Contempo Magazine Blog

The switching of television to complete digital presentation means that there will be available for use a band of radio-frequency for broadcasting that was previously unused. Although it has not gotten much publicity there is a huge conflict going on between established broadcast media such as major broadcast networks and Internet media such as Microsoft over the use of the previously ignored unlicensed range. This is commonly called “White Space”.

Initial testing of devices that would use white space showed them to be unreliable but subsequent developments have been very encouraging. If Internet companies like Microsoft and Google are allowed to use white space then there could be a revolution in phones, wireless networking, and broadcasting. Very sensitive receivers could be built in phones, computers, games, vehicles and other devices that would work on very low signal strengths. Traditional television networks and media conglomerates have been complaining that this new technology will only bring more confusion and trouble. Devices that transmit too strong a signal or a signal that is beyond the intended band could have unintended consequences on other devices. Similarly, a receiving device that is too sensitive to signals or responds to signals that are beyond its intended range could lead to unintended actions.

The issue is further complicated by the fact that leaving the wavelengths in question unlicensed will allow greater access by entrepreneurs and less control by media giants who can monopolize the rights in auctions if licensed but may allow for many interference problems between devices. In fact some have said if unlicensed that such devices would need to have included a GPS (ground positioning satellite receiver) device that would stop it from interfering with another device using the same wavelength.

Clearly some regulation is needed, for example, of the broadband spectrum that control medical monitoring devices but at the same time the government should not be in the business of granting monopolies and limiting free enterprise. Before any devices come to the market they need to undergo rigorous testing to assure that they are not going to interfere unintentionally with other devices.

The Third District Court of Appeals for the State of Texas ruled today that the seizure of 464 children from the Yearning for Zion Ranch in El Dorado Texas by law enforcement was not founded on sufficient evidence. Readers will no doubt remember how many in the media such as CNN and others were quick to criticize the law enforcement for not acting sooner given the fact that in the media’s mind it was clear that there was ample evidence of wrong doing long ago. So far it has been shown that the calls made in the original complaint may in fact have come from a outsider who was making false claims and other claims of abuse of multiple minors have yet to be adequately documented.

The presumption of innocence and the need for law enforcement to show a probable cause to a objective judiciary prior to arrest and charges in our country is absolutely essential to the functioning of our democracy. There has been an incremental sliding away from these corner stone principals since the events of 9/11 2001.  In our collective paranoia to be free from all threats both internal and external we have bartered our true freedom for a false sense of security. This was the real damage done to the United States by that attack. The goal was to shake our faith in our system of government and justice.

At this point no one knows the truth of the what the true situation was at the alleged polygamist sect ranch.  The authorities have scared hundreds of children and now likely made counter cultural heroes out of a situation that could have been handled much differently with cool, calm, and reasonable investigation.  How many times in our literature and history has it been shown that when government acts with with unreasonable haste that our democracy is diminished.  The major reason law enforcement has failed miserably in many poor African-American and Hispanic communities is the presumption that they act out of prejudice and without appropriate investigation by the citizens who live in those neighborhoods.  However, we should not blame law enforcement, because in reality they are just reflecting what the majority in society believes about those who not mainstream.

The government clearly has a duty to protect all its citizens but the best way to do this is to follow the Constitution strictly and completely.   For if we truly believe in our system of government then that will provide all the necessary tools to maintain a just society.  Straying away from our principals will place our nation in greater danger than any alleged crime.

There is a war going on in Mexico continuing to escalate in Tijuana, Nuevo Laredo, Matamoros and other cities on the border. Mexican drug lords are now offering bounties of $200,000 for killing American DEA agents or other American law enforcement officials. Many Americans complain that this is the result of Mexican corruption but the reality is that the funding and supplies for this war is coming from the United States.

Essentially all the money that comes from illegal drug sales into Mexico is coming from the United States. Assault rifles and even grenade launchers used by the thugs of the Mexican cartels are also almost always purchased in the United States and smuggled to Mexico. There is appropriate concern about what is being smuggled into the United States but not enough concern about what is being smuggled out of the United States.

The illegal use of drugs in the United States remains a real threat to our national security. Although gun laws must respect constitutional authority, at the same time, we have to wake up to the reality that we are supplying potential terrorists right on our border. Drug dealers in the United States need to be seen as more than just criminals selling illegal products, but instead should be seen in the light of a threat to national security. The reduction in sentences and the appeasement to those who wish to decriminalize drug use are aiding hemispheric insurrection. Many drug dealers selling crack cocaine now go on probation repeatedly or serve short local jail time sentences, the long sentences that were common years ago have been abandoned.

For example, presumed Democratic Nominee Illinois Senator Barack Obama has in the past not supported additional sentencing for criminals that are associated with gangs. This is well described in the book, This Improbable Quest, by John Wilson, who was a law student under Obama at the University of Chicago Law School. This position could block the ability of prosecutors to file conspiracy charges against Mexican drug cartel members. The same book does describe that Obama proposed limiting gun purchases to one a month which is a step in the right direction.

In his two books, The Audacity of Hope and Dreams of My Father, he describes drug dealers as victims who really just need better job opportunities. He has on numerous times stated that non-violent offenders should not be incarcerated so that under his authority it seems drug dealers should not be imprisoned. The National Criminal Justice Association has rated him as 75% which is borderline soft on crime.

National security experts have confirmed that there are now links between Al-Queda, FARC, and probably the Mexican drug cartels in at least drugs and weapons. The number one export of Afghanistan is opium and its derivatives.

More emphasis needs to be made on tracking the financial assets of drug cartels and seizing them. The global financial community, including American institutions, are too complicit in providing safe heaven for the ill gotten gains of drug trafficking.

Crack cocaine and methamphetamine derivatives are the most addicting substances yet in the human existence. The billions of dollars that drug cartels are making from their American sales are allowing them to consider buying jet aircraft and some even contend eyeing nuclear weapons. We need to hear more from our elected officials and from those currently seeking office about what action is going to be taken before we are confronted with severe catastrophe.