Inspection finds dangerous detention conditions at El Paso Border Patrol facility

Department of Homeland Security acting Inspector General John Kelly sent a report Thursday to Homeland Security acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan detailing “dangerous overcrowding” at the El Paso Del Norte Processing Center. The Office of the Inspector General said it observed “dangerous holding conditions” that required immediate attention at the El Paso Del Norte Processing Center located at the Paso Del Norte Bridge. Furthermore, the report states the processing center does not have the capacity to hold the hundreds currently in custody safely and has held the majority of its detainees longer than the 72 hours generally permitted. Staff at the El Paso Del Norte Processing Center said the facility’s maximum capacity is 125 detainees; however, Border Patrol’s custody logs indicated there were approximately 750 detainees on May 7 and 900 detainees on May 8. The Office of the Inspector General said it also observed dangerous overcrowding among single adults in cells at the facility. According to the report, one cell with a maximum capacity of 12 held 76 detainees, one with a maximum capacity of 8 held 41 detainees and one cell with a maximum capacity of 35 held 155 detainees. The report states the facility’s seven general cells and three small isolation cells are unable to accommodate the number of detainees currently being held at the processing facility within TEDS standards. Further limiting available space is the need to separate detainees with infectious diseases, such as chicken pox, scabies and influenza, from each other and the general population...MORE

USDA staffers quit, refuse to relocate from the Washington swamp (Operation Rawhide a Success!)

Two small agencies within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) may be moving outside of Washington, D.C. and the federal employees involved are not happy about that. Both agencies are seeing an increase of resignations on a monthly basis. ERS employees are members of the American Federation of Government Employees. They only just joined the union earlier this month. Employees at ERS voted 138 to 4 to unionize. NIFA workers will hold a vote in June. Union representative Peter Winch said the move doesn’t make sense and the government workers don’t want to move. So far, six employees have quit their jobs with ERS this month. That number may sound small, relatively speaking, but it is enough to cause alarm from observers...MORE

There is no "alarm" by this observer, just praise for Perdue.
See Operation Rawhide and Operation Rawhide #2.
Head'em up and Move'em Out.

Trump's Mexico tariffs could 'cripple' US auto industry, raise average price of cars by $1,300

Philip Klein 

Were President Trump's tariffs on Mexican imports to go fully into effect, it would "cripple" U.S. automakers, and raise the average price of cars sold in America by $1,300, according to an analysis by Deutsche Bank. What is ironic, considering Trump's "America first" rhetoric, is that the tariffs would have less impact on Japanese and Korean cars, thus making them more attractive to American consumers. Under the policy announced Thursday night, the U.S. will impose a 5% tariff on all Mexican goods on June 10 unless the government cracks down on illegal immigration to Trump's satisfaction. That tax will continue ratcheting up until it reaches 25% by October. In 2018, Americans imported $346.5 billion in goods from Mexico, so on that basis it would amount to a nearly $87 billion tax increase. Of that amount, according to Deutsche Bank, $23 billion would fall on the U.S. auto industry, which manufactures a "considerable portion of the vehicles they sell in the U.S. from Mexico," and also uses many parts imported from Mexico in cars built in the U.S. The research note predicts, if the tariffs go fully into effect, it "could cripple the industry and cause major uncertainty." The analysis says, "Ultimately, however, we believe the tariffs on vehicles would undoubtedly be passed on to consumers, which would raise the price of vehicles sold in the U.S. by an average of about $1,300 (but in vastly different proportions for each automaker)." The note also predicts that "U.S. automakers would be worse off than the Japanese and Korean [automakers]" because U.S. automakers are more dependent on Mexican imports. As a result, not only would consumers have to pay more for cars, but American cars would become relatively more expensive than Japanese and Korean cars...MORE

Ranch Radio Song of the Day

TGIFF! Its Fiddle Friday and we have Snowbird In The Ashbank by E. J. Hopkins (1974). THE WESTERNER https://thewesterner.blogspot.com/

https://youtu.be/Rz-dEZmIe1w

Trump announces new Mexican tariffs in response to migrants

In a surprise announcement that could derail a major trade deal, President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he is slapping a 5% tariff on all Mexican imports, effective June 10, to pressure the country to do more to crack down on the surge of Central American migrants trying to cross the U.S. border. He said the percentage will gradually increase — up to 25% — "until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied." The decision showed the administration going to new lengths, and looking for new levers, to pressure Mexico to take action — even if those risk upending other policy priorities, like the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a trade deal that is the cornerstone of Trump's legislative agenda and seen as beneficial to his reelection effort. It also risks further damaging the already strained relationship between the U.S. and Mexico, two countries whose economics are deeply intertwined. Trump made the announcement by tweet after telling reporters earlier Thursday that he was planning "a major statement" that would be his "biggest" so far on the border...MORE

