Violent Clashes at Mexican Border Double

Attacks on U.S. Border Patrol agents nearly doubled along the Mexican border during the past year as authorities stepped up efforts to curb drug smuggling and illegal immigration.

In the face of tightened security along the border, increasingly desperate drug and immigrant traffickers have assaulted agents with rocks, marbles fired from slingshots, even gunfire and Molotov cocktails.

At least 687 assaults against agents were recorded in the fiscal year that ended on September 30, up from 354 in the previous year, and the highest since the agency began tracking assaults along the border, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Projectiles hurled by smugglers and migrants have dented Border Patrol vehicles and shattered windshields. Agents in the Tucson and San Diego sectors have reported being shot at 43 times, compared to 18 times the previous year.

Three agents were shot in the leg, and least 20 others were hospitalized, many with head injuries after being struck by rocks.

Agents have shot and killed five suspected smugglers in the Tucson and San Diego sectors, including a man armed with a semi-automatic weapon who was suspected of waiting to pick up migrants.

In another encounter, an agent came under fire as he approached a vehicle being loaded with drugs, and nearly two dozen bullets struck the agent's vehicle. He suffered a leg wound.

In Calexico, Calif., across the border from Mexicali, smugglers have begun tossing Molotov cocktails at agents.

Officials say the increased number of attacks is a result of rising frustration among drug and immigrant smugglers, who have seen traditional smuggling routes blocked by a border buildup that has seen the number of agents rise to an all-time high of 11,000 along the Mexican border.

"They're feeling they have to fight their way through now," Jim Hawkins, a spokesman for the agency's Tucson sector, told the Times.

"We're taking their livelihood away from them, so they're getting angry and desperate." Most assaults occur in Arizona and California, where borders have been heavily fortified.

That has driven many smugglers to the New Mexico border. Illegal immigration has become such a huge problem there that Gov. Bill Richardson declared a state of emergency in four of his state's counties bordering Mexico.

"It's not just illegal immigrants," Richardson said. "It's criminal, violent activity that has been spawned by the illegal immigrant traffic and by some of the characters who are using that to bring in drugs and theft and violence."

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Efforts of Bloggers to be Recognized

This is an email from Accuracy in Media I received this morning.

On November 2nd, Accuracy in Media will present the first annual “REED IRVINE INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM AWARD” to the “Rathergate” bloggers, whose pursuit of truthful news coverage began the process of unraveling the CBS anchor’s web of forged documents and false reporting about the President’s National Guard service.

This prestigious journalism award will serve as an ongoing tribute to the legacy of Reed Irvine’s achievements in the field of media criticism, and we believe it will eventually become a rallying cry for factual accuracy in media.

Reed Irvine’s conscientious efforts to expose misreporting attracted legions of supporters, and paved the way for today’s alternative online media. Inspired by his example, AIM continues the campaign for fair and objective news coverage by exposing and publicizing serious cases of dishonest news reporting, and correcting the media’s errors.

http://www.aim.org/

Minutemen Quietly Set Up in Valley with Help of Landowners

Pharr, Texas- Hundreds of Minutemen volunteers have kept a watchful eye along parts of the Rio Grande Valley and say they won’t give up until it is secure. Earlier this month in Falfurrias, members of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps kicked off the Secure Our Borders Campaign, which continues through the end of the month.

While patrols in Falfurrias drew heavy media coverage, the group quietly began reconnaissance missions in the Valley in August and beefed up patrols Labor Day weekend. "The only people that knew were the landowners and us," said Mike Vickers, one of the local organizers of the activist Minuteman Project based in Falfurrias. "We are making a difference (in the Rio Grande Valley)," he said. "We’re set up and helping the Border Patrol do a more effective job."

The group, made up of civilian volunteers who call the Border Patrol when they see undocumented immigrants, was expected to head to "hot spots" in Valley shortly after the Texas chapter formed in June. Although heavily criticized by local civil rights organizations, the Minuteman project ventured on and now boasts various patrols across a dozen states.

