 miles to our place on the beach. Narciso knows and is welcome,

Lots of shrimp (local), crab, salads, veggies, great foods, etc, Try to make it. Sorry for the short notice.

Entertainment by our friend: Tim Rippey.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Narciso-- now you are being silly; the Ukraine AN-26 transport carrying CIA operators was en route to Georgia as part of a covert military effort to destabilize South Russia. Obviously.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

The EPA and then the IRS depositions... buy popcorn.

[Ignatz]

Now we learn that Lois Lerner's hard drive was only "scratched" and the data was recoverable and even that the IRS techs recommended an outside firm be used to recover the data.
Also it was at one time listed as recovered.

Wonder how that scratch got there.

[Rick B]

"Wonder how that scratch got there."

It was accidentally dropped on a sledgehammer.

Four times.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Lois 'Scratch' Lerner. This is now a sick joke. Someday, there will be a legitimate prosecutor for this, and people will go to jail.

[Beasts of England]

An early Happy Birthday to Mrs. JiB!

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Happy Birthday Mrs. JiB. All the Best.

[matt]

I specifically exempted the dangerous actions committed by addicts from my suggestion, porch. Those should be punished as they have been.

But addiction is a disease that prison isn't going to cure in most cases. The first thing they do when they get out is try to find a fix and by doing so breaking the law immediately.

Locking them up and throwing the key away doesn't solve the root problem. So how do we do so?

When society rejects the essence of Platonic and Aristotelean philosophy in favor of Nietzsche, Marx and Freud the underpinnings of logic are undermined. And without logic, the world becomes meaningless, a simple construction of things and events with no apparent relationship to each other.

Sort of like what the Left has concocted of late, n'est pas?

[narciso]

Silly me, you're right NK, what was I thinking.

Happy birthday, Mrs. JiB.

It could have been the drives fell from the 7th floor, all the way down to the basement,
and then the pipes burst, things happen like that,

[henry]

Lerner put the computer on a paint shaker to get the right color mix for a PowerPoint slide.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Henry-- seriously what do make of this IRS hide the Salami Hard Drive? From my perspective it is completely implausible, what does your tech experience say?

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Insty links to this perfect satire... it is satire isn't it? I have that irony deficiency: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/07/22/netanyahu-calls-for-immediate-u-s-al-qaeda-ceasefire/

[henry]

I thought it too convenient a sequence of events to be anything but intentional when it was just Lerner's drive. Then the back-ups are "lost," the IM system logging is turned off, the drives are shredded. The convenience of 20+ others in the same sewing circle, across agencies leads me to believe it is a coordinated coverup run by the WH (min point of intersection in command chain) with a lot of help from Lewis, Whitehouse, Schumer,met. Al.

[Threadkiller]

Maybe Lerner scanned the hard drive with the Whitehouse Xerox Multitasker and during optics-mizing some leftover layers from the purported Birth Certificate left a mark.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Kotkin summarizes my aspirations for an econimically renewed USA: http://www.newgeography.com/content/004433-america-down-but-not-out

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

henry-- so technical experience in this case leads to the identical conclusion as legal experience. This stinks to high heaven.

[Some Guy]

Someone at pagesix.com posted this in the comments:

BREAKING NEWS!!!! The heaviest element known to science was recently discovered by investigators at a major U.S. research university. The new element has been named Hillarium. The chemical symbol of Hillarium is BS.

Hillarium has no protons or electrons and thus has an atomic number of 0. However, it does have one neutron, 125 assistant neutrons, 75 vice neutrons and 111 assistant vice neutrons, which gives it an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by a force that involves the continuous exchange of meson-like particles called morons.

Hillarium's mass actually increases over time, as morons randomly interact with various elements in the atmosphere and become assistant deputy neutrons within the Hillarium molecule, leading to the formation of isodopes. This characteristic of moron-promotion leads some scientist to believe that Hillarium is formed whenever morons reach a certain quantity in concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as Critical Morass. When catalyzed with money, Hillarium activates CNNadnausium and MSNBCobnoxium, elements that radiates orders of magnitude more energy, albeit as incoherent noise, since each has half as many peons but twice as many morons as Hillarium. Hillarium has also been reported in some war torn countries to inexplicably draw sniper fire out of thin air where no snipers are present, and to cause shoes to catapult across the room as a result of intense attraction to Hillarium.

Since it has no electrons, Hillarium is inert. However, it can be detected chemically as it impedes every reaction it comes in contact with. According to the discoverers, a minute amount of Hillarium causes one reaction to take over four days to complete when it would have normally occurred in less than a second. Paradoxically, in the presence of anti-morons, Hillarium is highly corrosive. The presence of Hillarium is also easily detected using Gagger Counters.

Hillarium has a normal half-life of approximately four years, at which time it does not decay, but instead undergoes a transmutation, appearing in a new location but displaying the same properties. In this process, assistant neutrons, vice neutrons and assistant vice neutrons exchange places. Some studies have shown that the atomic mass actually increases after each transmutation.

Research at other laboratories indicates that Hillarium occurs naturally in the atmosphere. It tends to concentrate at certain points such as government agencies, large corporations, and universities. It can usually be found in the newest, best appointed, and best maintained buildings.

Scientists point out that Hillarium is known to be toxic at any level of concentration and can easily destroy any productive reaction where it is allowed to accumulate. Human moralities have resulted from exposure to Hillarium. Hillarium threatens to become a pandemic by 2016. Infection symptoms need to be more thoroughly researched, but appear to include a loss of all logical and critical thinking abilities, loss of all consideration for others, onset of paranoia and conspiracy theory predilections (commonly heard are protestations of a "vast right wing conspiracy" and a "War on Women" -- in which ironically Kennedy has the first confirmed kill), and, of course, the already noted tendency towards fatalities.

Prudent use of prophylactic doses of intense reality after possible exposure to Hilarium is a wise precaution. Fiscal and Constitutional Conservatism may be particularly useful. Encourage all your friends and family to take similar precautions, and vote for candidates in 2014 and 2016 who will work to protect us from the possible scourge of a Hillarium pandemic. Attempts are being made to determine how Hillarium can be controlled to prevent irreversible damage, but results to date are not promising.

[henry]

NK, failure at each possible point is rare. Such failure combined with destruction of all media during a lawsuit (or several in this case, plus Congressional inquiry) is not the act of a fiduciary. Independent failure at each possible point across so many nodes of interest is as likely as my installment as galactic emperor next Tuesday.