Thursday, August 14, 2014


News Clips For The Day


http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/storyline/wp/2014/08/12/why-the-police-shooting-riots-in-ferguson-mo-had-little-to-do-with-ferguson/

Why the police-shooting riots in Ferguson, Mo., had little to do with Ferguson
By Todd C. Frankel  August 12, 2014

St. Louis doesn’t riot.

That has long been part of the city’s lore. During the 1960s civil rights era, this city along the Mississippi River stayed calm — even as Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit and Washington all burned. St. Louis was in their league back then. The nation’s 10th largest city. A sizable black population. And after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, tens of thousands of people marched through the city streets. But St. Louis suffered no widespread violence.

It was one of those hard-to-explain moments. St. Louis doesn’t riot. 

And then, Sunday night, it did.

Riots and vandalism broke out in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson. An 18-year-old black man named Michael Brown was fatally shot by police there. Brown was unarmed. Events leading up to the shooting were unclear. Police and the FBI have promised to investigate. But a day after Brown died, violence erupted. Stores were looted. A gas station was torched. Shots were fired at police. 

Maybe it was how police reacted to what initially was a peaceful memorial service for Brown. Maybe it was the echoes of Trayvon Martin, the Florida teen gunned down by a neighborhood watch volunteer. Maybe the crowd sensed police weren’t taking their concerns seriously.

It’s still unclear why, this time, tensions boiled over. But to many people, it had little to do with this town. The violent reaction grew from something larger, something tougher to pin down.

Ask people who live in Ferguson where they’re from, and most likely they’ll say St. Louis. It’s a quirk of the region. People identify with the St. Louis metro area. Ferguson, a city of 21,000 residents, is a place distinct from St. Louis city, which is different from Affton or Clayton or Ballwin. But these are mostly neighborhood distinctions. The residents all live  in the same St. Louis County, which is packed with 91 different municipalities. Some have quaint downtowns. Others have just 12 residents. But at the center of all of them is St. Louis city.

What happened in Ferguson was a regional reaction. The crowds that gathered in Ferguson — both peaceful protesters and those looking for trouble — came from Ferguson, yes, but also Berkeley, University City, Jennings and St. Louis.

Just look at Antonio French.

He spent most of Sunday taking photos and shooting videos as a memorial turned into an angry mob. He was widely interviewed Monday by media nationwide. But he’s not from Ferguson. He’s a St. Louis alderman. For years he has complained about St. Louis police and how crime is handled in his predominantly black neighborhood.

“This isn’t unique to Ferguson,” French said by phone, as he stood on a street in Ferguson on Monday watching riot police march in a line toward protesters.

He added: “This is no different than if it happened in Dellwood, Jennings or St. Louis. This has really been bubbling up for a long time.”

This is about police brutality, he said. Others agreed.  

“There’s a lot of angry folk. There’s a lot of people who want to make sure they’re heard,” said John Gaskin III, who lives in Florissant, another St. Louis County suburb, and who is a national youth board member of the NAACP. “This isn’t a St. Louis problem. It’s a national problem.”

Tensions between police and African American teens run deep, said Rod Brunson, professor at Rutgers University. He has studied the issue in St. Louis. “The dynamics play out on the street everyday.”

But Ferguson erupted. “And I don’t know what made it rise to this kind of level,” Brunson said.

Ferguson is about two-thirds black, one-third white. Its poverty rate is about double Missouri’s average. The town has its struggles. But Ferguson is also home to the world headquarters of Emerson Electronics, a $24 billion company with 132,000 employees spread across the globe. Thousands of people work just outside Ferguson at Express Scripts, the pharmacy benefits manager with $100 billion in annual revenues that is based in the St. Louis area.

“Ferguson would not be the first place I’d predict to have this incident or this response,” said Rick Rosenfeld, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri – St. Louis, located just a few miles from Ferguson.

Rosenfeld grew up in St. Louis city. He remembers well the region’s reputation for not rioting. In 1967, after summertime riots in cities such as Newark and Milwaukee, a young Rosenfeld ran into Dick Gregory, the activist and comic who hailed from St. Louis. He asked Gregory why their shared hometown hadn’t angrily risen up.

