"Life and Death Along the Border" Explores the Migrant Experience and America's Love Affair with Marijuana

I'm sharing a documentary I saw on Current TV. It's titled "Life and Death Along the Border." It was produced by Vanguard. It is a 3 part special on Current TV. (check your local listings). There are also a number of video clips on You Tube. You can find them by searching on "vanguard life and death on the border." The clip I am sharing describes:
1. The desperation of migrants, seeking the American Dream, who cross the border and how they risk life and limb to make the dangerous, deadly crossing. There are so many deaths, so many unknown bodies. Shocking. The documentary also actually does an illegal border crossing.
2. The second part of the documentary is not as visually shocking, but its content is even more shocking. The documentary explores how Mexican drug trafficking organizations have gained a foothold in the U.S. It is appalling to find that over 70% of this Drug Market is Marijuana! Yes, Marijuana -- the drug all your friends and neighbors use on a daily basis! Marijuana is the most important and profitable drug for these dangerous drug cartels, much more so than cocaine, heroine and meth combined. Marijuana is grown wild in Mexico and in secluded locations in the U.S.
What is most shocking is America's complicity with the cartels. Americans, at all levels, partnering with them in product development, distribution and in guns and violence. These cartels are intertwined with many American drug users and dealers.
Ultimately, it is America's dependence on Marijuana that is fueling all of this violence.

After viewing the video, we have to help Mexico stop these cartels once and for all. However, if America wants to help Mexico and stop these Drug Cartels, we have three choices.
1. we can ask ALL Americans to Stop Using Marijuana
2. we can legalize it.
3. we can remain status quo -- and the drugs & violence will continue to thrive and grow.
My recommendation is to bring the message to all Americans. Everyone should see this documentary. I think ALL Americans should stop using Marijuana. I know this will never happen. Too many people in America are users and abusers. They won't stop using it. Additionally, the right wing hypocrites will NEVER legalize it. So we are doomed to remain status quo.

If Repubs Continue to Refuse to Raise the Debt Ceiling and Destroy the Middle Class, the President SHOULD Invoke the 14th Amendment and Pay Our Debt!

As Republicans continue to pander to the Rich and demand more cuts (Medicare, Social Security) for the Middle Class, IF they continue to stonewall the President and push our country into a deeper Recession/Depression and refuse to Raise the Debt Ceiling, then the President should invoke the 14th Amendment and pay our Country's bills. True Americans stand behind our President.

In a recent article, Katrina vanden Heuvel said: "Invoking the 14th Amendment defuses the bomb Republicans have strapped to the hostage." By doing so, the President would end the debt ceiling negotiations and create a NEW BUDGET WITHOUT THE REPUBS! The 14th Amendment says: “the validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law ... shall not be questioned.”

Katrina continued: In Freytag v. Commissioner (1991), the Supreme Court held that the president has "the power to veto encroaching laws . . . or to disregard them when they are unconstitutional." The final word still may lie with the Supreme Court, but in the interim, the President need not wait for its opinion. "As a simple matter of constitutional logic, the president can refuse to enforce a statute he believes violates the Constitution," said Professor Barry Friedman of NYU Law School in a telephone interview with me. It is also unlikely that the action would be successfully challenged in court. Only Congress would have standing to sue, but doing so would require a joint resolution, something a Democratic-controlled Senate would almost certainly block."

I agree with Katrina. If the Repubs continue their antics attacking the Middle Class, favoring the Rich and REFUSING to raise the Debt Ceiling, then Please President Obama, Please INVOKE the 14th Amendment! Do it for ALL Americans! We will stand behind you!

Repubs Demand Tax Cuts for Millionaires While Forcing Middle Class to Tighten Their Belts; Meanwhile Double Talking Tea Party Repubs Love Pork!

WASHINGTON --Having the Senate declare that millionaires should share more of the pain involved in putting America's financial house in order is "rather pathetic," Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) declared Tuesday. Sessions, the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, made that pronouncement after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said, "It is the sense of the Senate that any agreement to reduce the budget deficit should require that those earning $1,000,000 or more per year make a more meaningful contribution to the deficit reduction effort."
The measure describes how well the wealthy have done lately, citing statistics that say the median income of S&P 500 companies chief financial officers jumped $2.9 million last year alone, even though the "median family income has declined by more than $2,500" in the last 10 years. The resolution also notes that 20 percent all income goes to the top 1 percent, and 80 percent of the nation's income growth over the last quarter century has also gone to the top 1 percent.

