Good Investigative Journalism

Ok we all know by now that the television network (channel?) Current is an Al Gore thing. No real big deal I don't guess. Gore is a loon no doubt, (and allegedly a weenie wagger in his own right), and of course that Olbermann nut finally "found a home" on this station, but those small details do not negate the fact that there is some pretty good investigative journalism taking place here. As would be expected, the content comes from a "progressive" "we are the world" viewpoint but again I emphasize, the journalism can be top notch.

I have watched numerous programs here and found them to be quite interesting. The other day for instance, I watched a documentary that followed a group of folk from El Salvador who were trying to make their way north through Mexico to the U.S. Some of the scenes were pretty amazing. These folks had to negotiate freight trains, do a heck of a lot of walking, and finally swim the Rio Grande. It was so intense that I found myself rooting for them. The fact that they are attempting to become "illegals" did not diminish my desire to see them succeed. That is the empathetic human being in me I suppose.

Problem is though that this type of thing has to be stopped immediately. It is okay to sympathize and empathize but it is also okay to demand these folk be turned back. Sorry.

It is foolish to hate these people who attempt to make a better life for themselves. In fact, if one does hate them then I would submit that they lack something in the "human" department. That being said we must remember that some of these countries' encourage their citizens to enter this country illegally. The govt of Mexico is more than happy to see their poorest, bravest, and most desperate try to "escape" north. These folk pose a danger to them. Destitute and courageous people can tend to become revolutionary and perhaps become a problem to the corrupt system in Mexico. Also there is the fact that a good bit of money is sent back to circulate in their economy.

The fact remains that we must secure our borders by any means humanely necessary. This country has enough problems without needing to deal with a further influx of destitute folk into our country. (That and the low level, but escalating war taking place right across our border). Can't blame these folk for trying though. I certainly don't hate them.  I would like to think that I would have the courage to make the trek north if I were in their shoes.

Oh we never did get to see if these folks made it safely across. The program ends with them attempting to cross the river on an inflatable crocodile shaped swimming pool toy.

One has to admire their cajones.

Mohammedans, May Day, Massive Environmental Damage and Now - North Korea

Today is May Day which of course was a major event in the former Soviet Union. It is kind of ironic that it is also a day that leftists in this nation use for highlighting the "plight" of the American worker. It is also a bit funny that now "immigration advocates" (read illegal immigration advocates) have hijacked this day to rally in support of criminality. It would be funny if it were not so sad.

It appears that the incident in the Gulf of Mexico may well turn out to be an environmental disaster of unprecedented magnitude. Of course the whole thing is now being politicized by those on the left (and right). This is disgusting but certainly no surprise. Oil giant BP is under attack from many quarters and probably deservedly so, but in reality the rig was operated by a company called Transocean. Now Halliburton is being targeted also. That is predictable of course. The evil Halliburton which according to leftists is responsible for all the evils of the world apparently did some work on the rig. That being said however it must also be noted that BP does appear to be a menace. Their refinery in Texas City, TX. is known to be unsafe. A fact proven a few years ago with an explosion that killed and maimed people working there. Any casual observer can see that it is not the safest environment. I used to drive chemical tankers in and out of that particular facility and had the gut feeling that it was a death trap. Of course oil refining and the chemical production is a dangerous business anyway and accidents will happen.
As far as the disaster in the Gulf goes - There are already a bunch of people hatching and believing conspiracy theories, most of which are (hopefully) crazy. I have read that this may be an "attack" by environmental terrorists. I have also read that the administration itself is responsible for the disaster to further political ends. Combine this with the mine disaster in WV the other day and it is obvious that these events will help the "green energy" (anti energy) movement. To accuse the administration of orchestrating these tragic events is however almost as crazy as those "911 truthers." At least one hopes so.
Another interesting theory has surfaced that North Korean special forces were responsible for damaging the oil platform. This is pretty far fetched also, but it is worth noting that there was apparently a North Korean ship in the general vicinity. The U.S., France, UK, and Israel are not the only nations that sport special forces. This really seems out there, but a state of war does still exist between the two Koreas and the rig was apparently built by Hyundai Heavy Industries. It is something to at least think about. Perhaps a good idea for a novel. If you remember in "Red Storm Rising" Tom Clancy opened the story with Mohammedans launching a terrorist attack on a Soviet oil facility.
Probably what happened was a massive failure that cost lives and will have huge adverse environmental impact.
Does this mean that we stop drilling for energy? Of course not. That would be stupid although it may be what the current administration ultimately has in mind. I pose these questions to you. Would you like to pay 7.00 per gallon? How would we fuel our war machines? These are legitimate and necessary questions. Whether one likes it or not our military readiness is of paramount importance. I suppose we could power our warships with sails and use horses to pull our land artillery. Is there a need to explore alternatives to petroleum? Of course there is, but until such time as they are found we depend on petroleum. Let us not throw the baby out with the bath water as they say. We need to become energy independent, which at this time means we need to continue drilling for oil while recognizing the fact that there will be occasional disasters that will have to be cleaned up. To think otherwise is Utopian, childish and (dare I say) stupid.

I Might Just Start Liking the Sun Devils and Wildcats

I do not like the University of Arizona Wildcats nor the ASU Sun Devils. Never have. Really it is not so much a dislike but rather more of a discount. I tend to discount PAC 10 football when considering the "national championship" picture although this can be a mistake at times. Remember the exceptional USC teams of a few years back? One year the Condoms claimed a share of the national championship although they did not play in the actual BCS Championship game. That game was of course between LSU and the Sooners. It is really a shame that the BCS system can be so flawed that Oklahoma played in the game instead of USC which truly deserved the shot, but so it goes. It would have been much better if they had, and it is entirely possible that USC would have beaten the Tigers that year to legitimately claim the title. Alas they did not and consequently can not claim to be the rightful champion. The BCS is so screwed up. But that is not what I came here to discuss.

Arizona has passed anti illegal immigration legislation in their fair state and that is a good thing. Any of us who live in a border state and now even those who do not know that illegal immigration has gotten completely out of control. This is not a real secret and the problem has been with us for such a long time that any solution to eradicate (as in humanely deport - don't get your panties in a knot) those already here unlawfully will be inadequate at this point. That does not mean however that further illegal immigration can not be stopped. Arizona has taken a step in the right direction. It is interesting that some of the "Latino" advocacy groups are already calling for this to be repealed or be challenged in the federal courts. What they don't understand is legislation does not give carte blanche for the police to "profile" and arbitrarily harass Hispanics and others.. What it does do however is give the police the authority and indeed the obligation to inquire about immigration status when contact is made with criminal suspects in the performance of their job. Does this mean that some rogue cops will not profile? Of course not. This will happen and will, I am sure, be dealt with on an individual basis. Nothing is perfect. Now many people believe that all illegals should be rounded up and deported to their country of origin. I am not sure that is a realistic goal although it certainly is an admirable one. Many people including my brother are advocates of this tactic. He says ship them all back if found to be illegal and bill the cost to transportation to their country of origin. He even includes the oriental massage girls most of which are probably here illegally. In that case I say let us not be too hasty. Let's not go overboard here. All joking aside, this action by Arizona is a breath of fresh air and will open the door for other border states to consider similar action. Our nation can no longer afford to take on the "tired and hungry" of the world any longer. Sorry but we just can't. Waiting for the federal government to take any meaningful action will do nothing but insure that the problem will get worse. The current national administration certainly will not do anything.

With the passage of this legislation I am now officially an ASU Sun Devil and U of A Wildcat fan. I will follow their progress on the road to a BCS national title.