“The shade trees,” Gregory told him, smiling.

Gregory was joking. But his response also carried a kernel of truth. People in St. Louis were not immune to the injustices and anger of the civil rights movement. But something about that place didn’t lead its residents to lash out in anger. Not back then.

St. Louis still has its shade trees. So does Ferguson.

But you can’t say they don’t riot there anymore.




“Maybe it was how police reacted to what initially was a peaceful memorial service for Brown.... But to many people, it had little to do with this town. The violent reaction grew from something larger, something tougher to pin down.... What happened in Ferguson was a regional reaction. The crowds that gathered in Ferguson — both peaceful protesters and those looking for trouble — came from Ferguson, yes, but also Berkeley, University City, Jennings and St. Louis.... Just look at Antonio French. He spent most of Sunday taking photos and shooting videos as a memorial turned into an angry mob. He was widely interviewed Monday by media nationwide. But he’s not from Ferguson. He’s a St. Louis alderman. For years he has complained about St. Louis police and how crime is handled in his predominantly black neighborhood.... He added: “This is no different than if it happened in Dellwood, Jennings or St. Louis. This has really been bubbling up for a long time.” This is about police brutality, he said. Others agreed.”  

“John Gaskin III, who lives in Florissant, another St. Louis County suburb, and who is a national youth board member of the NAACP, said “This isn’t a St. Louis problem. It’s a national problem.”... Tensions between police and African American teens run deep, said Rod Brunson, professor at Rutgers University. He has studied the issue in St. Louis. “The dynamics play out on the street everyday.” But Ferguson erupted. “And I don’t know what made it rise to this kind of level,” Brunson said.”

According to Antonio French, a St. Louis Alderman, the problem is police brutality. John Gaskin III, a national youth board member of the NAACP said it is not localized to St. Louis, but is “a national problem.” I have had the impression since I've been doing this news blog that racism and antisemitism are on the rise again, along with the proudly conservative movement. It is happening in Europe as well as the US.

I think these things tend to turn from a generally “conservative” viewpoint to hatred of non-whites or people of other religions when the economic situation gets increasingly restrictive on the average citizen's security producing fear – as now, when formerly middle class people are losing their homes due to loss of jobs, and poor people would be starving if not for food stamps and other aid. They need somebody to blame, and they don't blame laissez-faire capitalism. They believe in God, especially modern fundamentalist Evangelical Protestant Christianity, which has become largely conservative in all ways. Economically progressive people tend to believe that an unfettered economy breeds financial depressions and ever greater financial divides between the rich and the poor, with the middle class losing ground also, while the rich get richer. That is, after all, the Republican goal. This atmosphere of fear tends to breed racial strife and antisemitism.

I only took one economics course, the introductory course, which was completely about laissez-faire philosophy, with not one peep being said about Keynesian economics, though that was covered in the textbook. That was at George Mason University in the early 1990s. There was only one “truth” being taught in that course, although it should have been a survey course. I doubt if many people in the US today have been introduced to any more economic theory than I was. If they are fairly comfortable financially and they are white, they will probably tend to believe what they were taught, what their neighbors believe, and believe that “police brutality” is a misnomer for “law and order.” St. Louis is a Democratic Party stronghold, but the South and Midwest are conservative areas. See these two articles from St Louis MO local press about the KKK and the arrest of out of state reporters. This situation doesn't look good.



http://www.kmov.com/news/local/KKK-pamphlets-worry-residents-of-a-StCharles-County-neighborhood-220761281.html

KKK pamphlets worry residents of a St. Charles County neighborhood
By Lauren Tragrer / News 4
KMOV.com
August 22, 2013

(KMOV) -- A St. Charles County neighborhood is worried that a message from the Ku Klux Klan could soon be bringing violence to their front doors.

The pamphlet came along with a rock, tucked inside a plastic bag. Someone tossed them into the yards of dozens of homes.

The leader of the group, headquartered in Missouri, told News 4 it’s simply an advertisement for their neighborhood watch group. He claims they are not a hate group and would not commit hate crimes.

But neighbors told News 4, they think the messages are simply unacceptable. Some of them are even scared.

