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Sep 10
Editors Note: As I am posting this, the news is 9 minutes old and I am putting it out here before the spinmeisters who oppose the Mexican Demonstration Program and anything Mexican have a chance to twist the facts for their own purposes. My source is NOTIMEX and a couple other sources including family on the scene in Monclova Coahuila. This report contains graphic images!
MONCLOVA- A truck carrying more than 25 tons of dynamite exploded Monday in northern Mexico, killing at least 23 people and injuring more than 140, a government spokesman said.
Of the 140 injured, 30 suffered critical wounds and five were listed in extremely critical condition, said David Aguisn, spokesman for Humberto Moreira, the governor of the state of Coahuila.
Notimax, Mexico’s official news agency, reported at least 30 people were killed in the blast at a factory near Monclova — about 125 miles (200 kilometers) northwest of Monterrey.
Three Mexican reporters were among those killed, according to Notimax.
Video footage showed the burned-out, mangled shell of the truck and nearby cars damaged by the blast.
Aguisn said that there is no indication of foul play. The cause of the explosion is under investigation
UPDATE: Houston Chronicle
PIEDRAS NEGRAS, Mexico — A truck carrying mining explosives blew up after colliding with another vehicle in northern Mexico, killing at least 37 people, including three reporters who came to the scene, state and federal officials said.
Soldiers, police, emergency officials, nearby residents and reporters were on the scene Sunday night when a fire broke out and the truck filled with explosives blew up, according to Luis Horacio de Hoyos of the Coahuila state Attorney General’s Office.
The explosion occurred near the town of Sacramento.
Maximo Alberto Neri Lopez, a federal police official, said 37 people were killed and 150 were injured. He said the explosion left a 10-by-40 foot crater in the concrete.
De Hoyos said three newspaper reporters from the city of Monclova were among the dead.
UPDATE:
More information is emerging of this tragedy. The cargo which exploded is questionable in my mind as to whether it was dynamite or not.
The truck was owned by Orica Mining Services which has a Ammonia Nitrate Plant in the city of Monclova.
Sources at the scene state a pick up truck or SUV (camioneta has a couple of translations) collided with the tractor trailer and a fire erupted.
The large number of injuries and deaths were because of this fire. The explosion was not immediate and rescue workers, reporters and looky loos has gathered when the thing exploded resulting in the deaths and injuries.
More to come…………
UPDATE: And how is Jerome Corsi spinning the story which incidently, is buried amongst the sucker ads on his site.
37 killed as truck blows up in Mexico collision
Police say vehicle was packed with explosives, 150 people injured
Of course it was “packed with explosives” Jerry. The rig belonged to Orico, an explosives manufacturer in Monclova Coahuila. What else would it have been hauling, tamales?
UPDATE: Explosion happened 40 minutes after the initial crash which explains the high death toll and injuries.
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All people deserve to be treated well… no one is better then any one else…. That having been said… Why are we letting these people into our country in the first place ? It is a no brainer… There are plenty of truck drivers in this country and so there is no reason to let these potentaly dangerous people into our country. Our jails are full to the brim with these Mexican nationals let alone the welfare rolls and hospitals for the mentaly ill. Are we just stupid… Drugs are hard enough to keep out of this country let alone now giving them a free ride in the front door. Let alone the everydaycriminals. When are people going to wake up ? Oh I know when… When TRUCK BOMBS START BLOWING UP ALL OVER THE PLACE and americans are killed by these Mexican Nationals and the Evil people they represent.
Why would any one want to come to a country were they are not wanted in the first place ??? I would not go were I was not wanted… I would make the place I lived into a good place to Work and Raise a family… I would not try and Steal what some one else had worked so hard for just becuse I was to lazy to make my home town more then a pest hole .
But that is the difference between an American and a Mexican… We Create and they just take advantage of all the hard work of others…
What makes these people truly belive that they have the right to just break all of our laws and take what ever they want when ever they want and then claim to be the poor victoms.
So lets try this … Lets all go to Mexico… Demand Free Housing ( TOP OF THE LINE) Free Food( THE SAME) Free Medical Care ( Once again Top of the line ) and while we are at it lets cry that we are the victums when ever we break the Laws of The Republic of Mexico.
Our Jails are full of Freaks and Geeks that could live Happly In a free hand out State and we would be free of them once and for all… Lets start taking up collections to start sending all of our Child Molesters, Rapests and Murder across the border as soon as we can get them out of Jail…
I wonder how the Mexican goverment would feel if the shoe was on the other foot.
Oh and at the same time our Goverment should be crying all the time about fair treatment for all needy people…
For the time being, I am going to let this piece of crap comment stand simply to show the stupidity of what you write.
