swordfish Posted November 19, 2024 Author Posted November 19, 2024 Homeland Security has been raising the alarm, to no avail with this administration...... https://nypost.com/2024/11/19/us-news/tren-de-aragua-has-already-set-up-shop-in-these-16-states-homeland-security-warns/ The vicious Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua has expanded its territory to at least 16 US states — an area that includes half of America’s population, The Post has learned. Homeland Security officials last week were warned in an internal department intelligence memo about TdA’s growing presence across the country, most recently in Washington, DC, Virginia, Montana and Wyoming. The gang already has footholds in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin, according to the memo and previous reporting by The Post. The gang has only increased its “violent tendencies” as it spreads, the memo added. Tren de Aragua’s arrival in the nation’s capital and nearby Virginia coincided with “increases in migrant populations” there, the memo stated. “As the population of Venezuelan nationals continues to increase, the potential for violent TdA migrants is highly probable,” the memo warned. In one run-in with the cutthroat gang in Virginia, cops in Fairfax County arrested three suspected members in August 2023 for shoplifting. One of the suspects had a fake Venezuelan ID, and all three bore the gang’s signature tattoos. The gang’s members are targeting the DC area because they can travel with ease to nearby suburbs in northern Virginia to carry out thefts, robberies and assaults, the memo said. Its members are increasingly engaged in “lower-level fraud and theft schemes,” sending their stolen funds “back to South America as a means of financing additional criminal enterprises,” the memo said. In one case cited in the document, a suspected Tren de Aragua member withdrew $118,000 from a Florida bank account with “fraudulent check deposits” and wired the money to bank accounts in Venezuela before any fraud was detected. The sheriff of Wyoming’s most populous county told The Post on Monday that while he “would not say they have established a presence” in the Western state, he is holding a suspected TdA member in his jail. “We have a person in our jail who is suspected of being TdA who is being held for trial in December for being in possession of a car that was stolen in Colorado,” Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak said. “This is the only arrest of a possible TdA member in Wyoming, and he was just passing through when he was arrested. We have not seen an increase in Venezuelan immigrants in Wyoming, especially the criminal gang type,” he insisted. TdA members embedded themselves in the waves of millions of migrants who crossed the US-Mexico border during the Biden-Harris administration. With no information-sharing between the US and Venezuela to detect the gang members, they were easily released into the US, according to US Border Patrol sources. Further complicating the disastrous situation is a fraught relationship between the Biden-Harris administration and Venezuela’s Maduro regime, which refuses to accept deportation flights carrying Venezuelans from the US back to the South American country. President-elect Donald Trump has said that cracking down on Tren de Aragua will be a top priority for his administration, which he says will carry out a historic “mass deportation” effort leveraging not only ICE but the US military. In New York, TdA members have engaged in shootings of cops, assaults, snatch-and-grab robberies and gun smuggling into migrant shelters. The gang is also said to be engaged in sex trafficking of migrant women on Roosevelt Avenue in Queens. Outside of Democratic sanctuary cities and states, TdA has established itself in other unlikely areas of the country. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch told “Fox & Friends” on Friday that the gang has been running human trafficking rings in Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and Chattanooga. “They go from human trafficking to organized retail crime theft, and then they move into the drug trade, taking on the cartels in very violent, bloody battles that they’ve had,” Rausch said.
swordfish Posted November 26, 2024 Author Posted November 26, 2024 Just a little friendly advice to the other guys out there from Uncle SF - If it's after midnight and your wife is out drinking at the hotel bar with a man who isn't you, she's probably cheating......
