04/3/18

Trump Prepares To Send U.S. Troops To Mexican Border

By: Terresa Monroe-Hamilton

President Trump announced today that we will guard the southern border with the military until the wall is finished being built. This is in response to a caravan of more than 1,500 illegal immigrants making their way through Mexico to get into the country through Baja, California or Texas. The Lone Star state has already mobilized the National Guard on the border and the President will be ordering they take up residence to cover the entire length of it. California will be ticked and will fight it, no doubt.

At the meeting on Tuesday, Trump said that U.S. immigration laws were being “laughed at” by other countries, promising to change them. “We have immigration laws that are laughed at by everybody,” he said. “And it’s going to be changed, we need the wall, we need protection and we’re going to change our immigration laws at the border and elsewhere.” “If it reaches our border, our laws are so weak and so pathetic,” Trump said. “It’s like we have no border.”

“We’re going to be doing things militarily until we can have a wall and proper security.” Trump said. Trump’s comments came as he sat next to Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, who was reportedly at the White House for discussions around immigration. However, a defense official who spoke on the condition of anonymity had no immediate details as to how many troops would be used, or what authorities they would have. Speaking later in the day, Trump indicated Mattis would be part of an afternoon meeting to figure out how to address the ”horrible, horrible, very unsafe laws” for the border with Mexico.

The defense official noted one option could be similar to the 2006-2008 patrols U.S. military personnel conducted under Operation Jump Start. In that operation, President George W. Bush called for up to 6,000 National Guard members to secure parts of the border. Eventually 29,000 military personnel from all over the country were involved in the mission, which had a projected cost of around $1.2 billion.

In 2012, President Barack Obama deployed Army forces from Ft. Bliss to the Tucson, Arizona and El Paso, Texas areas for Operation Nimbus, a joint operation between U.S. Northern Command and Customs and Border Patrol. Per an Army press release at the time, military forces conducted “day and night reconnaissance missions using the Long Range Advanced Scout Surveillance System to detect, recognize, identify and geo-locate possible incursions, which they would then report to Border Patrol agents. Avenger Soldiers, using the Forward Looking Infrared system, and Soldiers monitoring Sentinel radar, also augmented border air incursion detection efforts.”

According to a memo obtained by Fox News and discussions with officials, one area where the Pentagon could contribute immediately is the Air Force’s Barry Goldwater live-fire range, which shares a 35-mile border with Mexico in southern Arizona. The Defense Department is already offering some support to the border, including U.S. Navy ships patrolling waters to seize drugs as well as missions involving over 100 personnel from U.S. military’s northern command — including eight planes and a drone — to help border patrol.

About 80 percent of the caravan are Hondurans and Trump has already warned Mexico to not let then charge our border. Mexico acted as if they would deport them and then let them through as I understand it. President Trump wasted no time in making his announcement today in light of this development. “We are going to be guarding our border with our military. That’s a big step,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We cannot have people flowing into our country illegally, disappearing, and by the way never showing up for court.” This has never been done before on this scale and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Having military on our border is the right move here, but it’s a fine line to tread constitutionally. Trump attacked Mexico via tweets yesterday and today for allowing the group of immigrants to march towards the United States. He has already threatened to scuttle NAFTA over the incursion. I wish he would. That’s been a disastrous deal for Americans since the start. He also demanded Congress pass tougher immigration legislation and back his plan for a wall along the Mexican border. All steps in the right direction, unlike signing that monstrous omnibus bill that actually expanded the Catch and Release program.

Trump has also announced that DACA is now dead and that it is the Democrats fault for playing obstructionist to a deal that he offered. Frankly, I’m glad it died. It should not be allowed. That would give amnesty to at least 1.8 illegal aliens who should not be here.

