Wednesday, May 16, 2007
The Gutless Attack on Lou Dobbs by the Liberal Southern Poverty Law Center
A friend of mine who is a writer for the Partial Observer expressed to me his fears of writing certain articles because of fear of being intimidated by people on his job. It seems there is an overkill against the exercise of free speech by certain groups in this country. It's been going on for a long time, but now the practice of crucifying free speakers and free writers seems to be escalating. Shock Jock Don Imus - who among other things is one of America's leading charitable fundraisers was carried to the gallows by Al Sharpton and company. Opie and Anthony who said crude vulgar things about the Queen, Hillary, and Conoleeza Rice were suspended this week because of their words.
Now, Alabama's "fine" Southern Poverty Law Center has launched a full scale attack on CNN host Lou Dobbs because he brought to the attention of the American Public the rise in certain uncommon diseases that have accompanied illegal aliens into this country. One of those diseases is Leprosy. The SPLC has gone on a tirade against Dobbs impuning his integrity and accusing him of outright lying about the illegal immigration situation in this country.
Alabamians - if you look around and think back about 15 years, do you think Dobbs is exaggerating the illegal immigration situation in this country?
Morris Dees who founded the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery is one of the most artful fundraisers in the "stir the sympathy" business. He once won a lawsuit for a black lady against the KKK. The settlement was less than $60,000. Dees, however, in a solicitation letter based on the same case was able to raise several million dollars in fundraising. The man is shameless.
He is now setting his sights on Lou Dobbs - the only person in America who has brought the public the truth about illegal immigration. Will Dobbs go the way of Don Imus? We'll see...
Until next time...
From today's news:
Illegal Immigration Timebomb
Alabama may seize property of illegal aliens
Are illegals going to cause us all to have a communistic national ID Card?
Illegals trying to vote in Alabama?
Friday, May 11, 2007
From Cotton to Steel - Change is coming to South Alabama!
"Some days are diamond and some days are gold," says Governor Bob Riley quoting a Bob Denver song, when hearing the announcement of Alabama getting the ThyssenKrupp steel processing facility which will be located in Mount Vernon, Alabama.
How much is a billion dollars? Think of it this way, Alabama's annual budget is about 18 billion dollars give or take a few hundred million dollars(I'm not great with numbers - as I'm a Tennessee graduate). With that 18 billion all government in the state of Alabama is funded.
The ThyssenKrupp plant is a big deal. ThyssenKrupp is putting a $3.7 billion dollar investment into the area. That's about 18% of the Alabama budget. And that's not all - the plant will employee 2,700 workers and MORE - the construction phase will create 29,000 new jobs. Over twenty years the plant will create as many as 60,000 jobs not directly related to the plant facility.
Michael Rademacher, Vice Chairman and CFO of ThyssenKrupp Stainless, said. “This facility represents the largest investment in the history of ThyssenKrupp Stainless. While our direct entry to the US market is perhaps a bold step, it is also a logical and forward-looking one. The stainless steel market throughout the NAFTA region offers significant potential, and we are now poised to further strengthen our position.”
Money! Money! Money! More people moving into the area! More housing construction. Every small city within 100 miles of Mount Vernon will be impacted directly and indirectly by the decision made in Dusseldorf, Germany. Mount Vernon is about 87 commuting miles from Brewton, Alabama and 54 commuting miles from Atmore, Alabama.
I grew up in a town that has a 3500 employee aluminum plant. Alcoa Aluminum impacts cities up and down the Tennessee Valley. ThyssenKrupp will do the same thing. The Alabama automobile manufacturering market will be impacted and influenced to move closer to the steel! Expansion and more car manufacturers are likely on their way because of this development.
Population growth, economic growth, and cultural changes will create new demands on old stale county and city governments. While it be beneficial for most, the change will be painful for some as the region is delivered into the 21st Century.
I live in Loudoun County, Virginia, the wealthiest county in the United States. Our roads are packed along with our schools and hospitals. We have sections of Northern Virginia that look like Saigon, Calcutta, and Tijuana. In a scaled down way, the same thing will happen to south Alabama. There's no hiding place from change - you better get used to it. It's been a long time coming.
