Posts tagged "critical thought"

I need a topic for a research paper under the topic guideline of "Constitutional Law"?

I need a topic for a research paper under the topic guideline of "Constitutional Law"
As it relates to Criminal Justice – I guess.

I’m stumped, any suggestions?
I’m not sure that "juvenile justice system" relates to constitutional law in and ove itself…
of-whoops. it’s been a long week!

Constitutional law regarding juvenile search and seizure…school searches-lockers, etc.

Impact of Globalization on Indian Financial Services Industry

BY

Dr.V.V.S.K.PRASAD.,M.Com.,M.B.A.,Ph.D.,

Professor and Head

E-Mail: vskprasad.vempati@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

Reforms of the financial sector constitutes the most important component of India’s programme towards economic liberalization.  The recent economic liberalization measures have opened the door to foreign competitors to enter into our domestic market. Deregulation in the form of elimination of exchange controls and interest rate ceilings have made the market more competitive.  Innovation has become a must for survival.

Many  of the providers and users of capital have changed their roles all over the world.  Financial intermediaries have come out of their traditional approach and they are ready to assume more credit risks.  As a consequence, many innovations have taken place in the global financial sector which have its own impact on the domestic sector also. The emergences of various financial institutions and regulatory bodies have transformed the financial services sector from being a conservative industry to a very dynamic one. In this process this sector is facing a number of challenges.

In this changed context, the financial services industry  in India has to play a very positive and dynamic role in the years to come by offering many innovative products to suit the varied requirements of the millions of prospective investors spread throughout the country.

Overview

Reforms of the financial sedctor constitutes the most important component of India’s programme towards economic liberalization.  The recent economic liberalization measures have opened the door to foreign competitors to enter into our domestic market. Deregulation in the form of elimination of exchange controls and interest  rate ceilings have made the market more competitive.  Innovation has become a must for survival.

Many  of the providers and users of capital have changed their roles all over the world.  Financial intermediaries  have come out of their traditional approach and they are ready to assume more credit risks.  As a consequence, many innovations have taken place in the global financial sector. Which have its own impact  on the domestic sector also. The emergence of various financial institutions and regulatory  bodies have transformed  the financial services sector from being a conservative industry to a very dynamic one. In this process this sector is facing a number of challenges.

Growth in financial services (comprising banking, insurance, real estate and business services), after dipping to 5.6% in 2003-04 bounced back to 8.7% in 2004-05 and 10.9% in 2005-06. The momentum has been maintained with a growth of 11.1% in 2006-07.

Impressive progress in information technology (IT) and IT-enabled services, both rail and road traffic, and fast addition to existing stock of telephone connections, particularly mobiles, played a key role in such growth.

      Because of Globalization, the financial services industry is in a period of transition. Market shifts, competition, and technological developments are ushering in unprecedented changes in the global financial services industry. Organizations in this highly competitive and increasingly regulated industry will especially need to focus on making themselves more:

Ø      Adept to face increasing transaction volumes, regulation and the integration of previously disparate global markets

Ø      Agile at identifying and managing risk

Ø      Operationally efficient

Ø      Customer – centric

Ø      Optimized in both business & technology

In this scenario, spearheading IT initiatives has become critically important.

Major spending initiative priorities tend to focus on automation to reduce costs and lessen risk, along with using BPO to gain efficiency and allow internal IT organizations to focus on strategic initiatives. Delivery of these capabilities at a high efficiency level but at low costs is one of the major success factors for any financial services business.

OBJECTIVE:

The objective of the present paper is to  examine the status of Financial Services Industry in India and to study the challenges before this industry due to globalization

          To enhance their competitive advantage in this changed environment, financial services institutions are increasingly harnessing new technologies to provide superior customer offerings and streamline internal processes. Today’s dynamic marketplace demands that financial services providers emphasize on technologically advanced, feature-rich solutions, that can operate in real-time and with the highest degree of precision and reliability.

Information technology is increasingly being considered as critical to the strategic direction and the day-to-day operation of financial services firms.

Growth in financial services is being bolstered by the opportunities of demography, emerging markets and ever more innovative products and services. Yet, organisations also face the challenges of mounting competition, more complex regulation and ever more exacting customer expectations. Effective growth strategies are therefore likely to cut across all operating processes and functional boundaries. Key priorities include ensuring that the business model takes full account of customers’ needs, tax, financial and regulatory considerations and the organisation’s capacity to change the way it does business. In turn, the objectives and criteria for success need to be clearly measured.