“As ridiculous as it sounds, the laws of our country do not easily allow us to send those crossing our Southern Border back where they came from. A whole big wasted procedure must take place,” Trump tweeted Monday. He’s also seeking easier deportation measures to kick illegal aliens out. Again, I wholeheartedly support that. “Mexico & Canada have tough immigration laws, whereas ours are an Obama joke. ACT CONGRESS,” the President wrote.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto insisted that despite disagreements over illegal immigration, the NAFTA trade talks should go on. “We have been conducting serious negotiations,” he said, according to Agence France-Presse. I disagree. They should be cut off until this is resolved. Hold Mexico’s feet to the fire over this. Nieto expressed hope that “this spirit of positivity, mutual respect and cordiality” will continue. No such thing exists as long as they are invading our country.

Pueblo Sin Fronteras, or People Without Borders, are the radicals who have organized the caravan of immigrants. They are doing so they claim to support immigrants who are fleeing El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua because of poverty and threats from criminal gangs. They started their trek on March 25th from the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. The Mexican government has had police stand down to allow them through. Heck, they are even feeding them. By Monday, the caravan had reached the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca.

Mexico’s government issued a statement yesterday that describes the caravan as “a public demonstration that seeks to draw attention to the migratory phenomenon and the importance of respecting the rights of Central American migrants.” I call them an invading force that want to breach our sovereign borders. Mexico said, however, “it is not the responsibility of this government to exercise immigration decisions of the United States or any other nation.”

Towns along the way have been welcoming the immigrants, providing them food and shelter, despite President Trump calling for the Mexican authorities to stop them. They are playing with fire here. Even those helping them don’t want them to stay. “The authorities want us to leave their cities,” Rodrigo Abeja told Reuters. “They’ve been helping us, in part to speed the massive group out of their jurisdictions.”

In a statement issued March 23rd, Pueblo sin Fronteras stated “Refugee Caravan 2018” is demanding that the U.S. and Mexico “respect our rights as refugees and our right to dignified work to be able to support our families.” They are demanding both Mexico and the U.S. “open the borders because we are as much citizens as the people of the countries where we are and/or travel.” No, they aren’t. The statement begins: “We are a group of people from different nations, religions, genders, gender expressions, and sexual orientations migrating and seeking refuge. We seek to to become one collective, supporting each other shoulder to shoulder and demonstrating that by uniting we can abolish borders.” They are an invading force, period and should be treated as such. They also issued a list of demands of Central American countries, including “an end to political corruption” and “an end to violence against women and the LGBTQIA community.” Good luck with that.

This is the right thing to do and the Border Patrol should work with the military securing the border. It’s a matter of sovereignty, survival and national security.

04/3/18

President Trump – Fight Fire with Fire

By: Thomas Wigand | New Zeal

We’re coming for your country. All of it. Hand It over! Now!

In the months leading up to the 2016 elections we had waves of “unaccompanied minors” (a/k/a “the children”) flamboyantly crossing our borders. They’re still here.

Now in the months leading up to the 2018 midterms we have entire “families” flamboyantly approaching the border in “caravans” – organized, aided and abetted by some group calling itself Pueblo Sin Fronteras.  Presumably it is another of the AstroTurf groups funded by George Soros et als. (Query why these groups U.S. operations aren’t being prosecuted for conspiracy?  Paging Attorney General Sessions …Hello?  Hello? Is anybody home?)

Keep in mind that this all fits the usual Leftist / Progressive tactic of escalation.  This latest wave is a test, and if even only partially successful — even if that initial “success” is only to create a media controversy for the “mainstream media” to gin-up Democrat turnout in November and take the House (if not the Senate too) — more waves will follow. Ever-larger waves.  Tidal waves.  Tsunamis of illegal aliens engulfing our country.

This first horde approaching the U.S. border is being trained to ask for “asylum” and request “refugee status.”  In the “catch and release” model – recently expanded by the Ryan-McConnell omnibus bill – they will be released into the United States, without “extreme vetting.” Some years from now they’ll be summoned to court to process their refugee application.  As asylum seekers and “refugees” they become “legal” residents of the United States – able to work (those that choose to) and get “benefits” (welfare).

