Apple Harvest Disaster: There Are A Lot of Moving Parts To This Story!

TSB: Here is the email I got back from the reporter who went out to get the story. He agrees with you that immigrant workers are not the future here, which may mean (like you say) that much of the fruit industry will be lost. He disagrees though on the possibility of machines being able to pick fruit successfully. Pretty interesting commentary!  gwb

Hi Dan,

Thanks for your e-mail! There is no doubt some truth to what your friend writes. Apple growers do go through this picker shortage event nearly every year. It's much worse this year because of the harvest two weeks later than usual in the face of oncoming cold weather.

What's not true is that this work can or should be mechanized. Many foods can be picked by machine, but they haven't come up with anything that can even come close to picking an apple without bruising it. It's difficult to hand pick them without bruising them. The starchy, tasteless, leather-skinned Red Delicious hybrid apple of the 1980s is an example of what happens when you try to breed an apple that could possibly be picked by machine.

Anyone can pick apples, but it is very hard. Anglos did it for years. I followed farmworkers in the 1970s and 1980 when there were few if any Mexican immigrants doing the work in apples, pears and cherries. Many of the people I worked with descendants of people who came out from the Dust Bowl states in the 1930s. Many had regular jobs that they would take leave from each year just to bring back the romance of picking fruit. There were many orchards developed so they could be picked without ladders or very short ladders by retired people. Some orchardists built nice trailer parks for them and offered conditions that made the job more sociable. They wanted the older pickers because they worked slow and carefully and didn't damage the fruit.

Growers have been spoiled by the Mexican immigrants who are willing to work very hard for lower wages and in conditions that most Americans no longer want to do. There's also a stigma to being a farmworker that nobody wants. The new immigrants graduate to better jobs as soon as they can.

I think growers should improve conditions to make them more inviting to anyone who needs a part-time job during harvest. There's really no good reason why unemployed people can't do this work, but they have to be invited.

Rick

Rick Steigmeyer
The Wenatchee World
(509) 664-7151
steigmeyer@wenatcheeworld.com

---

From: Couch313@aol.com
To: steigmeyer@wenatcheeworld.com
Sent: Sunday, October 30, 2011 2:35:05 PM
Subject: Re: Picking Apples

Dear Rick:

Thanks for a great story about the apple harvest problems. It contained all the elements I was wanting to learn about. I have a "blogger friend" who works for the State Department in DC who has an interesting view about this problem. I'd be interested to know your thoughts on his comments. He is www.skepticalbureaucrat.blogspot.com

The apple growers are doing their annual sympathy dance to maintain their essentially feudal business model. They exploit illegal Mexican peasant labor to do work that ought to be mechanized, and leave the taxpayer to pick up the very considerable costs for their serfs. I guess it's a hybrid of feudalism and socialism.

Mechanical harvesting is the right way to go, economically, politically, technically, and out of humane concern for the peasants involved. But the growers lobby, and the illegal alien lobby (which is welcomed by both major parties), have been able to impede efforts to increase mechanization.

For example, the last federal government engineer conducting research on mechanical harvesting of fruit crops retired in 2005, about 25 years after the USDA stopped funding research on mechanization.

http://www.goodfruit.com/Good-Fruit-Grower/January-15th-2006/Working-toward-mechanical-harvest-for-tree-fruits/

Personally, I hope Washington loses its apple business to places like New Zealand. The growers have no regard for our national interests, why should the Feds do anything for the growers?

October 24, 2011 8:47 AM

I thought the work of the engineer who retired in 2005 was really interesting since I went to WSU 45 years ago and always loved the AG department. Keep up the good work Rick!

Dan Davenport MD Longview, Washington

Lady Kensington Blows The Whistle On Bush, Blair, Libya, BP

    Yesterday (4-20-11) Juan Cole (Informed Comment) did a great post about a leak of British documents
that show how the US was planning in 2002 to exploit Iraqi and hopefully Iranian oil resources through the Iraq war. This is all thanks to "Lady Kensington" who could  no longer abide the Khadaffi family when they
started using tanks against their own people in Tripoli. (Thank God for those wonderful British Christian
sensibilities!.. or maybe it just means we have to keep women out of sensitive positions?)