                    A survey of more than 250 financial services executives carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2006, found that respondents believe that existing customers will be their main source of organic growth. Creating operations that can retain and deliver profits from customers through their lifetime will demand a significant investment in data gathering and relationship management and may therefore require a shift in the prevailing cost-income model. This includes a re-think of training, reward and performance management strategies including a move from volume-based incentives to rewards geared to client satisfaction and the profitability of the customer over the lifetime of the relationship. Success will also require timely and insightful metrics on customers’ evolving attitudes and preferences.

The  Financial Services & banking industry is changing at a fast pace. These changes are throwing up fresh challenges like managing complex technological divergence in a converging market. Banks strive to constantly offer more to the existing customer base. To achieve this, they emphasize on more targeted technology investments and high-quality service. To remain competitive, financial institutions will have to renew their commitment to investing in new technology strategically — to reduce costs, improve efficiencies, and boost revenue-generating initiatives.

Taking full note of these challenges, OFS puts together its banking practice to help financial institutions improve enterprise performance, comply with regulatory mandates, boost operational efficiency, and better serve their customers through OFS’ spectrum of solutions and services derived from proven track record of domain expertise.

The Challenges

Among the key IT challenges facing the Financial Services industry today is:

• Preserving investments in old systems while leveraging new technologies to drive down transactions costs, expand and improve customer service
• Integrating enterprise wide disparate systems to gain operational efficiencies
• Substantially reducing time for deployment of new systems
• Reducing IT costs and obtaining better ROIs for new investments in the long-term

                Only a carefully thought out long-term IT strategy backed by execution, implementation and support capability can meet these challenges successfully.

Today’s financial services firms face mounting pressures on all fronts:

• Credit markets are creating industry turmoil
• Tightening credit guidelines that threaten revenue streams
• Growing reporting and risk management obligations like Sarbanes-Oxley, Know Your Customer and Basel II
• The difficulties of sustaining growth in overly-saturated markets
• Innovative products that address the needs of a diverse client base such as retirees and young emerging and ethnic segments
• Growing concerns over customer data security and identity management
• Increasing competition not just from traditional competitors, but from other organizations that expand their service offerings
• The complexities that arise from mergers and acquisitions and from expanding into the global marketplace

          Whether we are trying to maintain competitive advantage, looking for ways to position our self better for mergers or acquisitions or expanding into the global marketplace, the challenges are as complex as they are varied. And while we deal with these fundamental concerns, we are met with increasing demands from investors, regulators and customers.

The Answers

How do we succeed in this environment? The first step is to ensure that we have the infrastructure and solutions to support our business strategy. With the right systems in place, our organization can more rapidly comply with regulations, operational risk and security issues. We can also open up new product offerings, reduce customer turnover and minimize fixed costs and maximize productivity. In addition, the companies can leverage outsourcing opportunities to reduce overhead, while still enjoying the scalability they need to support future growth or new initiatives.

The process of globalization has paved the way for the entry of innovative and sophisticated financial products into our country.  Since the Government is very keen in removing all obstacles that stand in the way of inflow of foreign capital, the potentiabilities for the introduction of innovative international financial products in India are very great.   Moreover, India is likely to enter the full convertibility era soon.  Hence, there is every possibility of introduction of more and more  innovative and sophisticated financial services in our country.

Realizing all these factors, the Government of India has initiated many steps to reform the financial services industry.

Ø      The Government has already switched over to free pricing of issues from pricing issues by the Controller of capital issues.

Ø      The interest rates have been deregulated

Ø      The private sector has been permitted to participate in banking and mutual funds and the public sector undertakings are being privatized.

Ø      The Finance Act, 1992 has brought into effect large scale amendments in the tax structure of long term capital gains.

Ø      The Finance Act, 1994 has given a further boost by lowering the lock – in period from 3 years to 1 year, in order to get the entitlement as a long – term capital asset.

Ø      The SEBI  has liberalized many stringent conditions so as to boost the Financial Services Industry.

In this changed context, the financial services industry  in India has to play a very positive and dynamic role in the years to come by offering many innovative products to suit the varied requirements of the millions of prospective investors spread throughout the country.

