Wednesday, February 23, 2011

The Denominator to the Rescue Congress should demand real border performance measures Glenn Spencer -- American Border Patrol -- February 23    ~~~///~~~     Democrats are criticizing Republicans for reducing funding for border security.     A House bill would cut the Border Patrol by 870 agents and cut $272 million in funds for surveillance systems.     Such cuts in the face of public support for increased border security seem counter-intuitive, but they are not. Much of the money spent on border security is wasted by a DHS that is not interested in securing the border. At the heart of the matter is how we score border security. No business can survive without accounting, and neither can the border security effort.     Billions of dollars have been wasted because administrations, both Democrats and Republicans, have refused to define border security. At a recent congressional hearing, Richard Stana, the point man for border security at the Government Accountability Office, said using the number of apprehensions as a measure of success without knowing how many people crossed the border illegally is meaningless. "You have to have the numerator and denominator to judge success," Stana said.     The percent of apprehensions is total apprehensions divided by the number of illegal entries times 100, or P = (A/E)*100. If BP apprehends 500,000, but 1.5 million cross, the rate would be (500,000/1,500,000) X 100, or 33%.     The problem is that we have the number we apprehend, the numerator, but we don't have the number who crossed illegally, the denominator. Congress should demand that DHS come up with the denominator before it spends any more money on border security.  Comment on This Feature     Past Features

Austin American-Statesman             sc  In Austin, usual suspects bemoan anti-illegal immigration proposals    People from all over the state converged on the Capitol on Tuesday to protest several immigration-related bills. -- Organizers from the Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance said that about 3,000 people of varying ages marched on the streets to the Capitol, and several hundred of them stuck around for a rally and to visit legislators...

Orange County Register -- Santa Ana, Calif.     Poll: Latino voters increasingly support Obama     President Barack Obama seems to have fallen short on economic and immigration promises he made to Latino voters before he was elected. -- Still, his approval ratings among Latino voters increased to 70 percent after falling as low as 57 percent in June 2010 in a Gallup poll, according to La Opinión...

Numbers USA      RINO Lugar's sponsorship of DREAM Amnesty helps draw primary challenge From state treasurer    Senator Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) will receive a major primary challenge in his bid for a seventh term in the United States Senate in 2012. State Treasurer Richard Mourdock announced Tuesday that he'll challenge Sen. Lugar after voting repeatedly against the wishes of his constituents...

KNXV-TV -- Phoenix      Border Patrol agents seize four backpacks of marijuana near Yuma    Border patrol agents seized almost 300 pounds of marijuana Tuesday near Tacna, according to authorities. -- The U.S. Border Patrol said agents were patrolling the area when they spotted several people walking south of Interstate Highway 8 near mile marker 47...

Willcox (Arizona) Range News      Sheriffs say feds being unrealistic    A pair of outspoken Arizona sheriffs said if the state does not lead the way, the federal government will eventually kowtow to those who want immigration reform without securing the border. -- Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever said the state is under attack by the ACLU and the U.S. Department of Justice... [See Obama Watch and Big Sis Watch]

KSAZ-TV -- Phoenix         Family probes border agent's death    Tucson -- The family of Brian Terry, the border agent killed in the line of duty, is speaking exclusively to Fox News about the investigation into their son's death. -- Since Brian Terry died two months ago, three people that have been arrested have been released for deportation...

CBS News      Feckless Feds suspected in gunrunning scandal    Keeping American weapons from getting into the hands of Mexican gangs is the goal of a program called "Project Gunrunner." But critics say it's doing exactly the opposite. CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports on what she found. -- December 14, 2010. The place: a dangerous smuggling route in Arizona not far from the border... brian terry

Associated Press       sc  Mexico Army: Suspect in ICE agent killing detained    Mexico, DF --A suspect in the killing of a U.S. immigration agent in Mexico has been detained, the Mexican Defense Department said Wednesday. -- The department statement gave no details about the detention. -- Immigrations and Customs Agents Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila were shot on a federal highway while traveling in the northern state of San Luis Potosi...