       So now we know why Blair was never going to be left behind in the Iraq thing and also that the Russians and the French couldn't be bribed to support a UN resolution for war. We know why Tony was in Libya
praising Khadaffi in 2007 and we know what BP means (Blair Policy). We also know how Blair has made $32 million since leaving office... and don't call that crony capitalism!! (Te He) Isn't it sad to think the UK
is the only place to go these days to find some sunshine? What am I saying?? When Andrea Mitchell gets wind of this it will be all over the airwaves!!  GWB

Debate Well Done.... Is Rare

       Yesterday (4/20/11) C-Span showed a debate in London on the question: Do Whistleblowers Make
the World A Safer Place?  It featured Julian Assange (Wikileaks), Aljazeera's new head of a similar service
and a third "Pro" speaker versus someone from the US Defense Security Agency and an MI-5 guy. The Anti-Whistleblower side had essentially nothing to say on the question and ceded about 3/4 of the time to the other side. It was an excellent debate with lots of fireworks and self-expression.

        The "security guys" tried to emphasize that elections the free press and the rule of law were the public's recourse against harmful, criminal or excessive secrecy. This was countered by probably the best example of the night: The story of the soldier who was handed the DVD's of the Abu Ghreib pictures and had to decide
what to do with them. He did "the right thing" and turned them over to his superiors. As a "snitch" in an army sense he soon had to be hustled home to keep his "mates" from killing him. At home he required an armed guard for months or years because Pennsylvanians didn't much care for a guy who would expose military wrongdoing in Iraq. Of course the Army did it's best to both protect him AND cover-up the scandal.

         This leads me to the Bradley Manning case. He also "did the right thing" with a video showing a helicopter gunship team mowing down innocent civilians in Baghdad. For his trouble he was harassed
and threatened. But if you ask the question: Did Bradley Manning's actions make the world a safer place
there is a lot of evidence that it did. (for Iraqi civilians)  Wikileaks in 2007 published the US Army
secret rules of engagement in Iraq. It showed that US forces were allowed to enter Iran. Iran thought that was a big deal. A couple months later the rules had been changed in that regard and the Neo Con  push
for war with Iran was stymied. Did that make the world a safer place? Probably.

          It is rare that the secret war makers venture into an open debate about their record of lying us into
secret wars for secret purposes but April 20th was a great example of that rare thing. Thanks C-Span!

TO TSB: Afghanistan, 20 Year War For A Pipeline ? Bad Idea!

            I loved "Charlie Wilson's War" (the book... I won't watch anything with Julia Roberts) because it explained what I had been rooting for in real time. What I disagreed with to this day was keeping
US troops in Saudi Arabia after the war for Kuwait. Why not respect the Saudi government and leave?

            Until recently I didn't understand that the real money in oil is in the contracts the oil companies make with the government. Of course our government works to promote those interests and our military works to promote it's interests. Pepe Escobar's 2007 book "Liquid War" describes a long term war over
oil and gas that the US and it's allies seem to be losing. I'm against the whole thing mainly because it's
NOT in our best interest and it was done behind my back. As far as I can tell the one thing we MIGHT gain from 20 years in Afghanistan is a pipeline to INDIA? .. and China?   Why don't we just pull out of there so Karzhai can make peace with the Taliban and they can both protect out precious pipeline and profit from it? Then the Taliban can stop the heroin trade like they did before and we can get it from Mexico.

            Dick Cheney was the real genius with his secret "Energy Task Force", I suppose modeled after Hillary's secret "Health Care Task Force". Have you noticed you've never heard a peep from anyone who participated in either??   Now we have health care And oil nobody can afford and a President who can't negotiate successfully with even his wife!!   I don't know about you but this reminds me of the time I was
3 years old and our housekeeper was cooking SPINACH with a PRESSURE COOKER. I still remember the explosion and the spinach hanging down from the ceiling. I've tried to stay out of the kitchen ever since. (Too dangerous!)  Dan

lilGWB Predicts Next Phase of World Wide Meltdown: April 19th 2011

       Having predicted the big Japanese earthquake just hours before it happened, based on peculiar
animal behavior he himself was exhibiting,
  Jim Berkeland and California "Earthquake Fish" lilGWB
took some time in yesterdays afternoon sun to give an in depth interview to visiting journalists.