The Mexican trucks coming into this country are safe, they are insured to the hilt and driven by professional drivers who have a LEGAL right to be in this country and that is the bottom line.
The rest of the trite crap you wrote doesn’t deserve consideration. But since you seem to think that the illegals are in this country for a free ride, that would be a little difficult since if you are illegal you are not entitled to free anything other than medical treatment at an emergency room.
These people come here to work. They don’t know the concept of welfare or a “free ride” because here in Mexico, if you don’t work, you don’t eat and you live on the street. Most prefer to do some type of work.
Again, the drugs come across by methods other than trucks and they are hauled into the interior by American truckers looking for a fast buck.
These Mexican drivers are professionals and I seriously doubt any of them would take a chance of losing a good job and being imprisoned for years away from their families for a small smuggling fee.
So you’ve had your say. Take the crap to the extremist right wing web sites where you warped opinion is shared and appreciated by others of your ilk!
You claim to run a web site with out SPIN.. Then why do you not want to see the truth for what it is.
America is fighting for it’s very existance. Some one has to speak up for the working American people thay are the one’s after all do pay the bills.
We are being invaded and every on is afferaid to say anything … Lets all be P.C. this week and watch our country and all that we have worked for be stolen from us.
You get the straight skinny here “M” (don’t let me guess what that stands for) without the spin. You get opinion backed up by facts.
Let’s talk about your statement here though. “America is fighting for it’s very existence”
America’s existence is not at risk. America is fine. It’s society is riddled with those who try spread fear and hysteria throughout the masses with no facts to back their ludicrous claims, but America is fine. She will survive as she has the past 231 years.
We are not being invaded. Read the article 100 years in the front, out the back. Maybe it will open your eyes to the reality of things. We have always had migrant workers and other Mexicans in this country and when we no longer had the need, we kicked them out the back door, and they went, like docile sheeple, only to be allowed back in when we needed to exploit them once again.
There will be no North American Union. No matter how much George Bush, Felipe Calderon and Steven Harper might want something of that nature, and they don’t, all three countries are sovereign natures with their own Constitutions or Charters in the case of Canada/ Checks and balances built into the political system in the form of the Executive, Judicial and Legislative branch which is present in all countries and perhaps the one thing that would prevent this conspiratorial vision of a new world order from occurring, The people of these three great countries. For if somehow the leaders could find a way to circumvent the checks and balances, the people would put a stop to it in short order. That my friend, is a fact!
What worries you? Calderon’s comment that “Where there is a Mexican, there is Mexico”? How stupid is it to worry about a statement like that? It has been used over the ages in many forms and Felipe Calderon is absolutely correct in what he states.
I am at my home in Mexico writing this right now. And where there is and American, there is America. Matter of fact, there are more than 800,000 America’s in Mexico.
You people need to get a life and stop seeing the boogey man behind everything you are told.
You did not answer any of my questions… Why is that do you think ? It is becuse you do not have any answer that makes any sence.
This country needs immigration reform and it would be so simple if P.C was not the buzz word of the year.
1. ALL MEXICANS MUST LEAVE THE U.S.A by 1-1-2008 ( no excuses )
2. ALL MEXICANS would have to apply for a work visa and that visa would only be good for the original employer and only for 3 months.
3. After 3 Months the worker MUST leave ( NO excuses )
4. A person could only apply once in any calender year.
5. The worker MUST agree to pay for ANY and All services used while here.
6. The worker understands that they are Temp. residents of the U.S.A. and this dosen’t intitle them or their children or family to U.S. Citizenship.
7. No children born to a Mexican National could claim citizenship.
8. The worker could not bring any family to the U.S with him or her.
9. All Mexican Nationals would have to have a compleat medical check before entering the U.S.A and no pregnant women can enter the U.S.A for any reason. No on with any medical issues or mental issues should be admitted
10. No one with any kind of Criminal back ground should be admitted to the U.S.A.
11. If found to have any Mental or Medical issues the worker should be returned to Mexico at the cost of the Mexican goverment with in one day of illness or signs of mental instability.
12. Any one caught trying to sneak in the U.S.A. with out a valid Visa should be treated as a possable spy and prossacuted as a terrorest.
13. any one caught breaking any of the above rules would never be allowed to enter the U.S.A. again in his or her life time.
seems fair to me … you want work… we want safty and control of our Country…
And just to let you know.. when I was young and dumb I worked For M.S.F.A for 3 years…. I thought that we could save the world and that if we all just worked together for the common good that the world would live in peace and harmony… I spent my weekends getting drunk Mexicans out of Jail and helping them apply for all kinds of services that they did not pay for… then one day I say one of your countrymen kill a family and he had no remorse for his behavior.. he just got out of jail on bail and ran back across the border… I am sure he came back at some time and once again commited all kinds of crimes… that is the kind of people I worked FOR… Criminals, robbers, Murders drunks and drug addicts….
