Border Patrol? We don’t need no stinking border patrol!

Oops, did I forget to advertise the US Border Patrol Recruiting event in West Des Moines, IA yesterday?

Oh well, when the pay is “up to $50,000 dollars for the first year and up to $70,000 within three years of service” I’m sure they will find someone willing to become a glorified security guard.

Discrepancy alert: another news agency has reported that “Border Patrol recruits earn between $36,000 and $46,000 in their first year, with the potential of earning up to $70,000 per year within three years of service.”

If you are chosen to protect one of the US borders, you will have to move to Texas, Arizona, California, or New Mexico.

Interesting. Don’t we also have a border to the north? Isn’t the threat of a terrorist or biological weapon attack coming from Canada just as great as from the South?

Why aren’t any USBP agents being deployed to Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine?

Secret’s Out: Suppressed Report Says Biofuels Raise Food Prices

The Guardian obtained a leaked report from the World Bank that has pegged “biofuel” production as a bigger problem in raising food prices than previously thought.

“The report estimates that higher energy and fertiliser prices accounted for an increase of only 15%, while biofuels have been responsible for a 75% jump over that period.“

The World Bank report has been suppressed since its completion in April because insiders believe it would embarrass President Bush (can’t let that happen!).  The US government claims that producing fuel from plants has only raised food prices by 3 percent. I hope any ethanol defenders and comments on this blog  can explain why there is such a discrepancy.

An estimated 100 million people have fallen below the poverty line because of rising global food prices.

Coincidentally, back in April, Senator Charlie “Chuck” Grassley labeled the whole ethanol/food debate “a big joke.”

Maybe I just don’t get his sense of humor?