The eco-resort that's taking on the government to save America's wild mustangs

Velvet is one of the lucky ones. Along with 600 other horses, her home is Mustang Monument in north-eastern Nevada, a luxury eco-resort on a ranch which, at 900 square miles, is around the size of the Lake District National Park. It is owned by ardent animal lover and philanthropist Madeleine Pickens, who seeks to preserve equine heritage through her foundation Saving America’s Mustangs. She hotly disputes the government figures, believing they are greatly exaggerated to justify mass killings. Pickens has had a rough ride. Mustang Monument opened in 2014 in the heart of cattle-ranch country where livestock roams on public ranges, sharing them with wild mustangs: the debate around the conservation of mustangs is entrenched and bitter. Campaigners believe the relationship between influential ranchers, their lobbyists and the government’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is too cosy and the survival of wild mustangs is at stake.  Pickens has had a rough ride. Mustang Monument opened in 2014 in the heart of cattle-ranch country where livestock roams on public ranges, sharing them with wild mustangs: the debate around the conservation of mustangs is entrenched and bitter. Campaigners believe the relationship between influential ranchers, their lobbyists and the government’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is too cosy and the survival of wild mustangs is at stake.

“You see, these were wild – they’re mustangs,” said Pickens, “and yet they are the sweetest horses you could ever get.” Savvy and sassy, she is regularly interviewed on TV and radio as a campaigner for the mustangs’ cause. Born in Iraq, educated in England and France and now a US citizen, she looks younger than her 60-something years and does cowgirl chic with effortless style. Her ranch, too, brims with Wild West vibe. The 10 cottages and a new exclusive-use homestead are styled in rustic luxury with exposed wood walls, sumptuous beds, and terraces looking out to the prairies where horses graze. Spacious, funky tepees with leather and wood furnishings and what look like merry-go-rounds of mustangs painted on the canvas will be available again from 2020. A chic dining room has recently been built and the saloon, once an old tractor shed, is furnished with bar stools made from saddles. Elegant candlelit dinners are served on the terrace under the stars, and we went to bed to a distant soundtrack of howling coyotes and a hooting owl.

Eventually, around 200 mustangs surrounded the wagon where the hay had been scattered. We moved closer, quietly watching them feed. Suddenly, something spooked a wild one. He bolted. Whinnying like crazy, others bolted, too, and a thundering drumroll of hooves in their hundreds stampeded, into clouds of dust and a blur of beauty and power. Our horses started neighing, too, scraping the ground and shifting around, sensing the tension but thankfully staying put. Gradually, the horses and the dust settled. Now completely encircled by mustangs, we stood in spine-tingling silence, feeling their innate spirit and energy, moved by their sense of freedom. These horses are the very soul of this land, the essence of its dramatic beauty and wildness. Not quite believing I was right in among them on my own mustang, I’d never felt more alive. Quietly, I stroked Velvet’s neck and thanked her for staying so calm and gracious, and for letting me share this moment.

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  ...a thundering drumroll of hooves

... a blur of beauty and power

These horses are the very soul of this land, the essence of its dramatic beauty and wildness.  

Please don't puke on my computer!

VIDEO After Bee Attack, Kentucky Farmer Gives Most Country Interview Ever

The story of how a drunk couple crashed their car and caused a swarm of angry bees to attack those nearby may not seem that interesting. When the story is described by a Southern man named Gary Lee Anderson, well, that's another story. You see, Anderson is one of the most country guys we've seen in awhile. He was the eyewitness to the crash, which happened on his property in Kentucky. "Well, I just had got done feeding my chickens, waterin' em and stuff, and I walked back to my house there to get my phone so I could play a video game on it," he explained to WKYT. "All a sudden I heard a big "BOOM!" After the collision, Anderson watched as the couple ran toward his property and used his hose to wash themselves off. He had no idea what was going on, but made sure they knew that they had overstayed their welcome. "I didn't know they was getting eatin' by bees I thought they was jus high," he said. Anderson called the police and finally realized that bees had actually tried to attack the couple. Although he received a few bites himself during the strange event, he seems to have taken it all in stride...MORE

If you have not seen, check it out.


https://youtu.be/JWdoUY5IgrE

Lack of law enforcement resources taking its toll on rural New Mexico

As sheriff of Otero County, I would like to share with you the impact the recent border crisis has had on our community in Otero County as well as the impact the deployment of six New Mexico State Police officers from our community to assist the Albuquerque Police Department.

Otero County is dealing with a huge influx in drugs via two main drug smuggling corridors. With the removal of the National Guard troops from our southern border, the United States Border Patrol checkpoints closing on March 25, 2019, and reallocation of the New Mexico State Police, crime is on the rise in Otero County. We at the Otero County Sheriff’s Office have redirected all of our unobligated patrol efforts to highway interdiction on US 54 and US 70.