“It’s like we want to stay in the house, I have four kids, like whoever it is obviously watching us,” said Erica Campbell, who is African American.  

Campbell says she could barely believe what she found at the end of her drive Thursday morning...and she wasn’t the only one.

“It was a nasty gram,” said Lorisue Utterback. “It gives me goose bumps; I can’t believe this is still going on,”

News 4 called the number listed on the pamphlet; “We are unapologetically committed to the interest and values of the white race. We are committed to maintaining our racial heritage. White people will not buy the Equality propaganda anymore,” said a voice on a recording.

The recording asks if people are interested in becoming members.

Police said there’s little they can do about these deliveries, protected under free speech. But neighbors say they want extra patrol, to ensure there isn’t any violence.

“I probably won’t sleep so easy tonight, listening for sounds and stuff.”

News 4 will continue to follow up on this situation and bring updates when available. 



http://www.kmov.com/news/local/2-reporters-arrested-at-Ferguson-McDonalds-271171241.html

2 reporters arrested at Ferguson McDonald's
by AP & KMOV.com staff
AP
August 13, 2014

FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) -- Two reporters covering the shooting of an unarmed black teen by a white police officer in a St. Louis suburb say they were arrested at a McDonald’s Wednesday evening in the commercial corridor where angry protests have occurred.

Wesley Lowery of The Washington Post and Ryan Reilly of The Huffington Post say they were working in the fast-food restaurant when SWAT officers came in to quickly clear the area. Both quickly tweeted about their arrests, detention and subsequent release without any charges.

According to police, McDonald’s requested assistance because of the violent protests taken place close to the property.

Earlier Wednesday, authorities urged people to confine their protests to daylight after three nights of tense confrontations, looting, tear gas and a second shooting nearby.



'No Excuse': Obama Expresses Concern About Violence in Missouri – NBC
Kristen Welker and Erin McClam
First published August 14th 2014

President Barack Obama on Thursday called for calm after civil unrest over the police killing of an unarmed black teenager in Missouri, declaring that there was no excuse for violence against police or for excessive force against peaceful protests.

The president spoke from Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, after four nights of protests in Ferguson, Missouri, over the death of Michael Brown, 18. Police on Wednesday fired tear gas against protesters and arrested 16 people, including two reporters.

“There is never an excuse for violence against police, or for those who would use this tragedy as a cover for vandalism or looting,” he said. “There’s also no excuse for police to use excessive force against peaceful protesters, or to throw protesters in jail for lawfully exercising their First Amendment rights.”

He also said that police should not be “bullying” or arresting journalists who are trying to do their jobs.




Can the U.S. cut off ISIS from its funding?
By STEPHANIE CONDON CBS NEWS August 14, 2014, 6:00 AM

As the United States attempts to curb the momentum of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), it will have to confront the fact that the extremist group is flush with cash.

While ISIS has its origins in al Qaeda in Iraq, it's not entirely reliant on the wealthy donors that propped up al Qaeda as it grew in the pre-9/11 era. Instead, ISIS has in some ways developed a "hybrid form of funding" that is both global and local, CBS News Senior National Security Analyst Juan Zarate said.

There's no clear answer as to how much money ISIS has, but reports say the group is bringing in more than $1 million a day. If U.S. officials want to squeeze ISIS dry, they will have to take certain steps now to cut off those donors but also help opposing forces in Iraq and Syria wrest back control of the local economy -- a process that could take years.

"They've combined the ability to raise funds and run an economy locally with the ability to tap into on the enthusiasm for their cause globally," Zarate said. "That really presents challenges for counterterrorism officials and in some ways is a more complicated terrorist funding model than we've seen in the past."

As it has since Sept. 11, 2001, the U.S. Treasury Department is taking steps to cut extremists off from their foreign financiers. For instance, on Aug. 6, Treasury announced it was imposing sanctions on three key terrorist financiers, including 'Abd al-Rahman Khalaf 'Ubayd Juday' al-'Anizi -- an individual who allegedly has helped ISIS transfer funds from Kuwait to Syria and has helped pay for foreign fighters traveling from Syria to Iraq.

