Senator Schumer calling for “No Ride List”

In the wake of the killing of Osama bin Laden, New York Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer is calling for a “No Ride List” for train travelers, similar to the “No Fly List” created for airline passengers. The lists are designed for individuals suspected of terrorist activity or pose as a threat to the country’s national security.

The information seized from Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan discovered plans which included targeting railway trains that pass through major cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C. and New York. Because of the lax in security at train stations, Senator Schumer said “that’s why I’m calling for the creation of an Amtrak no ride list. That would take the secure flight program and apply it to Amtrak trains.”

Rather strange that this was not set up in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks ten years ago, don’t you agree?

With nearly 150,000 miles of train and freight track in this country, one could certainly argue the possibility of monitoring and securing the railway system would be difficult. This stretch of train tracks doesn’t even count the subway systems in major cities.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is insisting that security will be stepped up in all public transportation eventually. What’s next? Do cab and bus drivers have to pat down passengers too?

More than likely, this means that if you wish to travel by plane, train or ship, you’ll be subjected to those invasive pat downs and body scanning machines. We’ve already seen this fiasco from the TSA at airports nationwide.

In general, most Americans understand the government’s role in protecting the country from suspected terrorists. What we don’t need in this country is to have every single form of public transportation controlled by the TSA and give them the right to basically sexually assault people including children. It is quite disgusting.

While Senator Schumer’s idea of a “No Ride List” is certainly debatable, a much better idea for DHS to impose is simple: Profile passengers!

Homeland Secretary Napolitano in Qatar to solve border problems?

Well we're already starting off 2011 by showing even more ridiculous and absurd ineptness of the Obama Administration.

Apparently, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano decided to take a trip over to Qatar, the little country that occupies the small peninsula off of Saudi Arabia. Her reasons to going to Qatar is to help that country secure its borders from terrorist groups and signing a security cooperation agreement.

Her visit to the country on January 2nd was signed in Qatar's capital, Doha and said:  "This agreement will help us expand collaboration with Qatar in order to better protect the citizens of both nations against the evolving threats we face..." 

Napolitano's reasoning for reaching out to Qatar is because they have not been as effective in endorsing security and capturing members of al-Qaeda.

Isn't it funny that Napolitano is in another country trying to educate them about how to secure their borders, when she can't even figure out how to secure our own country's borders! This is the same Janet Napolitano who is all for suing the State of Arizona because they decided to secure the Mexican border by resorting to profiling criminal illegal aliens.

The people that work in Government who seem to be endorsing the protections of other countries, but not the protection of our own country, should honestly just come right out and admit that they are really nothing more than a bunch of lousy hypocrites.

Is Mexico collapsing, due to growing drug cartel violence?

In case people have not already noticed, there is basically a civil war going on with our southern neighbors in Mexico. The war itself is between the Mexican Government and Military, combating the escalating drug cartels throughout the entire country.

CBS News had a stunning report from November 12^th, which indicated in 2010 alone, there were more than 10,000 drug related deaths, and a total of 28,000 deaths since 2006.

Yet despite this, President Felipe Calderon seems to remain somewhat optimistic and looks to the Mexican Military as the last remaining effort to stop the drug violence in all of the nation’s 18 states.

Personally, I would question President Calderon’s optimism, as it seems a majority of citizens in Mexico and even here in the United States are leaning towards the grim possibility that Mexico will be unable to win this war, at least on its own. If this is the case, the question whether or not the leaders behind the cartels and with the hundreds of millions of dollars they profit, have the ability to one day overthrow the Mexican government? Some critics may say it is unlikely, but the Mexican Government, its military and its police force have thus far, have been limited to combat this huge problem.

Speaking of which, the cartels have been targeting a number of the nation’s police force and members of its government. In October of this year, a Mexican police commander who was investigating the death of an American tourist on Falcon Lake which is shared on the border with Texas and Mexico was murdered, and his decapitated head was found in a suitcase delivered outside of a Mexican army base.

President Calderon has been outspoken with his criticism of the United States, saying that our nation is responsible for financing the cartels and empowering its members with weapons. But how many of those members based here in the United States are actually in the country illegally?

I find President Calderon’s criticism in somewhat of a catch 22 scenario. There is no question that criminals in the United States have been involved with the Mexican drug cartels, and have most likely have helped finance and supply weapons to its members. But keep in mind that this is the same Mexican President that spoke in a joint session in Congress back in the Spring of this year, criticizing Arizona’s immigration law which was passed to get a handle on the growing violence in that border state.

So how can President Calderon criticize the United States, while at the same time, criticize Arizona earlier this year for trying to get a handle on the situation? It is quite hypocritical in some regard, and it should still be pointed out clearly that Mexico’s immigration law is much stricter than the United States federal immigration law. The reason as to why Mexico is unable to enforce those laws, is because of the drug cartel problem.

It was after President Obama took office in January, 2009 that he vowed to partner with Mexico in the war on drug cartel violence, and even Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said during a Congressional hearing in February of 2009, “Mexico has issues of violence that are a different degree and level than we have ever seen before.”

After nearly eight years under President Bush of States like Arizona and Texas asking the Federal Government for National Guard and Military enforcements, and now two years under President Obama, virtually little has been done to secure and protect our nation’s borders from the drug violence in Mexico. The logical way that seems key to solving the problem, is simply close the U.S.-Mexican border, and then develop a compromise and resolution between Presidents Obama and Calderon and the U.S. Congress, deploy the Military efforts in both countries to combat the drug war internally in Mexico.

Still, nearly every single day, there seems to be another report of drug cartel related violence and murders, and the increase of this violence continues. More deaths, more tragedy, more violence and more of a developing threat to the Mexican Government.

The real question remains, is the United States going to finally close the borders entirely, and perhaps lend a helping hand to Mexico to contain its ever growing drug cartel problem? Or leave the borders wide open for the violence to continue to spread into our country, while at the same time, Mexico’s resources in combating the cartels, collapses?