swordfish Posted December 10, 2024 Author Posted December 10, 2024 (edited) https://nypost.com/2024/12/09/opinion/luigi-mangione-the-suspected-unitedhealthcare-ceo-brian-thompson-assassin-looks-to-be-another-deluded-lefty/ Wow: After a week in which a pack of privileged, too-online lefties have been praising the assassination of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson, the NYPD apprehended a suspect … who looks to be a privileged, too-online lefty. We will learn more about Luigi Mangione in the days to come, but he reportedly was caught with a ghost gun and silencer consistent with the killing, multiple fake IDs and a manifesto that raged, “These parasites had it coming.” He’s an alum of a nearly $40,000-a-year elite Baltimore private school and the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned two impressive tech degrees. Law enforcement sources familiar with Mangione’s online activity say he subscribed to anti-capitalist and climate change causes. And while sources suggest his personal motive for the killing involves the insurance or health care industries’ treatment of an ailing relative, we note he also liked a telling quote from “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski complaining that “antidepressants are a means of modifying an individual’s internal state in such a way as to enable him to tolerate social conditions that he would otherwise find intolerable.” Whether or not an insanity defense is coming, we see a common derangement in the assassin and his online fans: the idea that the US health insurance industry is willfully evil, which makes violence against its execs somehow rational. Lord knows, health care financing in this country can be a bewildering, maddening mess. But the left’s obsession with a government takeover as the cure for all ills, and its demonizing of those who disagree, is nothing but dim-witted arrogance. Fact is, health insurance in the country is entangled by a host of government-imposed costs and other mandates. And socialized medical systems like Britain’s and Canada’s require people to wait months to get specialist care or basic tests like MRIs that most Americans get within days. Residents of those countries who can afford it routinely turn to the private sector. There’s no such thing as infinite “free” care, but many of our best and brightest imagine otherwise. That only one of them apparently took the “logical” step of killing an innocent on that basis doesn’t mean there isn’t something horrifically wrong with the thinking of those who cheered him after the fact. After the killing of the UHC CEO this week, SF is reflecting on the state of the healthcare & insurance industries in the US. Remembering back in the BBO period (Before Barack Obama and the ACA) SF paid about $30 per week for group insurance for the whole family through my employer. Fast forward to today, SF is paying $253 per week for myself and spouse for an insurance plan not nearly as good as back in 2008. (ACA did not make it more affordable like BO promised - big surprise). Government's takeover of the healthcare industry has been an absolute clusterf***. This brilliant, highly educated idiot (whose family was wealthy enough to afford whatever healthcare he desired) popped a screw loose after having a surgery and killed an innocent man who was simply running a healthcare insurance company whose stock is probably in many of our 401K's. (FYI - a for profit company is meant to create a profit) BTW - He used a "ghost gun" not a 3D printed gun. Edited December 10, 2024 by swordfish
Muda69 Posted December 24, 2024 Posted December 24, 2024 Here is a good example of the problem with a growing number of octogenarians in the U.S. federal government: https://reason.com/2024/12/23/kay-granger-like-joe-biden-is-a-symptom-of-americas-gerontocracy/?utm_medium=reason_email&utm_source=new_at_reason&utm_campaign=reason_brand&utm_content=A Decaying Joe Biden Underlines the Need for a Less Powerful Presidency] Quote Just as democracy means a system of government ruled by the dēmos, or the common people, gerontocracy refers to rule by the elderly. It was coined in the 19th century as a pejorative to describe the aged French parliament, but it can refer to any government whose leaders are of sufficiently advanced age. While being long in the tooth does not automatically indicate diminished mental faculties, it's enough of a concern that many jobs—even those without the ability to deploy troops or launch nuclear weapons—have maximum age limits. It's a concept on full display during the latter days of President Joe Biden's term in office. Last week, The Wall Street Journal detailed the tactics used by Biden's staff and inner circle "to adapt the White House around the needs of a diminished leader." Advisers acted as go-betweens, keeping the elderly Biden at arm's length from lawmakers and Cabinet officials. "The system put Biden at an unusual remove from cabinet secretaries, the chairs of congressional committees and other high-ranking officials," the Journal authors wrote. "It also insulated him from the scrutiny of the American public." But there is now another prominent example of a diminished elderly politician absent from the public sphere. "Where Is Congresswoman Kay Granger?" asked an article by Carlos Turcios of The Dallas Express. Granger, a Republican representing portions of Fort Worth, is 81 years old and was first elected to Congress in 1996. She is also a no-show at her day job, having not voted on a single piece of legislation since July 24; CBS News further reports that "between April and June of this year, Granger missed 107 of 231 eligible votes, or about 46%." (The Dallas Express CEO Chris Putnam ran against Granger unsuccessfully in the district's 2020 Republican primary.) Granger announced in November 2023 that she would not seek reelection after her current term. Turcios notes that Granger's district office is already packed up, and calls go straight to voicemail. As it turns out, Turcios discovered, Granger "has been residing at a local memory care and assisted living home for some time after having been found wandering lost and confused in her former…neighborhood." Independent journalist Ken Klippenstein reported on his Substack that on July 9, Granger transferred away the deed to her home in that area. Over the weekend, Granger's son confirmed to The Dallas Morning News that his mother was "having some dementia issues late in the year" and that while she was in an independent living facility, she was not in memory care. In a