We have had several multi-agency operations including the Alamogordo Police Department, New Mexico State Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration. In February 2019, we joined with these agencies to become part of the White Mountain Narcotics task force. As of this date we have been able to seize approximately $121,000 in narcotics just in Otero County. In February we seized approximately $3,500 worth of drugs. In March of 2019 approximately $23,000. In April of 2019 approximately $62,790 worth of drugs in Otero County. Each month the amount grows. In addition to the drugs we have made 32 felony arrests and seized a large number of guns. We were also able to solve five burglaries with information from these arrests, in addition to seizing 14 vehicles and large amounts of cash all with a nexus to Mexico and drug smuggling.

Today our resources are stretched thin as we have relied on the New Mexico State Police to assist in several of these operations. With the recent decision by the governor of New Mexico to reassign 50 New Mexico State Police officers to the Albuquerque area for help, this has taken resources from all of the counties leaving numerous counties in crisis with even less resources to combat these problems and others.

Due to the lack of manpower resources, we have had to cancel several pending operations as we do not have the manpower to safely complete these operations without the help of our New Mexico State Police and US Border Patrol counterparts.

While lending our resources are helping to reduce the Albuquerque crime problems our more rural areas of New Mexico are paying the price. With the reduction in police presence in our community and our borders being wide open, crime is now on the rise in Otero County and I suspect in other counties as well.

In order to protect the citizens of Otero County we now find ourselves in the same predicament as Albuquerque, a manpower shortage. Robbing Peter to pay Paul just won't work. Regardless of your party affiliation, we have a serious crisis in southern New Mexico at the border.

Gov. Grisham has said that this problem is not her problem, that it is a federal level problem. When the uninterrupted flow of drugs, crime and human trafficking is coming into the state of New Mexico it is all our problem.

I would implore her to re-examine what is happening in the southern part of our great state.

David Black is sheriff of Otero County.

JBS Announces $95 Million Beef Expansion Project

JBS USA will spend $95 million to expand its Grand Island, NE, beef production facility. In a statement, the company said the project includes new, improved animal handling facilities, a state-of-the-art, temperature-controlled harvest floor and facility reconfiguration designed to improve team member experience, food safety and product quality. JBS also says the 107,000 square foot expansion and facility enhancements “will better position the company to sustainably meet evolving customer and consumer expectations for high-quality, great-tasting U.S. beef products.” JBS expects the expansion to be complete in early 2021, and operations at Grand Island will continue uninterrupted throughout project execution. JBS Grand Island partners with more than 670 local producers to export U.S. beef to more than 30 countries around the world, including Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Mexico and Singapore, under such signature brands as 1855 Black Angus©, Swift© and Swift Black Angus©. The expansion project will allow the company to strategically capitalize on increased international demand forecasts for high-quality U.S. beef and value-added beef products...MORE

Ranch Radio Song of the Day

Today we jump up to 1964 for Blue Train (Of The Heartbreak Line) by John D Loudermilk. THE WESTERNER https://thewesterner.blogspot.com/

https://youtu.be/Ld5nqcyQHD0

Want to Access Public Land? Get This App.

Wes Siler

The biggest barrier preventing you and I from enjoying all the public land we own is knowing where to go and how to get there. That’s why I think the new Offroad app from OnX is so significant: it makes discovering remote destinations, then navigating to them, as easy as looking at your smartphone. Unless you hunt, you may not have heard of OnX. Six years ago, the Montana-based company compiled basic data on the boundaries between private and public land into a slick, easy, intuitive navigation app. That may not sound revolutionary, but by eliminating the potential for error, and allowing hunters to carry in-depth data into the field, it has utterly transformed the sport. OnX Hunt has enabled even first-time hunters to better access new areas they may not have known existed, then given them the tools they need to be successful. OnX Hunt is so easy to use and so powerful that it’s become my go-to navigation app for all my outdoor pursuits. I use it to find new trails to hike with the dogs and scope out potential backpacking destinations, then plan and share routes to these sites. And I use it to navigate off-road. I forget why I went to the company’s website last week, but when I did, I noticed a new tab labeled OnX Offroad. It nearly ruined my weekend. What OnX Offroad does is simple. The Forest Service and other land-management agencies open and close roads for different reasons throughout the year, and the app shows you which dirt roads and trails on state and federal land are currently open or when they’re scheduled to open. The app also shows you which roads and trails are accessible to different types of vehicles: overland (read: simple dirt roads), high-clearance 4x4, side-by-sides and ATVs, and dirt bikes...MORE