I grew up and begain to see this situation for what it is…
When will you ?
I am going to start a new post to answer your questions the best I can since you asked them in a manner I can read.
Although I have no idea what the MFSA is.
M.S.F.A I stand corrected, the Migrent and seasonal farmworkers assocation.
Our job was to make sure that none of the farmers took advantage of the farm workers and that any service that we could obtain for them we did….. Food… Medical assistance… Housing… Bus tickets to Florida from W.Va. ect…ect..
And last but not least jail duty every weekend… what a joy.
I am waiting for your reply… Fair is fair… real immagration reform would protect the American Middle Class. We are the ones that end up putting up with the crime and to add insult to injury we even get to pay all of the bills…. It is time that P.C. should end and Fairness and proper behavior take the place of greed and crime.
[...] if we can keep the comments civilized and insightful, we all might learn something from the thread.This is the comment that I am referring to and we’ll take them one by one. You might not like the answers, but take a moment to think [...]
I’m going to answer the one about Fair is Fair. I agree with what you say. But the crime from illegals is minimal when looking at the overall picture. In this climate where a minority is spotlighting every instance of crime and misbehavior committed by any nationality of hispanic origin, and blaming it on the Mexicans, it is not a wonder your attitude is what it is.
By and large, Mexican workers, legal or illegal or honest hardworking people who just want to be left alone. Sure, they might get shitfaced on Saturday night and blow off some steam but then who doesn’t!
The middle class doesn’t need protection. You’re listening to Lou Dobbs too much. Let’s round up all the illegals and ship them home. Who is going to work in McDonalds and other fast food places? Who is going to work the kill floor in the poulty plants and meat packing plants? Who going to handle the hides at the tannery? One of the nastiest damned jobs I’ve ever seen and almost exclusively done by Mexicans? Are you going to scrub toilets and floors for a little above minimum wage, cut lawns, dig ditches? I’m sure as hell not!
Like I have said and continue to say, there is no good solution! And PC has nothing to do with it!
There is nothing to like or dislike… Fact is Fact and Spin is spin…
Lets just start from the begining. and bring it down to a very personal level.
Lets say for arguments sake that you are a very hardworking person that has always followed the law and done what was expected of you. Made your own way in this world.
You have worked and sacraficed for years to have a nice place to raise your family and you provide for them in the very best way you know how. nice cloths, nice car, Swimming Pool, The works… and you worked very hard for what you have and are very proud of what you have accomplished.
Now there is a family next door that is very poor and has very little if anything. Now these people have lived next door for ever… you do not bother them and expect not to be bothered by them… Ok so far so good.
You come home one day and find these people uninvited in your kitchen eating your food wereing your cloths and taking advantage of everything you have worked for all of your life… Would you want them out of your home ? I would.
The police come and these people tell them that they feel that they have a right to be in your home and using your stuff becuse they are in need and becuse you have so much that it is wrong to make them get out.
So the police chase them back into their own yard and then the very next day you come home again and your car is gone and your personal thimgs are gone again… you call the police and once again youhave the police get your stuff back and chase them back into their yard.
Do you see were I am going with this ? If you had invited these people into you house and offered to help them then you would not be so mad , but for them to just invade your space and then fly flags and tell the world that they have the ruight to what youhave worked so hard for … Stinks… Fair is fair and wrong is wrong… I just want for Fairness to be the norm not the exception
I know that there are alot of jobs that no one want’s to do but we have a very large population on public assistance thatclaim that they can not find a job…. If all people on public assistance that were abel were made to work at these job or not get any benifits I am sure thatthat would cut down on most fast food Jobs. Worked in a chicken Factory myself as a 17 year old and did not like it much, but it is a job and if I had to I would do it again….
Mexican workes being paid less then American workers for the same job. That is why they are hired in the first place. If they had to pay them the same I promise that alot of jobs would dry up fast.
As for Crime… I was watching 20/20 the othr night and they said the over 30 % of our Prison Cells are occupied by Hispanics. These are facts. We have a gang M13 around here they killed a 17 year old girl that was 8 months pregnent. I worry about going to the grocery store on Saturday afternoons. If I have to go I do not take any children with me. I have seen Mexican men making cat calls after young women and girls. Women that dress in ways that I never want my kids to see. The morals and Values that we have tried to instill are so very different from the ones desplayed around here on the weekends. Why nshould my girls be kept from riding their bikes or going to a movie just becuse these ill mannered people choose to act in such a manner.
