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Unesco gives Palestinians full membership, U.S. pulls funding
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Caribbean-Latin America
Mexican official makes bail by paying USD $0.77
exclusive from RantburgFor a map click here

By Chris Covert

Saturday morning Eduardo Amerena, attorney for the disgraced former Coahuila state official confirmed his client, Javier Villareal was bailed out of jail less than 24 hours for less than USD $1.00 in bail, according to Mexican news accounts.

In Mexican jurisprudence bail is hardly ever very high even for major crimes. However, the extreme low amount Villareal paid, MP $10.00 was not revealed by Villareal's attorney when the first press query was made just after Villareal was released.

Press reports said at the time that the crime Villareal committed was not technically a crime. Villareal was merely discharging his duties as head of Coahuila state ,Sistema de Administración Tributaria del Estado de Coahuila (SATEC) when he gave two Mexican banks, Bajio and Santander, the go ahead to issue bonds for MP $3 billion last March.

According to an article in Vangardia.com.mx posted Saturday morning, Villareal could be released from criminal liability since he was arrested based on actions he took after then Governor Humberto Moreira Valdes left office last spring. It was unclear Monday who in Coahuila state government gave the go ahead to arrest Villareal, if true.

And also if true, the motivation is clearly a political one. If Villareal committed no wrongdoing during his tenure as SATEC director under Moreira, and committed an irregularity, criminal liability would go much farther up the chain of responsibility than Villareal's office.

Late reports said Sunday that Villareal has been placed in prison at 1700 hrs, well after the office of collections, Recaudacion de Rentas, was closed. It is impossible neither Villareal nor his attorney could make bail and receive the required bail certificate for his release. It is entirely possible Villareal was released without paying anything, not even MP $10.00.

Villareal was released early Saturday morning after spending a night in prison.

Fat Bond Sales Followed by a Fancy Dinner

By the time Villareal had notified Bajio and Santander banks about the Coahuila state Chamber of Deputies presumed approval of bonds to be issued by them, Coahuila was already at least MP $27 billion in debt and running headlong into a negative a bond event, which surely would have come sooner or later.

Banks love documentation. The more the better, in fact. So, why would two of the seven local banks waive documentation such as a critical certification of approval, unless the banks wanted sufficient time to issue bonds and then write up the sale in the books for the first quarter of 2011. At the time the end of the first quarter of 2011 quarter was less than 25 days away when Villareal notified the banks.

A nice fat sale of at least $1.5 billion to Coahuila state to top off the quarter, then dinner and drinks at Las Brazas of Saltillo Thursday night. Helluva deal!

This activity raises the question: "Why go through considerable public embarrassment and risk of running afoul of Mexican civil law? Where's the scam?"

The man who had run up Coahuila's public debt to historic levels, Humberto Moreira had already gone on to better things, so at that time such a decision was easy to make. What's another 10 percent indebtedness after all?

The answer may well lie in what Mexican press has not been covering and that is the lender side of the transaction.

It is hard to imagine anyone being so obtuse that they could take the job of governor of a Mexican state and not realize how bad the debt situation was already last March. However, it is possible that when Jorge Torres Lopez took the reins, he might have been told by Moreira, or may have himself discovered that the whole thing could collapse of banks didn't get to pile on another MP $3 billion in bonds by the end of the quarter.

Then Moreira could lose his position as leader of the PRI, and the whole thing could come tumbling down.

And all it would take from there would be a discrete phone call from an attorney reminding Villareal of his obligations to the PRI.

"No more than one night in jail, senor, you have my word. And then this dog and pony show will be over."
Posted by: badanov || 11/01/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  IOW, the Mahico Officio in question paid only a few USD cents = pennies more than one would at at a McDonald's for a small drink or beverage [cardboard cup] under senior citizen discount [GUAM = US$00.70 Cents]???

OH THE HUGE MANATEE!
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 11/01/2011 21:24 Comments || Top||


Economy
Smoking-Gun Document Ties Policy To Housing Crisis
FDIC warned banks that even unintentional discrimination was against the law, and that they should be proactive in making "multicultural" loans. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," the agency said in a separate advisory.

Confronted with the combined force of 10 federal regulators, lenders naturally toed the line, and were soon aggressively marketing subprime mortgages in urban areas. The marching orders threw such a scare into the industry that the American Bankers Association issued a "fair-lending tool kit" to every member. The Mortgage Bankers Association of America signed a "fair-lending" contract with HUD. So did Countrywide.