USDA spotlights high antibiotic use in pigs, cattle

Two new reports from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) provide a sense of the extent of antibiotic use and stewardship among US livestock producers. The two reports from the USDA's National Animal Health Monitoring System examine how antibiotics were used on beef feedlots and large swine operations in 2016. That was the last year before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) implemented a new policy preventing use of medically important antibiotics for growth promotion in food-producing animals and requiring veterinary oversight for the use of medically important antibiotics. The data from the two reports show that 87.5% of feedlots and 95.5% of swine operations gave cattle and pigs any antibiotics in feed, water, or by injection in 2016. Just over 90% of swine operations gave pigs medically important antibiotics, while 56% of feedlots used medically important antibiotics. "These numbers clearly show that there is a fair amount of antibiotic use in livestock," Karin Hoelzer, PhD, DVM, a senior officer with the Pew Charitable Trusts' antibiotic resistance project, told CIDRAP News. "Having such widespread reliance on antibiotics is concerning." While the numbers aren't necessarily surprising, the two reports are important because they provide much needed data on antibiotic use in livestock production that, up until now, hasn't been available. The FDA issues a yearly report on the sales and distribution of medically important antibiotics for use in food-producing animals, but that report provides no information on how and why those antibiotics are used, or how they were administered. "These reports really give deeper insight into how and why antibiotics are used in US agriculture," Hoelzer said. "They also look at stewardship practices, such as how decisions about whether to treat and how to treat are made, how farmers are accessing veterinarians and veterinary care, and where farmers are getting antibiotics."...MORE

Navajo Nation votes to accept copy of 1868 treaty

The Navajo Nation has accepted an original copy of an 1868 treaty that had been stored in a Massachusetts home. The treaty allowed Navajos to return to their homeland in the Four Corners region after years of imprisonment in eastern New Mexico. It is one of three known copies of the treaty. One is at the National Archives. Another was given to Navajo Chief Barboncito, but its whereabouts are unknown. The great-grandniece of one of the negotiators, Clare "Kitty" P. Weaver, recently donated the third copy to the tribe. A legislative committee voted Tuesday to accept it. Weaver was visiting the Navajo Nation on Wednesday where a small crowd gathered to see the treaty. It will be on display at the Navajo Nation Museum for a week starting Saturday. AP

PRCA cowboy Josh Frost eyes Linderman Award

Josh Frost appreciates ProRodeo history. With that in mind, the Utah cowboy is making a concerted effort to try and win the prestigious Linderman Award. Frost’s main event is bull riding. He also is a tie-down roper and steer wrestler. “I’ve made the (RAM) Wilderness Circuit Finals (Rodeo) twice (in tie-down roping), I just haven’t steer wrestled a whole lot,” said Frost, 23. “It’s always been one of my goals to try and win the Linderman. I got to practice steer wrestling a bunch this winter with that goal in mind. My brother (Joe) won it (the Linderman) and a guy I went to college with, Trell Etbauer, won it several times. It is a prestigious award. I want to win it this year, that’s my goal. If I win it once, I will keep doing it because it is such a cool award.” Etbauer won the Linderman in 2008-11 and 2013. Joe Frost, 26, captured the Linderman Award in 2014. To be in the running for the Linderman Award, cowboys must win at least $1,000 in a minimum of three events and at least one of those must include one roughstock and one timed event. “I’m entered pretty much in all my circuit rodeos in all three events (bull riding, tie-down roping and steer wrestling),” the 5-foot-8, 155-pound cowboy said. “I’m quite a bit smaller than a lot of the guys in steer wrestling, so I’m just trying to get that $1,000 won. I’ve steer wrestled my whole life, but the size thing always made it a little harder. I made the College National Finals once in steer wrestling, so I’m not bad at it. I just have to capitalize when I have a really good steer.” Frost said his opportunity to ride a really good horse that belongs to fellow steer wrestler Chet Boren is a boost. The Linderman Award, named after ProRodeo Hall of Fame cowboy Bill Linderman, recognizes cowboys who perform at both ends of the arena. Linderman won six world championships, two in the all-around (1950, 1953), two in saddle bronc riding (1945, 1950), and one each in bareback riding (1943) and steer wrestling (1950)...MORE

More than 2,200 migrants apprehended in El Paso Border Patrol sector on Memorial Day

Border Patrol agents were busy taking into custody more than 2,200 migrants who entered the U.S. illegally. Officials said Memorial Day was the busiest recent day of enforcement activity for El Paso Sector Border Patrol agents during the ongoing influx. The 2,200 apprehensions included two large groups and many smaller ones. They said the busy day began in the bootheel of New Mexico with a large group of more than 200 migrants taken into custody at the Antelope Wells Port of Entry in New Mexico around 2 a.m. A second group was one of the largest in the El Paso sector thus far with over 430 people, said officials. This group crossed the border just west of Bowie High School at around 7 a.m. By the end of the day, the El Paso Sector agents had apprehended over 2,200 undocumented aliens with 1,850 of those being taken into custody in the geographic area between Executive Boulevard and Midway Street in El Paso...MORE

