Despite Mexico’s attempt to control the Texan border town of Nuevo Laredo by sending in the army, the violence there has worsened. The Gulf and Juarez cartels continue to battle over drug routes into the United States. The closing of the American consulate after months of murders and kidnappings was a severe vote of no confidence, but even the Mexicans couldn’t squawk much. Residents refer to their community as the “City of Lead” because of the heavy-duty firepower now being used in the “Baghdad-like Fighting”.

The US State Department had warned its citizens earlier this year not to travel to the violence-stricken city, known for its crime and kidnappings. [US shuts Mexican border consulate BBC News, July 30 2005]

El Presidente Fox sent in the army June 13 to get the city back under control. However, when the thinned-out civilian police force was restored July 26 “the returning officers face a city even more violent than the one they knew.” [ Nuevo Lareodo cops back on the job - The Dallas Morning News-Alfredo Corchaado and Tracy Eaton July 27 2005]

The numbers indicate that six weeks of martial law courtesy of the Mexican army actually allowed the murders to increase.

By June 12, Nuevo Laredo (population 311,000) had its 65th murder of the year, for an average of one victim every 60 hours. Since then, 38 more people have been killed, an average of one victim every 28 hours, according to Reforma . The vast majority of those killings, about 75 percent, are tied to the bloody drug-trafficking battle here.

In effect, the Mexican government has lost control of Nuevo Laredo. Their last card, the army, failed: by definition, the situation is out of control. The powerful cartels are free to do whatever they wish.

Despite Mexico’s impending collapse from a merely corrupt nation into a fully Colombianized narco-state, President Bush continues to insist on a shotgun marriage between the United States and Mexico as part of the “North American Security Perimeter” - where increasingly the issue is, Security for whom - and against what?

I am a little more frustrated than usual with the New York Times.

In the July 31st Times Magazine, a lengthy article titled Building the Beisbol Brand outlined how under the direction of baseball’s only Dominican-born General Manager Omar Minaya, the Mets

“Are going a step further, self-consciously rebuilding and, no less important, rebranding themselves as an international team whose ethnic makeup will reflect the increasingly Hispanic city they represent. The team’s Latin-inflected style of play — fast, aggressive, emotional — will be unmistakable and, if Minaya’s hunch is correct, irresistible to New York. But the birth of the so-called New Mets points up a cultural shift in the game as much as a stylistic one. Long one of the great institutions of assimilation — immigrants once studied box scores so they might sound more American — baseball now celebrates, even exploits, its diversity.”

Predictably, and sadly, reporter Jonathan Mahler writes about targeting Hispanic fans, Spanish-language advertising and the rest of the tedious story.

And Mahler notes, again predictably, that Met pitcher Pedro Martinez and outfielder Carlos Beltran have brought out the fans.

But fans show up to watch good baseball. And at the risk of appearing hopelessly stuck in a time warp, I will point out that the last time the Mets appeared in the World Series, (in 2000) their line-up looked like this:

C-Mike Piazza; 1st Base-Todd Zeile; 2nd Base-Edgardo Alphonso (Venezuela); SS-Rey Ordonez (Cuba) and 3rd Base-Robin Ventura. In the outfield: Derek Bell, Darryl Hamilton and Rickey Henderson. Mike Hampton, Rick Reed and Al Leiter anchored the pitching staff. Note: Ordonez hit .188.

Going back to 1986, when the Mets won the World Series, the line-up was as follows:

C-Gary Carter; 1st Base-Keith Hernandez (non-Spanish speaking Californian); 2nd Base-Tim Teufel; SS-Rafael Santanta (Dominican Republic); 3rd Base; Ray Knight. Outfielders: George Foster, Darryl Strawberry and Lenny Dykstra. The pitchers were Dwight Gooden, Ron Darling, Bob Ojeda and Sid Fernandez (non-Spanish speaking Hawaiian).

Get the point? Hispanics are good players. Japanese are good too.

But Americans are great players. Let’s not forget it.

What a shame that even the national pastime is being turned into media circus celebrating Hispanic achievement.

Closing observation: As of July 31st, the Mets are in last place in the National League East with a 52-51 record. The team has lost 6 of its last ten games.