       "W", as he likes to be called thinks people should be asking what comes next, and when? As we
(2) settled into our chairs "W" uttered the date April 19th. He is a great believer in the world
acclaimed futures trader Eric Hadik Insiide Track Japan Earthquake Prediction who uses unique
cycles to predict wars, earthquakes, volcanoes, grain prices etc. Eric has long noted how many
catastrophic world events have occurred on or around April 19th. (2010 saw the Deepwater Horizon
disaster on April 20th). Hmm we said... So what do you see happening around April 19th?

       "Just look for logical extensions of what has already happened. We already see that gasoline and food is disappearing in Tripoli. The foreign workers are gone who harvest the produce and without
gasoline it is going to be hard to run those toyota pickups to fight the war. The Libyan economy could
collapse soon, the dinar already has. And isn't hunger and high prices what started this whole thing?
A humanitarian disaster in Libya is a pretty good bet. And how about Egypt? The stock market just opened back up this past week and about half the money left the country in a little over 2 hrs. Stock market crashes always cause trouble. The army just imposed a ban on demonstrations and sit-ins.
That should/could start some trouble soon."

        " The European debt crisis seems to be getting "twitchy" like the NATO alliance. This Benghazi
uprising could also turn into a jobs program for al Quaeda and the muslim brotherhood. Now that Hillary has hornswoggled the mideast and europe into this humanitarian mission there might turn out
to be a lot more than a military cost to saving Libya and Egypt. Oh, did I mention Isreal, Syria, Gaza
and Lebanon? Something could break out there. Add to that a big west coast earthquake and radiation spreading everywhere and there could be some big problems."   At this point "W" called an end to the

interview due to a need to mow "his" backyard before it starts raining again!    GWB

lilGWB asks How Did Ollie North Ever Get Away?

      Dear TSB: The difference between a book and "the news" is that "the news" can be easily
erased. You can't erase a book. And if it is well documented with facts and people who were
actually involved it can be pretty much indisputable. THE DARK ALLIANCE by Gary Webb
is such a book. I read it because I'm trying to better understand the drug business.
         I want to start with a quiz. Things I never knew til I read this book. They are also things you
would never have learned from the original news story that prompted the book.

1. Iran-Contra made Oliver North famous. Do you know what agency he worked out of during that  episode? (NSC) 
2. What was he accused of in 1996 by a story in the San Jose Mercury News? Using a Nicaraguan drug ring based in San Francisco to distribute crack cocaine in LA to buy guns for the Contras. 
3. Who investigated this story exhaustively and found that there was no CIA wrongdoing in the whole matter??   (THE CIA!... i mean if you can't trust the cia who can you trust?)Most of the facts of Webb's story were not contested but it was turned into a question of whether Webb was trying to defame the credibility of the USG... and make it look like they didn't care about poor black people. They succeeded and the story went away..... for 2 years. 
4. Declassified papers from what Senate Hearing helped clinched Webb's story as true? (Iran-Contra)
5. Why haven't you probably heard about it? (Our media is a joke! They are totally in the bagfor our fearless leaders.. who by the way haven't much changed since the 1980's and 90's)

But TSB: The best part about this book for me was reading about how Freeway Ricky Ross of south LA

created a completely new drug marketing scheme in 1983 that caused all that "Crips and Bloods" stuff

and established the model for today's drug distribution networks in this country. One young businessman

with no education and a unique product was able to outsmart all the government agencies (CIA, DEA, 

LAPD, LA COUNTY SHERRIFF) for 13 years until they turned on him and put him away for life. 