In April, the Minutemen patrolled the Arizona-New Mexico borders; however, they encountered a few problems in doing so. In Texas, Vickers said, they feel the benefit of setting up stations on private property. "We’re not going in and disturbing the area," said Vickers, a Falfurrias-area veterinarian. "If any protesters step foot on private property, they are going straight to jail for trespassing."

Although he could not disclose the exact areas of patrol he did say volunteers are set up through parts of Zapata, Starr and Hidalgo counties. In the future, the group hopes to stretch their presence from Zapata to Brownsville. "We’re covering all of our positions in these counties," he said.

In the Valley alone, about 500 volunteers have participated in the daily patrols. Minutemen leaders have asked each volunteer to recruit 30 more for deployment to the southern border. "People go back to work, go back home when their time is up and then before we know it we have new people showing up," Vickers said.
Local leaders, who could not be reached for comment late Thursday, reported some "excitement by the border," where a coyote was seen picking up a group of illegal immigrants — all caught on tape, Vickers said.

In addition to areas along the Rio Grande, volunteers will setup stations around major crossing points where undocumented immigrants travel once crossing they have crossed the border. "We get on highways and find the pickup and drop off points to find them," Vickers said. "But we want to stop (it) at the river bank."It doesn’t matter how long we will be (in the Valley). But we’ll be there until the lawlessness across South Texas stops."

Minuteman Civil Defense Corps volunteer Dave R. Summers, a retired school administrator from Dallas, surveys the banks of the Rio Grande on Thursday just east of the Pharr International Bridge

Alarm in US as 'Gangsta Bible' Goes Mainstream

An American magazine about gangster life that was originally aimed at prisoners is selling so well that it is to go on sale in major stores. To the alarm of those working in crime prevention, Don Diva, which calls itself "the original street bible", has become required reading in many inner cities.

It features interviews with convicts, and includes tips on where to hide drugs and buy the best diamond-studded gold teeth and money-counting machines. Critics say the glossy quarterly - which carries the warning, "Parental Advisory: Gangsta Content" - glamorizes and promotes violent gangland lifestyles. Its supporters say the coverage reflects the reality, and consequences, of crime: perpetrators end up in prison or dead.

Launched six years ago, Don Diva now sells 165,000 copies, and Mrs Childs said each issue reached an estimated one million readers.

Initially, nearly all its subscribers were in prison. Today only 10 per cent of its readers are inmates, and the magazine will soon be on sale at large retail outlets such as Tower Records and Borders. Mrs Childs was inspired to launch the magazine by the prison experiences of her husband, Kevin, a Harlem gang leader who served 10 years for dealing cocaine.

A recent cover showed a 12-year-old toting a gun to illustrate a story on children and firearms violence. "It was a very scandalous cover," she said. "But if I saw it, I'd want to know what it was about. We go for shock value."

The magazine, which has also featured tips on how to avoid money-laundering charges and buy car tyres that can withstand bullets, carries updates on changes to the laws in its legal news section. Susan Marchionna, of the National Council on Crime and Delinquency in San Francisco, said: "It certainly looks like glorification of the lifestyle it says it's about." She said the editor's claims that the magazine told cautionary tales "seems sort of weak from this vantage point".

Don Diva had a trial launch in Britain last year. Only three issues were published, but Mrs Childs said the experiment was a success and she hoped to follow this up. "This isn't just a US thing," she said, "There are urban communities all over the world that can relate to the issues we're talking about."

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American Girl Told to Hit the Road

Catholic School says, "Our integrity isn’t for sale"

A Roman Catholic school is canceling a fashion show by the manufacturer of a popular line of dolls and children's books amid criticism that American Girl is contributing to an organization that support abortion rights and acceptance of lesbians. St. Luke School in Brookfield notified its parents of the decision through bulletins at Masses over the weekend. Money raised through ticket and raffle sales was to go toward a new playground and a refurbished library.