I have long wondered why the black community isn’t outraged, at least more obviously and more often, by the illegal alien population.

My talent for economics consists of a rather curious inability to make correct change. To say I have little understanding of economic theory (structural unemployment, nominal wage, trend etc.) is therefore, a bit of an understatement.

Then again, unqualified ignorance seems to be a prerequisite for press credentials these days…

On that note, the Los Angeles Times carried a remarkably well-written story by Lisa Richardson (Anger Boils at Illegal Immigrants , July 30, 2005) about a recent town hall meeting in LA.

It was called Blacks and Hispanics: Allies or Rivals?

About 80 people (Blacks, Hispanics and Whites) discussed issues such as employment, housing and education for roughly two hours.

According to Lisa Richardson the topic was heated but the discussion was frank.

“…blacks, whites and Latinos spoke with a vehemence usually reserved for the dinner table — or late-night talk radio shows. They publicly aired views that are often muttered in L.A. but not spoken out loud.”

Popular talk radio host Terry Anderson (Sun 9 pm KRLA AM870 Los Angeles) was a panelist (thankfully) for the discussion and he spoke with the customary candor for which he is well-known.

He blamed illegal aliens for stealing jobs and crowding schools.

“We have been invaded; there’s no other word for it,” Anderson said. [You can email kudos here.]

According to Richardson, Terry said Blacks are no longer able to compete for entry-level jobs and construction work because they are undercut by illegal immigrants willing to work for under-the-table wages…and the audience cheered.

The audience also pelted Richard Alonzo, superintendent for LA unified school district, with questions about the number of illegal immigrant children enrolled in their schools.

He said the district didn’t keep track of those kinds of statistics. He also said that the cost of educating students who only speak Spanish is not higher than those who speak English…ok, that’s funny.

Councilman Bernard Parks was also part of the fray. When the crowd began demanding change—demanding that public officials do something to stop illegal immigrants—Parks said:

“You can stay angry, but they are not going to go away,” he said. “Whether you want to hear it or not, no one is going to build a fence around the state of California and clear out everyone you think is here illegally.”

Au contraire, Monsieur Parks…

Email for Councilman Parks [here]

Email for Chief of Staff Bernard Parks Jr. [here]

From here in Marietta , I often wonder what the exact distance is that an illegal alien who crosses our border from Mexico must travel into our nation before becoming an “undocumented worker.”

Think about it. Brave Border Patrol Agents risk and lose their lives to apprehend literally thousands of illegal aliens each day, while politicians, bankers, criminal employers and such all -American groups as La Raza must wait until the illegals are somehow magically transformed into oppressed victims and a “burgeoning market.”

At what distance from the barbwire does that transformation take place?

Here is a photo from earlier this week taken 12 miles from the Mexican border in Arizona. Border Patrol doing its sworn duty…what a concept, eh, Mr. President?

See? No MALDEF or LULAC making demands regarding the newly arrived illegals “human-rights” or loading them into pickups for illegal work. This group of trespassers is going back to Mexico.

So, we must assume that the distance is more than 12 miles…but how far? Maybe the President knows?

If I was one of the many who profit from the millions of illegal workers in this country, I would seriously consider putting up a shelter with a sign - ” DAY-LABOR CENTER” - just inches over the border…it seems to work here in Marietta. . The victims of geography could then crawl under the wire and presto…get the same “rights” as someone who has made it all the way to my hometown in Georgiafornia!

People transport, hire, shelter and encourage illegal aliens like crazy here . Nobody arrests the federal felons…ever.

Petit Jean Poultry plant in Arkadelphia, Arkansas lost a chunk of their workforce when immigration officials raided the facility this week.

ICE officials were tipped off by a former Petit Jean employee who had a rather interesting job description: She provided fraudulent documentation (ID cards, social security numbers etc.) for illegal alien employees.

In total, 119 illegal aliens were arrested.

Something worth mentioning: It drives me mad when I hear people whining about “not all illegals are from Mexico…quit picking on Mexico…blah, blah, blah.”
And I suppose they are correct—of the 119 arrested, there were 4 from El Salvador and Honduras.

Only 115 were from Mexico or roughly 97%. Ugh, those darn immigration reform people and their penchant for unreasonable racial profiling…

Several of the detainees were scheduled for formal deportation hearings and returned to their homes in Arkadelphia. Many were deported immediately to Mexico.