                                                            *****

Dr.V.V.S.K.PRASAD
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/impact-of-globalization-on-indian-financial-services-industry-737929.html

Infiltrations

The one thing Targeted Individuals have to understand is the concept of Infiltration. This means that agents, hired operatives, civillian informants, etc will try to infiltrate your organizations or your life.

I recently posted an article about Infiltration of online groups. This has been happening for some time now. Many people think if they are posting online that they will not be investigated, but there are infiltrators who try to engage posters in conversations, where they get them to say things against the government, or use talk of violence, something that might not happen without the provocateur. These individuals are on most of the popular forums, and often you won’t know who they are. You might get a sense of who they are based on their postings, but that is not always the case.

Here on some things to be aware of regarding Infiltrations.

[quote]http://www.theage.com.au/news/technology/security/police-hire-private-spies-to-snoop-online/2008/11/26/1227491580370.html

Police hire private spies to snoop online

THE Internet communications and websites of anti-war campaigners, environmentalists, animal rights activists and other protest groups are being secretly monitored by state and federal agencies.

A Melbourne private intelligence firm specialising in “open-source intelligence” has been engaged by Victoria Police, the Australian Federal Police and the federal Attorney-General’s Department to monitor and report on the protest movements’ use of the internet.

The monitoring, which has been secretly conducted for at least five years, includes exploring websites, online chat rooms, social networking sites, email lists and bulletin boards to gather information on planned demonstrations and other activities. Many of those monitored have not broken any laws, but it is believed information about their participation in online activities is conveyed to government agencies that also deal with terrorism.[/quote]

These types of infiltrations are happening all over the Internet. Sometimes the poster will just be observing gathering information and monitoring. In other cases they will perform a similar fuction to their offline components, and they will engage posters in extreme conversations about violence, anti-government sentiments, etc.

When J.Edgar Hoover ran the FBI, the infiltration of the KKK was about 20% infiltration. The agents that had infiltrated the FBI were often responsible for encouraging acts of violence on others, or enacting those acts of violence themselves.

The FBI kept talking with Klan members. By 1965, some 20 percent of Klan members were on the

[quote]The FBI kept talking with Klan members. By 1965, some 20 percent of Klan members were on the FBI payroll, many occupying leadership positions in seven of the fourteen Klan groups across the country, states political scientist Robert Goldstein in “Political Repression in Modern America: 1870 to the Present,” [/quote]

http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/3-20-2006-91543.asp

[quote]Glick lists four main methods used by the agents:

1) infiltration by agents and informers with the intention to discredit and disrupt;
2) psychological warfare from the outside, using “dirty tricks” to undermine progressive movements; 3) harassment through the legal system, making targets appear to be criminal; and
4) extralegal force and violence including break-ins, vandalism, assaults, and beatings to frighten dissidents and disrupt their movements. [/quote]

[quote]
It was COINTELPRO “that enabled the FBI and police to eliminate the leaders of mass movements in the 1960s without undermining the image of the United States as a democracy, complete with free speech and the rule of law.

“Charismatic orators and dynamic organizers were covertly attacked and ‘neutralized’ before their skills could be transferred to others and stable structures established to carry on their work.”
[/quote]

This is why new movements have a hard time getting started. The legit movements are often infiltrated, with the provocateurs, or Informants moving to the forefront of the movement.

[quote]Dr. King was a target of an elaborate COINTELPRO plot to drive him to suicide and replace him “in his role of the leadership of the Negro people” with conservative Black lawyer Samuel Pierce (later named to President Ronald Reagan’s cabinet) according to revisionist historians including Glick and Zinn, who have come to view King’s assassination, as well as Malcolm X’s, as domestic covert operations.
[/quote]

The scary part of these operations is that they will allow a movement to go forward as long as they can eventually be in control. This means that had they been successful in getting Martin Luther King Jr, to kill himself, they would have had their man already set in place to take the helm. They don’t have a problem with the movement as long as they can run the show, or have their people running the show, and their information getting out to the public.

The other thing to be aware of is that they often start groups themselves, with their own people, this way it seems like there is a movement happening, but again they are running the show.

[quote]But Glick and several other researchers argue that COINTELPRO-white appeared only to go after violent right-wing groups, and that the FBI actually gave covert aid to the Ku Klux Klan, Minutemen, Nazis, and other racist vigilantes, under the cover of being even-handed.

