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Nigeria’s Illegal Oil Refineries
Jan 15, 2013
Reuters photographer Akintunde Akinleye recently gained rare access to an illegal oil refinery near the river Nun in Nigeria‘s oil state of Bayelsa. There, he was able to document the secret and dangerous practice of oil bunkering, where locals hack into oil pipelines, steal the crude oil, and refine or sell it abroad. For over 50 years now, crude oil and natural gas have been extracted from the Niger Delta by large corporations, which have had their share of environmental disasters. The ongoing damage from the tapped pipes and these makeshift refineries continue to take a terrible toll on the environment and the local population. See also “Nigeria: The Cost of Oil” from 2011. [30 photos]
More photos: Source
Falfurrias, Texas: Smugglers taking toll on South Texas
FALFURRIAS, Texas – After several hours of surveillance, the pursuit was on. A smuggler loaded down with illegal immigrants in an SUV last month tried to outrun a trail of law enforcement vehicles, with more waiting up ahead on Highway 281 north of Falfurrias.
Finally, yanking his vehicle onto the shoulder, stopping short of a landowner’s fence, the smuggler’s human cargo bailed out, running into the brush, followed closely by sheriff’s deputies from Brooks and Jim Wells County, and U.S. Border Patrol agents.
“We’re doing it with the manpower that we have and that’s where it hurts,” said Capt. Joe Martinez, of the Jim Wells Sheriff’s Office. “We don’t have the manpower.”
According to Susan Durham, executive director of the South Texans’ Property Rights Association, most counties do not get federal funding for more manpower, unlike those that are within 25 miles of the border.
“There’s already funds in place for them,” Durham said. “But that’s not where the border is anymore.”
Durham said landowners often are being overrun by smugglers who crash through fences and gates, going cross-country from ranch to ranch, usually in stolen trucks.
She said just in the past eight months, several ranches in Jim Wells and Brooks counties have seen 24 bailouts.
Each incident has averaged $540 in repairs to fences and gates, Durham said.
“Now if they compensate the people right away, it would be a lot different,” said Raul Garcia, a longtime rancher.
After at least two bailouts on his property, Garcia said he was warned he would be prosecuted if he shot anyone.
Garcia said he’s heard other ranchers are putting spikes facing traffic on their ranch gates.
“They try to ram them, they’ll bust the radiator,” Garcia said.
Durham said her organization helped revise the state’s transportation code to reimburse landowners for the property damage.
She said the money initially would have been excess funds from the sale of abandoned vehicles.
“Excess means what’s left over after paying expenses such as towing and storage,” Durham said.
But Durham said there’s been a snag in the funding for the program that would have used Brooks County as a template for the rest of South Texas.
“Smugglers are gaming the system by using vehicles that are stolen or that have high liens on them,” Durham said.
She said they also use the “innocent friend excuse,” telling authorities they loaned the vehicle to a friend unaware it would be used for smuggling.
As a result, Durham said her organization will go back to the Texas Legislature, and even ask the federal government for help.
Related articles
- South Texas county official calls for DA to resign (click2houston.com)
- South Texas DA Charged With Extortion, Fraud (abcnews.go.com)
Dictator Obama Issues New Threat To Supreme Court
In his latest display of his full USA federal government dictatorship over both the American people and the former co-branches of government, Dictator Obama is warning the Supreme Court to either rule in his favor or face severe consequences.
Fox News’ Martha McCallum advised Thursday that the Obama Administration has been quietly sending missives to the Supreme Court threatening that if it doesn’t rule in his favor on ObamaCare, Medicare will face disruption and “chaos.” Therefore, if SCOTUS rules in favor of the US Constitution, Obama & Co will begin its campaign to either destroy Medicare or make those on it suffer greatly. The Obama syndicate is said to be threatening to hold off Medicare payments to doctors and hospitals if SCOTUS does not comply with Obama’s demands and submit to him.
As an additional example of Obama’s illegal and (I believe) highly treasonous behaviors, on 1 May and 2 May Obama issued two additional unconstitutional and illegal Executive Orders. The first E.O., issued 1 May 2012, makes the USA subject to “international regulations” as opposed to looking to and following the US Constitution. Also, with this new E.O., the US FDA will now be able to be bypassed by International committees—thus, replacing the FDA with any international group which may be chosen. In essence, Obama is quickly eliminating US Sovereignty and selling the USA to the international “community.”
Related articles
- Dictator Obama Issues New Threat to Supreme Court over ObamaCare (johnmalcolm.me)
- Dictator Obama issues new threat to Supreme Court over ObamaCare (gunnyg.wordpress.com)
- Obama Threatens The Supreme Court… Again (thegatewaypundit.com)
- Obama Threatens the Supreme Court of the United States (independentsentinel.com)
- Obama’s Victory Dance by Peppermint (pepperhawkfarm.wordpress.com)
- Team Obama to Supreme Court: You strike down Obamacare and we might have to push grandma off a cliff (thedaleygator.wordpress.com)
- White House: Striking law could halt Medicare payments (amarillo.com)
- Lawless President Might Circumvent the Supreme Court (independentsentinel.com)
Continents of the World
Mb50's "Liquid Mud" Rant 