30 children were left without parents—a local church intervened and provided temporary living accommodations.

Of course, the immigration apologists are already crying foul—a tantrum that sounds remarkably like a teenage girl on the suicide hotline after learning about her 10 pm Prom Night curfew.

By the way, ICE officials specifically asked about any children who may need assistance and the detainees denied having any children.

It’s a sticky situation to be sure. I have no doubt ICE officials would take every precaution to protect the rights of illegal immigrants and especially, the children.

HOWEVER, the 119 illegal aliens detained today are solely responsible for any harm their children experienced as a result of their parents’ arrest.

It is certainly a harsh reality but after today, perhaps the other 11+ million illegal aliens in the U.S. (and those planning their future move) will be less inclined to break our laws.

Related: 30 Kids Left Behind After Immigration Raid by Melissa Nelson—Associated Press.

Michael Barone has a piece in the Wall St. Journal, (Subscriber–link may work) titled Big Labor, RIP.

If you haven’t read it, let me tell you that the words immigrant, immigration, and Hispanic don’t appear in the piece at all. The only hint you might find of the demographic change in America that’s caused the decline is the fact that unions were most powerful “at midcentury.”

That would be before the Immigration Act of 1965, wouldn’t it? Yes it would.

Meanwhile, over at La Raza News, the disaffiliation is all about immigration.

While we at VDARE.com accuse the AFL-CIO of being soft on illegals, they seem to feel that it’s soft on Americans, and are miffed that Big Labor isn’t fighting against such immigration enforcement as is actually taking place.

“Migrant Air” has made its first flight. The BBC reports [Afghans removed from Europe- Wednesday, July 27 2005]

France and Britain have deported 40 illegal Afghan immigrants in a chartered flight jointly organised by both countries…The deportation comes less than a month after interior ministers from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain agreed to co-operate in fighting illegal immigration.

First a group of politicians announce they will do something about illegal immigration. (Consolidate parcels of the same nationality into plane loads for bulk transportation.) Then they actually do it.

Shock, Awe!

Why can’t this idea be imported?

Because it is , as pointed out here at the beginning of this month, the solution to the outrageous “Other than Mexican” scandal, the wilful release of apprehended border violators from countries not contiguous with the United States. First raised on VDARE.com by Juan Mann back in April, this was the subject of yet another MSM article this week. [Illegal entry by non-Mexicans rises - Kris Axtman The Christian Science Monitor July 26 2005]

…federal agents say a new crisis is emerging along the southern border and they are helpless to stop it. …Non-Mexicans are spilling over the border in record numbers …and most are set free soon after being captured…Because OTMs, or “Other Than Mexicans” as the Border Patrol classifies them, must be returned to their country of origin, they cannot be simply sent back across the southern border, as most Mexicans are…most OTMs are given a court summons and told to return in three months. A full 85 percent don’t…

“It’s an insane policy which encourages OTMs to come into the country illegally, and we shouldn’t be shocked that they are coming in record numbers,” says T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council…Border Patrol agents, he says, know that most OTMs have no intention of returning for the court hearing … “It’s more than a little demoralizing,” he says. “They feel like social workers. They are not enforcing the law; they are simply enabling people to break it”

There is no reason why regular flights could not collect same-nationality detainees from several points along the border and take them home.

Except lack of political will.

Hat tips, American Renaissance, Modern Tribalist.

Steve Sailer has blogged on that “Deporting the Undocumented: A Cost Study” disinformation thing discussed by Bryanna Bevans yesterday.

In 2003, Kimberly-Clark Health Care unveiled a global business plan that called for a reduction in U.S. manufacturing plants.

Earlier today, Kimberly-Clark announced the closure of two more locations: Draper, Utah and Pocatello, Idaho.

In 2003, the Draper facility employed 850 workers. Today, the facility operates with 451 and the Pocatello facility with 318 employees. In less than two years, Kimberly-Clarke has transferred 40% of their health care manufacturing operations to Mexico.

An AP article [Kimberly-Clark Health Care will phase out Utah, Idaho operations 7/27/05] ran this statement from Joanne Bauer, President of Kimberly-Clark Health Care:

“We have come to the difficult but necessary conclusion that realigning our manufacturing operations will enable us to improve our operating efficiency and cost-competitiveness.”