"It's a bargain we'll just have to pass up," wrote Frank Malloy, St. Luke pastor. "The cost is too high. Our integrity isn't for sale."

Two national groups _ the Pro-Life Action League in Chicago and the American Family Association in Tupelo, Miss. _ have raised questions about the American Girl brand and its parent company, Mattel Inc. because of the company's fund-raising for Girls Inc.

Girls Inc. offers a wide range of programs and resources to help educate and encourage girls in everything from science to health. That includes information about abortion and contraception along with sexual abstinence. The organization also affirms lesbian sexual orientation.

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American Girl feels heat of protest

Thank you, corporate America

American Girl feels heat of protest

Family advocates believe anti-abortion campaign working

American Girl, owned by Mattel, which had earlier launched the "I Can" campaign with Girls Inc., is already de-emphasizing the 'I Can' project on its website and has removed the link to Girls, Inc" that supports abortion and lesbianism.

On its website, Girls Inc. says it supports a girl's right to abort an unwanted baby and promotion of contraceptives for girls. The group also offers resources encouraging lesbian and bisexual lifestyles.

One publication, "Free your mind: The book for gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth and their allies," states, "The emergence of a lesbian identity is an ongoing process, rather than an event."

Ann Scheidler, director of the Pro-Life Action League in Chicago, said American Girl "must be receiving enough calls and e-mails to cause them considerable consternation." The American Family Association also has initiated a campaign to warn parents "If there is no announcement by American Girl that they have severed their relationship with Girls, Inc. by the end of October, the Pro-Life Action League will call for a national boycott of American Girl products and will organize demonstrations at the American Girl Place in Chicago and New York," said Scheidler. She called the endorsement of abortion, lesbianism and contraception for young girls a betrayal of the trust American families have place in American Girl. It is insidious for American Girl to manipulate girls into supporting Girls, Inc. through the 'I Can' bracelet and its promise," said Scheidler. "Most of the girls buying the bracelets have no idea what Girls, Inc. stands for."

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Thank you, corporate America

Thank you, corporate America

American Girl teams with pro-abortion, pro-lesbian group

It’s not bad enough that you sell for the sake of profit only, now you want to encourage young girls to become lesbians through politically correct sophistry. It's become a constant battle every day by parents to keep the wolves at their doors at bay to protect their offspring from the corruption of liberalism.

Family advocates are warning parents that the popular American Girl doll maker, owned by Mattel, is partnering with a group that supports abortion and lesbianism.

In August, American Girl launched the "I Can" campaign with Girls Inc., urging girls to take a pledge and purchase a special bracelet.

With every purchase of the "I Can" band, 70 cents is given to Girls Inc. in addition to American Girl's contribution of $50,000.

"Parents need to know that this effort to promote self-esteem among girls is not as innocent as it seems," said Ann Scheidler, executive director of the Pro-Life Action League. "While Girls Inc. has some good programs, they also support abortion, oppose abstinence-only education for girls and condone lesbianism."

The American Family Association also has initiated a campaign to warn parents.

On its website, Girls Inc. says it supports a girl's right to abort an unwanted baby and promotion of contraceptives for girls.

The group also offers resources encouraging lesbian and bisexual lifestyles.

One publications states, "The emergence of a lesbian identity is an ongoing process, rather than an event."

"Parents associate American Girl dolls with wholesome American family values, yet Girls Inc. contradicts parents' most basic moral beliefs," Scheidler said. "We're encouraging parents, grandparents and other family members to write and call American Girl President Ellen L. Brothers to object to the company's support for Girls Inc."

Scheidler said she hopes American Girl will sever ties with Girls Inc. before the League calls for a boycott of American Girl products and launches a picketing campaign at the American Girl Place retail stores in Chicago and New York.
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