Ranch Radio Song of the Day

Its 1949 and Eddy Arnold says Don't Rob Another Man's Castle. THE WESTERNER https://thewesterner.blogspot.com/

htt ps://youtu.be/5V-aCPpP_Qs

'American Soil' Is Increasingly Foreign Owned

Those are two words that are commonly used to stir up patriotic feelings. They are also words that can't be be taken for granted, because today nearly 30 million acres of U.S. farmland are held by foreign investors. That number has doubled in the past two decades, which is raising alarm bells in farming communities. When the stock market tanked during the last recession, foreign investors began buying up big swaths of U.S. farmland. And because there are no federal restrictions on the amount of land that can be foreign-owned, it's been left up to individual states to decide on any limitations. It's likely that even more American land will end up in foreign hands, especially in states with no restrictions on ownership. With the median age of U.S. farmers at 55, many face retirement with no prospect of family members willing to take over. The National Young Farmers Coalition anticipates that two-thirds of the nation's farmland will change hands in the next few decades. "Texas is kind of a free-for-all, so they don't have a limit on how much land can be owned," say's Ohio Farm Bureau's Ty Higgins, "You look at Iowa and they restrict it — no land in Iowa is owned by a foreign entity." Ohio, like Texas, also has no restrictions, and nearly half a million acres of prime farmland are held by foreign-owned entities. In the northwestern corner of the state, below Toledo, companies from the Netherlands alone have purchased 64,000 acres for wind farms. To be fair, U.S. farmers and corporations also invest in overseas agriculture, owning billions of dollars of farmland from Australia to Brazil, but the Smithfield Food buyout has really raised concerns with American farmers. As part of that 2013 sale, a Chinese company now owns 146,000 acres of prime U.S. farmland...MORE

Could sound kind of scary until you find out what this doesn't tell you: less than 2% of U.S. farmland is owned by foreign entities, and of that, 21.5% is cropland, with the remainder being forest or pasture. The two countries holding the largest acreages are Canada and the Netherlands.

Compare that with the 28% owned by the feds and that cities, counties, states and the feds are using eminent domain to condemn private property every day.

And to tell you the truth, I would rather lease a ranch from a Canadian firm than the Forest Service or the BLM. How sad.

Feds' appeal says federal judge in Missoula overstepped in grizzly delisting case

Federal attorneys pushed their case that Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bears should be removed from Endangered Species Act protection, arguing in an appeal filed late Friday the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wasn’t required to do a comprehensive review of all grizzlies in the Lower 48 states. The U.S. Department of Justice’s opening salvo to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals also accused the lower court judge in Missoula of improperly substituting his opinion of the scientific evidence of grizzly genetic diversity for that of FWS biologists. However, the government said it would not challenge U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen’s ruling that state wildlife agencies aren’t ready to manage the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) bears and haven’t sufficiently studied how delisting one big grizzly population might affect smaller separate populations. Last September, Christensen rejected the service’s 2017 delisting rule covering about 750 grizzlies in the 9,800-square-mile Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Christensen found the plan “arbitrary and capricious” on four points:
 • inadequate explanations of how handing bears over to state management and hunting would ensure the bears’ continued survival,
• how delisting grizzlies in one recovery area might affect five other recovery populations,
• whether the Yellowstone grizzlies were too isolated to provide for genetic diversity,
• and whether the service had done a required comprehensive analysis of its delisting plan on the bears.
That left the federal government with two options. It could appeal Christensen’s ruling to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, or go to work writing a new delisting rule that resolved the judge’s criticisms. Both efforts could take two years to complete. Friday’s government brief states the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has already started work fixing some of the problems, but also argues the delisting rule should be reinstated because the judge went too far in his opinion. “The district court erred, however, in ruling that FWS must conduct a ‘comprehensive review’ of the entire listed species, because the Act imposes no such requirement and because courts may not impose procedures not required by statute,” the brief stated. "The court further erred in substituting its scientific judgment for FWS’s on the matter of the bears’ genetic fitness, in violation of the foundational principles of judicial review of agency decision-making.”

READ ENTIRE ARTICLE

The appeal is embedded below or you can view it here. 

Note to readers

Trying to finish two other projects this week, so postings may be scarce.