Sessions and his Republican colleagues found expression of such ideas of little use, and said it only delays getting around to major cuts, including cutting Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Meanwhile, double-talking Republican Congressmen pled for more funding for their pork-laden pet projects while DEMANDING Cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Here are some examples:

Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-Tenn.) - Port of Cates
On March 8, 2011 Fincher spoke directly with Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood about the funds. The next day, he wrote a follow-up letter seeking assistance in "obligating" the $13 million grant for the port. Two days after writing LaHood, Fincher voted for the a Republican House budget that cut billions of dollars, including from many other transportation priorities. His office put out a press release scolding "out of control" and "reckless" federal spending.

Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio). On March 8, the freshman Republican co-signed a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration requesting that the Department of Transportation fund a project to improve a runway at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport. The cost of the improvement: $4.365 million.
Less than a month later, on the floor of the House, he declared that "our nation is broke. The federal government has maxed out its credit card."

On March 1, Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) wrote Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, urging him to support a grant application submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Biomass Crop Assistance Program division by MFA Oil Biomass LLC. The company was spearheading a project to "provide farmers an alternative energy crop source, as well as new crop processing technology." An infusion of federal funding, Crawford added, would "create a significant number of new jobs for Arkansas."

Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), for instance, wrote the Department of Agriculture on February 14, asking for $7,498,015 in cash and commodities contributions for the American Nicaraguan Foundation and Fabretto Children's Foundation -- groups that run education, health and nutrition programs in Nicaragua. Neither the congressman's office nor the Fabretto Children's Foundation returned requests for comment as to whether the funding went through. At a time when foreign aid is considered low-hanging fruit in the search for spending reductions, Walsh may have wanted to avoid drawing attention to that expense.

Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.), was criticized for putting out a press release on March 17 that praised the issuance of a $21 million federal grant to the Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport for the construction of a second commercial runway. And Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) was praised locally, but raised some eyebrows nationally, when he sought federal grants and other aid for Staten Island’s two hospital systems.

Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.), one of those freshmen, secured $10 million to purchase land for training facilities as well as $19.9 million for ship preliminary design and feasibility studies. Rep. Bobby Schilling (R-Ill.), another freshman, secured $2.5 million for weapons and munitions advanced technology -- money that could end up in the Quad City Manufacturing Lab at the Rock Island Arsenal, located in his district.

Reps. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.), Scott Tipton (R-Colo.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Kevin Yoder (R-Kan.) to co-sign an April 6 letter to the Department of Agriculture requesting that unused funds be spent helping the Rocky Mountain Region combat a bark beetle epidemic. It also seemed to be the thought process behind another letter Noem wrote to the Agriculture Department, demanding that South Dakota get its fair share of federal funds for wildfire damage control. Noem's office did not return a request for comment.

Anti-Latino Hate Groups Behind ANTI-Latino Racial Profiling Bills; D.A. King Lobbyist in Georgia; NumbersUSA in Many States!

Georgia is now facing a severe Ag Worker Labor Shortage leaving crops rotting on the vine. They have one vile, racist zealot to blame for their troubles. His name is D.A. King. He is a Lobbyist with a special interest in Immigration issues. As I've recently reported, Georgia's xenophobic state legislature has passed a racial profiling bill (hb87) very similar to sb1070. Stuck in the courts, the fate of this racial profiling bill, HB87, is still unknown in the frenetic final days of Georgia's legislative session. This bill's heinous author, state Rep. Matt Ramsey, was spotted several times huddled in hushed discussions in the Capitol hallways with ANTI-Latino lobbyist D.A. King. Even though a judge last week temporarily blocked two provisions of the racial profiling law, King claims victory. He cited several parts that were not blocked, saying they "will greatly deter illegal aliens from attempting to take jobs in Georgia."

The evil King, 59, a smooth talking lobbyist, has been a permanent fixture at the Capitol for years, lobbying lawmakers and rallying like-minded, Anti-Latino supporters of phone and letter-writing campaigns. The bombastic, beefy, 6-foot-2 activist's approach is often confrontational, always loud and outspoken, making him a godzilla zealot among those who favor stricter immigration enforcement - and earning him plenty of enemies. His advice has been welcomed by some extreme right wing legislators, including state Rep. Matt Ramsey, a Republican in the lilly-white Atlanta suburb of Peachtree City who authored Georgia's strict measure. Ramsey said King provided integral guidance when drafting the new law, and he rallied supporters to pressure lawmakers with phone calls and emails.