If these people want to be guests in this country then they need to act like guests.
Never had a guest act like this in my home in my life.
When is Presidente Calderon going to step up to the plate and create some DOMESTIC jobs instead of complaining about the U.S.? When is he going to treat immigrants to his own country the same way he expects the U.S. to treat Mexicans?
Hypocrisy. He had better get his own house in order!
You know, in a perfect world perhaps and I think the kid in all of us still wishes we could believe in Santa Claus, but we can’t.
As I and others have said, it is not quite as simple as you make it sound. We are seeing the results of a policy developed back in the 40′s.
Personally, I think we need to deport the criminals, whatever their nationality and make certain they stay out. If it involve chipping the criminals without their knowledge or consent, so be it. We have the technology to do that.
The rest of them. Those who work, stay below the radar and eventually return to Mexico, leave them the hell alone. They are not the problem. Attrition will take care of that problem.
Reassess the programs we have in place to admit workers for a specific period of time under specific rules and force the consulate officers who give these folks their final interview to go by the book and the rules and not their personal feelings, especially if they have had a bad morning.
Natural attrition will cover those here and reasonable and logical rules that can be enforced will take care of the problem in the future.
And if you insist on deporting people, let’s start with the ones from the Middle East who have overstayed their visa’s. Those are the ones who worry me. Then continue to deport those from across the ocean who will find it difficult to return. And then concentrate on who remains.
As I said, there is no simple nor absolute solution.
Calderon:
President Calderon is doing the best he can and better than most folks thought he would do.
Besides taking the offensive against the cartels which in my opinion is the first priority, he has put forward legislation giving employers a break from paying Social Security taxes for a year as well as providing grants to employers to help them pay above average wages.
It has been 7 years since the PRI was put out to pasture. They still control a large part of the National Assembly and work against any reforms Calderon and his party try to institute. (Sound familiar) And it is rather difficult to make changes to a country that for more than 71 years was under a corrupt one party rule where the President always picked his successor and elections were mostly for show.
But the people of Mexico are learning the value of an education and that is what will bring this country in line with it’s northern neighbors. But it won’t help overnight.
The manner that Mexico handles it’s immigration problems is something that would not work in the U.S. It would run afoul of our laws and of course the ultra libs would have enforcement tied up in the courts for years.
But Mexico’s immigration problem is much worse than ours and requires more drastic measures due to the impact an influx of unskilled uneducated labor can have on an already fragile labor market. To the contrary, the U.S. has a stable economy and we do have jobs that cannot be filled with American labor. And with a 4% unemployment rate, for all purposes, that is full employment, there is no comparison
I’m afraid you’re dead wrong in your comments about if we had no assistance those who won’t work will.
In the U.S. there is a certain element of society who would not work if you were to pay them $100 dollars an hour to sit and taste test beer. They’re too damned lazy to get out of bed and conform to a work schedule.
Mexican workers are paid what the employers feel they can afford and still make the profit they desire. Sure some jobs the illegals are doing could possible be filled with Americans if the employers were willing to get up off another 3 or 4 bucks an hour, but you’d also see the cost of the service or product rise proportionately. The employers are not going to lose their margins.
The other things you mention is a societal problem and I would challenge whether it is illegals or simply stupid Mexican Americans acting the fool. Surprisingly, while some will whistle at the women here,, they still respect the women and defend them. Something changes in them when they get north of the border.
Trailero 1, with regard to your 5:41pm response on Calderon, until definite steps toward positive change are taken, the Mexican Government remains hypocritical. As an example, the Mexican government does not tolerate illegal aliens or workers entering from its own southern border, yet criticizes the US for similar behavior.
With regard to your 5:58pm response regarding laziness, this generalization could be construed as an outright RACIST intolerance of US citizens. Certainly of late many in the US have been accused of anti-latino racism for far less. Indeed there may be such cases where such a case of laziness might be true within some tiny, and generally inconsequential segment of the population, but it could demonstrably be shown to be true for some segment of virtually ANY population, Mexico’s included. This is thus a thoroughly disingenuous statement to make and a complete non-starter.
Second point Calderon:
I can almost agree with you on your point except that I was raised in the south, Arkansas to be exact and have watched the city where I was raised and went to school slowly change until the middle class population was pushed to the outskirts of town and now beyond and the lazy bastards who subsisted on welfare all their lives moved in and destroyed what was once nice areas of town.
Perhaps it sounds racist and perhaps it is, but I lived this.