Daniel Turner: Stealth AOC ‘Green New Deal’ now the law in New Mexico, voters be damned

By now, the public is well aware of the “Green New Deal” proposed by freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. They have not responded well to calls for forced veganism and banning airplanes, let alone giving up the American way of life made possible by cheap energy. But while Ocasio-Cortez has taken the brunt of the media focus, environmental groups have developed a new strategy to get their way: pass a type of “Green New Deal” state by state. It’s a smart tactic. They get friendly, left-leaning state legislators and governors, most of whom they financially backed in the past election, to do their dirty work. While the media is watching AOC marveling over garbage disposals and rejecting the racism of cauliflower, no one is reporting about bad laws taking shape in secret. That’s exactly how radical green groups want it. Their latest attempt was in New Mexico, and unfortunately, it succeeded. Newly-elected Democrat Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the “Energy Transition Act” in March. This law requires that New Mexico move to 100 percent carbon-free energy – the same long-term goal as the “Green New Deal.” This destructive law is essentially a hidden carbon tax and will threaten the jobs of thousands of energy workers, raise utility rates, cut state revenue, and make green energy companies rich at the taxpayers’ expense. Green groups have effectively rebranded “carbon tax” as “renewable energy mandates” and to get the same results: the end of fossil fuels. Force the elimination of low-cost energy sources and mandate high-cost renewables. Send the bill to customers. Say it’s “for the earth” and voilà, green energy companies get rich...MORE

Ranch Radio Song of the Day

I'm Sending You Red Roses by Jimmy Wakely (1943) is our tune today. THE WESTERNER https://thewesterner.blogspot.com/

https://youtu.be/pLKnSDnzExU

First-ever private border wall built in New Mexico

Half-mile section to close 'gap' in Border Patrol's fence

A private group announced Monday that it has constructed a half-mile wall along a section of the U.S.-Mexico border in New Mexico, in what it said was a first in the border debate. The 18-foot steel bollard wall is similar to the designs used by the Border Patrol, sealing off a part of the border that had been a striking gap in existing fencing, according to We Build the Wall, the group behind the new section. The section was also built faster and, organizers say, likely more cheaply than the government has been able to manage in recent years. Kris Kobach, a former secretary of state in Kansas and an informal immigration adviser to President Trump, says the New Mexico project has the president’s blessing and says local Border Patrol agents are eager to have the assistance. “We’re closing a gap that’s been a big headache for them,” said Mr. Kobach, who is general counsel for We Build the Wall. The announcement comes at a critical time for the border. Mr. Trump’s plans to build hundreds of miles of new and replacement wall took a hit late last week when a federal judge ordered a halt to part of his emergency declaration and shifting of money within the Pentagon to make up for Congress’s refusal to grant him the money he wanted. Judge Haywood Gilliam says the president can’t spend money when Congress has debated it and refused to approve it. Enter We Build the Wall, which says now that it’s proved it can build border wall. The group has eyes on other areas where private landowners hold border lands and want a barrier to cut down on the illegal traffic across their property...MORE

New Microaggression Goggles Help You Find Something Offensive In Any Situation

A new pair of Microaggression Goggles has been made available for people who want to find something offensive in any situation. The goggles are available on Kickstarter. The promotional video claims that the goggles are able to actively identify threats to political correctness and alert you when you're about to be dangerously oppressed. "Are you tired of having to search for something to be oppressed by?" a voiceover says in the ad. "With our patented microaggression-tracking technology, you won't have to search any longer. Now, you can instantly identify up to 100 things to be offended by in any conversation." The product will detect a wide range of microaggressions, including the following:..MORE

SATIRE

Fungus that draws gold from its surroundings discovered in Western Australia

Fungus that draws gold from its surroundings has been discovered in Western Australia, stunning scientists who say it could signal new deposits. Found near Boddington, south of Perth, the strain of the Fusarium oxysporum fungus attaches gold to its strands by dissolving and precipitating particles from the environment. There may be a biological advantage in doing so, as the gold-coated fungus was found to grow larger and spread faster than those that don’t interact with the precious metal. “Fungi are well-known for playing an essential role in the degradation and recycling of organic material, such as leaves and bark, as well as for the cycling of other metals, including aluminium, iron, manganese and calcium,” CSIRO researcher Dr Tsing Bohu said. “But gold is so chemically inactive that this interaction is both unusual and surprising – it had to be seen to be believed.” Bohu is undertaking further analysis and modelling to understand why the fungus is interacting with gold, and whether it is an indication of a larger deposit below the surface. Australia is the world’s second-largest gold producer, and while volumes broke records last year, output is forecast to fall in the near future unless new deposits are found...MORE

3rd horse in 9 days dies at California's Santa Anita racetrack, marking 26 fatalities in 6 months

Another horse died at Southern California's prominent Santa Anita racetrack over the weekend, marking the third thoroughbred fatality at the facility in the last nine days, and the 26th fatality since December. A 9-year-old horse named Kochees sustained a fatal injury to its left front leg during a 5 1/2-furlong race on Saturday, adding to the embattled racetrack's worries as it works to implement reforms. "Every attempt was made to save him, but he was euthanized earlier today," Mike Willman, a track spokesman, told ABC's Los Angeles station KABC on Sunday...MORE

I'm sure they will eventually find this is linked to global warming.