It seems certain that this is a deliberate effort to reenact the Muslim-into-Europe “refugee” model of storming the borders and demanding  (and getting) “refugee” status – forever after to inhabit, culturally occupy and irreparably change the host (targeted) country.  And to live off of its welfare teat as this is being accomplished.  Barack Hussein Obama’s dream from his father of “fundamentally transforming the United States of America” would be accomplish by weaponizing demographics and deliberate hobbling of our immigration laws.  Obama and his fellow Progressives ultimately want open borders and mass amnesty — effectively citizenship on demand for anyone who walks across our unsecured borders and thus paving the way for the dissolution of the United States of America in all but name.

Club Gitmo. The walls are already built. Oh, and what beautiful, effective walls they are.

We must nip this in the bud.  It’s time to fight fire with fire.  Invoke our anti-terrorism laws and use our military.  Declare that each “undocumented” “migrant” crossing the border has to be processed as a potential terrorist, and treat them accordingly.  As these invaders cross the border, with the so-called “mainstream media” tipped-off to exact arrival points and cameras at the ready, the Border Patrol should be instructed to “catch and release” them – right on to C-130’s waiting to transport the “refugees” for housing at Gitmo.  There we can engage in “extreme vetting” to screen for terrorists that may have infiltrated their ranks … and then to hold all of the rest as they await their court dates some years hence.  Once Gitmo is at capacity, tell the U.N. to ship some refugee camp tents to our southern states, and we’ll set up barbed wire enclosed “refugee camps” to “extreme vet” them, and then house them until their court hearings some years hence.  And the millions of illegal aliens waiting in the wings will be forced to reconsider whether they want to “seek asylum” and “become refugees.”

Club Gitmo?  Sí, se puede!

Mr. Wigand is the author of Communiqués From the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracywhich is available on Amazon in both print and Kindle versions.  Comments or questions for Mr. Wigand may be sent to: [email protected]— he will make every effort to personally respond to every email.

04/3/18

It Was An Ugly Day

By: Kent Engelke | Capitol Securities

Does history repeat itself? In early 2000, the NASDAQ was making daily highs, led by Microsoft, Cisco and Intel. The 1970s term, led by GE, Nifty Fifty was resurrected, defined as all one has to do is buy and hold fifty stocks and all would become gazillionaries.

The headlines were filled with stories of which company — Cisco or GE — will become the first $750 billion company.

Fast forward to today, of these 50 stocks, about thirty five are no longer around, a vast majority — led by GE — are still down 50% from their apex and only one has rebounded to a new high — Microsoft.

Today the markets are dominated by five companies, five companies that comprised a record 14% of the capitalization of the S & P 500. The S & P 500 technology index was just at a record 25% to 27% of total capitalization of the S & P 500.

All must remember the S & P 500 is a dollar weighted index, defined as companies that have a greater share price that have an outsized impact on the averages. Gains or losses of the various indexes are greatly magnified by the higher priced companies.

Yesterday, for the first time since January 2016, the S & P 500 violated its 200 day moving average. Violations historically occur annually, however to the best of my understanding this is the longest period that this pivotal moving average line was not violated.

How will the markets respond given that according to the SEC, 50% of trades are now done algorithmically and another 40% are done by indexing. By definition, both utilize momentum not security analysis.

In my view, the combination of mega-priced/capitalized issues coupled by speed of light trading where speed — often measured in terms of a millisecond or one millionth of a second — has created a dangerous environment.

Depending upon the index, equities at one time were posting declines in excess of 3% to 4%, but managed to recover some losses to end lower between 1.9% and 2.75%.

The catalysts for the decline were fresh presidential criticism of Amazon, retaliatory tariffs from China and concerns about economic strength and inflationary pressures.

What will happen today?

Last night the foreign markets were down. London was down 0.33%, Paris was down 0.56% and Frankfurt was down 1.07%. China was down 0.84%, Japan was down 0.45% and Hang Sang was up 0.29%.

The Dow should open nominally higher. Will the upcoming earnings season support equities? All popular trades have broken down including the fail-safe momentum trade. The cross-correlated trade ended several months ago. The WSJ wrote Saturday, the proverbial safe haven trade is virtually nonexistent, perhaps the result of structural changes in market mechanics from technology based trading and excessive monetary policy.

The 10-year is off 7/32 to yield 2.77%.