American Produce Inspectors Flee Northern Mexico-Drug Violence Sends Up Tomato Prices

Drug related violence that has claimed 30,000 lives in Mexico the last four years has also driven American produce inspectors out of Northern Mexico. The article hyperlinked below notes that inspections are being done on the U.S. side of the border instead, and of course later in the process impeding the flow of cheap produce to U.S. salads.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40772711/ns/business-us_business

The phenomena is a function of the poor U.S. Mexico policy that is in turn a function of bad economic management in the United States government. A morally acceptable policy would at least assure that Mexican produce exported to the United States is really surplus beyond what the people need for themselves. Perhaps nations engaging in International surplus trading of food should be required to tax shippers in order to direct a percent of food to actually undernourished peoples wherever they are.

Mohandas Gandhi wrote that "Nations are sustained neither by wealth nor by armies, but by righteousness alone. It is the duty of man to bear this truth in mind and practice altruism, which is the highest form of morality."

Economic policy has been a topic of research in the field of neuro-philosophy. The way people make decisions and how dopamine reinforces decision making at a pre-concious level has been the subject of substantial research. The mind subconsciously knows almost ten seconds before the conscious mind makes a decision in some instances, of what the decision will be.

Stephen Hall's book 'Wisdom' investigates several areas of research into the workings of the mind in moral judgements, decision making and so forth. Researchers have found that select areas of the brain-even the central and most primitive areas make decisions and reward accurate or positive decisions with a burst of dopamine. The pre-frontal cortex-a more recent evolution or addition to a human brain makes more abstract and complex judgments in some cases. The way emotion factors in to making moral judgments is also considered.

That of course is why the human process of decision making at a personal and social level differ in areas of the brain used for making a decision. Complex decision-especially complex social decisions are most hard to make-and we see the United States failing to make good political decisions quite commonly while the media rewards President Obama in his lame duck successes for reasons less intelligent than emotional. The failure of not only the Obama administration, but any administration to change U.s. economics to a low entropy, nationalistic criterion is a cobnsequence of the inherent difficulties in changing the foundation upon which econonmic decisions are made.

Economists and others build up a data base neurologically from which they make decisions. Conscious decisions are a tip of the data iceberg. economi sts have certain philosophical values that implicitly make an existential pursuit of personal satisfaction the highest good, and that of course is consistent with the more primative and emotional regions of the brain making decisions that concatenated produces a socially incompetant economic management phenomena.

Instead of managing society realistically U.S.economics is stuck in neo-classical individuated (even when corporations are regarded as individuals) pursuits of happiness. Value bases of economics esentially do not evolve nearly as quickly as social viability requires in respect of advancing general challenges ecologically, economically and nationally.

For many years we have known that a low entropy economic foundation and full employment are exceedingly desirabe social values that will make society happier if accomplished. We haave also been aware of the Mexican drug cartel plaza phenomenon of entire border cities being controlled by particular criminal organizations packaging illegal cargo for shipment north to the lucrative drug consuming U.S.A. Entire cities and social infrastructure are corrupted to facilitate concealment of drugs and I suppose guns in the other direction. it is said that 90% of Mexican drug exports to the U.S.A. pass right through border inspection stations. That northern Mexico is dangerous for Tomato inspectors is thus not very suprising.

The neuro-cognitive philosophical inspections of the brain, mind and social economics reveal that the basic American investment in change is quite minimal regarding progress toward and ecological economic policy with real border control and advance of social content.

A particular neo-classical economic outlook and the historical neuro-cognitive dopamine reinforced decision making and selection of values to be reinforced as 'good' negates the possibility of correcting the bi-lateral American-Mexican border issues in a rational way empirically. The series of free trade agreements the United States has entered in to do about nothing to direct a comparative trade advantage, low entropy economic security in each nation without the corrupting effects of migratory labor and ecological habitat destruction. In Alaska polar bear habitat is still attacked by the state government filing lawsuits to remove federal habita protections. The Obama administration circumstantially might negotiate pie slices of Arctic litoral none-development zone with Russia, Canada, Denmark and other nations to preserve the integrity of the Arctic and its wildlife in a coordinated way yet there again we find the basic neuro-cognitive philosophical decision making inertia rewarded by the dopamine of 'the big score', speaking of which, I could use that piece of lemon merangue pie myself. The challenge is to find it in a new and socially beneficial way.

Mexican migrant laborers range from Alaska to Florida, Chicago to the Carolinas and California even while Americans are out of work. To retake control of the border a new ecologically beneficial border control zone-perhaps a canal to desalinate siphoned up seawater and irrigation and recreational areas on both sides of the border could be made a primary construction stimulus project. No harm mass ecological reconstruction on both sides of the border to create permanent work should be a bilateral political goal with an upgrade in Mexican civil life and identification within a decriminalized social environment equally a target of American economic self-interest. The difficulties are in moving away from the existentialist economics of personal egoism that destructively influence U.S. economic management goals.

King Herod's Tomb Discovered in 2007-Subsequent Excavations Provide Confirmation

An interesting article in Biblical Archeology Review (BAR) describes why the late author (died in October 2010 after an archeology accident at the site) believes much evidence exists to support his conclusion that the tomb of King Herod the Great of Judah has been found in Israel.