"Through fundraising appeals on social media and the use of financial networks... al-'Anizi [and others] have been funding the terrorists fighting in Syria and Iraq," Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen said in a statement. "We and our international partners, including the Kuwaiti government, need to act more urgently and effectively to disrupt these terrorist financing efforts."

At the same time, Zarate said, "You can't lob in Treasury paratroopers or push some magic button in New York and stop all their financing when you've got a group like this."

While some of the group's funding comes from abroad, ISIS has largely gained a financial foothold in Iraq and Syria by effectively taking over the local economy. It's taken control of resources like oil installations and refineries, as well as food granaries, and the group is also extorting and taxing individuals operating businesses in the region.

In Syria, where ISIS controls significant oil producing areas, the group has been dealing with Turkish brokers. The oil is taken across the border and sold at a discount. ISIS is also selling oil to the Assad regime, Zarate said. The group runs oil to regime checkpoints and charges both for the oil and for the security of those truck convoys.

"They didn't just need to sweep in and destroy and rob and pillage," Zarate said. "They're allowing the [local] economies to continue to operate and then they're acting like leeches on top of that economy and leveraging it. That's an interesting evolution of this group that makes it different from al Qaeda in Iraq."

ISIS has in part succeeded at taking over the local economies because the people of Iraq and Syria are simply disgusted with the rampant government corruption they've witnessed, said Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the left-leaning Center for American Progress. That's why, he said, President Obama has pledged his support to Iraq's new government.

"When President Obama and others -- President Bush talked about this, about having decent governance -- it sounds soft, but it actually cuts to the core of how do you squeeze these terrorists and criminals," Katulis said. "You do that by having institutions that actually function and deal with all sectors of society equitably."

The U.S. can help to a certain extent, but "that's a very long game," he said, "and it's nowhere near where are we at right now."

The administration, Katulis said, has yet to develop a broad strategy to respond to ISIS and is currently in "reactive, tactical crisis management mode."

"The problems of Syria and the problems of Iraq have merged, it's staring us right in the face," he said. "Yet we have a policy process that stovepipes these two problems to a large extent. We need to move rapidly... to look at this problem set, these problems of both Iraq and Syria as joint. Easier said than done, but important to do."




“There's no clear answer as to how much money ISIS has, but reports say the group is bringing in more than $1 million a day. If U.S. officials want to squeeze ISIS dry, they will have to take certain steps now to cut off those donors but also help opposing forces in Iraq and Syria wrest back control of the local economy -- a process that could take years.... As it has since Sept. 11, 2001, the U.S. Treasury Department is taking steps to cut extremists off from their foreign financiers. For instance, on Aug. 6, Treasury announced it was imposing sanctions on three key terrorist financiers.... While some of the group's funding comes from abroad, ISIS has largely gained a financial foothold in Iraq and Syria by effectively taking over the local economy.... It's taken control of resources like oil installations and refineries, as well as food granaries, and the group is also extorting and taxing individuals operating businesses in the region.... ISIS has in part succeeded at taking over the local economies because the people of Iraq and Syria are simply disgusted with the rampant government corruption they've witnessed, said Brian Katulis, of the left-leaning Center for American Progress.” Katulis says, “'We need to move rapidly... to look at this problem set, these problems of both Iraq and Syria as joint. Easier said than done, but important to do."

Turkey is contributing to the power of ISIS by buying Iraqi oil from them at a discount. The local people are cooperating with ISIS because they are “disgusted” with the corruption of the national government, says Brian Katulis. However, ISIS has also slaughtered men and enslaved women in those areas where the occupants did not go along with the takeover, and have threatened the death of religious minorities. The central government needs to strengthen its armed forces and gain their loyalty, so that they will fight effectively. Then they need to give just treatment to Sunni Muslims and other religious minorities, and arm the Kurds with weapons that the US has given to Baghdad. Sectarian divides are crippling the Iraqi government and may result in its downfall. For the sake of the Western world as well as the Iraqi people, I do hope that doesn't occur.




Ukraine leader: Russia plotting "direct invasion"
By CAMI MCCORMICK CBS NEWS August 14, 2014, 6:09 AM

KIEV, Ukraine -- A convoy of more than 260 Russian trucks, painted white and carrying a mysterious cargo of what Moscow says is humanitarian supplies, suddenly changed course Thursday morning. The trucks had been on the road to the Kharkiv region of eastern Ukraine, for inspection by International Red Cross and Ukrainian officials.

