Friday, January 28, 2005
bothersome, want my shoulder back
Have you read this yet?
Border security alert
Ask me if I give a one bean fart.
U.S. Travel Alert Irritates Mexico
The 1990 US Census indicated 417 folk of Hispanic origin (of any race) in this county. The 2000 indicated Hispanic or Latino (of any race) as 1,703. I was selected to get the full census profiling in person and it was rather delightful. Back then old Dina(saur) and Cookie were the main greeters, lovely gals, people pooches. A rather attractive smallish lady was intercepted wandering down the lane into the swamp and directed toward my abode, announced herself (she liked good-mannered dawgs), and I invited her in. Tea service and required information done, she answered many of my questions of what she had encountered on her travels. Why she elected to brave on foot the trip down the lane into the swamp 'guarded' by free-ranging sheps wasn't asked. I also never saw her back where she probably had a .357 parked!
Part of our conversation was the census folk not having much success at counting the Mexicans. They had a huge compound in the middle of the county that was impossible to get into, the best they could do without some sort of armed invasion was from traffic in and out plus aerial photography. Their estimate back then was 3,500 Mexicans with only 2 known families in the compound that had filled out census forms.
That was 5 years ago. Amazing influx since. Not too sure what language to learn but my high school Castilian Spanish (mostly unused and dim) isn't even close. Mayan?
It is a rather miserable experience to walk the streets of Live Oak. The youth gangs of Mexicans seem to travel in tight packs of no less than five, run all folk off the sidewalks, they just make that old town rather miserable. One can go over to the welfare office and enjoy the fact that these days it is 3/4's full of Hispanic girls, usually with a few minis running around, one at the teat, and one in the belly, now far exceeding the black girls. The state has expanded the CFDC enormously. The total staff for this small county was 21 6 years ago, all black female. 2 years ago I was informed it was up to 27 plus a ranging crew of 15-17 (not sure) and they had hired a token white man who was promptly canned. I'm going to have to acquire some sort of press liberal credentials and use my 'Southern charm' (read: bs when req'd) to interview a few of the folk inside that welfare office. No stats, I've just counted heads in the past.
Press Pass. I've had a few in the past. All pre-Watergate. One from PBS that was rather marvelous back in San Francisco, 3 from the Washington Post, a passle after until the nasty crap desired from Caltech. Back then a press pass got one into just about anything. Much fun for a 20-something but when the 20-something has a degree of ethics, not amusing anymore. I write and report what I see and experience. Of all the failures of the human race, the one I hold in the very worst contempt is lying. Opinions, the finestkind! ...all sorts, even happier if one fixes a problem in my thoughts. Probably the most poignant moment(s) for me has been when someone(s) has delivered to me a bit of information (fit to number) that caused me to eruct "oh".
I'd like legit press credentials for a bit of investigation involving interviews. Small story, small town, large impact as it is the same all over Florida and probably endemic over the entire country.
Border security alert
Ask me if I give a one bean fart.
U.S. Travel Alert Irritates Mexico
The 1990 US Census indicated 417 folk of Hispanic origin (of any race) in this county. The 2000 indicated Hispanic or Latino (of any race) as 1,703. I was selected to get the full census profiling in person and it was rather delightful. Back then old Dina(saur) and Cookie were the main greeters, lovely gals, people pooches. A rather attractive smallish lady was intercepted wandering down the lane into the swamp and directed toward my abode, announced herself (she liked good-mannered dawgs), and I invited her in. Tea service and required information done, she answered many of my questions of what she had encountered on her travels. Why she elected to brave on foot the trip down the lane into the swamp 'guarded' by free-ranging sheps wasn't asked. I also never saw her back where she probably had a .357 parked!
Part of our conversation was the census folk not having much success at counting the Mexicans. They had a huge compound in the middle of the county that was impossible to get into, the best they could do without some sort of armed invasion was from traffic in and out plus aerial photography. Their estimate back then was 3,500 Mexicans with only 2 known families in the compound that had filled out census forms.
That was 5 years ago. Amazing influx since. Not too sure what language to learn but my high school Castilian Spanish (mostly unused and dim) isn't even close. Mayan?
It is a rather miserable experience to walk the streets of Live Oak. The youth gangs of Mexicans seem to travel in tight packs of no less than five, run all folk off the sidewalks, they just make that old town rather miserable. One can go over to the welfare office and enjoy the fact that these days it is 3/4's full of Hispanic girls, usually with a few minis running around, one at the teat, and one in the belly, now far exceeding the black girls. The state has expanded the CFDC enormously. The total staff for this small county was 21 6 years ago, all black female. 2 years ago I was informed it was up to 27 plus a ranging crew of 15-17 (not sure) and they had hired a token white man who was promptly canned. I'm going to have to acquire some sort of press liberal credentials and use my 'Southern charm' (read: bs when req'd) to interview a few of the folk inside that welfare office. No stats, I've just counted heads in the past.
Press Pass. I've had a few in the past. All pre-Watergate. One from PBS that was rather marvelous back in San Francisco, 3 from the Washington Post, a passle after until the nasty crap desired from Caltech. Back then a press pass got one into just about anything. Much fun for a 20-something but when the 20-something has a degree of ethics, not amusing anymore. I write and report what I see and experience. Of all the failures of the human race, the one I hold in the very worst contempt is lying. Opinions, the finestkind! ...all sorts, even happier if one fixes a problem in my thoughts. Probably the most poignant moment(s) for me has been when someone(s) has delivered to me a bit of information (fit to number) that caused me to eruct "oh".
I'd like legit press credentials for a bit of investigation involving interviews. Small story, small town, large impact as it is the same all over Florida and probably endemic over the entire country.
