US general: Cartels are using migrants to distract from drug smuggling at the border

Criminal cartels are using groups of migrants as a distraction for their drug smuggling activities on the southern border, according to the commander of U.S. Northern Command. The military has noticed a "relationship" exists between migrants and drug flows, Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy said during a talk the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Monday. His command is trying to help the Department of Homeland Security counter the problem.

"The same cartels that are working the drug smuggling are working the migrants and where the migrants are going," O'Shaughnessy said. "We also see them using the migrants as a distraction. And so as they push a group of migrants over here, the drug smuggling goes over there. And we see that coordinated behavior, which we are trying to help plug some of those gaps." O'Shaughnessy said he was surprised to learn the severity of the narcotics problem when he took over as the head of NORTHCOM in May 2018. As the military command principally responsible for the defense of the U.S. homeland, NORTHCOM plays a supporting role in counternarcotics initiatives, specifically with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

And why? It's because this is a national crisis. 70,000 Americans killed [by] overdose," O'Shaughnessy said. "How can the Department of Defense not be part of that solution set?" O'Shaughnessy noted that NORTHCOM isn't the lead agency on the issue but does play a key role through Joint Task Force North, which focuses on aiding Customs and Border Protection in counter-narcotics operations. The Pentagon said Wednesday that it will be sending an additional 2,100 troops and members of the Texas National Guard to assist in securing the southern border. They will join the already 4,500 troops currently stationed in the area.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/us-general-cartels-are-using-migrants-to-distract-from-drug-smuggling-at-the-border

NORTHCOM commander warns the Arctic is an 'avenue of approach' for Russia

The Arctic could be a key avenue for Russian cruise missiles, and the military must engage in the region to protect against it, according to a top U.S. general. Most of the discussion on missile defense is centered on traditional ballistic missiles or the advanced hypersonic missiles currently being developed by major powers, according to Air Force Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, commander of U.S. Northern Command.

"But surprisingly there's not that much conversation about cruise missiles. And when I look at the cruise missile threat, I see that as one of the biggest threats that we face," O'Shaughnessy said during a Monday talk at the Center for Security and International Studies in Washington, D.C. "If you look at the northern approaches through the Arctic, that's a key avenue of approach that we have to be able to defend."

Warmer temperatures in the Arctic have opened up potential sea lanes for both trade and military purposes, and Russia has wasted no time in taking advantage of the situation. The Russian military has built new and upgraded bases in the region over the last several years for its Northern Fleet. Last month, the Russian military tested the new surface-to-air missile system, which it plans to deploy to the Arctic. In September, the Northern Fleet tested its Bastion missile system, which reportedly is designed to engage large ships, including aircraft carriers.

O'Shaughnessy also pointed to Russia's cruise missile-carrying submarines as a potential threat emanating from the Arctic region. "We haven't trained up there to the level that we probably should have over the last several decades," he said. The military appears to have caught on to the importance of the Arctic region to some extent. Soldiers, Marines, sailors, and members of the Coast Guard have all engaged in increased Arctic training and exercises over the last two years. Last month, U.S. Marines in Norway participated in Thunder Reindeer 19, an annual live-fire exercise designed to prepare for combat in the Arctic area.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/northcom-commander-warns-the-arctic-is-an-avenue-of-approach-for-russia

>>7141316

RELIGULOUS: A CONVERSATION WITH BILL MAHER AND LARRY CHARLES

Description from TIFF 2007 catalog by Thom Powers: Watching politics discussed on American television, one might conclude that left-wing views can only be expressed with a sense of humour and right-wing views without. Bill Maher~s politics defy easy categorization. But he has an unstoppable sense of humour that he wields against left and right alike. He~s done so in his stand-up routines, his shows past (Politically Incorrect) and present (Real Time with Bill Maher), and his best-selling book New Rules: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer. In an age when many comics thrive by playing dumb, Maher excels at being smart. Now he~s embarking on his first featurelength documentary, a satirical look at religion. He has teamed up with another comic master, Larry Charles, the prolific television writer, producer and director whose credits include Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, and who attended the 2006 Festival as the director of comedy mega-hit Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.

