El Paso: Mexican Drug Cartels Plant Messages on Billboards: Accept Bribes or Die

I was recently on a conference call with Texas ranchers Dr. Mike and Linda Vickers. Dr. Vickers made the short comment that I-10 is now controlled by drug cartels. It made such an impact on me that I called my Texas friends who are readying to travel I-10 to Palm Desert, California. She acknowledge that in recent past trips they have noticed strange people walking the highway, and a presence of border patrol that they had not noticed before, especially on the long stretch of I-10 through Texas. Today, Dr. Vicker's assessment has been confirmed. Mannequins were found hanging from two billboards that were not "paid-for" advertising. The message: 'accept bribes or die.'

Translation: Accept Bribes or Die

Pull-Out Quote:

Local station KHOU reports that one of the signs reads 'Plata o Plombo' which translates to 'silver or lead', a threat used commonly against police officers effectively warning that if they do not accept the cartel's bribes then they will be shot.

The first vandalized billboard off I-10 had Plata o Plomo in large black letters which translates into silver or lead. It is usually a warning targeting police or government officials in Mexico. The warning: work with a cartel and take a bribe or get a bullet. 

The first vandalized billboard off I-10 had Plata o Plomo in large black letters which translates into silver or lead. It is usually a warning targeting police or government officials in Mexico. The warning: work with a cartel and take a bribe or get a bullet.

The hanging mannequin was dressed in a suit and tie.

“This symbol has historically been used by Mexican drug cartels to threaten or intimidate Mexican citizens, business owners and government officials; however, we have never experienced this in El Paso,” said police in a statement released to media.

“Maybe the problems in Juarez are coming over here,” said Javier Padilla, an El Paso resident.

“Oh, that’s horrible,” said Maria Ramos, his wife looking at a photograph of a stuffed hanging mannequin.

Two of her relatives were murdered across the border in Ciudad Juarez in 2009. Real bodies have been found hanging from overpasses in that Mexican city. Source: KHOU - Houston, Texas

The second mannequin sent a different message, 'turn in a drug lord for a monetary reward, and you will die.' Note this mannequin is dressed in jeans.

For more from the Vickers conference call (truly startling stuff) see here and here, and visit the organization they founded, the Texas Border Volunteers for more information on what's happening on your southern border.

Please remember Marine Andrew Tahmooressi in your prayers. The 25-year-old has been held in a Mexican jail for two months after taking a wrong turn and landing across the Mexico border. Pray for his swift release.

View the video here.

Posted by Maggie @ Maggie's Notebook

Illegal Alien, Florida Drug Kingpin, on Food Stamps and Busted While on House Arrest!

Pablo Borgen was arrested, again. He had a complete organization. Police had a flow chart with Borgen at the top. He continued to deal drugs while on House Arrest for a 2008 drug trafficking charge. He is a citizen of the Dominican Republic, and receives food stamps, $900.00 monthly, as do a “handful of others” involved with him. According to the report coming from Winter Haven, Florida, “leaders, sellers, users, marketers” were arrested, and most have a criminal history, and some are illegal aliens.

Pablo Bergen

Borgen wrapped his heroin in glossy green paper — his signature trademark for his product, which was found “all over the county,” but mainly in Lakeland.” Thirty-three arrests have been made over the past 14 months. We are not told how long Borgen has been on food stamps.

The idiots at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, who approve applications for benefits for illegals, should be fired, but then we know the Department has advertised for more people to enroll, get on the government dole, become a victim, vote for and be controlled by, Democrats. Who approved Pablo Borgen for food stamps?

Pablo Borgen Arrested, Illegal Alien Heroin Dealer on Food Stamps (video)
  H/T TopRightNews Posted by Maggie @ Maggie's Notebook

NSA Stored Data Also Used by the DOJ Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS, DHS, FBI, CIA

The NSA's massive dragnet of your information HAS been used by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to target and prosecute Americans for other than terrorism-related offenses or behaviors. The billions of phone calls secreted away somewhere, the gazillion emails...the DOJs Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has access to them and is using them. Those involved in the program includes the IRS, DHS, FBI, CIA and NSA and comprise the Special Operation Division (SOD) which is located somewhere undisclosed in Virginia. One specific SOD operation is DICE, DEA Internet Connectivity Endeavor. A roiling question: is there any expectation that your conversation with your attorney will be absolutely private? See an update below.

 

Pullout Quote:

"Remember that the utilization of SOD cannot be revealed or discussed in any investigative function," a document presented to agents reads. The document specifically directs agents to omit the SOD's involvement from investigative reports, affidavits, discussions with prosecutors and courtroom testimony. Agents are instructed to then use "normal investigative techniques to recreate the information provided by SOD." (Source: See Reuters link below)

The difference between the NSA program and SOD:

NSA: To use electronic surveillance to help the Federal Bureau of Investigation catch terrorists, the U.S. military fight wars, and the Central Intelligence Agency collect intelligence about foreign governments. 

SOD: To help the DEA and other law enforcement agents launch criminal investigations of drug dealers, money launderers and other common criminals, including Americans. The unit also handles global narco-terrorism cases. .. 