statement, Granger acknowledged "navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year. However, since early September, my health challenges have progressed, making frequent travel to Washington both difficult and unpredictable." Last week, Granger did attend a ceremony at the Capitol in her honor, receiving an official portrait to commemorate her tenure as chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee. (She stepped down from the position in March.) The congresswoman's X account posted a picture of her at the ceremony. Anyone who has dealt with an ailing elder can sympathize with both Granger and her family as they navigate an inevitable but no less painful chapter in one's life. But that doesn't make her immune from criticism, especially as she continues to draw a salary on the taxpayer's dime. "Although I am not running for re-election," Granger said when announcing her impending retirement, "I plan to serve out the remainder of my term and work with our new Speaker and my colleagues to advance our conservative agenda and finish the job I was elected to do." Indeed, even though Granger has not voted on legislation in five months, she is still a member of Congress drawing an annual salary of $174,000. Even though she was in D.C. on December 18, she did not participate in the vote two days later to pass a continuing resolution keeping the government open. As one congressional watcher noted on social media, House rules dictate that "Every Member shall be present…unless excused or necessarily prevented, and shall vote on each question put." In the event of an unexcused absence, the U.S. Code states that House leadership "shall deduct from the monthly payments…of each Member or Delegate the amount of his salary for each day that he has been absent from the House." "Decades ago, an absent Member was fined by the House unless he or she was granted a Leave of Absence," the House website notes, before adding, "that is no longer the case." It does allow, though, that "members may choose not to request a Leave of Absence if he/she believes it would draw unnecessary attention to his/her absence." Sources told CBS News that Granger moved to the facility "around July," which is also when she both stopped showing up for votes and ceded ownership of her house. According to Legistorm, Granger paid her staff nearly $360,000 between July and September—a period in which she did not vote. Granger did at least step down from her post atop the House Appropriations Committee, which drafts the bills that fund the federal government. Before she died in office at age 90, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D–Calif.) served for years as the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee even amid accusations of cognitive decline. Still, it's a damning indictment of the current crop of elected officials that even amid debilitating health issues that prevent them from doing their jobs, some politicians would still rather hold onto power than give it up. It's all about holding on to power in the U.S. Congress, not actually representing your constituents.
swordfish Posted January 9, 2025 Author Posted January 9, 2025 Wouldn't you think, given that nearly every year there are wildfires in Southern California, that major metropolitan areas that would potentially be in the path of an out-of-control wildfire (yeah, it's in the name) would have an organized plan in place to put up some kind of a resistance to stop one before an entire city is leveled because they "run out of water" - I mean - They live right up against a pretty major water source called the Pacific Ocean........So I'm a little stunned when I hear "we're out of water". 1
Muda69 Posted January 9, 2025 Posted January 9, 2025 1 hour ago, swordfish said: Wouldn't you think, given that nearly every year there are wildfires in Southern California, that major metropolitan areas that would potentially be in the path of an out-of-control wildfire (yeah, it's in the name) would have an organized plan in place to put up some kind of a resistance to stop one before an entire city is leveled because they "run out of water" - I mean - They live right up against a pretty major water source called the Pacific Ocean........So I'm a little stunned when I hear "we're out of water". Google to the rescue: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/bruv-party-can-andrew-tate-pull-off-a-donald-trump-in-the-uk/articleshow/117086083.cms Quote While the officials' apparent oversight provided ample fodder for memes, environmental experts stepped in to provide clarity. They highlighted the challenges of using seawater for firefighting, including its corrosive nature and the ecological concerns of large-scale extraction. It would kill some fish. And I guess a lot of salt water would kill the trees & plants so instead we just let them burn.
swordfish Posted January 14, 2025 Author Posted January 14, 2025 A prime illustration of the dumbassery of California liberals....... 1) An effort to increase fire safety in 2019 was halted because of an "endangered" shrub. 2) The LADWP was fined over $2 million after the shrub was trampled. 3) The fires in SOCAL right now have mostly burnt the shrubs anyway. 4) Actually the shrubs need wildfires to sprout new growth........ https://nypost.com/2025/01/14/us-news/california-bureaucrats-halted-pacific-palisades-fire-safety-project-to-save-endangered-shrub/ California’s eco bureaucrats halted a wildfire prevention project near the Pacific Palisades to protect an endangered shrub. It’s just the latest clash between fire safety and conservation in California that is coming under scrutiny following the devastating outbreak of the Palisades Fire — the most devastating blaze in Los Angeles history, which has consumed the very same area. In 2019, the LA Department of Water and Power (LADWP) began replacing nearly 100-year-old power line poles cutting through Topanga State Park, when the project was halted within days by conservationists outraged that federally endangered Braunton’s milkvetch plants had been trampled during the process. The goal of the project was to improve fire safety for the Pacific Palisades area by replacing the wooden poles with steel, widening fire-access lanes in the area, and installing wind and fire-resistant power lines — all after the area was identified as having an “elevated fire risk,” according to the LA Times. “This project will help ensure power reliability and safety, while helping reduce wildfire threats,” the LADWP said at the time. “These wooden poles were installed