       It is a real page turner with lots of double crosses, a huge cast of characters, murders, plane loads of cocaine landing in San Francisco (no problem) etc. I bet you would be impressed with the documentation and

much more familiar with most of the players than I am.   lilGWB

Same Questions Asked/Answered: 15 Years Ago:"Down By The River"

      In his 2004 book "DOWN BY THE RIVER" Charles Bowden delves into the events of 1995 surrounding
the murder of a top DEA agent's brother in El Paso. The murder happened the weekend before that agent
was to take over the top DEA post in El Paso. He was called back to that job precisely because the
previous DEA head in El Paso could not keep his mouth shut about the total corruption of the Mexican
government/state police/army/judicial system. The same thing that got our most recent US Ambassador
in trouble! It is a fascinating read that clearly took years to write, with the author familiarizing himself
with hundreds of key people in the process.

       I recall particularly the time this new head of the DEA office at Ft. Bliss briefed a visiting Janet Reno
on the situation in Juarez. She obviously knew nothing about it and took furious notes. When she went
back to Washington it was only a few weeks before the investigation was completely shut down. (Too
Sensitive!)  There are many great stories within the book but one of the best is the one of how that
DEA agent became so successful in his career... he had put thousands of Mexican drug dealers behind
bars through the use of a single man he met by chance in Arizona and recruited as a double agent. Through
that experience he came to realize how hopeless the drug war was. The combination of corruption
and the drug guys in Mexico simply could not be matched by the DEA. In the end it cost him his brother.

      Charles Bowden clearly shows that business interests on both sides of the border played a big part
in keeping this story quiet. The DEA was a complete joke in the war on drugs. Even in 1995 any amount
of drugs could be brought across to El Paso by paying the the right customs people. Nothing has really changed these past 15 years unless it is that the quality is up. As Bowden says.. the drugs still arrive on
time and the quality keeps getting better. Of necessity murder is the price of being a player in the drug
game. You play by the rules or you die. One of the rules is you have to kill them before they kill you. Most
participants use drugs themselves which anyone knows will shorten your lifespan.

       The questions asked by the Skeptical Bureaucrat are great ones and timely because Juarez is
essentially dead already. Like Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, Lebanon, Gaza, Pakistan, the rapidly
growing younger population of Mexico is uneducated and unskilled. Drugs is by far the only thing
floating the Mexican economy. If you read this great book I think you will enjoy it and conclude as
I did that the drug war was lost about 30 years ago.   GWB
PS: "Murder City"   his latest book brings things up to date. Just as well written but a lot more depressing.

Manning: "One Team" ??

By 2007 my job at the Ft. Hood SRP was getting extremely fun and interesting. We (7 medical providers
plus an ad hoc group of 14 temporary providers) were totally swamped with soldiers returning from Iraq
many with horrible stories to tell of civilian casualties and loss of their buddies to IED's, snipers and RPG's.

But from thousands of miles away this was just an enormous challenge, while to Private Manning, much closer to the facts this was an outrage. "Do The Right Thing" ??  When he tried to report a war crime he was just laughed at and worse. Diplomats have their code to live by. If they can't they have to resign. For soldiers there is also

a code... and they don't get to resign. In this case following the code has led to being branded a "terrorist" 

and a bunch of other things designed to divert gullible Americans from the main issue: War Crimes. 

This week PJ Crowley proudly stood before the nation and said something he probably knew would end

his career at State. I was really proud to hear it because I got the sense lately that he was fed up with 

his job which lately has involved defended the administration over it's inability to respond to events in 

the Arab nations that began in Egypt. For a while PJ was smug and confident with the jousting but over 

time you could see it was wearing on him. Ultimately it will be fascinating to hear his side of the story

of what drove him to the exits.... (Hillary or Barry) but I can bet you one thing... It wasn't the reporters 

who have been fast losing any respect for his twisted pronouncements.  GWB

As for Manning: Thanks Bradley for the Wikileaks!!  We owe you a "Medal of Freedom" much more 

than the recipients of the past 10 years.   GWB...... "One Team" ! 