The same AP article quotes John Dodd, executive vice president of global operations for Kimberly-Clark Health Care. According to Dodd, the first firings won’t take place for another month.

“We’ll be sitting down with our employees on a one-on-one basis to discuss their plans,” Dodd said. “We’ll be working with them and helping them prepare for their next career path.”

Whew…let me wipe my forehead in relief. Well, not just yet. Here is a list of common household products manufacted by our friends at Kimberly-Clark:

Kleenex
Scott
Viva
Cottonelle
Huggies
Pull-Ups
GoodNites
Little Swimmers
Kotex
Depend
Poise
Neat Sheet

I want to “improve the operating efficiency” of America so I’m going to have to let Kimberly-Clark go.

It’s nothing personal, I’m just downsizing. I’m “realigning” my consumer dollars with another company in my own effort to boost “cost-competitiveness.”

As for “helping” Kimberly-Clark on their “next career path” by all means, I shall. I will mail Ms. Bauer and Mr. Dodd a book that might help them better understand the Mexican officials with whom they conspired and to whom they are now beholden.

It’s called Beware the Naked Man Who Offers You His Shirt by Harvey MacKay.

Lesson #58 pg. 246 But Will You Love Me In The Morning?

Then take a closer look at Lesson #28 pg. 135 Your Company Is No Better Than It’s Reputation In The Community.

It seems I have come to the “difficult but necessary conclusion” that Kimberly-Clark products are expendable…much the way American workers are for Kimberly-Clark.

The AFL-CIO convention opened yesterday in Chicago.

Organized labor in the US has been facing decades of declining membership and influence. In the 50s and 60s, about 30% of all private sector employees were unionized.
Change to Win Coalition.

My view: one reason for the decline in organized labor’s appeal-particularly among younger potential members- is that unlike historic leaders like Asa P Randolph and Cesar Chavez, these contemporary folks aren’t yet addressing immigration-and are in fact actively working to disenfranchise working Americans. The AFL-CIO is actually endorsing the Kennedy-MeCain proposal to increase immigration to the US dramatically which would decimate wages of American workers. Increased immigration exactly correlates with he decline of unionism.

Lest you think that the AFL-CIO breakup might indicate some sanity in this direction, look at the web page of one of the breakaway unions, the SEIU [Service Employees International Union], led by Andrew Stern.They are also endorsing the Kennedy-McCain guest worker expansion proposal—as is the hotel and garment workers’ union Unite Here. Both of these unions are heavily immigrant, but run by oligarchic leaderships calloused towards the effects of uncontrolled immigration.

But Sweeney said in a letter addressed to [UNITE HERE's] Wilhelm that the UNITE HERE official is misrepresenting the work of the committee. Sweeney said UNITE HERE’s positions on immigration — including its support for a guest-worker program — made the work of supporting immigration efforts more difficult. He also noted that UNITE HERE has dissented from most unions on immigration legislation proposed by U.S. Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.

“Two of the most active and vocal unions on the Immigration Committee LIUNA (Laborers) and UFCW, strongly disagreed with the UNITE HERE position of abandoning prevailing wage standards and allowing for a significantly expanded temporary worker program without effective labor protections,” Sweeney wrote. “The Teamsters also objected to the UNITE HERE-backed construct of a guest worker program.[Wilhelm: AFL-CIO 'bureaucratic,' 'disconnected' from workers By Alana Roberts LAS VEGAS SUN, July 21, 2005]

The Change to Win leadership is obviously divided on the issue of immigration-but seems leaning towards the Open Borders side. The division of the between the AFL-CIO and Change to Win seems to be around issues of

a) outsourcing/trade

b) relative emphasis of local organizing vs. national political action

There’s a widespread idea on the left that trade and outsourcing are what matter-and that immigration is unimportant. The Change to Win folks seem to think their service and home construction jobs are less affected by trade practices. Both sides of this divide are in serious denial of how artificially high trade deficits (driven by financial arrangements that can change rapidly) and immigration are combining to decimate the American middle class.

To address issues like immigration, the American Labor movement may need to be completely rebuilt