Contradictory capitalism—While reporters gathered at the Arizona-Mexico border to watch a racist gang of vigilantes intent on keeping Mexican immigrants out, the Wall Street Journal noted that the moves to beef up the border cops are making some agribusiness tycoons nervous. Tom Nassif, head of the powerful Western Growers Association, told the Journal that last fall he asked la migra to stop patrolling some of the checkpoints. The border patrol couldn’t have picked a worse time to crack down on foreign-born workers, he said, “Didn’t they know it was lettuce season?”

‘Lettuce superexploit them’—The Journal added that “at least half of the 1.8 million crop workers in the U.S. are undocumented. They sustain the lettuce industry valued at $30 billion.” Nassif claimed that his industry “could not exist without a foreign workforce.”

U.S. ‘equality for all’—Kuwait has denied that it’s in a dispute with the U.S. on payment due for fuel shipped by Kuwait for U.S. use in neighboring Iraq. An overdue bill sent by Kuwait provoked a huffy response from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. He reminded Kuwait that in 1991 U.S. troops liberated it from Iraqi occupation.

P.S.—A third party has joined the dispute with Washington. The big-time Haliburton construction company billed the Pentagon $28.5 million for delivering $82,000 worth of propane from Kuwait to Iraq. This struck Pentagon auditors as “illogical.” (Dick Cheney was top dog at Haliburton prior to his election as vice prez. But it’s assured that he cut all ties.)

Golden years special—Some “experts” see a crisis for seniors addicted to a gambling. They say retired folks are bored, lonely, and depressed. Responds Judy Patterson, executive director of the American Gambling Ass’n: “There are certainly positive benefits being active and being among friends.”

Meanwhile, casinos make a special pitch for seniors. For instance, real estate shyster Donald Trump owns a casino in Gary, Indiana. It offers a weekly “Golden Gamers” slot tournament for patrons 50 or over, only.

Includes first strike capacity?—Nestled in the Hollywood Hills, a safe house overlooking Sunset Blvd. The 10-bedroom compound has a “safe core”—described as “a 2,500 square foot area that is effectively impenetrable when activated.” Plus a rooftop heliport. Yours for only $9.2 million.  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home