BEWARE THE "IDES OF MARCH"

    "lil George "W" wanted me to remind all you readers that the Ides of March are almost upon us
and this can be a very dangerous time of year. For one thing, If you wake up on Mar 15th and
haven't wished me a Happy Birthday it could ruin your whole day! But perhaps more important
to some the stock market is entering a perilous phase. Today marked the 2 year anniversary of
the "BULL MARKET" .... engineered by "Helicopter Ben Bernanke" also known as the Captain
of the good ship "QE2" which "W" defines as printing money. The other problem that is about
to suprise investors in stocks is something called PIK BONDS ...  which are a way  to invest 
in loans to company that allows the company to look like it has less debt than it really does! 


     These bonds are very risky and  they have climbed to sky high levels since last July. They 
started to turn down last months and when the stampede for the exits begins a lot of companies
are going to look a lot less healthy than their quarterly profits have been showing.  Tomorrow 
could be a key day. If the S&P futures close below 1296 it could be a fast trip to 1255. Europe 
and Japan are making big plunges tonite on fears related to oil. 


      George "W" says watch  Mar 19th for a potential devastating earthquake and again the time
period around April 19th for big events in terms of the Arab Revolution and Unity. against Isreal
and the West.   George "W" says he expects the market to fall to 4500 to 5000 this year! 


If you forgot my birthday big deal... But don't forget George "W"s... it's April 7th!  


GWB






      

"They're Rioting In Africa, South Texas Needs Rain"

      50 Years ago that was a great folk song by the Kingston Trio that helped inspire me towards
a 5 year career with Spokane's "Castaways". My sister dated one of the Kingston Trio
(once!) and Mark Pearson of the "Castaways" is still playing today with "The Brothers Four"
from Seattle. It's amazing how some things survive for what seems like forever amid such
change. But, I digress..... REVOLUTIONS ARE UNDERWAY EVERYWHERE!

       Even the "Heartland" has discovered the power of people to petition their rulers!  The
Arab Revolution continues to confound our fearless leaders. Yemen, Oman, Kuwait,
Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Somalia, Iraq all seem ready to toss the rascals out.

      "Hill" was on the Hill yesterday testifying before congress. I didn't see it (had a great nap
anyway though!) but the news summary was pretty funny. I counted 7 attempts at getting her
to answer whether we would support a no fly zone in Libya. After she dodged all seven
my conclusion was that what she was trying to say was: "I'd love to tell you the answer but
Obama can't make up his mind!" Adding to the comedy was the CNN coverage of Kadafi's
18 hour tease in the Tripoli hotel. Blurry pictures all day of the front door and reporters running
back and forth in the lobby breathlessly and in many languages... waiting for the arrival.

When the actual speech came out at 11pm our time CNN's Anderson Cooper told us they couldn't get a decent translation of what the hell he was saying.... but stay tuned! (I don't think anyone did.)

          I don't know how Obama is going to come out of this amazing Arab Revolution but
it is beginning to look to me like a classic Peter Sellers movie. I can imagine President Obama
calling in Peter Sellers to take over after his Secy of Defense goes mad and his Secy of State
commits suicide over his dithering. "Inspector Clouseau" manages to bumble his way into
the revolution and accidentally win it for the people! Maybe Leslie Nielson as the new Sec-Def
who walks into the job on the day Egypt explodes. Christianne Amanpurr could play herself.
Oh... I forgot.. all the great comics are dead!

lilGWB

  

Gas is $3.65/gallon How "W" Pays only $2.80/gallon

         I have always enjoyed trying things that most sane people think are ridiculous. At age 4 I almost
burned the house down with Dad's cigarette lighter. That led to a "this hurts me more than it does you"

spanking and a trip to the psychologist.  She decided I was perfectly normal!  (Whew!) Anyway... here's how to get 7-8 more miles per gallon from your Toyota Corolla. In the past 3 years I have talked exactly 2 people into trying this. Both were really impressed AND they never tried it again! (Everyone will tell you you're nuts! and most people can't deal with that.)