Hats off to Governor Riley and the hard working team that made this happen!
Check the ThyssenKrupp website for employment and vendor opportunities.
Until next time...
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Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Mexicans and Drugs in Alabama
Juan Carlos Ayala is on the Drug Enforcement Agency's Most Wanted List for conspiracy and distribution of methamphetamine (meth). Juan is from Mexico. His last known address was not in California, Arizona, New Mexico, or Texas. His last known address was at the Quail Run Apartments in Florence, Alabama. The New Orleans Field Division of the DEA has a most wanted list of drug fugitives in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Before you read on - click on the DEA link - and look at the names and faces of the DEA's most wanted. The majority are Mexican - if you don't believe me, count them!
The following blocked statements are not mine. They come straight from the DEA's website in it's report on Alabama:
Mexican and African American DTOs [Drug Trafficing Organizations] are major transporters and distributors of illegal drugs in Alabama. Organizations consisting of street gangs and motorcycle gangs may be contributing to the local drug trade; however, law enforcement does not have statistics to support this. Local groups and individuals according to law enforcement are responsible for the distribution and sometimes trafficking of illegal drugs in Alabama.
Money laundering continues to pose a threat in Alabama, especially in Birmingham and Montgomery. The most obvious businesses utilized are used car lots and Mexican restaurants. These businesses tend to be cash-intensive and lend well to the laundering of illegal proceeds from illicit drug trafficking. An ongoing investigation has identified several Mexican restaurants in Alabama and Florida utilized to launder illegal drug proceeds.
... methamphetamine has been identified by law enforcement as the number one drug threat in Alabama. Methamphetamine production in the state has seen a substantial decrease as a direct result of the restricting of psuedoehpedrine sales; however, it remains the most significant threat in Alabama as Mexican DTOs increased the total quantity available.
The Mexican DTOs[drug trafficing organizations] are responsible for transporting much larger loads of cocaine than the African American DTOs. The northern and southern regions of Alabama are supplied mostly from sources of supply in Houston, Texas. The central part of the state receives most of its cocaine from Atlanta, Georgia
The drug threat in Alabama is the widespread availability and abuse of illegal drugs arriving from outside the state, along with its homegrown marijuana and the increasing danger of local manufacture of methamphetamine and designer drugs. Conventional drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana comprise the bulk of drugs arriving in and shipped through Alabama. Colombian, Mexican, and Caribbean Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs), regional DTOs, as well as local DTOs and casual or one-time traffickers are responsible for the transportation of these drugs. Additionally, Mexican, Caribbean and regional DTOs have extensive distribution networks within the State of Alabama. Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs are also supplying methamphetamine on a very limited basis through their own distribution network within the state. Local production of methamphetamine is on the rise.
I used to live in the small wealthy town of Brewton, Alabama. Brewton has quite a large number of millionaires - out of proportion for its population. There are many young white kids who were born wealthy. Drugs have always been a problem there. The money in the town is a magnet for drugs.
Yet, when you read the news reports, none of the rich white kids are being apprehended for drug use or possession of narcotics. There are no Mexicans in Brewton being apprehended for drug distribution either. Brewton's Hispanic growth rate has rocketed in the past few years.
HOW COME THE SHERIFF AND POLICE CHIEFS AREN'T CATCHING ANY BIG FISH?
This situation isn't just common to Brewton or other small towns in Alabama. It's happening elsewhere in the U.S. Maybe this quote from Tom Tancredo might enlighten you. Tom Tancredo is one of the stronger advocates for tightening laws against illegal immigration:
"The corruption spreading from south of the border is not confined to Southern California," he writes. "In Cameron County, Texas, the former sheriff and several other officials were recently convicted of receiving drug-smuggling bribes..."
In the little town of Maryville, Tennessee where I grew up in the fifties and early sixties, moonshine liquor was a big problem. My late uncle was chief deputy. Every year, poison liquor contributed to a number of deaths in the county. Every year the sheriff and his deputies - including my uncle - would pose for their annual photo in front of a busted-up moonshine still. They always raided one or two small operations each year - although there were hundreds. I asked my uncle once why he participated in this hypocrisy? He replied that the people aren't going to support an unpopular law...