My mother worked for 20 years for an anti poverty agency. Remember the commodity butter and cheese? Every month, two blocks from her office and around the corner were parked a line of new Caddy’s and 88′s and the occupants of these cars, dressed in their poor clothes were in line for the hand outs. And some, being a little greedy would be picking it up for an elderly “neighbor”.
When a special shipment came in to stock the pantries of the agency for “emergency” clients, the drums would beat and some would be there the next morning demanding there share.
Not really a racist my friend. A realist. And not a racist again Americans, only profound disgust for those who promote their various agendas of isolationism and separatism.
And don’t misunderstand what I just said. These were not just black clients but whites also. The majority were capable of working but chose to subsist on SSI disability payments which opened doors for other services.
Again, in ANY society, there will be some segment of the population which will either seek to exploit the system or use it as a path of least resistance. Directing this solely at the US remains racist.
I am no proponent of isolationism or separationism, but I believe that there should be a level playing field. I do not consider US vs. Mexico (or China and many other competing markets) level playing fields. You seem to be focused solely on the worker. That’s only the beginning.
If an individual is employed by a Mexican trucking firm, are that firm’s health care costs as high as his US counterpart’s for example? I highly doubt it. Does the Mexican trucking firm pay the same taxes? We rapidly turn into a comparison of apples and oranges, which may make it impossible for the two to compete evenly, even if their drivers were paid an equal hourly wage.
One of the arguments is the effect that this program will have on the American trucker and I maintain the net effect will be zero.
I can’t speak to exactly what a Mexican firms health care costs are because in Mexico, a worker who is paying into the social security system (IMSS) is entitled to free basic health care at IMSS hospitals for life.
In Mexico, all firms have an obligation to pay various taxes relating to their business including social security on their workers, business taxes, payroll taxes. The tax structure for a trucking business here is similar to the U.S.
As far as these guys paying highway taxes, I don’t have a specific answer for that yet, but I will. I would imagine that Mexico will be brought into IFTA and the IRP the same as Canada was. It would be illogical to think otherwise.
It would then appear that your assertion that the impact on US truckers is minimal is incorrect.
Let us first eliminate labor cost from the equation, since that seems to be the primary focus.
Suppose (just for argument’s sake) a US trucking firm had a limitless supply of eager, capable and qualified US citizens who could drive trucks for $10/hr. Suppose a Mexico-based trucking firm could likewise pay its drivers $10/hr and do the same work in the United States.
Which would be more profitable? The Mexican one. Why? Because their remaining costs of doing business would be vastly cheaper. They don’t have healthcare costs as high, business costs as high, they don’t have the same taxation structure, and so on. And if US trucking firms are uncompetetive due to mandated costs of doing business, then they begin to lose market share.
So even removing labor cost from the equation, there would still be an adverse impact on US drivers.
In fact, this would also further create an incentive for some US-based trucking firms to move south of the border, to further exploit the unlevel playing field and to seek that path of least resistance. Many would gladly exploit lax standards in Mexico and shirk community and public safety requirements, given the opportunity – and this would further result in job loss to US-based truckers.
You know, Trailero… In many ways, what you are advocating here in your support for Mexican trucking is not at all dissimilar to the situation you described of frauds driving up in their Cadillacs to pick up free government cheese. Seems all the more hypocritical, the more we delve into this.
Sorry, but I still disagree with you. Labor costs aside:
Give me some time here, until the office calls me to look up some facts of what companies operating in Mexico have to pay, Mexican companies and American companies doing business in Mexico.
There is a high social security withholding that companies have to make. Tax on profits in a country where there is not an income tax but the IVA, currently at 10%. Take into account that credit is difficult to get here and when granted rates are in the 14%-23% range on a note of 36 months after a down payment (enganche) of generally 10-12%.
You have insurance costs which are slightly higher than in the U.S. True, you have fuel down here costing about $2.40 per gallon ($.564 pesos per liter) but most of the major trucking companies have open accounts with PEMEX which hits them with a premium on their purchases in the neighborhood of the above interest rates.
You have outrageous tolling here. And if the companies choose to use the toll roads, you are looking at almost $50.00 for the 100 mile stretch of toll road between Nuevo Laredo and the northern suburbs of Monterrey.
If you refer to the trucks coming across the border under the program. Sure, they may fill their tanks up at the terminal in Monterrey. These Frieghtliners generally hold 240 gallons, the same as my T-600. They will have to buy fuel in the U.S. Pay excise taxes at the pump etc. In addition to the need for additional insurance through an American underwriter which adds to the costs we don’t have.
One factor cancels out the other. Business in Mexico is not the free wheeling liberal all rules out the window atmosphere that many seem to think.
But give me some time to look for those numbers. I know I have seen them before.