Reference 2005 Acetone Improves Gas Mileage

1. Put 3.5 to 4.0 oz acetone per 10 gallons in the tank before you pump the gas. For my car that is usually about 5 ounces. You put it in first so you can "wash it down"with the gasoline and not damage the soft connector between the outside and the gas tank. If you spill some on the paint have a soft cleen cotton cloth handy to wipe it off fast. Acetone eats paint!   Acetone also eats cheap plastic!  Vietnam ruined 50,000 motorcyles by putting acetone in all the gasoline. 

          That's why I store my acetone in plastic cough medicine bottles. They are easy to pour from and measure ounces from.  If you keep them in a coffee can in the trunk with your soft clean towel they won't tip over unless you let your wife drive the car.   Just kidding but when she got run off the freeway and did a 180 deg spin the can did tip over. 

1. Why does it work?   Acetone makes gasoline or diessel more volatile so it vaporizes easier. This means it burns about 25% cleaner in your engine. That just means less of it goes out your tail pipe or ends up as deposits in your engine. You will notice your car runs smoother instantly. I also noticedmy car goes about 1500 miles farther for the same amount of oil degredation. My record for a 13.2 gallon tank of gas is 602 miles. (That included a Texas tail wind, coasting down hills and over-inflated tires!) I'm not recommending any of those things. So far after 47,000 miles my total maintainence bill  besides oil changes is for windshield wipers and a rear brake light. 

     WILL IT INVALIDATE YOUR WARRANTEE?  SURE!  THAT'S WHY YOU BOUGHT A TOYOTA IN THE FIRST PLACE....SO YOU WOULDN'T NEED THE WARRANTEE. OF COURSE 

YOU COULD LIE TO THEM.... LIKE THE GOVERNMENT DOES TO US EVERY DAY!  IT SEEMS TO WORK FOR THEM?   OH... AND DON'T CARRY A BIG CAN OF WALMART ACETONE AROUND IN YOUR CAR! WHEN YOUR WIFE CRASHES ON THE FREEWAY AND A FLAME HITS THAT ACETONE IT WOULD CREATE A TERRIBLE FIRE! and NO SMOKING!!  NOTE: I GOT THIS IDEA FROM A BIG BEAUTIFUL, TALL TEXAS BLOND  WHO WAS A LOT SMARTER THAN I WAS. She was looking for a big Texas Cowboy who didn't lie about his age and she found one!  Thanks Jeannie!   PS... They will tell you it doesn't work with gasahol... it works fine!  GWB

WHAT THE ARMY HAS LEARNED ABOUT SUICIDES IN 10 YEARS

STUDY SHOWS MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT MAY CAUSE ARMY SUICIDES!

      I love Gen. Peter Chiarrelli because he is bright, dedicated and tells it like it isARMY SUICIDES JUST KEEP GOING UP!  His 15 month study shows that in 2010 more army soldiers died because of their own behavior than by the enemy. (239) He further found that with more than 110,000 current soldiers on mind altering prescription drugs
(ie anti-depressants, sleep meds, anti-anxiety drugs, anti-psychotics
and narcotics) it is difficult to tell to what degree the medications are either helping or hurting the drive to reduce suicides. 

     A lot of this is because when you mix these medications with alcohol, cocaine or other drugs they can produce really bad results. 

         One thing he didn't mention is that there is very poor continuity of care in the Army. (The system is designed to discourage it.)  I have talked to many soldiers who had either good care or really bad care but it was interrupted, limited or denied after to short a period of time. Good care for TBI, PTSD and depression

requires good people who develop a vital relationship with the patient and have plenty of time to complete it. This was hard to come by at Ft. Hood and I had to work my butt off to get it for the soldiers I saw who really needed it. 

       As far as I could tell the mental health providers in the Army who provided great care to soldiers (either on post or in private practice) were not rewarded. It's all about numbers and speed and limited visits... in other words limited $$$. The really good ones just absolutely loved soldiers with problems!  and that was returned. 