The next time you go to a Mexican restaurant and bite into that taco salad, ask yourself, "How many of the amigos working here are legal? Are any of them hiding out in plain sight from the DEA? Is the owner of the restaurant "laundering" big amounts of cash through his kitchen? What kind of lifestyle is the owner living?" Restaurants are not a traditional source of "big money," so if you see a restaurant entrepreneur with a big car, big house, expensive swimming pool, and other flashy extravagances - you might want to start checking him out! He might be poisoning your kids!
Until next time...
Friday, May 4, 2007
Gay (and Lesbian) Sexual Predators in Positions of Trust in Alabama
"There you go again, Mike Thomson, gay-bashing!"
I beg your pardon, when I speak of gay predators, I am not gay bashing. During the recent scandals in the Roman Catholic Church, "pedophile" was the mis-applied term to certain gay men who used their positions of trust to prey on young male teens. All you have to do is watch about a day's worth of Fox or MSNBC to see that this is becoming a national problem. The recent scandal with Mark Foley and the Congressional pages brought the issue of gay predators to the forefront.
Small sleepy southern towns have always had their resident "queens" and "butches". Many of these men and women are well respected and honorable and live lifetimes without any trace of scandal. Some, however, are not so benign in their lifestyles... Given the current climate and attention given to child sexual abuse,the spotlights are shining on sexual predators. If you were a gay or lesbian sexual predator where would you hunt your teenage prey?
Gay and lesbians sometimes "hide out" in small communities and some are married - with children. Successful gay/lesbian predators will seek occupations or professions where they have the greatest opportunity to interface with young teens and have the least risk of exposure and apprehension.
I am reminded of the story of a manager with a social services agency who was in a position of trust and power with young youthful offenders. These young men had no control over their situation or what was done to them by the manager who turned out to be a gay sexual predator. Charges were eventually brought against the manager. He lost his job, but guess what? Because of his "connections" in the small Alabama community, he now works in a position where he has an enormous amount of exposure to young people everyday. He never experienced jail time or went on a sexual offender list.
Sexual predators of all kinds - gay or straight - can find "cover" in power positions in prisons, youth detention facilities, and law enforcement - district attorney offices, police management, and jailers. They are also found in semi-power positions in schools, colleges, day care centers,church run facilities,sports organizations, etc.
In one small town I am familiar with, a magistrate i.e. a person who recommends individuals for criminal charges, was recently brought up on criminal lewdness charges for having one of his teenage female clients strip for him in his office while he photographed her with his digital camera.
If you or any member of your family fall victim to one of these predators, you should... wait - let me give an example of how this could happen in your family. I love to give examples in fable form - they're more easily understood:
Your son Jimmy, who plays football and has an excess of male hormone, goes to an "after game" party where beer and some "weed" are present. The police swoop in. Jimmy is caught with a "roach" in his hand. He is taken to the person in your community who has the power to bring charges or drop them. First, the "authority" figure tells Jimmy what a serious situation he's in if charges are brought - now this is good - Jimmy should definitely know how serious this could be to his future.
But then Jimmy's situation gets worse. The "authority" figure eases up a bit and begins telling Jimmy how "well built" he is. He might go so far as to massage Jimmy's biceps. At that point Jimmy might "deck" the authority figure thereby causing more problems for himself, or a very frightened Jimmy might acquiesce and let the massaging continue. I won't go on - I think you get the picture...
So what do you do if this happens to your Jimmy? It's definitely a pickle of a situation. Who do you trust? How many like-minded "authority" figures are in cahoots in your local system. In the Roman Catholic Church they discovered, in some cases an entire hierarchy of gay church officials, protecting each other. This can happen in local government also. The only thing you can do is go to the State Attorney General's office.
In Alabama the Attorney General has a number for complaining about public corruption and white collar crime. That number is 334-353-8494. Some advice before you call - write everything down - dates, times, places, and culprits.
Until next time...
Read Mike Thomson's comical serial short story entitiled Harold's Secret Life