"I can't think of anybody in my 20 years of working on this issue who has been more adroit in working inside the state Legislature to get legislation actually passed," said the extremist Roy Beck, executive director of the Anti-Latino Hate Group (per ADL)NumbersUSA, which pushes for tighter immigration control and Anti-Latino legislation across the country. Beck continues, "He's just kind of at the top of the heap nationwide in terms of local (Anti-Latino) activists."

Fair-minded Humanitarians say about King, "I think he works to push his agenda in a very divisive way," said Jerry Gonzalez, executive director of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials. "One has to look at who this man is. He is a convicted felon who is advising our legislators and our governor on very important policy matters."

The law breaking King brags openly about his felony conviction. He pleaded guilty in 1977 to a charge of interstate gambling, answering phones and picking up money for a criminal bookmaker taking bets in Alabama. King, a scam artist, claimed he had no interest in politics or activism and didn't vote in the early nineties. "What happened is when I started learning about illegal immigration, I went from being very, very shy to being very, very upset," claims the loud-speaking zealot.

King started hating Latinos, assuming they were ALL "illeegals" in the late 1990s. A large, Latino family moved in across the street from the house he shares with his wife in suburban Atlanta. Before long, he claims there were about 20 people HE SUSPECTED were in the country illegally living in the three-bedroom home. King claims their yard was full of old vehicles and parties disrupted the neighborhood. King complained to his local government about code violations but since they were not doing anything illegally, he received no response.

Then the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks marked the schemer's "aha moment." King said, "I realized if I could (make people believe I) have people living "illegally" across the street from me and there are people in the country who are flying planes into our buildings, this doesn't seem like a big effort at national security." Dollar Signs rolled in the schemer's eye sockets. That's when he began researching illegal immigration on an old hand-me-down computer from his brother-in-law.

King stopped working as an insurance agent in 2003 to devote himself full time to his scheme and held a rally at the state Capitol in 2003, the first of more than two dozen. He also was profoundly affected by five trips to the Arizona-Mexico border (with the scheming Minutemen who soaked millions of dollars from unsuspecting followers for a Fake Border Fence) between 2003 and 2006, he said.

King decided he was going to show the world just how angry Americans are about illegal immigration. Along with his followers, he showed up at the state Capitol in Atlanta in October, 2005 to protest. Trouble was, there were only a few dozen who showed up. King wasn't fazed. As The Atlanta Journal-Constitution quickly discovered, the long-time anti-immigration zealot found a solution immediately -- he paid $10 each to 14 homeless people from the neighborhood, handed them signs, and set them loose. He was PROUD of his scam. "I consider it very good use of the day labor laws," an unrepentant King boasted to the newspaper. "Yes, I paid them," he added to Creative Loafing, an alternative newspaper. "And I'm going to pay them again."

Lobbyist King is still "paying them" as he continues to push these hate-filled, anti Latino bills. He also continues to write to newspapers across the country spewing his opinions. He also writes for the White Nationalist group VDARE and has no apologies about it.

Happy 4th of July: The 10 Best Things About America!

Click on the picture for a closer view

Protesters rally against Georgia immigration law: Tens of Thousands March Against Racial Profiling Bill!

Salon.com reports: Capitol police and organizers estimate Atlanta crowd at between 8,000 and 14,000
Thousands of marchers marched on the Georgia Capitol on Saturday to protest the state's (Racial Profiling) new immigration law, which they say creates an unwelcome environment for people of color and those in search of a better life. Men, women and children of all ages converged on downtown Atlanta for the march and rally, cheering speakers while shading themselves with umbrellas and posters. Capitol police and organizers estimated the crowd at between 8,000 and 14,000. They filled the blocks around the Capitol, holding signs decrying House Bill 87 and reading "Immigration Reform Now!"

Friends Jessica Bamaca and Melany Cordero held a poster that read: "How would you feel if your family got broken apart?" Bamaca was born in the U.S., but her mother and sister are from Guatemala. She said she fears they will be deported. "I would be here by myself," said Bamaca, 13. "I have a feeling (the governor) doesn't know the pain affecting families. If he were to be in our position, how would he react?"