Judge refuses state demand to strike gun-law challenge

A federal judge in Washington state has refused demands from state officials to throw out a lawsuit challenging new restrictions on guns that voters adopted. The Second Amendment Foundation and the National Rifle Association are both plaintiffs in the case, which is joined by two gun dealers and four young adults who claim their right to own weapons under the Second Amendment has been violated by the statute. Initiative 1639 has been described as a “hodgepodge of gun control schemes.” It requires that gun owners lock up their firearms or be considered criminals. It strips young adults of their Second Amendment rights, the plaintiffs contend. And it lets the government “collect and use gun owner information to enforce compliance and authorize gun confiscations.” The decision by U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton means, according to SAF founder Alan Gottlieb, “the long delay is over.” “The important aspects of the motion to dismiss have been denied,” he said. “Just as important, the judge’s ruling treats the Second Amendment as any other fundamental individual right that is constitutionally protected.” The defendants, several state officials, had argued that the law-abiding gun owners and retailers did not have standing to sue because they were not in danger of being arrested or penalized. But the judge said the plaintiffs don’t need to violate the law and risk punishment to raise the challenge...MORE

Rescued hiker's survival story: 17 days in Hawaii forest on berries, river water and smarts

It had been more than two weeks that she had been lost in a thick Hawaiian forest, and Amanda Eller was at an end. The 35-year-old doctor of physical therapy was at a place where she could no longer go forward because of the terrain. With a fractured leg and no shoes, she sure wasn't going to go back. The area she found herself in had little to no food. She stayed there for a day and a half and, as Eller's mother and a friend told reporters Saturday as they detailed the rescued woman's ordeal, she began to resign herself to the dire possibility that she might die there. "It came down to life and death -- and I had to choose. I chose life. I wasn't going to take the easy way out. Even though that meant more suffering in me for myself," Eller told CNN affiliate KHON. She tried to keep her spirits up. She had conquered so much to get to this point. She picked berries and guava to eat when she could find them. She drank water only when it was clear enough and looked like it wouldn't make her sicker. She took care of a bum knee and nursed sunburn so bad it got infected. She walked without her shoes, which had been swept away in a flash flood when she was trying to dry them out. She listened for the helicopters. They had come before, several times and she had waved as best she could, but they flew away. On Friday, Javier Cantellops, a friend of Eller's, went up with other searchers in a rented helicopter to look for a place where they could access the woods where Cantellops thought Eller might be headed. They weren't even really looking for her per se, but ways to get dropped off near points of where they might pick up her trail...MORE

Cowgirl Sass & Savvy (revisited)

Grandma's kitchen

Julie Carter

It had been more than 35 years since I first saw it and yet when I looked through the doorway, I could see that nothing of consequence had changed.

The kitchen, lit by a single window over the old single basin sink, stood exactly as it had when I took my first baby girl to spend the day with her grandma.

The same as when, a couple of decades later, that baby girl took her baby to spend the day with his great-grandma.

Look around your life and see what, if anything, has not changed in appearance in 35 years and you can honestly say, "It looks exactly the same."

I absolutely cannot look in the mirror and say that. Sure can't point to the pickup and say that. I have owned about, oh, six or seven since then.

The house - I can't even begin there because I've moved at least a dozen times. Good horses and dogs have come and gone. So have the bad ones.

Fresh paint, a new curtain and new floor tile. That was all that was different in her kitchen. Except, in the interim, they invented microwaves so there was one of those and the old wall rotary dial phone was gone.

The table sat where it always was and the center of it, as before, was filled with napkins, condiments, a silverware holder and an assortment of other things deemed important enough to just stay there.

The old bright white wood cabinets filled the east wall broken only by the sink in the middle. The sink with it's signature Rubbermaid dishpan inside and no cabinet below it, so a curtain covered up those things you put under a sink.

The cabinets went up the wall all the way to meet the 10-foot ceiling and the top row of cupboards could be accessed only by standing on a stool. The very limited counter space was always full of canisters, a bread box, dish drainer, percolator coffee pot and assorted packages of cookies and crackers.

Knick knacks, a corkboard full of keys, a big calendar and grandma-kind of decorations filled the walls.

In any kitchen except Grandma's, it would have been clutter. In her's, it was personality, warmth and comfort.

It was her favorite room and she liked it the very best when it was filled full with family members of all ages and generations laughing, talking and telling stories. Stories like the one about how the refrigerator got a bullet hole in it.

As each generation of grandmas passes on, the matriarchal crown moves a little closer to home.

My mom is a wonderful grandma who has many special things she has shared with her grandchildren. They will each have a little different piece of her in their hearts forever.

When the rolling pin passes, it makes us all put on life's brakes, look around and reflect.

We take just a moment to ponder what legacy we are leaving for those coming behind in our tracks.

