The enemy leader, or heroic commander, named according to your viewpoint, held his helmet upside down, and placed his fist inside, saying “This is where the enemy is,” then withdrew his fist and smilingly ran his finger right around the lid of that helmet as he continued, “and this is where we are!”

I write of the battle which ended French hopes of an Asian empire, of the battle which should have taught America a brutal lesson in ‘Realpolitik’, where the VietMinh taught the French the same lesson as was learned at Gettysburg. That lesson was, ‘choose your ground for the battle, and let your enemy connive at his own suicide’.

France always thought of French Indo-China as just another overseas Department, filled with friendly but naturally-subservient locals, and so when the uprising by the Communist VietMinh began, it was ignored as being just a few locals making a noise. They were wrong! The French defeat, which ended when Dien Bien Phu was finally overrun, with the living treasure of France bleeding, injured or dead, should have told future military planners that a country filled with fervent believers in a cause, not a religion, should be either massacred to a man, or left to go its own way.

Similarly, but in a modern mode, when the people who are fighting you are welded together by a religion, and where the military planners still believe they can influence people who command others to literally blow themselves apart in their ‘jihadi’ cause, is it any wonder that instances such as this withdrawal are taking place in a country which is still being ‘rescued’ by American, British and other NATO forces?

Welcome news that Congressman Charlie Rangel might finally get kicked out of Congress for ethics violations (I know, I know, you say to yourself  “aren’t ethics violations how one gets into Congress?”).

Democrat Rangel has long been a rogue, rascal and rat.  His Congressional seat is in Harlem, which has rendered him immune from re-election concerns for decades due to the racial cocoon he has managed to preserve.  If Rangel was a white representative from upstate New York, he would be out on his rather large buttocks long ago.  But the Democratic leadership in the House would rather call for a napalm attack on Berkley, California than kick a senior black member to the curb for obvious ethical violations (multiple tax dodges, bribes, and misuse of public funds/programs).

The Democrats are fumming that a protracted fight with Rangel will further dampen hopes for the midterm elections, but all of them are afraid to say that the Emperor has no clothes.  Rangel is perfectly willing to harm his party to preserve his legacy and seniority.  If Pelosi and Reid had character, they would push him out, but there is a want in them and they won’t.       

Apparently, we Yanks are not at war with Mexico and I can order Huevos Rancheros this morning at the diner and not feel unpatriotic.    

I was relieved that Mexico had not broken the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo (1848) and invaded the south Texas border town of Laredo, which sits on the north bank of the Rio Grande.   Contrary to the rightwing blog ravings that polluted the internet like a BP Oil spill there has been no “act of war”, or even fact of war.  Mexican Drug Cartels and their paramilitary Zeta partners have not invaded parts of the Lone Star State and are not, I repeat, are not, engaged in a running gunbattle with US Border Agents, The Laredo City Police, The United States Military, The Boy Scouts, The A Team, The Laredo Garden Club, and the judges of American Idol. 

The streets of Laredo are calm this fine July morning, and if any Cowboys there are lamenting, it isn’t due to an invasion.  Perhaps it is from the shame of being the birthplace of Republican Congressman Tom Delay, but time heals all wounds. 

A few ATW readers may recall that Laredo was once the capital of the Indepedent Republic of the Rio Grande, a Republic that lasted as long as one of Larry King’s marriages.  It has historically been under several flags (including Spanish, Mexican, Texan and USA), and remains a large port of entry of commercial activity (legal and illegal).  Whatever problems Laredo has, invasion isn’t one of them.  Things are peaceful there.  Summertime and the living, if not easy, is at least normal. 

Nuevo Laredo, across the Rio Grande in Mexico, is another story.  When the US denied a petition of citizens of Laredo to be restored back to Mexico in the mid 19th Century, the majority of the town crossed the Rio Grande and founded Nuevo Laredo.  Ironic?  Drug Cartels there are awful, the murder rate horrid and the Mexican Army barely controls the City.  Things are a little better since the army moved in a few years ago, and the crimelords had to go underground, but Nuevo Laredo, like much of Mexico is, as a journalist once said, in the mouth of the wolf.   Warring cartels, a corrupt police force and heartless paramilitaries render it dangerous with a capital D.  That story is real and needs more attention, not less.

Lucky for us on the north side of the Rio, we are plagued more often by false stories, hoaxes and frantic fanning of nativist flames.  In our 24 hour political junk culture where Andrew Breitbarts thrive, Michelle Malkin is considered a journalist, Michael Moore a film genius, Rush Limbaugh a sage, and Keith Oberman a wit, we’ve got our work cut out for us as well.  A good place to start would be by not posting stories unless there is credible evidence supporting them.