Adelina Nicholls, executive director of the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, said the crowd was sending a message. "They are ready to fight," Nicholls said. "We need immigration reform, and no HB87 is going to stop us. We have earned the right to be here."

Azadeh Shahshahani of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia called the rally inspiring and said she hoped lawmakers would recognize the law's potential to damage the state. "I think it's going to have an impact," she said. "Unfortunately, the damage has already been done as far as people of color having second thoughts about moving to Georgia."

Several different groups stood with the largely Latino crowd, including representatives from the civil rights movement. The Rev. Timothy McDonald, an activist who has been supportive of immigration protesters, was among the speakers showing his solidarity. "You are my brothers and my sisters," McDonald told the crowd. "Some years ago, they told people like me we couldn't vote. We did what you are doing today. We are going to send a message to the powers that be ... that when the people get united, there is no government that can stop them. Don't let them turn you around."

MiLi Lai, a student at Emory who is Chinese, also attended the rally because the immigration law doesn't just apply to Latinos, but "all non-American people." "We are the same community," Lai said. "We have to fight for our rights."

Bellanira Avoytes came to the rally with her husband and three children. Although she is a legal resident and her children were born in Georgia, she does not see herself as separate from undocumented Latinos. "I have family who are not residents," she said. "I am together with the Latin people. I love Georgia. I have stayed here for 18 years. I want to buy a house here."

Saturday's rally follows a "day without immigrants" organized Friday, when some parts of the law took effect. It was organized by the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights. The organization asked businesses to close and community members not to work or shop to protest the law.

On Monday, a judge temporarily blocked key parts of the law until a legal challenge is resolved. One provision that was blocked authorizes police to check the immigration status of suspects without proper identification. It also authorizes them to detain illegal immigrants. Another penalizes people who knowingly and willingly transport or harbor illegal immigrants while committing another crime.

Parts of similar measures in Arizona, Utah and Indiana also have been blocked by the courts.

Provisions that took effect Friday include one that makes it a felony to use false information or documentation when applying for a job. Another provision creates an immigration review board to investigate complaints about government officials not complying with state laws related to illegal immigration.

Baptists support Dream Act

KETK News reports: There is one issue in the fight over illegal immigration that comes very close to pleasing both Republicans and Democrats. It’s summed up in a bill called the Dream Act. And now, it has support from a group that might surprise you.

Richard Land is a familiar figure to both Baptists, and TV audiences being a regular guest on talk shows whenever public policy and faith issues collide. He heads the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission for the Southern Baptist Convention the second largest Christian body in the US. He also favors the Dream Act.
“The Dream Act is aimed precisely and specifically at thost people who haven’t broken the law. These people are innocent,” Land told KETK.

Dr. Richard Land and the SBC have also been largely associated with the Republican Party over the years.
But he has announced that, with restrictions, he can support a bill written by Democratic Senator Richard Durbin. “Well, It seems to me, why would people not support the Dream Act if it’s a clean act,” he says. “It gives people who are here in an undocumented status, through no fault of their own, the ability to earn their way to full legal status by serving honorably in our military and defending the country, or by going to college and getting degrees and becoming productive members of society.”

The Dream Act would extend essentially an amnesty to young people whose parents brought them into the country illegally, and who ultimately graduate from a four year college or serve a hitch in the military.
But Land says, the bill must be accompanied by a couple of restrictions… “”We have to secure the border and secure the workplace first,” he warned.

Land also says we have to face reality about those who are already here. “What we have now is a mess,” he told us. “And it’s a mess by virtue of the government not enforcing the law for 20 years. I had a congressman say to me, well, it’s wrong not to enforce the law. And I said yes you’re right. And it’s also not to have enforced the law for 20 years and all of a sudden say retroactively, well, we’re going to enforce the law. You let somebody work here for 20 years, establish a family here, establish roots here and then say ‘you’ve been breaking the law here for 20 years. We haven’t said anything, but now you have to go home.’ That’s not fair.”
KETK asked Land about the response he’s gotten from his membership. He says the sentiment is running about 80-20 in favor of the Dream Act. It is divided mainly along age lines with older Baptists being more disapproving than younger ones.