Aprons, cookies, hugs and plenty of sympathy. Good smells from the stovetop, bushels of apples to be made into jam, jars of canned fruits and vegetables.

Perhaps mine, or yours, may not look and smell the same as the generations before us.

However, there is something about grandmas that makes each one special to those who love them.

Thank God for grandmas. They keep us grounded in what really counts. Pass the cookies, please.

61709

FRIF: Of Lice and Coyotes

Of Lice

FRIF

And, Coyotes

By Stephen L. Wilmeth

            We are making repairs to what remains of the territorial house at the ranch. It is only part of the original house. The rest, and the most historically significant part, burned the night the purchase contract was signed years ago. The fire marshal concluded a combination of propane leakage and old wiring was the cause of the fire, but the fact remains. The absence of that dwelling continues to be a void.

            It was a huge loss.

            Only the west wing remains. It was built as early as 1876. On Friday, we discussed what we will to do with the front door. In keeping with the material used in the renovation (barn wood that was salvaged from a nearby barn that was about to collapse), planking with heavy livestock use is probably going to be selected.

            We want a door. Leave the other chaos outside!

The desire is to have a door befitting the surroundings. When it closes it needs to sound like a door shutting. It will be the official sally port and symbolic of old ranch houses of long ago that may not meet the criteria of being uptown outside, but as bright and cheery as possible inside.

            Further symbolism will reflect the livestock use facing outward and the more original and less blemished surface facing inward. We look forward to completion. If only we could find an effective barrier to keep the chaos of the rest of the world away from our lives.

That would be the stuff of real magic.

            FRIF

            With the Taylor Grazing Act of 1934 that put a degree of order into the chaos of the checkerboard land ownership across the West, a promise of funds referred to as Farm and Ranch Improvement Funds (FRIF) was thrown in the deal. The source of those funds came from grazing fees paid by ranchers for the right to graze the lands. To the extent it was a bone to reduce the fallout over the reneging of the disposal of lands promised to the original states, it was intended to capitalize certain practices that support endeavors of primary producers.

            In fact, the New Mexico law addressing the federal remittance directs those funds toward measures that directly affect the livestock industry. There are six approved uses of the funds. These include soil and water conservation measures, control of rodents and predatory animals, extermination of poisonous and noxious weeds, construction of dipping vats, the acquisition of spray equipment and other structures to control parasites in livestock, and the maintenance of secondary roads.

            The funds come to the state from the feds, get funneled through New Mexico State University under the direction of its president or designated FRIF coordinators and are distributed back to the counties based on prorated grazing fee collections. Although the county commissions have the authority to direct the uses of the funds based on the six approved criteria, they “shall” seek the advice of officials with knowledge and experience in matters reflecting the allowable uses of the money.

            In predator control, that official has normally been the animal control arm of the Department of Agriculture, APHIS. In fact, counties normally have a contract with APHIS where the money received is leveraged with other funds to cover the expense of an animal control official. That is the way it has been done for years, and, generally, it works as it was intended. That is until Dona Ana County’s commissioners decided the next enemy of their environmental state was that group and unilaterally declared coyote control would not be allowed with FRIF funds.

            Of Lice

            Coyotes can’t be controlled with FRIF funds?

            The document, the resolution, approved by the commission is extremely poorly written, but the testimony of the proceeding is very explicit. APHIS is a collective of coyote murderers whose sole intent in life is to fully decimate the ranks of the wily coyote in southern New Mexico and thus in the universe. The reality is just the opposite. APHIS is the only arm of predator control that is objective and trained for the selective removal of problem predators. They respond to coyote issues on the basis of landowner requests when actual problems arise. They come in, they target the specific area of issue, and they act.

            Predator control isn’t a first act of some fairy tale stage production.

            It is obvious those commissioners have never witnessed or fathom the consequences of predator damage. It is also obvious they have no connection to a cornerstone of their constituency that know full well their best interests have long been ignored, misunderstood, and woefully underrepresented.

            They are playing with fire.

            In the matter of predator control, it isn’t just empathy of coyotes that needs to be considered. It isn’t just the tax base they jeopardize with their green agenda, either. It is parvo, it is rabies, and it is the documented and growing reality of tapeworm that crosses the threshold from canine to humans that comes into play when the little wolves eat the family cats and canaries in urban backyards.

            Who is going to be the agent of importance when those consequences of predator damage are witnessed?

            Of Coyotes

            Lifting coyotes from a predator control mission is akin to the singular withdrawal of killing of lice in a dipping vat. It leaves everything upended and uncertainty prevails in all directions. If the official can’t kill a problem coyote, he can’t take care of the skunks, the pigeons, or the rattlesnakes he is called for because his contract with the county is centered upon predation control and coyotes are the center piece of that predation.

            What a mess this has become.

            Stephen L. Wilmeth is a rancher from southern New Mexico. “Tyranny!”