All Notebook Entries

While $4/gallon gas and resulting higher food costs present inconveniences for North Americans, in non-oil producing nations of Central America, these higher prices mean real hardship.

An article from the LA Times on the subject:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-poverty18-2008jul18,0,3356414,full.story

By Brenda Norrell

SOUTHFORK, Nevada -- After four days on the road after the culmination of the Longest Walk in DC, the Earthcycles radio webcast is live and uncensored at the 15th Annual Indigenous Environmental Network's Protecting Mother Earth Conference, July 17 -- 20, 2008.

It is my hope that U.S. Senators Barack Obama and John McCain or someone working on their campaign staff read this Narco News story and bring it to their attention.

As the final elections are getting closer, we learned that Obama and McCain are trying to score points with our Latino voting community. Perhaps, the title of this news story should read better: “How to win more American Votes” since the issues I am about to mention involves not only Latin voters but our entire hard-working average tax-payer’s American people.

Officials and NGO representatives from the Guatemalan state of Petén flew to the capital "for an impromptu meeting with President Álvaro Colóm, who is unveilling a proposal that he says will promote forest conservation on a grand scale," Michael Stoll reports from Guatemala.

Large scale gold mining has nothing to do with romantic images of people sifting through river beds, panning sediments for gold dust. It is about massive excavations, cyanide to dissolve gold residues, exploitation of workers.

Case in point is Petaquilla Mining, a Canadian/Panamanian outfit that owns a concession in the Panamanian province of Coclé. If you read their website, it’s all about building roads and helping local communities.

Here is an English translation of the just released National Statement in Solidarity with the Zapatistas:

The zapatistas are not alone!

END THE WAR AGAINST THE ZAPATISTA COMMUNITIES

We, the organizations, collectives, movements, networks, communities, peoples, families and individuals who are adherents or sympathizers of the Sixth Declaration of the Lacandón Jungle, women, men, children and elders of the entire country declare:

La Habana 15 July 2008

The Cuban Journalists’ Union (UPEC) is a voluntary association that brings together media workers from all over the country. It has 3.680 members. This year, UPEC held its first congress in nine years. We arrived too late to attend, but information about the proceedings can be found at the Web site, http://www.cubaperiodistas.cu/

The Friends of the Border Patrol (FOBP), a nonprofit law-enforcement advocacy group, has filed a complaint with a Congressional committee calling for an ethics investigation into the activities of U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas.

Negotiations between Ecuador and City Oriente, a small company in which members of my family have an interest continue.

Here's an ariticle I wrote last year. Not much to add at this point--just waiting to hear the outcome of ongoing talks.

http://agonist.org/don/20071105/city_oriente_ecuador_and_oil

Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez is a retired ICE special agent, terminal GS-1811-13.

As our Hispanic Heritage Month of October, 2008 is approaching I wanted to take the opportunity to write about someone very special who was a member of a federally class action lawsuit I filed against the Legacy U.S. Customs Service in 1995 on behalf of all Hispanic special agents, grades GS-1811-12 through GS-1811-15: Retired U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agent GS-1811-13, Lupe Valdez, and current Dallas (Texas) County Sheriff. Congratulations to the Honorable Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez!

The Drug War and Asylum on the US - Mexico Border

We are witnessing an exodus of persecuted confidential sources of information (CSI), police officers, journalists, prosecutors, and businessmen from Mexico, showing-up at the U.S. – Mexico international borders asking for asylum application to enter the United States.

It doesn’t matter that the U.S. government already approved and authorized to assist our neighbors south of the border with millions of dollars (1.6-billion-dollar, three-year package of anti-drug assistance to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean) to fight their war on drugs and violent crimes under the Merida Initiative.

Friday

Today was the grand finale of the Longest Walk in Washington D.C. Perhaps in a fitting poetic tribute to the Longest Walk, life offered me the opportunity to accompany one of the Paiute elders to the emergency room of the George Washington University Hospital. We spent the day there. While we missed the walk beyond the White House, I was at peace with what happened. It was the opportunity to pass the day in the spirit of service, the chance to offer a real prayer. That is what the Longest Walk was, a prayer walk across America.

As an introduction, I am using the last Executive Order issued on June 9, 2008 by U.S. President George W. Bush regarding the immigration E-Verify system. Alarmed with the recent publications about how the current Bush administration mislead and lie to the U.S. Congress and to the American People to link Iraq with September 11, 2001, to engage the United States in wars against Iraq and Afghanistan, and the creation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security DHS), I decided to review the literature and write about what I considered the waste and misuse of billions of dollars of tax-payers monies on the alleged war against terrorism and “dangerous people” by DHS and its immigration and customs agencies.

I posted this story on February 1, 2007 after the U.S. Congress failed to take any actions in this matter.

This story deals with the Legacy U.S. Customs Service’s (Customs) Offices of Investigations (OI) and Internal Affairs (OIA) and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Offices of Investigations (OI) and Professional Responsibility (OPR). The reader may wonder why I keep writing about this agency. This agency was part of my life from 1988 until I retired on October 3, 2006.