Kharkiv is under Ukrainian government control. But without warning or explanation, they changed direction and headed south. Some Ukrainian officials believe it's an attempt by Moscow to get tons of supplies -- possibly weapons -- into territory south of Kharkiv controlled by pro-Russian separatists.

It's an area that has seen heavy fighting over the last three days and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is accusing Moscow of planning a "direct invasion" under the guise of delivering humanitarian assistance.

Other officials believe Russia is trying to re-supply rebels. But no one in Kiev really knows what's on those trucks, and neither does the International Red Cross. The group was planning to send a senior official to Kiev and Moscow to try to reach an agreement on border crossing procedures and customs clearance.

Kiev said it would also send humanitarian aid to the region. Neither country has explained how it plans to move the supplies in to an active war zone.

The U.N.'s human rights office said Wednesday the death toll from the fighting in just the past two weeks had gone over 2,000 people. That number, which it calls conservative, includes soldiers, separatists and civilians.

As the convoy made its way toward the Ukrainian border, Russian President Vladimir Putin was spending his second day in Crimea, which Russia seized in March. He brought his entire cabinet and many Russian lawmakers with him.

But the broadcast of a speech the Russian leader was to deliver in the Crimean parliament was abruptly cancelled Thursday morning.

The Russian government said it was always meant to be a private discussion with Crimean leaders to map out ways of bolstering the economy "in the new territory," which has been hard-hit by a lack of tourists this summer, from Ukraine or anywhere else.

Meanwhile, the Twitter account of Putin's No. 2, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, was hacked on Thursday morning.

One of the fake tweets announced Medvedev's resignation, claiming he was "ashamed by the government actions. Forgive me."

At first, it wasn't clear whether the words might actually be from Medvedev. They perplexed even veteran Kremlin-watchers, with former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul re-tweeting the message and asking, "wow. Is this a fake?"

Though the Russian Foreign Ministry quickly put out a statement that the tweets were not authentic, it took Russian government officials more than an hour to reclaim the site and delete the earlier comments.

An anti-Kremlin Russian hacking group reportedly claimed responsibility for the hacking into Medvedev's account in a message posted to its own Twitter feed later Thursday morning.




“A convoy of more than 260 Russian trucks, painted white and carrying a mysterious cargo of what Moscow says is humanitarian supplies, suddenly changed course Thursday morning...and headed south..... It's an area that has seen heavy fighting over the last three days and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is accusing Moscow of planning a "direct invasion" under the guise of delivering humanitarian assistance. Other officials believe Russia is trying to re-supply rebels. But no one in Kiev really knows what's on those trucks, and neither does the International Red Cross. The group was planning to send a senior official to Kiev and Moscow to try to reach an agreement on border crossing procedures and customs clearance.”

Whether Putin is shipping in soldiers and arms or not, there is no good explanation for the bizarre change of plans in sending the trucks south, and Kiev's statement that they fear an invasion is not outrageous. The Red Cross was not apprised of the new Russian plan, so it doesn't look like those trucks are bound for the Red Cross. Incidentally, Putin and his cabinet happen to be in Crimea holding “a private discussion” with Crimean leaders. To make it more mysterious, an announced speech by Putin was canceled suddenly and an anti-Kremlin Russian group of hackers hacked into Medvedev's Twitter account to make a false claim of his resignation. Clearly Putin is not in complete control of what goes on in his own country. Wouldn't it be interesting if Medvedev had actually made that tweet and is now under arrest, while Putin issued a denial to cover up his weakness? I expect some exciting news soon. I'll be looking for that.





Pope's nod to China, on a wing and a prayer
CBS NEWS August 14, 2014, 6:43 AM

SEOUL, South Korea -- Pope Francis landed in the South Korean capitalThursday on his first trip to Asia as pontiff.

CBS News' Seth Doane says 10 percent of South Koreans are Catholic, and the numbers are growing. The Vatican is said to be focusing its attention in areas where the church is growing, and Asia is undoubtedly one of those regions.