HUD also pushed Fannie and Freddie, which in effect set industry underwriting standards, to buy subprime mortgages, freeing lenders to originate even more high-risk loans.

"Lenders should ensure that their loan processors and underwriters are aware of the provisions of the secondary market guidelines that provide various alternative and flexible means by which applicants may demonstrate their ability and willingness to repay their loans," the policy statement decreed.

"Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac not infrequently purchase mortgages exceeding the suggested ratios" of monthly housing expense to income (28%) and total obligations to income (36%).

It warned lenders who rejected minority applicants with high debt ratios and low credit scores to "be prepared" to prove to federal regulators and prosecutors they weren't racist. "The Department of Justice is authorized to use the full range of its enforcement authority."
Posted by: Beavis || 11/01/2011 09:30 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Occupy Foreclosed properties.

Will it ever end. This will give new life to occupy movement. More bad loans. Fair and balanced. Banks will have to "toe the line".
10 federal regulators. Fannie and Freddie will be the only ones left for the government to subsidize. Big money sinkhole.
Posted by: Dale || 11/01/2011 18:57 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Herman Cain as a turnaround artist
h/t Instapundit, PowerLine
Herman Cain, the Republican presidential hopeful, says he can turn around the country just as he did Godfather's Pizza 25 years ago.

Business success has never guaranteed political success. But Cain demonstrated during a tour with Pillsbury Co. in the 1980s that he is a successful, charismatic leader. With flair and hard work, he turned around Pillsbury's struggling Philadelphia Burger King region and revived a near-dead Godfather's Pizza.

"My career spans 38 years and I've worked for 26 different managers," said Frank Taylor, a recently retired Burger King financial executive whom Cain hired as his regional controller in 1983. "Herman was far and away the best I've worked for in terms of getting a team together, sharing a vision and accomplishing the goals. And nothing diverted him."
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 11/01/2011 05:09 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  It comes to something when it's the National Enquirer prepared to do investigative journalism and the rest of the MSM prepared to lap up politically motivated fact-free hit-pieces.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 11/01/2011 10:52 Comments || Top||

#2  So this is what a modern day Democrat and MSM lynching looks like.
Posted by: JohnQC || 11/01/2011 16:59 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Parachinar highway
[Dawn] THE decision of the Shia Turi and Sunni Bangash tribes of Kurram Agency
...home of an intricately interconnected web of poverty, ignorance, and religious fanaticism, where the laws of cause and effect are assumed to be suspended, conveniently located adjacent to Tora Bora...
to bury the hatchet and reopen the vital Thall-Parachinar road is a welcome one as the closure of the highway had severely inconvenienced those living in the area. The residents -- hundreds of thousands of them -- had been cut off from the rest of Pakistain for the past four years, often having to travel from one point to another inside the country via a circuitous route through Afghanistan. They will be relieved by this decision as much as by the promise of rehabilitation -- after much bloodshed in the area. Yet we have heard such positive sentiments before, only to see hopes for peace dashed as the violence, chiefly of a sectarian nature and involving the tribes, has been reignited on several occasions. While the influx of refugees from Afghanistan had caused tensions to rise between the clans, matters came to a head with the arrival of the Taliban and their support for the Bangash tribe. Until recently, the road had witnessed countless jihad boy attacks.

The core of the problem is that the security forces have failed to secure the route by neutralising jihad boy groups and have left the area's hapless population to fend for itself. Trucks carrying food supplies have reportedly been looted and set ablaze by Death Eaters while security forces stood by and did nothing. In fact, notorious jihad boys, such as Taliban capo Fazal Saeed, have in the past sworn to uphold peace pacts -- but to no avail. The latest peace move appears to be a renewal of the 2008 Murree agreement, although it remains to be seen how far this will be upheld and whether or not the state delivers on its responsibility to ensure security for the Kurram population, and not allow Death Eaters to sabotage the peace deal yet again.