Herod built a city 12 years after fleeing from a Haesmonian rival, Mattathias Antigonus, supported by Parthians. Herod fled toward Masada and battled with Antigonus at the site where he would build his city. Herod won the battle and was reappointed King of Judah by the Romans.

http://www.bib-arch.org/bar/article.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=37&Issue=1&ArticleID=7

King Herod remained ruler of Judah until the birth of Jesus Christ around the year 4 b.c. Fittingly he died about the time the true ruler of Israel was born.

Miller-Murkowski Senate Contest Reaches Alaska High Court/etc.

So close to Christmas I should have some secrets of the Magi sort of report to write; how the space shuttle is visible in the northern night sky this time of year doesn't make that cut, nor does the helpful information that public toilet seat liners work best if you tear off the 'tongue' portion and flip the solid part forwar before setting it down instead of letting the tongue droop into the water and fall in. The Alaska Senate campaign is slightly more interesting yet not much.

The daughter of the 'Godfather' of present state politics former U.S. Senator and Governor Frank Murkowski won the race by 12,000 votes as an independent after losing the Republican primary. She won with thousands of crossover female democratic votes and repaid them by voting to end 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'. During the campaign she said that Joe Miller would leave Alaskan with nothing out in the cold. I remembered that last night when I broke my notebook computer sleeping in my ten at about zero degrees, broke with a foot of new snow. The rich have a way of being the poor and desrving themselves even with millions and millions-wicked souls.

Miller took his suit to the Supreme Court Friday and it will decide if the state should throw out 10,000 contested ballots on which the spelling of Lisa Murkowski was not precise. This is not a trivial issue.

If a write-in name is not exact and requires discretionaryy interpretation of voter intent to award the vote to a candidate, there are numerous possibilities for corruption too obvious to mention. One example is the echo candidacy made to allow discretion by partisan election officials.

Lisa Murkowski is running as a registered write in, so the anti-Lisa M party decides to run their own write in candidacy for Lisa B Murkowsky as opposed tothe Lisa P Murkowski allowing sympathetic interpreters to award votes to the Lisa B candidacy. We find the amazonn.com effect of near misses ambiguity made to pull in hits or votes for a popular candicay part of the modern world of alpha numeric selection and dislike anything besides exact matches on either web sites to counting votes.

If Joe Miller loses in the Alaska State Court he may take it to the U.S. Supreme Court where it may be right up there with hanging chads as a controversy that could stand clarification. In Alaska an establishment exists that kicks back jobs and opportunity to an insider elite subserviant to global corporate resource developers over local and also is a prime hog on the federal pork barrel also kicking back to favorite insiders leaving the rest out in the cold. I would not doubt that some cheating might have occurred to swing the election Murkowski's way. A federal judge has certified the election yet declared as well that should the courts decide in favor of Miller and the erroneous ballots are thrown out, a recount held and possibilities of fraudulent votes investigated such that Miller wins 2000 more votes and takes the Senate seat, the certification can be changed to Miller.

If anyone has any idea how to repair the video screen of a notebook computer that is not cracked but just totally dysfunctional after being rolled over by a hip in a sleeping bag-let me know. Also of use would be instructions on how to transfer data from the notebook to another computer if the screen is not visible to log on and so forth.

Nation's Unemployment Rate Is Of Secondary Importance to U.S. Politicians and Corporatists

Federal economic policy presently is to serve the corporate world and concentration of wealth. Both major political parties have signed off on tax cut extensions for the wealthy. Each party supports free trade agreements that allows global corporations to export their products here freely. The corporate world and its profits are of primary concern to the wealthy and for their sycophantic employees. Corporate relocates labor globally in contracts and sub-contractual relationships. Neither the federal government and nits Harvard elites nor the Corporate elites are much concerned about keeping full employment in the United States nor driving up the value of labor in the United States.

So the nation's unemployed are in effect 'Waiting for Godot' like Samuel Beckett's character's Vladimir and Estragon for jobs that just might not appear. There is a surplus of unskilled labor in the world today and nationalism is not on the Congressional agenda. Employers are still outsourcing and consolidating increasing productivity and profits but no employment. There are lots of Japanese and multi-national factories in Mexico near the border taking advantage of NAFTA. To really increase employment in the U.S.A. economic reform to support national interest would need to occur and that isn't likely soon.

The Mexican border allows millions of illegal cheap workers to undermine the value of unskilled labor in the U.S.A. and in the construction industry, and Americans are becoming corporate sycophants rather than supporters of Democracy. The Obama-Falin-Romney style candidates are just yes-persons for global corporatism. That is not good for the world environment, for the prospects of unskilled and unemployed Americans.or much else for those on the wrong side of the great corporate divide in the U.S.A.

Wouldn't a Larger, Cheaper Draft Military Be Better for Afghanistan?

Since the volunteer military has had to fight a protracted nation rebuilding war the price for getting people to serve has skyrocketed. Wouldn't a return to a traditional military draft in order to keep a larger number of much lower cost recruits in Afghanistan be a more effective way to subdue the Taliban and unemployment in the United States?