In this special Mavericks presentation, Maher and Charles will take the stage to discuss religion, comedy and whatever else enters their heads “~ and they~ll share a teaser clip of Religulous, their work-in-progress. In the film, Maher travels to some of the world~s most popular religious destinations, from Jerusalem to the Vatican, questioning believers while being upfront about his own skepticism. Why is suffering so random? Why are so many religions down on homosexuality? What~s up with the virgin birth? He talks to Hasidic scholars, Jesus impersonators, Jews for Jesus, Muslims, polygamists, Satanists, creationists, stoners, a Senator who believes in the Rapture, and even Rael “~ prophet of the Raelians “~ who it turns out is a big Bill Maher fan.

If this sounds offensive, you may crack a smile anyway. The laughs come both cheap and sophisticated. After all, the joking has a serious side when religion and politics mix. Maher at his most serious is still hilarious. If there is a hell, this will be the headline act.

http://stfdocs.com/films/religulous-a-conversation-with-bill-maher-and-larry-charles/?msg=fail&shared=email

>>7141781

LADIES OF THE MACCABEES BUILDING

http://www.bluewater.org/main/Location?LocationID=36&MasterCatID=2&Name=Ladies%20of%20the%20Maccabees%20Building&Community=Port%20Huron

From Michigan Historic Sites Online

Property Type stone building

Historic Use SOCIAL

Current Use COMMERCE/TRADE

Style Classical Revival

Architect/Builder GEORGE H. HARVEY

Narrative Description

Basically square in plan, the Neo-Classical Revival building presents a high, rusticated foundation, smooth finished ashlar limestone walls and a shallow dome. Each facade is symmetrically designed with a slightly projecting, three-bay central pavilion flanked by a single bay to each side. The main facade, which faces south, is dominated by a two-story portico featuring four free-standing Corinthian columns, a full entablature and closed pediment. The entablature continues around as the cornice for the building and is topped with a parapet wall designed to resemble a balustrade. The parapet wall hides the low pitched roof and shallow dome.

Statement of Significance

The Ladies of the Maccabees Building, built in 1906, is significant as an excellent example of Neo-Classical Revival architecture in St. Clair County and as the State headquarters of the Ladies of the Modern Maccabees. Organized in 1886 as an Axillary of the Knights of the Modern Maccabees, the Ladies of the Modern Maccabees was the oldest, largest, and most active woman's fraternal and beneficiary society in the State at the time its Port Huron headquarters was built. The building was designed to incorporate the hallmarks of the Neo-Classical Revival style rendering an impressive and monumental edifice for this pioneer woman's organization.

Period of Significance 1901-1930

Significant Date(s) 1906

Registry Type(s) 04/22/1982 National Register listed

11/16/1982 State Register listed

Site ID# P24667

http://landmarkhunter.com/140402-ladies-of-the-maccabees-building/

>>7141514

the Blue Water International Bridge, Michigan - Ontario

It has a resemblance to Auckland's "coathanger" opened in 1959, you probably think, and the considerations for the design must have been the same at least. The Blue Water Bridge linking Port Huron, Michigan, USA and Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, is actually now two bridges: the first was opened on 10 October 1938, at which time it consisted of two vehicle lanes and sidewalks. The sidewalks were removed in the 1980s to provide an extra traffic lane. Like Auckland's bridge, no provision was made for railway lines, however, this wasn't a result of Steven Joyce type thinking, as there was already a railway tunnel under the St. Clair River. The original span is a cantilever truss bridge with a total length of 6,178 feet (1,883 metres) and a main span of 871 feet (265 metres).

Like Auckland's bridge, more capacity was needed, and a second span was opened on 22 July 1997. This is a continuous tied-arch bridge with a total length of 6,109 feet (1,862 metres) and a main span of 922 feet (281 metres). Westbound vehicles (to the USA) use the three lanes on the older bridge, eastbound vehicles (to Canada) use the three lanes on the newer bridge. Together, the bridges are the second-busiest crossing between the US and Canada, after the Ambassador Bridge at Detroit-Windsor. The Blue Water Bridges are jointly owned and maintained by Canada and the United States: Blue Water Bridge Canada is in charge of the Canadian side, and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is in charge of the U.S. side. A toll is charged to cross the bridges to pay for maintenance.

http://transpressnz.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-blue-water-international-bridge.html