Chairman of Homeland Security Rep. King defends "skinheads" and "Aryan Nations"

keeping our eyes on the ball

You know historically, if we couldn’t do nothing right in these United States of America, we could train some of the finest and brightest minds in the world as scientist. This is still true today albeit not to many folk want to be scientist as opposed to rappers, entertainers or pro athletes. And even in light of new intellectual circles the likes of India, China and Brazil are emerging to the top of the coffee as of late.But as far as our being proactive and forward thinking, we seem to sometimes take our eyes off the ball. Let’s take so-called terrorism for example. We have been so caught up in looking for folks with bombs wrapped around their somas that we don’t even move beyond thinking for ourselves. Not to mention we always want to contain them in certain regions as well as certain disposition. My problem is that bombs and guns and airplanes are not the only way to strike fear into the hearts of the affeared – especially us in the west. My diabolical mind has me thinking other wise.

For example, since the peanut contamination in South Georgia, I wave wondered what would be the quickest way to strike terror in the world I live in is to attack my stomach, I just wonder if our intelligence community has thought of this? I mean I was just a child when I first heard of Swine flu. I remember the new because it was in the year of the bicentennial, 1976, and occurred at Fort Dix where a young solider was killed by an influenza not seen since the plague of 1918-19.

Swine flu normally infects pigs, but has been detected recently in people in Mexico, the U.S., New Zealand, Canada, and the U.K... And just yesterday in New York officials stated eight "probable" cases, of swine flu have been documented. And over the past year, we can recant of food contamination -- salmonella found in pistachio nuts; Halal International Processing, a York, S.C., recalling almost 3000 pounds of beef, chicken, goat, and lamb products, and today in Georgia, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today recommended that consumers not eat raw alfalfa sprouts, because the product has been linked to Salmonella contamination.

I won’t even talk about things over the past 3 years. Like On December 4, 2006, health investigators linked an E. coli outbreak that has sickened approximately 22 folk at Taco Bell restaurants in New Jersey and 14 in Long Island And remember not just meat, but that E. coli infections are also associated with sprouts or leafy vegetables such as spinach. That same year three people died and more than 200 fell ill from an outbreak traced to packaged spinach grown in California.

Now I’m not trying to scare anybody (folks who don’t grow their own food) but, if I know this I think so-called terrorist do too, but aint so sure about our homeland security apparatus. Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria are just a few of pathogens that can invade a food product and food poisoning causes about 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and up to 5,000 deaths each year. Listeria is found in soil, vegetation, raw milk, meat, poultry, cheeses (particularly soft mould-ripened varieties) and salad vegetables. I just want to make sure that we think and discuss and talk about such possibilities and that if we really want to secure our homeland, our food should be first and that we can never take out eyes off the ball. Besides folks like aren't NSF types, we cuss, hunt wild turkey on our frams and spend quality time with our kids - being a scientist and 185 IQ or not.

Plum foolish

This weekend I was doing my basic cowering of scientific journals from around the globe. For me this is like going to the club or bar hopping. It started because I had these two articles I had to proof for some journals that I wrote – BTW Cardiovascular risk reduction for African American men through health empowerment and anger management will be out soon in Health Education Journal, 67(3)208-218. Stephens et al (2008).

Any who, in my reading I went over the latest press releases from research facilities across the countries because shit like this never makes the news papers. One that struck out involved the possible relocation of the Plum Island Animal Research Center.

Now I first heard of this place in a book, Silence of the Lambs. In the book the white FBI lady was talking to Hannibal Lechter and told jones that if he helped them catch the killer, he would be relocated to Plum Island. Plum Island is where the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in concert with the Department of Homeland Security and selected pharmaceutical companies are conducting research on foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) among other deadly animal toxins and viruses. Smart you would think to have such a research instillation on an Island true. But now, based the urging of The Department of Homeland Security, the Feds want to move the facility inland. Yep, inland for a research facility that holds the world's most contagious livestock diseases.

Plum Island is located approximately 2.5 miles from tip of Long Island a used to be run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) until 2003, when the Department of Homeland Security took over. I just do not get how this could be safer in the eyes of supposedly people who got protecting the security of our country as their first mission. Can we learn anything from the British? I know we knew they were in Iraq for 27 years and eventually had to bail – lesson not learned. Also, there was an outbreak in Britain in 2001 – lesson obviously not learnt (spelling intentional) now this.

I mean from my minor background in infectious disease, I do know that FMD is way more (about 20 times) more infectious than smallpox. Add to that, FMD virus can be transferred via ones breath, saliva, mucus, clothes, or even a car. Sure it aint harmful to people – yet, but jones here eat meat. And I have not even attempted to calculate the economic impact on the country if an outbreak did occur – I like loot too much and the figures I produce may scare me.

The strange thing is that I juts want to know what kind of scientist folk got working for them – the Department of Homeland Security and If I can get a job. Because I would never make a recommendation of such, not on my understanding of disease vectors or behavioral epidemiology, but based on what I know security to mean - freedom from danger. Don’t these folk know they just giving terrorist ideas? Dang folk, now that is plum foolish.