Dave Gibson -- The Examiner      Watch chilling interview with Mexican hit man    In November 2010, a cartel 'scoria' (hit man) sat down for an interview with an Al Jazeera reporter, under the condition that he will not reveal the organization for which he is contracted to kill. He claims to have been spent the last 11 years as an assassin...

KOLD-TV -- Tucson      128 illegal aliens caught west of Lukeville    A group of 128 illegal [aliens] were arrested just west of Lukeville, Ariz. with the help of video surveillance technology. -- Border Patrol agents spotted a group traveling northbound about 15 miles outside of Lukeville, Ariz. They dispatched a helicopter and agents to the area for further investigation, a release from US Customs and Border Protection detailed... [Related item]

Atlanta Journal-Constitution      Georgia bill would require schools, hospitals to count illegal aliens    Local school and hospital officials in Georgia would be required to count the number of illegal [aliens] they serve each year under legislation a Republican state lawmaker filed this month. -- Rep. Josh Clark's House Bill 296 also requires the state Board of Education to tally the expenditures, by school district, for illegal [aliens]...

Jim Kouri, CPP -- The Examiner      Somali piracy murders: Americans mourn the loss of hostages    People throughout the United States today are mourning the loss of four Americans killed by Somali pirates aboard a sailing vessel in the Indian Ocean this morning. U.S. officials were in the process of negotiating with the pirates for the safe return of the captured Americans when the murders took place, officials said... [Related item] [Related Fox News video report]

Dave Gibson -- The Examiner      Once again, President Calderon blames cartel violence on U.S.    On Tuesday, Mexican President Felipe Calderon told El Universal newspaper that U.S. law enforcement agencies are hurting his fight against the drug cartels due to a lack of coordination between the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the CIA and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)...

Creative Loafing -- Atlanta      Usual suspects bewail Georgia's immigration legislation     Human and civil rights groups took to the Capitol steps today and --- standing under a statue of one of Georgia's most famous advocates of white supremacy --- declared their opposition to a slew of anti-[illegal alien.... criminal] bills state lawmakers are considering.

Pinal County Sheriff's Office     Multi-agency operation yields more than 3,200 pounds of pot  Pinal County, Ariz. – Multi-agency operations concluded Saturday in the Vekol Valley and Silver Bell Mountain areas, which include Pinal, Pima, and Maricopa Counties. This operation was conducted as part of the Alliance to Combat Transnational Threats (ACTT) and yielded more than 3200 lbs of marijuana with an estimated street value of more than $2.5 million...

Boston Herald     Providence wants to opt out of Secure Communities program  Providence, R.I. -- Providence has asked to opt out of a federal program that allows police to check fingerprints of all people arrested to verify their immigration status. -- Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare said in a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that the Secure Communities program will create fear in the [illegal alien] community and mistrust of police...

Washington Post      Former ICE intelligence chief is among immigration agents under investigation  Several agents with U.S. ICE, including the former head of the agency's intelligence office, are subjects of an internal inquiry into alleged personal misconduct, sources say. -- James M. Woosley, who was ICE's assistant director for intelligence, was relieved of his position, according to a DHS official who spoke on the condition of anonymity...

Cronkite News Service      Arizona's English immersion program could be unlawful    At a time when one-in-eight students in Arizona qualify for English language services, the state has made controversial and --- according to the federal government --- possibly unlawful changes to its language education program...

CNN      Smuggler tunnels probe for U.S. border weakness    Nogales, Az. -- As night falls, U.S border patrol agents know smugglers will use the dark to sneak into the country with illegal [aliens] and drugs -- both above and below ground. -- Under the Arizona border city of Nogales is a network of tunnels -- some built as part of the city's flood defenses, others built by the smugglers...

