Thursday, August 30, 2007

U.S. Prosecuter we should have Fired

I started out looking for something current on the US Mexico Border Fence Project, but was immediately attracted to an apparent crime committed by a US Prosecutor in West Texas.


Did the US prosecute Ramos and Compean at the request of Mexico?

Is Attorney Johnny Sutton working for the Mexican government?

Or is the corruption higher up?



These are questions that must be answered, especially knowing that Johnny Sutton. is a born liberal, UT grad, who presided over a shrinking Texas Prison System.


He (and the Judge, who seems to be colluding in all of this) gave a drug dealer, not just immunity for testifying, but basically carte blanch to cross back and forth across the border while the trial was going on - allowing him to continue his smuggling operation during his testimony basically amounts to paying him to testify against the agents.


But he is not the only one attacking and trying to tear down the integrity of the United States, unnamed officials of the Dept. of Homeland Security met with Rep. Ted Poe, Rep. John Culberson, Kenny Marchant and Michael McCauland accused the Ramos and Compean of being "out to shoot Mexicans" but have given no proof, and yet some are themselves hiding, behind anonymity.


Johnny Sutton and his superiors continue to push the lie that the smuggler was basically shot in the back, using the word "behind" to describe the location of the wound, instead of his hip, which might shed light on the fact that the bullet entered his side - confirming that he had turned towards the agents, as the agents have said all along.


In addition, Johnny Sutton claims there was no way to prosecute the smuggler
since he had gotten away, leaving no evidence (another lie) to connect him with the scene. On the other hand, they found him
without too much help,
and connected him to being shot by the agents, even though ballistics evidence did not support him being shot by Ramos's gun, and the use of a statute adding 10 years to their sentences for discharging a firearm in the commission of a crime (since when is apprehending a smuggler a crime?) shows the vindictiveness of the prosecution.


In addition to the above hiding the evidence of fingerprints, and ballistics, and
Johnny Sutton hid the fact that the smuggler left a cell phone in the van,
the fact that the van was owned by the smuggler, and that he was acting on behalf of the Mexican Consulate.


This is not the only prosecution of law enforcement officials at the request of the Mexican government, there are others, indicating that this is a coordinated effort to prevent the Border Patrol and other law enforcement from apprehending illegals and smugglers entering the US.


We hear, on a regular basis, about the "activist judges" who thwart law enforcement efforts by legislating from the bench - and there seems to be plenty of that in this case also - but we need to remember that the renegade judges are only one part of the equation. Renegade prosecutors acting on orders from criminal regimes such as Mexico and China, and an Executive Branch so intent on creation of a North American version of the EU are just as damaging to our nation.


Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Gas Price Forcast

It is time for my annual forecast of gas prices for the next fiscal year. This is not meant to be anywhere nearly accurate enough to help anyone invest in commodities markets. It is really meant to (and is a reaction to the failure of) allow people and organisations to figure into their budget, the right amount for gas expenditures for the next year.

Bottom line right here on top:
Expect to be paying $2.65 this fall
and expect prices to spike
to $3.46 next April and May.

Gas varies seasonally, and right now it is running high, but slowly declining as it does every summer. It will spike upwards if any hurricanes travel through the Gulf of Mexico (higher costs and risks involved). It will drop further in the fall, usually near the end of September, but sometimes the drop isn't seen until November. It will begin to rise again next February, and will spike upwards around the end of April.

These seasonal changes reflect mostly our driving habits, but also reflect the increased cost for summer blends required to beat the evaporation that otherwise would take place as summer heats up.

My formula for next April May price spike is as follows:
Take the predominant price of crude oil in July, (that was $74, I think) divide by 25 (giving $2.96) and add $.50 to account for the taxes.
Therefore my forecast for next May is $3.46

The last factor will vary widely by location, as taxes and EPA regulations add more in many locations. The table below only gives a partial picture, I add an extra $.10 to the tax listed in that table in areas where transportation is easy and EPA regulations don't aggravate. In "LA", Chicago, Deming or Las Vegas New Mexico, and some other parts, add extra.
Gasoline Tax Statistics by State 2002

A different method is to look at the price you were paying in May this year. Subtract $2.60 from it and use the remainder instead of the $.50 in the figures above.