DHS:ICE-CBP: Corruption Cold Case Files - Part II

CONSPIRACY/FALSE STATEMENTS/OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE:

DHS:ICE-CBP: Corruption Cold Case Files - Part I

A few years ago, I posted this two-part report of corruption acts committed by U.S. Customs Service’s employees with the hope that disciplinary action was to be taken against those who were still employed under the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). I was wrong!

DHS-ICE: A case of pre-selection and more misuse of federal funds

This report is about misusing of federal fund spending and prohibited federal personnel practices, to-wit: pre-selection by ICE.

Why I resigned as a Minister from the Assemblies of God - USA

El entrenador Gerardo “Jerry” Arrechera es un alto miembro de Comandos F4, una organización armada-terrorista cubana

Narco News se enteró que la compañía extranjera capturada en un video entrenando policías en León, México, en técnicas de tortura es Risk Incorporated de Miami, Florida y Gran Bretaña. El pasado 3 de Julio, el periódico mexicano “El Universal” identificó a los líderes de los talleres de tortura como “Jerry” Wilson de Gran Bretaña y el cubano-mexicano Gerardo Arrechea, pero oficiales negaron identificar la compañía para la que ellos trabajan.

Trainer Gerardo “Jerry” Arrechea is a high-ranking member of the Comandos F4, an armed Cuban terrorist organization

The foreign company captured on video training police in León, Mexico, in torture techniques is Risks Incorporated of Miami, Florida, and Great Britain, Narco News has learned. The Mexican daily El Universal identified the leaders of the torture workshop as “Jerry Wilson” of Great Britain and Cuban-Mexican Gerardo Arrechea on July 3, but officials refused to identify the company for which they worked.

The source of information for Narco News coverage of the FARC hostage rescue carried out on July 2 provided a few more details today about the operation that help to explain the images in the video released in Colombia over the weekend.

In that video, a large number of armed FARC rebels are seen in the background as the hostages line up to be handcuffed with plastic ties. The handcuffing of the hostages was reported to Narco News by the source prior to the release of the video, adding credence to the source's claims to date.

Transparency at the U.S. Congress and Immigration & Customs Enforcement

After witnessing how disorganized our federal government is in the appropriation of tax-payers’ monies and the misuse of the same, plus the fact that our U.S. Congress; both the members of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives tend to be selected as to who they are willing to help and assist: a lobbyist or a hardworking little guy American citizen with no connections at the White House or at the Hill, I feel compelled to write this story after several hours of reflection during our traditional 4^th of July – Independence Day.

ZAPATISTAS

This article was originally in published in Spanish - La Jornada 30th June 2008 by the well-respected Oaxacan activist and founder of the University of the Earth, Gustavo Esteva; he was one of the EZLN's advisors in their negotiations with the Mexican government.

We need to recognise and acknowledge the grave seriousness of the current situation, which cannot be overstated. Neither should we hide the fact that evil triumphs when people shrug their shoulders at it and return quietly to their daily activities. Now is the time to act. Only with concerted and effective mobilisation can we prevent the disaster that now threatens us.

Panama's Supreme Court reversed 168 presidential pardons given by former president Mireya Moscoso, including that of international terrorist Luis Posada Carriles.

Congressman Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, found himself in hot water recently after his office prompted a federal law enforcement agency, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to assist in the rescue of his kidnapped relative — a Mexican citizen abducted in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that Israeli security experts working for a private security firm, Global CST, owned by former General Staff operations chief, Brigadier General (res.) Israel Ziv, and Brigadier (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser, were involved in the operation to rescue high-profile hostage Ingrid Betancourt from the FARC rebel group:

The leaders of a torture training course provided to León municipal police's Special Tactics Group (GET in its Spanish initials) have been unofficially identified by León mayor Vicente Guerrero Reynoso as Britain Jerry Wilson and Cuban-Mexican Gerardo Arrechea.

ICE Special Agents and San Luis Police Department Officers Raid San Luis Middle School

In May of 2008, Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents, San Luis Police Department police officers, along with three K-9 units conducted a raid at the San Luis Middle Schools in search of drugs.

The ICE special agents involved are stationed in Yuma, Arizona and at the time of the raid, the ICE’s special agent in charge (SAC) was Alonzo Pena. Because of the sensitivity of deviating from their primary responsibility, and the fact that ICE special agents were used to search middle school students (minors) for drugs, I assume the then SAC, Alonzo Pena was advised and apprised of the raid. Pena is now allegedly the DHS Attache assigned to Mexico City after spending approximately 14 months as the ICE’s SAC – Arizona District.

The source of information for the Narco News story published last night about the hostage rescue in Colombia this past Wednesday contacted us to clarify a few details about the operation.

A total of two helicopters were involved in the rescue mission; however, one of those helicopters, for logistical reasons, did not land at the meeting place where the hostages were being held, the source says. The second helicopter was held back, on the ground, at a nearby location.

ICE's Office of Investgation now investigating corruption cases and deporting U.S. Citizens?