         Another thing I love about Gen. Chiarrelli is that when he commissioned this study he admitted that taking care of these issues

(Which was my job at the Ft. Hood PDHRA) had taken a back seat to deploying soldiers... at least thru half of 2008 when suicides became alarmingly high. You have to love a guy who can at least tell the truth even if he can't seem to do anything about it. 

lilGWB

The Skeptical Bureaucrat Elucidates on Calderon Visit, Wikileaks

       Have you noticed that the world has been sort of falling apart since last November when the Wikileaks
came out with all the US State Department Cables?  And have you noticed how the amount of senseless killings

and bizarro murders in the US has escalated the past few months? Today The Skeptical Bureaucrat posted a 

great piece about Mexico President Calderon's visit with Obama this past week. It looks like the leaked

cables on Mexico have cost us not one just but two ambassadors! 

       This week also brought something new to Arizona where governor Jan Brewer helped herself get elected by spreading tales of beheaded corpses scattered over Arizona's southern desert. A guy was actually beheaded

in Chandler, Arizona after escaping from drug traffickers in Mexico. Chandler, Az Beheading Oct. 10 There 

is very little you can't get murdered for in Mexico these days but stealing a drug load will put the professionals 

on your trail. 

Also of interest this past week is a UN report that UN Report: Big Increase In Mexican Heroin Coming to US currently about 13,000 acres of land is currently devoted to heroin production in Mexico. They 

are outsourcing the farming now to illegal immigrants from Central America who work as slaves. If not willing 

to work they get tortured/murdered. The Mexican government says they rescued 628 of them last year from 

the drug cartels. 

        Activisim in Mexico also ranks high as a lethal profession. Josephina Reyes campaigned for years about atrocities against the women of Juarez by the Mexican Army til she was murdered a year ago. Since then they have gone after her mother, sister and other relatives who are now seeking asylum. Slain Activist's Surviving Family Seeks US Asylum  A brave young criminology student took over the vacant police chief duties in Praxedis G.Guerrero near Juarez last fall. She worked alone and carried no weapon. This weekend she fled to El Paso after death threats. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE STATE DEPARTMENT RARELY GRANTS IMMUNITY TO PEOPLE LIKE THIS INCLUDING JOURNALISTS. Why? Because they don't want these people bringing their troubles across the border. De Nile is a river near El Paso! Anyway.... If you want to know what's really going on in the world check outThe Skeptical Bureaucrat

for some great insights!  Also read Charles Bowden's books starting with "Down by The River". I wish our ambassadors to Mexico had read that before insulting the Mexican officials. lil GWB

Understanding Obama As A Pulltoy

Design

Last night I was reading GWB his bedtime story. He has always liked King Abdullah II of Jordan so it
was his memoir: "Our Last Best Chance" which I picked up for free at the library. He had to rush this
book out after the Tunisia revolt in November started a revolution that includes all the mid-east oil
producers. His message is that we have to achieve peace between Isreal and Palestine before it is
too late. GWB fell asleep in Ch 2 but when I finished the book he looked at me and said: "It's
way too late isn't it? Let's eat!   I had chocolate cake, he had cat food.. but GWB is right. This
book was totally out of date before it was printed. THE WAR IS ON!

It must be amazing to see your friends of 50 years deposed or on the way to that almost overnight. Mubarek is gone, Saddam Husein, King Abdulla (Saudia Arabia) was sending security forces north
yesterday and threatening to invade Bahrain to put down the protests there. Will the author once again
be pulled into a war against Isreal like 1967 and 1973? Things are deteriorating so fast it is
no wonder Obama and the Dept. of State don't know what to do?

Last night though, The Oregon Air National Guard sent a fighter group to Qatar and the British
put "The Black Watch" (600 SAS troops) on 24 hr standby. It looks like Obama said: You guys
take the lead on this and we'll back you up if we need to." Meanwhile, the African Union troops
in Somalia are being over run and outgunned by Somali jihadis and the US Africa Command based
in nearby Dhjibuti seem unable to do anything. The US Navy and Special Forces having taken on
the Somali Pirates and lost several weeks ago are now back in the Mediterranean waiting for
instructions.... Will they ever come? Oh yeah... I forgot. The Libyan rebels ARE CALLING
FOR HELP!!  WHAT TO DO?? So I talked with GWB over a breakfast and he had this advice.