Some Alaskans and those stranded for the winter in Alaska descry military service and man's inhumanity to man (or woman) yet are aware that if in a kill zone the best response is to move full speed ahead. Maybe the best way to have peace and security in Afganistan is just to move full speed ahead with a draft and remove the Bernie Madhof era corporate contracting Defense Dept. budget issues the Cheney-Halliburton-Bush I & II people dumped as if flummery were for the benefit of the U.S.A..

Privates in the Army famously got paid little before the volunteer era, and even after the volunteer military became a fact the wages were fairly low before the 9-11. With national unemployment presently between 10 and 20% it makes little sense to pay $21,000 a year for a recuit to serve in that nice, high, central Asian nation with such a wonderful people and beautiful scenery and clean air.

Americans are people very concerned about civil rights and a few care not to destroy what remains of the precious planetary fluids unpolluted that sustain life. Perhaps given an opportunity to lace on the boots of freedom the nation's recruitment offices will be overflowing as they were during the Spanish American war if they know they are serving not for money but instead for the satisfaction of knowing they have brought human warmth and compassion to those beyond the corporate networks.

Military draftees could receive free job training and maybe 500 dollars a month iincluding combat pay for the adventure of a lifetime and the opportunity ito serve the oppressed people of central Asia. Regular Army cooking could replace the sky-high Halliburton style of contract haute cuisine and Americans could return to being Americans with a history of public service.

The volunteer military has become top-heavy with military contractors charging premium prices and getting no bang for the buck in some instances. Elite military units could continue to handle much of the difficult combat tasks, yet ordinary Americans could handle a vast range of commonplace in-the-foxhole drudge duty and enjoy the opportunity to fire all of the guns on full automatic cycle even if at targets. Ordinary Americans could also provide the more common touch with Afghan civilians perhaps lacking in the Star Wars troopers like volunteer military.

With a draft to fill the ranks and deploy perhaps a 150,000 more soldiers to Afghanistan their could also be a large increase in Peace Corps type volunteers to build up a better high-tech, low maint. cost economic infrastructure for Afghanistan. Plainly to be effective in restoring liberty to the people of Afghanistan a more affordable, sustainable presence to reinforce peaceful social development in required.

Senate Votes to End Don't Ask Don't Tell- President Obama Will Start 'Men Without Chests' Military Era

President Obama will sign the measure this week to end D.A.D.T.-the policy requiring homosexuals to keep their non-heterosexuality to themselves. The change in Republican votes may have involved some secret deals for supporting tax cuts for the rich by Democrats. The tax cut extension passed last week.

A noted historian James Van Creeveld classified such personnel composition transitions within the 'Men Without Chests' era in his book 'The Culture of War'. Such transitions historically are implicit within a socially decadent cycle of civilization. Same-sex socialization in the military coincides with both major political parties in agreement on tax cuts for the wealthy that allow 1-2% of the people to own 25% of the nation's wealth as that concentration continues.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/18/AR2010121801729.html

Congress/Obama Jobs Policy for Working Class 2010-2012: Wait for Godot

President Obama ran a campaign of hope for jobs and economic recovery. After two years ten to twenty percent of Americans out of work are waiting for Godot like Samuel Beckett's characters Vladimir and Estragon.

Tax cuts for the rich at historically low rates, an unsecured Mexican border admitting millions of illegal workers, foreign terrorists and smuggled explosives are governors working against tightening up U.S. labor supply. The other maladroit labor influences are the general surplus of cheap unskilled workers globally and corporate global relocation of workers and goods to maximally increase profits for their shareholders. A Democracy should prioritize looking after its own national interests.

Unfortunately as the highest value of wealth is founded presently on a quantitative consumption principle of non-renewable resources it may be that Adam Smith's Capital theory actual works with an invisible brain of minimal I.Q. to produce the most stupid environmental policy possible besides the invisible hand to pickpocket world resources most efficiently from Democracy and responsible small scale free enterprise.

Capitulating with a sigh to the incessant rhythm of sweet Republican economic admonishments by Senator McConnel and President Obama lame duck Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi at last yielded on tax cuts for the millionaires and billionaires for another two years-effectively until at least 2021. Waiting for the economist Godot these last two years unemployed independent voters now sit like Otis Redding at the dock of the bay watching the economic cruise ship of the rich sail away.

Captain Aguirre and the crew of the good ship S.S. 'Wrath of God' have a rich and sumptuous menu of Adam Smith on opium hor d'ouvres to devour as they consolidate wealth and expand financial network controls with the U.S. Government deeply in their pocket.

Creating headlines year after year now with deeper federal debt anticipated to grow to more than 20 trillion dollars by 2015, writers that council the fundamental wrong direction of globalism instead of nationalism, of public debt instead of solvency, of a healthy environment instead of one in decay, of full employment and a stable population within secure borders free of illegal immigrant workers seem as out in the cold as Ronald Reagan's economist David Stockman. Lifting up their horns to gore common sense political economics is no problem for the rich that own the media as well as increasingly, everything else.