More specifically -- and more significantly -- some people say the Church is also gaining significant followers in China, and when you're the Pope, even the path your plane takes is important.

On his chartered Alitalia flight to Seoul, Pope Francis flew directly over China. The last time a pope wanted to fly through Chinese airspace was 1989, and Beijing refused the request.

Despite an estimated 12-million Catholics in China, the communist government does not have diplomatic relations with the Vatican, and it hasn't since the Communist Party came to power in 1949.

As is customary for each country he flies over, Pope Francis sent a telegram to China's President Xi Jinping.

"Upon entering Chinese airspace, I extend best wishes to your Excellency and your fellow citizens, and I invoke the divine blessings of peace and well-being upon the nation," read his message.

Francis and Xi had also exchanged letters after they were both elected last year.

In China, the majority of Catholics worship in underground Churches. Another 5.5 million are members of the "official" Chinese Catholic "Patriotic Association," which does not let the Vatican appoint bishops.

Yang Guangyun's family has been Catholic since the Yuan dynasty, 700 years ago, when missionaries first came to China.

Yang told CBS News many Chinese Catholics are loyal to the pope and were encouraged by his telegram.

"I hope China and the Vatican could reach a common ground," she said, "and one day the Pope will visit China."

That may still be a long way off, but his mere visit to the region -- and the path he took to get there -- were enough on Thursday to give quiet hope to many Catholics in China.




“The last time a pope wanted to fly through Chinese airspace was 1989, and Beijing refused the request.... Despite an estimated 12-million Catholics in China, the communist government does not have diplomatic relations with the Vatican, and it hasn't since the Communist Party came to power in 1949. As is customary for each country he flies over, Pope Francis sent a telegram to China's President Xi Jinping. 'Upon entering Chinese airspace, I extend best wishes to your Excellency and your fellow citizens, and I invoke the divine blessings of peace and well-being upon the nation,' read his message.... In China, the majority of Catholics worship in underground Churches. Another 5.5 million are members of the 'official' Chinese Catholic 'Patriotic Association,' which does not let the Vatican appoint bishops. “Yang Guangyun's family has been Catholic since the Yuan dynasty, 700 years ago, when missionaries first came to China.”

I had no idea there were Christians in China from such an early date. China has made advances in the personal freedoms that are now allowed its citizens, though it's still a tightly controlled society. Actually, I'm impressed by China as it becomes more fair and inclusive to minority groups, and according to the website “http://skepticalscience.com/china-leading-role-solutions.html”, it is taking measures to limit its coal consumption and has initiated a carbon tax. See the Wikipedia article selections on Chinese Christians below.


Christianity in China
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Christianity in China has a history going back to the Tang dynasty (8th century). Christianity in China comprises Protestants, Catholics, and a small number of Orthodox Christians. Although its lineage in China is not as ancient as the institutional religions of Taoism and MahayanaBuddhism and the social system and ideology of Confucianism, Christianity has existed in China since at least the seventh century and has gained influence over the past 200 years.[2][3]

In recent years, the number of Chinese Christians has increased significantly, particularly since the easing of restrictions on religious activity during economic reforms in the late 1970s.[4] In many parts of the People's Republic of China, the practice of religion continues to be tightly controlled by government authorities. Chinese over the age of 18 are only permitted to join officially sanctioned Christian groups registered with the government-affiliated Three-Self Patriotic Movement and Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.[5] Official statistics show that the number of Protestants has increased to the tens of millions (from 700,000 in 1949) since the Communist Revolution.

According to a survey published in 2010, there are now approximately 52 million Christians in China, including 40 million Protestants and 12 million Catholics.,[6] although some believe the actual numbers to be significantly higher. While no Protestant churches or meetings were sanctioned by the government during the Cultural Revolution, by 2006, there were over 50,000 Protestant churches and meeting places registered with the Chinese government.[7]

Much of this growth has occurred in informal networks referred to as "house churches," the proliferation of which began in the 1950s when many Chinese Catholics and Protestants began to reject state-controlled structures purported to represent them.[8] Members of such groups are now said to represent the "silent majority" of Chinese Christians and represent many diverse theological traditions.[9]






As Texas steps up border security, critics decry "militarization"
By MANUEL BOJORQUEZ CBS NEWS August 13, 2014, 7:24 PM

MCALLEN, Texas -- On Wednesday, Texas Governor Rick Perry visited National Guard troops who will soon beef up patrols along the border with Mexico. Perry says Texas had to act because the federal government has failed to secure the border.