LTE -- Gwinnett Daily Post -- Lawrenceville, Ga.     Kudos to King on truth about aliens     Thanks again to D. A. King for reminding us that we need to closely watch our governor and our other elected politicians. -- Don't think for a moment that these politicians are other than political animals intent on feathering their nest and being re-elected. And don't think for a moment that organizations like the Chambers of Commerce, the ACLU... [See The Dustin Inman Society]

Prison Planet -- Austin, Texas       Seattle business refuses to serve TSA agents     A Seattle cafe has sensationally banned TSA workers from entering its business premises, refusing service as a consequence of the odious reputation the agency has required in the aftermath of a nationwide revolt against invasive pat down procedures and naked body scanners... [See Big Brother Watch - Big Sis Watch - Obama Watch]

WOAI-AM -- San Antonio      Bill calls for illegals to be dumped at offices of congressmen    This should get their attention. -- A measure filed by State Rep. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) would allow any law enforcement agency that has custody of an illegal [alien] to take the illegal to 'the office of a U.S. Senator or Representative' and leave them there... [Related Fox News item]

Deseret News -- Salt Lake City     Pollster: Utahns want immigration solution, just not sure what it is    When it comes to illegal immigration --- one of the state's toughest, trickiest issues --- Utahns seem to want a solution, but just aren't sure what it is. --"I don't know of an issue that's been more confusing for a long, long time," said pollster Dan Jones...

Economic Collapse Blog      As the Obamas and the ultra-wealthy live the high life most Americans are going through economic hell    Barack Obama recently made the following statement to American families that are struggling to survive in this economy: "If you're a family trying to cut back, you might skip going out to dinner, or you might put off a vacation." A few days after making that statement Obama sent his wife and children off on yet another vacation...

TriCities.com      Immigration law has sheriff's department's support    Uniconi Co., Tenn. -- A federal lawsuit has so far prevented parts of Arizona's immigration law from going into effect, but that's not stopping some Tennessee leaders from pushing a similar law. -- The "Tennessee Lawful Immigration Enforcement Act" is up for discussion in Nashville and now the bill has the support of an area sheriff's department...

Indianapolis Star      Immigration bill advances to House    An Arizona-style immigration measure passed the Senate 31-18 Tuesday evening despite the opposition of community leaders who say it will hurt Indiana's image and lead to racial profiling. -- The wide-ranging bill would task state and local police with enforcing federal immigration law and require most government documents and hearings to be in English only...

WGCL-TV -- Atlanta     Open-borders fanatics toss tantrum at state capitol    Several civil rights and human rights groups like the NAACP and ACLU stood together on the state capital to voice their concerns against HB87. -- Protesters said HB87 is a copy of similar legislation that passed in Arizona. -- D.A. King, a proponent of the legislation, said the bill would weed out illegal immigrants from the state of Georgia. -- King also referred to the protesters as race batters... [Related Video]

The Daily Herald -- Columbia, Tenn.     Bills target illegal aliens    Republican state lawmakers representing Maury County are pushing a variety of bills they say will stamp out illegal immigration in Tennessee. -- State Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, said the reason he is supporting the bills is simple: The federal government -- both under the Bush and the Obama administrations — is not doing enough to protect the nation's borders...

WXIA-TV -- Atlanta      Sheriff's Office investigating release of invader now wanted for murder    Lawrenceville, Ga. -- Gwinnett County's Sheriff is launching a full investigation into the release of a man now suspected of drug trafficking and the deaths of three young children. -- Ivan Gonzalez, 26, has been on the run from police since the fire at a Lilburn home on Feb. 17. Investigators say hazardous chemicals used to make methamphetamine sparked the fire, trapping three young children in an upstairs bedroom...

KVOA-TV -- Tucson      Immigration bill passes Senate committee    An Arizona Senate committee late Tuesday narrowly approved a sweeping bill that would target illegal [aliens] in public housing, public benefits and the workplace. -- Republican Sen. Russell Pearce is the sponsor of the bill that the Appropriation Committee approved on a 7-6 vote. It now advances to consideration by the full Senate after a legal review and discussions by party caucuses...

NBC Chicago      Obama crony Rahm 'Dead Fish' Emanuel wins Chicago mayoral race    [Tuesday night], Chicago voters overwhelmingly chose Rahm Emanuel to become their next mayor. -- Emanuel won the election with nearly 55 percent of the vote, meaning the race for the city's boss is finished -- no runoff needed. -- "Thank you Chicago," Emanuel said in his victory speech, pledging to work with the city council and community leaders to build a stronger Chicago...