between 1933 and 1955 and are now past their useful service life.” But, after an amateur botanist hiking through the park during the work saw the harm done to some of the park’s Braunton’s milkvetch — a flowered shrub with only a few thousand specimens remaining in the wild — and complained, the project was completely halted, Courthouse News Service reported. Instead of fire-hardening the park, the city — which the state said had undertaken the work without proper permitting — ended up paying $2 million in fines and was ordered by the California Coastal Commission to reverse the whole project and replant the rare herb.That work saved about 200 Braunton’s milkvetch plants — almost all of which have now likely been torched in the wildfires that consumed Topanga Canyon, along with nearly 24,000 acres of some of LA’s most sought-after real estate. It was not clear whether the steel poles were ever installed. The good news for the milkvetch, however, is that they usually need wildfire to sprout — meaning dormant seeds now have a massive new habitat for a new crop of the rare shrub. 3 In the week of chaos that has claimed at least 24 lives, California and LA leadership have faced scrutiny over their approach to wildfire safety verses conservation — most notably from President-elect Donald Trump, who accused Gov. Gavin Newsom of prioritizing the wellbeing of “worthless fish” over Californian’s safety. “He wanted to protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt… but didn’t care about the people of California,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, accusing Newsom of blocking his 2020 federal order to divert water runoff from northern California to southern reservoirs. That order was halted days after Trump issued it, with Newsom responding to criticism from conservationists who argued it would harm the endangered minnow-like fish and other native fish. Delta smelt, once an important part of the local California ecosystem, are now effectively extinct — meaning they still exist, but their numbers are so few that they no longer have any impact on their environment. In the years since Newsom sued to block Trump’s order the two politicians have bickered back and forth over California water-access, with Trump vowing to block wildfire aid to the state as recently as September if the governor doesn’t give in. Newsom, in response, called Trump’s accusations “pure fiction.” “The Governor is focused on protecting people, not playing politics, and making sure firefighters have all the resources they need,” a spokesperson previously told The Post. But California’s water supplies have been scrutinized amidst the fires — especially after some fire hydrants in the city ran dry as firefighters battled the flames, and the pressure for what water they had was often low. Most notably, the county-run Santa Ynez Reservoir — which is right in the heart of Pacific Palisades, and can hold 117 million gallons — was empty when the fires broke out last week, and has been out of commission since around February 2024. Gov. Newsom, however, told NBC News the state’s reservoirs in southern California were all “completely full” when the fires started. Last week the governor announced a probe into why the reservoir was empty. Exactly what sparked the fires remains under investigation, but they are believed to have begun not far from Topanga State Park on a trail in the neighboring Temescal Gateway Park. Neither the LADWP nor the California Coastal Commission responded to request for comment. 1
swordfish Posted January 20, 2025 Author Posted January 20, 2025 So now that the Gulf of Mexico is being renamed Gulf of America, SF has a bunch of collector's item maps that still read Gulf of Mexico. Gonna hang on to those dudes, they gonna be worth a whole bunch.....🤣
Muda69 Posted January 27, 2025 Posted January 27, 2025 (edited) Here is a section of an ACTIVE union teacher's contract in the state of Michigan. Forgive me if I think the standard should be a bit higher: Edited January 27, 2025 by Muda69
swordfish Posted February 3, 2025 Author Posted February 3, 2025 SF thinks this would fall under the category of "Bad Idea" for the cartels.......(IMHO - considering who the border "Czar" is today in place of VP Harris in the previous administration) https://nypost.com/2025/02/03/us-news/mexican-cartels-order-suicide-drone-attacks-on-border-patrol/ Mexican drug cartels plan attacks on Border Patrol agents with kamikaze drones and other explosives to fight US crackdown Mexican drug cartels are ordering their members to attack US Border Patrol agents with kamikaze drones and other explosives in a desperate bid to thwart the crackdown at the border, according to an internal memo obtained by The Post. The alert, which cites social media posts and other sources, cautions federal agents “to remain cognizant of their surroundings at all times” in the face of the new threat. “On February 1, 2025, the El Paso Sector Intelligence and Operations Center (EPT-IOC) received information advising that Mexican cartel leaders have authorized the deployment of drones equipped with explosives to be used against US Border Patrol agents and US military personal currently working along the border with Mexico,” the internal memo titled “Officer Safety Alert” said. “It is recommended that all US Border Patrol agents and DoD personnel working along the border report any sighting of drones to their respective leadership staff and the EPT-IOC.” Federal agents working the border are also advised to “carry proper equipment” at all times, including first aid kids, tourniquets and body armor. The memo also notes that rifles “should be readily available.” News Nation, which first revealed the memo, also reported that posts on TikTok and other social media sites by the cartels have advised illegal migrants to “spit and urinate” in ICE agents’ food and defecate in their vehicles. Other posts have encouraged assassins to target agents. The new threat from narcotraffickers south of the border comes amid a major crackdown on illegal immigrants crossing into the US under President Trump. Just days after taking office, Trump vowed to send 10,000 US troops to help secure the border, while his border czar Tom Homan has launched deportation raids across the country targeting migrant criminals. Mexican cartel bosses, who recognize the stepped-up US presence at the border will cut deep into their drug and human trafficking operations, have turned things up a notch, the leaked memo showed.
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