Did you see that a Conservative MP has been warned he could face legal action if he follows through on a threat to refuse to meet constituents wearing Burkas.  Lawyers for Liberty (Orwellian) have written to Philip Hollobone insisting that the Equality Act obliges him to avoid discrimination.

The missive says the campaigning group “will be happy to represent any of your constituents that you refuse to meet because they are veiled”. The Kettering MP sparked a row earlier this month when he argued that he needed to be face-to-face with voters who wanted his help. He said he would “invite” anyone who did not wish to remove their veil to communicate with him in a “different way”, such as by letter. Mr Hollobone is trying to bring in a Private Member’s Bill to ban women wearing the Burka or Niqab in public, after the French introduced a similar rule. The comments were criticised by Muslim groups, while the idea of a ban was dismissed by Government ministers as “un-British” and unhelpful to women.

The possible prosecution of Mr Hollobone has a purpose. It is to send a message to us all that IF you dare criticise Islam, you could find yourself in Court, maybe even in Prison. In this way, the Islamification of the UK continues and NO ONE in Government will dare stand up and say enough. This weakness is being exploited by Islamists and exacerbated by useful fools such as these Lawyers for Islam. 

How sad it must be to go to a dance festival and lose your life.

“At least 19 people have been killed in a stampede at the Love Parade dance music festival in the German city of Duisburg, police have said. Police had been trying to stop people reaching the parade area because of overcrowding. But the revellers panicked at a tunnel entrance. About 100 people were also injured, dozens seriously. Police and city officials have launched an investigation into what sparked off the disaster. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has sent her condolences to the family and friends of the victims.”Young people came to party. Instead, there was death and injury. I am aghast and saddened by the sorrow and the pain,” she said.

Bringing together large amounts of people for any event is always dangerous and I hope there is a proper investigation into this loss of young life.

Did you read that leading UK retail chain Marks and Spencer has begun selling “plus-size” clothing for children as young as three in an attempt to dress a new generation with bulging waistlines?

Health campaigners said the decision by the High Street giant demonstrated the scale of the obesity epidemic affecting Britain’s “overindulged” children, with one in four children now classed as obese or overweight by the time they start primary school. 

The garments are cut far more generously than the retailer’s standard sizes, with almost two and a half inches extra around the waistline and hips for clothes for three-year-olds.

I wonder why it is that British kids are bulging around the waist even at this young age? You have to assume it must be diet since exercise cannot play such a big part at such tender years surely? I can understand why kids become obese as they grow older, as the image above demonstrates but I find it alarming that three years Olds are becoming obese. 

I was out last night when I read that Northern Ireland Snooker legend Alex Higgins has died of throat cancer, aged 61.

Sad to hear but he had become painfully gaunt, almost to the point of non-recognition in recent times. I remember him in his prime, a brilliant player with a dash of eccentricity and arrogance – a sort of George Best with a cue. My condolences to his family.

Update 3:  Looks like it was just a rumor.

Note:  This might be just a rumor.  It’s too early to tell.

Update 2: From Examiner.com:

“Two sources inside the Laredo Police Department confirmed the incident is unfolding and they would continue to coordinate with U.S. Border Patrol today. “We consider this an act of war,” said one police officer on the ground near the scene. There is a news blackout of this incident at this time and the sources inside Laredo PD spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Word broke late last night that Laredo police have requested help from the federal government regarding the incursion by the Los Zetas. It appears that the ranch owners have escaped without incident but their ranches remain in the hands of the blood thirsty cartels.”

Update 1:  This story is still developing. Very little news is available. Diggers Realm reports:

“I believe there is a blackout because local law enforcement and the Border Patrol are waiting for backup and authorization from the Federal Government to make any moves. Something like this does have cross border and international impacts. Things like that generally are handled by the federal government, as that is the primary reason we have a federal government in the first place.

The situation is relatively young and if they have the Los Zetas contained in one spot, there really is no reason to go all cowboy and charge into an unknown situation.

This sums up the current state of the situation and the path of how the story broke. I have no other knowledge at this time that is not contained here. We will find out soon the extent of this situation as it develops further. As I stated in the article – and it still remains – we don’t know if it’s only several members or a squad.”

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 Act of war in Laredo, Texas:

“The bloodbath continues along our southern border and now word is coming in that Los Zetas, the highly trained killers formerly with the Gulf Cartel, have crossed into the United States and taken over at least two ranches in the Laredo, Texas area. I am receiving word that the owners of the ranches have evacuated without being harmed.”

Can our elected representatives in Washington DC please stop playing politics and do something to protect our Southern border? Please?

In response to Phantom’s blasphemy…

Liberals/Progressives gathered in Las Vegas last week to discuss strategy and other items.