Perry has taken this political fight to a new level.

Members of the Texas National Guard recently completed combat training. The next deployment for some will be on the border.

"The price of inaction is too high for Texas to pay," Perry told a news conference in July.

Perry ordered 1,000 National Guard members to help other state agencies with border security. The guard will monitor and report illegal crossings. They cannot make arrests.

An online advertisement belonging to Perry's political action committee centers on the political response to the influx of border crossings. And asks for donations. Border security has become a prominent part of his political message.

Some have been critical of his decision by saying it's political and he is looking to make a point on a national stage because he would like to run for president.

Rio Grande City Mayor Ruben Villarreal defends the decision: "It doesn't matter to me if the governor is sending them here to spread confetti, it doesn't matter a bit."

His city is 150 yards from Mexico.

"I need them here. I need the boots on the ground to take care of a community."

Perry has argued the surge of children that crossed into the U.S. diverted resources from stopping drug smugglers.

But the number of unaccompanied minors crossing the border has dropped by half since its peak in June.The McAllen, Texas Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to Governor Perry urging him to "reconsider the deployment ... in light of the damage ... that will result to our community and the economy of the entire Rio Grande valley."

Monica Weisberg Stewart rents retail space in McAllen.

She says she is concerned about the impression of a militarized border.

"It also tells our visitors to the south that you're not welcome. It sends a very strong message."

Governor Perry has not said how long the National Guard will be deployed. State legislators plan to ask Washington to pick up the bill -- about $12 million a month.




“Perry ordered 1,000 National Guard members to help other state agencies with border security. The guard will monitor and report illegal crossings. They cannot make arrests..... Some have been critical of his decision by saying it's political and he is looking to make a point on a national stage because he would like to run for president.... Rio Grande City Mayor Ruben Villarreal defends the decision: 'It doesn't matter to me if the governor is sending them here to spread confetti, it doesn't matter a bit.' His city is 150 yards from Mexico. 'I need them here. I need the boots on the ground to take care of a community.'” I read a magazine article once that featured homeowners on the border and portrayed their fear of the illegal immigrants walking through their property. Some thefts had been reported.

The McAllen Chamber of Commerce is against the deployment of troops there, however, stating that there will be resultant “damage to our community and the economy of the entire Rio Grande Valley.” Monica Weisberg Stewart of McAllen says that she is concerned about the “impression of a militarized border,” which gives a message to “our visitors from the south that you're not welcome.” Apparently the area gets a good amount of income from tourists from Mexico. Interestingly, the number of children showing up has declined. I wonder if Obama's speeches aimed at the citizens of Central America has deterred some of the attempts. He also met with Presidents from Central American countries to help them stop the coyotes and the social disorder at home.

Hopefully this turn of events will continue, and the problem will disappear. At any rate I don't think troops that are only authorized to “observe and report” will be of any real use. I thought the “confetti” comment by Villarreal was funny. I'm glad to see somebody is getting a laugh out of this issue.







Dirty play a major cause of injuries in young athletes, report says
By AGATA BLASZCZAK-BOXE CBS NEWS August 14, 2014, 6:00 AM

Playing sports should be a healthy and fun way to spend time for kids, and yet every day almost 3,400 young people sustain sports injuries that send them to the emergency room. Too often, a new survey suggests, injuries happen because kids are playing dirty -- and coaches may not be doing enough to stop it.

The new report, released by Safe Kids Worldwide, surveyed 1,000 young athletes, 1,005 coaches and 1,000 parents. One in four young athletes in the survey considered it normal to commit hard fouls and play rough to "send a message" during a game. And about one third of the kids said they had been injured as a result of dirty play from an opponent.

Meanwhile, one in four coaches surveyed in the report said that they don't do anything in particular to prevent injuries to young players during practice or games.