"Tell those hundreds of thousands of Libyans and foreign workers yearning for some food, water
and medical supplies that Obama will respond with all the resources at his disposal as soon
as this thing is over and Kadhafi is dead. Meanwhile they might think of starting a chapter of
the Muslim Brotherhood so they can call Egypt for help." ... and don't forget: ALL OPTIONS
ARE ON THE TABLE!"   GWB

Lahore High Court Rules: 'lil' George "W" takes the day off!

http://www.dawn.com/2011/03/03/raymond-davis-expected-to-be-charged-in-court-today.html

        George "W" headed for the loft this morning for a well deserved nap after
 hearing that Raymond Davis can't get diplomatic immunity because no document has been so far produced in court saying that he has it! He says his next project might be to investigate all this Republican BS about cutting private security contractors to save money. GWB is a private security
contractor which is why I have to do all the writing for him. After he patrols the yard 3 or 4
times a day he has no time or energy to do any other work!  It's in his contract!

THIS JUST IN!http://www.dawn.com/2011/03/04/court-rejects-daviss-plea-for-immunity-trial-to-go-ahead.html

Raymond Davis is No Diplomat

   

     According to 'lil' George "W" the story about Raymond Davis has been "Spun to a Fare-thee-Well"
by the Dept. of State. George has been reporting on Hillary for almost 10 years and he advises checking out every damn thing she says for accuracy because the truth usually comes out months later. In this case George had to actually read the "Vienna Convention" which he thought was classical music.

     Since the Wikileaks came out George "W" has been reading the Guardian and he came up with this article about Ray Davis. This CIA Agent is No Diplomat

The US says Raymond Davis should have immunity in Pakistan. Just another attempt to flout the rule of law outside its borders
By Craig Murray
February 28, 2011 "The Guardian" --  I tread with some caution in discussing the case of Raymond Davis, the CIA agent facing charges of double murder in Pakistan and the threat of the death penalty. I add my plea to the voices urging the Pakistani government to ensure Davis does not hang. 

HERE ARE THE RELEVANT DETAILS THAT WERE "MUDDIED" BY THE OFFICIAL STATEMENTS REGARDING DAVIS' DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY.

Full diplomatic immunity is enjoyed only by "diplomatic agents". Those are defined at article 1 (e) of the Vienna convention as "the head of the mission or a member of the diplomatic staff of the mission". Helpfully the diplomatic staff are further defined in the preceding article as "having diplomatic rank". Those ranks are an ascending series of concrete titles from third secretary through to ambassador or high commissioner. Davis did not have a diplomatic rank.
But there is a second category of "administrative and technical staff" of a mission. They enjoy a limited diplomatic immunity which, however, specifically excludes "acts performed outside the course of their duties". (Vienna convention article 37/2.) Frantic off-the-record briefing by the state department reflected widely in the media indicates that the US case is that Davis was a member of technical staff covered by this provision.
But in that case the US has to explain in the course of precisely which diplomatic duties Davis needed to carry a Glock handgun, a headband-mounted flashlight and a pocket telescope. The Vienna convention lists the legitimate duties of an embassy, and none of them need that kind of equipment.
It appears in any event unlikely that Davis ever was a member of the technical staff of the embassy or consulate. Under article 10 of the Vienna convention the host authorities must be formally informed – by diplomatic note – of the arrival and departures of such staff, and as embassies under article 11 are subject to agreed numerical limits, that in practice occurs when another member of staff is leaving. If this was not done Davis was not covered even in the course of his duties.
Pakistani senior ex-military sources tell me there is no note appointing Davis as embassy or consulate staff, and that appears to pass a commonsense test – if the note exists, why have the Americans not produced it?  I told George that we need to consult a professional on this question...
Like the SKEPTICAL BUREAUCRAT!  He can probably find that note around the office someplace! ??
At least I thought this evaluation was the most enlightening I've seen. Dan