In fact, the state must be the guarantor of the latest peace deal; after all, it is its primary task to maintain law and order in the country. The claim that the armed forces are overstretched and engaged elsewhere will do little to reassure the people of Kurram that the government cares about their safety. Also, as past experience has shown, a single incident can derail the grinding of the peace processor. One must remain sceptical about the durability of such peace deals until it is proved that the Thall-Parachinar road has been permanently reopened and made safe for travel and that it has effectively been protected against jihad boy incursions. It is incumbent upon the state -- particularly the security establishment -- to end the lengthy nightmare of the people of Kurram and protect them from further bloodshed and isolation.
Posted by: Fred || 11/01/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Deadliest Afghan Bombing Points to Pakistan
On Saturday, Pakistan showed how dismissive it is of U.S. pressure. Only days after Secretary State Clinton's visit to Pakistan and one day prior to her trip to Afghanistan, the Pakistan-based Haqqani network carried out the deadliest bombing in Afghanistan since the war began. Thirteen NATO personnel were killed by a suicide bomber and there is every reason to believe it will be traced back to Pakistan's intelligence service.

The attack is a challenge from Pakistan. Haroun Mir, an Afghan analyst, said, "The Pakistanis are sending another message, too: They are not willing to abandon their support of the Taliban." The Pentagon's latest report on the war in Afghanistan states that the Pakistani safe havens and the weaknesses of the Afghan government present the most serious problems to the war effort. The fact that Pakistan allowed
ahem, directed
the Haqqani network to carry out such an operation shows it has no intention of changing its behavior.
Posted by: Eohippus Phater7165 || 11/01/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Ya'alon: Israel must not depend on help against Iran
Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon said Tuesday that while hoping international efforts to thwart Iran's nuclear aspirations succeed, Israel must act as if it can depend on nobody to protect it from the Iranian threat but itself.

"We must aspire to a situation in which the righteous work will be done by others, but act as if, 'if not me, who'" Ya'alon said in an interview with Army Radio, making use of a Hebrew adage touting self-reliance.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 11/01/2011 05:57 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Compare wid FREEREPUBLIC > IRAN ADMITS ITS NUCLEAR NEGOTIATING STRATEGY IS TO RUN DOWN THE CLOCK.

[SEXY SLINKY KELLY "THE HELL YOU SAY" BUNDY here].

and

* IIRC SAME > US FEARS UNCOORDINATED ISRAELI STRIKE AGZ IRAN. "Jointness".

Ahhhh, "2012" = More than just a possible Yech-damaging/destroying Solar Storm???
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 11/01/2011 21:19 Comments || Top||

#2  A little reality check, eh?
Remember when Cheney stood down during the little Kuwait/Sodom Insane incident.
Posted by: Skidmark || 11/01/2011 23:49 Comments || Top||


Palestinian Arab Aggression Will Never End
No, the terror will continue so long as Israel and the IDF merely retaliates against each and every separate Muslim Arab crime against the Jewish state’s civilian population. As one person, commenting on a blog, stated: “Israel’s taking out a few rocket launchers is like giving aspirin for cancer. It’s only a band aid - not a cure.”
...
Predictably, the mainstream media attacked the victim, Israel. The BBC, CNN, and the New York Times all blamed Israel during this latest unprovoked Palestinian attack, giving the usual pass to the terrorists. This twisting of the truth must give great joy and comfort to the ghost of Josef Goebbels; Nazi Germany’s Minister of Propaganda.

But if the Israeli government does not inflict far, far more intensely painful responses to the terror bosses of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Al Qaida, the Muslim Brotherhood, and all the human cockroaches who infest the Gaza Strip, then the missiles will continue to strike at southern and central Israel with increasing lethality and horror.
...
So many times have such slanders and falsehoods about this Jewish heartland been spewed by Arabs and their supporters that now the world cannot comprehend the immoral, unspiritual and unhistorical fabrication that they have perpetrated.

That the morally bankrupt United Nations vomits such lies endlessly is one thing, but that Hillary Clinton and United States President, Barack Obama, repeat it and hurl it at Israel is shameful. But we know by now that neither of them are true friends of the Jewish state.
...
So, in the face of the villainous campaign to delegitimize and demonize the embattled Jewish state by the Arab League, the Muslim world, the Left and the execrable international and national media - with few honorable exceptions - Israel must realize that it is time to weather the storm by responding both to Hamas and terrorist crimes and aggression with a terminally painful and crushing rejoinder.

It must also decide that, if needs be, it is better to be hung for a wolf than a sheep. After all, whatever restraint Israel shows in the face of Muslim Arab terrorism and barbarism, she will still be vilified, slandered and pilloried by a hostile and unsympathetic world. And whatever concessions she makes, one truism will always remain: Palestinian Arab aggression will never end.