SOD: The SOD forwards tips gleaned from NSA intercepts, wiretaps by foreign governments, court-approved domestic wiretaps and a database called DICE to federal agents and local law enforcement officers. The DICE database is different from the NSA phone-records database. DICE consists of about 1 billion records, and is primarily a compilation of phone log data that is legally gathered by the DEA through subpoenas or search warrants. Source: Raw Story

 

Eric Holder

 The Raw Story link above says Congress "have been briefed" on SOD. The paper trail is hidden and lied about by being "recreated," so when an American is accused, the data presented against you in a court of law was/is not necessarily obtained in the manner your attorney was/is told it was discovered.

A secretive U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration unit is funneling information from intelligence intercepts, wiretaps, informants and a massive database of telephone records to authorities across the nation to help them launch criminal investigations of Americans. 

Although these cases rarely involve national security issues, documents reviewed by Reuters show that law enforcement agents have been directed to conceal how such investigations truly begin - not only from defense lawyers but also sometimes from prosecutors and judges. 

The undated documents show that federal agents are trained to "recreate" the investigative trail to effectively cover up where the information originated, a practice that some experts say violates a defendant's Constitutional right to a fair trial. Source: Reuters

No need to go though the litany of U.S. Senators and Representatives who have fully-backed the NSA program of storing and data-mining our private communications by intimation that those against it have a lack of patriotism or understanding of the threat of terrorism, even though many have stated they did not understand the full scope of the program. Yet it goes on. The clock is ticking down to the first elected on Capitol Hill to tell us they knew nada about DICE, or worse, knew about it but did not understand the scope.

 Are the communications between you and your attorney data-mined? Foolish to think not.

No doubt nothing will stop this. SOD and NSA will go on uninhibited after a few hearings. Congress lacks the will to protect the U.S. Constitution and/or stop Eric Holder. Surely our outrage can make something happen?

 UPDATE @ 11:08 am CDT: Brett Baier is on Fox News with Kelly Wright explaining how this works. An example: An agent is told to be at a certain location at a certain time, and to look for a certain vehicle. The car is searched for drugs and if appropriate, the person(s) is arrested. When the agent writes-up the report, it states that the case began with the arrest - not with the fact that the driver was set-up.

Meatless Mondays?

Hat Tip The Lid

Nanny State at work!

Yes ladies and gentlemen all you have to do is "Pledge" to give up eating meat on Mondays.  Right now it is voluntary but give these assholes enough time and it will be mandatory with stiff fines.

From the City Council that declared war on trans-fats and fast-food restaurants comes the latest way to make residents feel, well, guilty about what they eat.

The Los Angeles council, in a 14-0 vote on Friday, adopted a resolution urging residents to adopt a personal pledge to have a "meatless Monday."

While it does not have the force of law and police will not be checking what you brought to work for lunch, city officials said they hope it will start a trend, make residents healthier and reduce the impact on the environment.

"This follows the `good food' agenda we recently adopted supporting local, sustainable food choices," said Councilwoman Jan Perry, who has called for a ban on new fast-food restaurants in South Los Angeles to fight obesity.

"We can reduce saturated fats and reduce the risk of heart disease by 19 percent," Perry said. "While this is a symbolic gesture, it is asking people to think about the food choices they make. Eating less meat can reverse some of our nation's most common illnesses."

Councilman Ed Reyes, who joined with Perry in proposing the resolution, said one of his sons has been diagnosed with diabetes.

"The issue is how does a local municipality engage in this and how do we create change," Reyes said. "If we do it one plate at time, one meal, one day, we are ratcheting down the impact on our environment. We start with one day a week and then, who knows, maybe we can change our habits for a lifetime."

The proposal was developed by the Food Policy Council, which has a goal of "creating more and better food jobs" and encouraging food companies and small food enterprises as part of a bigger agenda to encourage healthy foods in the city.

Source

Los Angeles has many problems.  Crime, Drugs, Gangs, Failing Schools.  But they are waging war on meat.  Why?  Because they can draw attention away from every other problem they have.  They are heading for bankruptcy and all they can do is deny their citizens the joy of eating the foods they love.

I am sure that Michelle Obama will talk her husband into making this a national law.

Obama Walked Off Debate Stage Thinking He Won – Dems Say Obama Disdainful of Romney

Stolen from (with permission) Maggie's Notebook

The DailyMail reports David Axelrod saying The Won thought he won the first presidential debate against his insignificant opponent, Mitt Romney. Others said Obama was disdainful of Romney and had “one-liners” to combat/humiliate Romney’s truthful remarks on the “47%” but didn’t use them. No one attached to the debate prep thought Obama taking time off to visit Hoover Dam and a campaign headquarters locale was a good idea.

The Democrat, who is aligned with the Obama campaign and has been an unofficial adviser on occasions, said that David Axelrod, Obama’s chief strategist, was stunned that the President left the stage feeling that he had won the debate. Source: DailyMail

Doug Ross says this is just what we “cherish in our leaders…time to lay off the Peyote, Mr. President.”