"Despite greater public awareness about youth sports safety, we still found an alarming gap in what is being done to keep young athletes safe while playing sports," the authors of the report wrote.

Overall, 90 percent of the athletes participating in the survey said they had been hurt while playing a sport, with 37 percent of the injuries involving sprains or strains, 24 percent dehydration, 13 percent broken bones, and 12 percent concussions or head injuries.

Last year, 1.24 million children age 19 and younger went to the ER for sports injuries, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The survey found 54 percent of young athletes said they had played while injured. Some of the reasons they gave for doing so included being needed and not wanting to let the team down; not wanting to be benched; or the importance of the game in question. Four out of ten said they had hidden or downplayed an injury so they could continue playing.

The report also found that almost three-quarters of the athletes reported having been yelled at by a coach, and of those, 40 percent said it made them to want to quit the sport. Some of the kids also said being yelled at by a coach made them feel embarrassed in front of their friends on the team, frustrated, "small and belittled."

Fewer than half of the coaches in the survey said they had received a certification on how to prevent and recognize sport injuries, the report said. The report also found that more than half of the coaches admitted having felt pressure from parents or players to put a young athlete into back into a game after they have been injured.

"Playing sports safely isn't about limiting kids, it's about keeping athletes healthy and injury-free so they can keep playing to their greatest potential," Kate Carr, President and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide, said in a statement. "Teach kids to speak up when injured, put an end to dirty play, and empower coaches with tools they need to be effective and keep kids playing safe and strong."

"We need more education, not just for coaches, but for parents and athletes, too," Jack Crowe, former NCAA football coach, said in a statement. "There are steps we can take to prevent most serious injuries, and one of the most important is to give athletes a chance to heal when they do get hurt."

Safe Kids Worldwide offered some practical tips for coaches to help young athletes play fair and prevent injuries:

Set the ground rules at the beginning of the season. Bring together parents and athletes to agree on the team's approach to prevent injuries.
Teach athletes ways to prevent injuries. Proper technique, strength training, warm-up exercises and stretching can go a long way to preventing injuries.
Prevent overuse injuries. Encourage athletes to take time off from playing only one sport to prevent overuse injuries and give them an opportunity to get stronger and develop skills learned in another sport.
Encourage athletes to speak up when they're injured. Remove injured athletes from play.
Put an end to dirty play and rule-breaking. Call fouls that could cause injuries.
Get certified. Learn first aid, CPR, AED use and injury prevention skills.




“Playing sports should be a healthy and fun way to spend time for kids, and yet every day almost 3,400 young people sustain sports injuries that send them to the emergency room. Too often, a new survey suggests, injuries happen because kids are playing dirty -- and coaches may not be doing enough to stop it. The new report, released by Safe Kids Worldwide, surveyed 1,000 young athletes, 1,005 coaches and 1,000 parents. One in four young athletes in the survey considered it normal to commit hard fouls and play rough to "send a message" during a game. And about one third of the kids said they had been injured as a result of dirty play from an opponent. Meanwhile, one in four coaches surveyed in the report said that they don't do anything in particular to prevent injuries to young players during practice or games..... Overall, 90 percent of the athletes participating in the survey said they had been hurt while playing a sport, with 37 percent of the injuries involving sprains or strains, 24 percent dehydration, 13 percent broken bones, and 12 percent concussions or head injuries.”

From “playing hurt” in order to avoid “letting the team down” – or the potential of being benched -- to experiencing embarrassment and feeling “small and belittled” by a coach; I wonder at the supposed benefit to the student of playing in today's sports. I think our society has become even more anti-intellectual and oriented toward physical achievements than it was when I was in high school. The level of competitiveness that is now stressed is hurtful, I feel sure. There was an interesting article about the parents of junior league soccer players, which portrayed them as often being rough on their own kids if the child didn't play hard enough. Why do we have to be constantly at war within our own society? Looks like the cooperative aspect of team sports is going by the wayside. A “team player” is coming to mean an aggressive kid, and I personally wouldn't allow a kid of mine to play football or soccer now. I would like for my child to be bright and friendly rather than necessarily a highly competitive student and a playground bully. I would like for them to do the best they can in their competitions, but above all become an honest, kind good citizen.