Haute Couture

Went to a fashion show over the weekend. My boy wanted to shoot some models to build his clientele and my girl was star of the show. Now I am not a frequenter of fashion shows, let alone runway fashion shows, outside in 92 degree weather, when I was at home, sprawled naked across my bed prepared to watch the college world series in the anticipation of three SEC teams making it to Omaha.

I got their somewhat late, had to drop little momma of at the sitter and her disposition was again one of recalcitrance. In addition, when I arrived I had to use the bathroom so I stopped at my homeboy’s studio, which was across the street to take care of that. He was trying to convince me to go to some celebrity basketball game at Morehouse with those over his house (Dem Franchise Boy’s and this other kid that engineer’s for him). I respectfully declined and went on my way.

I arrived somewhat late. However, it was not late enough to miss the majority of the show. My boy was high post at the end of the runway snapping and my girl was looking like a real model. I saw her but she did not see me. I was on the backside talking to this guy with a barb-Q pit selling meat and beer and water who I found out was from Memphis too. But she did not see me I imagine since she called me from cell found to query about my location. To stop a fight I told her I saw her and described what she had on.
But the Bar BQ pit was the bomb. I mean it was the first fashion show I had gone too that served meat. So I enjoyed myself to the utmost, sitting in the shade, watching my girl model and my boy mogul every model into buying his pictures as if he was Mr. Haney on Greenacres, and eating ribs. Now that is fashion show and my idea of haute couture.

Tort of Intrusion

President Bush has signed an $82 billion military spending bill that was overwhelmingly supported by the House of Represenatives that will, assist to create electronically readable, federally approved ID cards for Americans (the Real ID Act).. The concept, which is stated to be the barinchild of Wisconsin Rep. Sensenbrenner is outlined primarily as an anti-immigration measure. It would require State drivers' licenses and other such documents to meet federal ID standards established by the Department of Homeland Security. It is supposed to help immigration because it will prohibit states from issuing driver's licenses to illegal aliens (as if illegal aliens won’t drive if they do not have a licenses – laughable politics as usual).

In three years from nowall U. S. citizens and anyone in the country will need a federally approved ID card to travel on an airplane, open a bank account, and make use of any government service. One form of information contained on the card is"common machine-readable technology" that Homeland Security will decide on. It will also have "physical security features designed to prevent counterfeiting, or any other fraudulent activity. I take this to imply that biometric information such as retinal scans, fingerprints, DNA data and radio frequency identification (RFID) tracking will be on the card. It seems to be a waste of money first on several levels. First passports alrady have/contain radio frequency identification chips embedded in them. Then there are estimates that it may cost $120 million bills that could actually (God forbid) be employed for real security.

My concern is that the legislation REAL ID will pass because it was attached to legislation that funds military action in Iraq, which means that it basically was accepted and pushed on the people without hearings or debate anywhere. To aid salt to the wound, reports have suggested that production of the card and associated data will be outsourced to a private corporation. Reports also suggest that DHS head Michael Chertoff personally ordered this option to be chosen, which in essecence outsurce State and Constitutional rights from state DMVs to a private corporation. All that is accomplished is that the federal government supercedes states powers and states’ systems for issuing driver's licenses.

The there is the uncanny question in my mind as to why I have not heard anything about REAL ID in the newspapers or on television anywhere? Where is the open discussion on the side of liberty? All this does is help to establish an Orewllian Police State since in October 2004 the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act became law and established and put in place new security measures for driver's licenses as recommended by the 9/11 Commission Report. Welcome to the inevitable, a National ID is coming and honestly, none of this is required nor does it increase homeland security or illegal immigration. As such, this is a tort of intrusion I cannot live with.

homeland insecurity

The recent terrorist plot uncovered in London to blow up planes destined for the United States has proven to me that we have truly lost our minds and more important, the ability to think and reason critically. During the entire event, it seemed as if the media was more concerned with telling honest Americans about our security weaknesses and flaws and showing them what technology was being used to protect them, that they forgot we were also giving terrorists an introductory 101 class on how to blow us up.

Now don’t be quick to judge me, but I figure that the so-called terrorists (which I just prefer to call regular maniacs) are watching television and reading the newspapers as well and are taking notes. What really gets me is when they tell the public/terrorists via an undercover operation of how easy it is to get in the airport bypassing security. Then there is the ubiquitous mentioning of mundane information such as reporting that baggage and other support personnel are not screened before they are hired. Lastly, it is the way they suggest new ways for them to attack us, including mentioning how easy it is to get a bomb onto a subway train in any town.

Obviously, we have wasted all that Homeland Security money. Our ports are still vulnerable, more than 40 percent of goods imported to the United States comes through the Los Angeles and Long Beach Ports, yet our government has only spent $40 million for port security purposes while they spend that much each day on airports with no reasonable facsimile of security. So all y’all in the media, just go on and tell them how to bomb us, and we will just keep on taking our shoes off for no purpose when we go to the airport.
--torrance stephens