Hat tip: Israpundit.com

Also two pictures that didn't make the MSM.
Posted by: Bernie || 11/01/2011 02:07 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Wretchard at Belmont Club has an excellent essay, "The Pound of Flesh", where he notes that Israeli settlers are taking matters into their own hands and are retaliating at levels that "the palestinians don't like" because their government is reacting to terrorists as if they were legitimate combatants under the Geneva conventions.
Posted by: Ptah || 11/01/2011 10:44 Comments || Top||

#2  If the settlers take a page from Vlad's ideas on turks, I'll wager Ham-ass will really start to panic.
Posted by: Silentbrick - Halliburton Lost Drill Bit Division || 11/01/2011 12:23 Comments || Top||

#3  This continuing nonsense can be attributed solely to Israel, because of its utter unwillingness to do what every other country on Earth would do when faced with an intransigent and violent enemy.

Yet Israel so revels in its own feelings of guilt and *potential* guilt so much that it allows its own citizens to be murdered, instead of kicking all of the violent people out for good.

It is like a sane person trapped in a room with an insane person fixated on killing them. Focused entirely on killing them. And yet the sane person just tries to pretend the insane person away, only reacting to attack by gently pushing back, never attacking themselves. And they give the insane person endless gifts and promises of more if they will just stop trying to kill them.

It doesn't work.

It should be no surprise that the rest of the world is losing patience with Israel. They cannot blame the insane Paleos, because they are insane, and they have never really lied about their murderous intent.

But Israel has no such excuse. Time and time again they could have resolved the problem, but have refused to do so. Were they to just act decisively, ONCE, then this would finally end.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 11/01/2011 15:03 Comments || Top||

#4  I think Israel should take a look at the Phoenix Program and watch Godfather. In most cases they already know who the bad guys are. Next time there is a rocket attack take out the leadership of Hamas.

Even better arrange a spat/miscommunication between the Pals and Iran and then take out the leadership so others get credit.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 11/01/2011 15:13 Comments || Top||

#5  The problem is not the leadership of Hamas, or any of the purported "leaders" of the Palestinians. It is the Paleos themselves. And their foul religion and culture and all the other Muslims that goad them on.

Israel could just sweep the Gazans into Egypt and shut the door behind them. Then offer to do the same on the West Bank into Jordan unless the Paleos behaved themselves.

No "second chances", either. Once out, they are gone for good.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 11/01/2011 17:01 Comments || Top||

#6  'Tis a WIN-WIN for the Paleo, Regional MilTerrs - technically, they get to keep mil attacking Israel while putting the entire or predominant burden of econ developing the new Paleo Stare on Israel + the US-West.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 11/01/2011 21:09 Comments || Top||

#7  Kill the leaders and they dissolve into civil war until a new leader arrives. Kill those leaders and they dissolve into civil war again. Eventually the more militant ones are all gone.

I think the pushing them into the Sinai is not a bad idea either. Israel would be vilified for a decade or so but that's small change compared to what's going on now.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 11/01/2011 23:20 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
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4Govt of Syria
2Palestinian Authority
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1Govt of Sudan
1Govt of Iran
1al-Qaeda in Pakistan

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On Sale now!


A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has dominated Mexico for six years.
Click here for more information

Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
Besoeker
Glenmore
Frank G
3dc
Skidmark

Two weeks of WOT
Tue 2011-11-01
  Unesco gives Palestinians full membership, U.S. pulls funding
Mon 2011-10-31
  Egypt brokers another truce to halt Gaza fighting
Sun 2011-10-30
  Saudi Court Jails 'al-Qaida Lady' for 15 Years
Sat 2011-10-29
  13 American troops killed in Kabul suicide car bomb attack
Fri 2011-10-28
  13 More Drone-zapped in South Wazoo
Thu 2011-10-27
  Drone strike 'kills five Taliban commanders' in South Waziristan
Wed 2011-10-26
  15 Dead as Yemen Truce Fails
Tue 2011-10-25
  U.S. pulls out envoy to Syria
Mon 2011-10-24
  Interior Minister escapes suicide kaboom on trip to Panjshir
Sun 2011-10-23
  Libyan Leader Declares Nation Islamic, Sharia Law to be Implemented
Sat 2011-10-22
  Qaddafi on display in shopping center freezer
Fri 2011-10-21
  Libyan fighters hoist govt flag above captured Sirte
Thu 2011-10-20
  Qadaffy titzup
Wed 2011-10-19
  Libyans push into Qaddafi hometown from east
Tue 2011-10-18
  Shalit reunited with family, Paleo prisoners freed


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