“These groups received substantial funds, information, and protection – and suffered only token FBI harassment – so long as they directed their violence against COINTELPRO targets,” Glick wrote.

“They were not subjected to serious disruption unless they breached this tacit understanding and attacked established business and political leaders.”

Specifically, COINTELPRO documents indicate that some infiltrators discreetly spied for years without calling attention to themselves (like the Soviet moles or sleepers) while others acted as instigators to disrupt meetings and conventions or social and other contacts.
[/quote]

Sleepers that’s a scary concept, but even as far back as Cointelpro this idea was used. To always have one of theirs at the helm, ready to take over. It’s mind boggling how this system works.

[quote]Agents spread rumors, made accusations, inflamed disagreements, and caused splits. “They urged divisive proposals, sabotaged activities, overspent scarce resources, stole funds, seduced leaders, exacerbated rivalries, caused jealousy and public embarrassment to groups. They often led activists into unnecessary danger and set them up for prosecution.”

One common maneuver, known as placing a “snitch jacket” or “bad jacket” on an activist, damaged the victim’s effectiveness and generated “confusion, distrust, and paranoia.” The maneuver was used to divert time and energy and turn co-workers against one another, even provoking violence.
[/quote]

The only thing that’s changed is that they have probably become better at their tactics, and the world at large has become less aware, or completely oblivious.

In Russia this method of dissident infiltration was also used.

http://www.aclu.org/images/asset_upload_file744_30623.pdf

[quote]
In the Stasi’s “War on Dissent,” dissenters were the most valuable informants, and the Stasi recruited heavily within the very world it was trying to destroy, employing the very people it was trying to eliminate. As a result, East German dissident-informants often paradoxically “helped the [anti-government] movement , partly simply by swelling its ranks, but also by actively working on opposition activities.”[/quote]

Governments do go after dissidents or those they are trying to eliminate. This way if they can’t eliminate the target, they will try to turn the target. So you could actively have members of a movement who are working for both sides. They are moving the movement forward with one hand, and putting it two steps back with the second hand. It’s very frustrating, because some of these people did start out as genuine activists, but at some point, they were destitute, set up, arrested, institutionalized, etc. They decided to turn informant and work for the state.

I have come across a few of these in doing this research. At first I would judge these people harshly, but now I feel sorry for some of them. Some are happy enough to sell out, but others just really don’t know what to do. They are poor, and without means and resources. This is something groups should be aware of. Someone who is a true target today, might become a turned Informant working for the state. It’s a very scary concept, but it’s again something to be aware of.

http://security.resist.ca/personal/informants.shtml

[quote]

Some types of infiltrators stay in the background and offer material support, other informants may have nothing to do with the group or action, but initially heard certain plans and tipped off the police. Among the more active types of infiltrators can be a gregarious person that quickly wins group trust. Some infiltrators will attempt to gain key forms of control, such as of communications/ secretarial, or finances. Other informants can use charm and sex to get intimate with activists, to better spy or potentially destabilize group dynamics.

Active infiltrators can also be provocateurs specializing in disruptive tactics such as sowing disorder and demoralizing meetings or demos, heightening conflicts whether they are interpersonal or about action or theory, or pushing things further with bravado and violent proposals. Infiltrators often need to build credibility; they may do this by claiming to have participated in past actions.

Also, infiltrators will try to exploit activist sensibilities regarding oppression and diversity. Intelligence organizations will send in someone who will pose as a person experiencing the common oppression of the particular activist group. For example, in the 1960′s, the Weather Underground (“Weathermen” – a white anti-imperialist armed struggle in the US) was infiltrated by an “ordinary Joe” informant with a working class image. Black war veterans were used to infiltrate the Black Panther Party. [/quote]

You will see this a lot if you visit some online or offline groups. They profile you in many cases before hand, so they think they know what triggers to use on you. The only thing you can do is profile yourself and know yourself better than they think they know you. They will try to play off of your vulnerabilities if they can find them.

The government also used Informants on the panthers, that’s how they knew where Fred Hampton would be, and the informant might have drugged Fred Hampton, just before the assassination.

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/FBI/Fed_Bureau_Intimidation.html

[quote]
In 1976, the mothers of the victims filed a civil rights suit against the FBI. The COINTELPRO files released during the trial showed that the FBI had an informant named William O’Neal in the Chicago Panthers. O’Neal was a trusted friend of Hampton and chief of security in the Chicago chapter. Taylor described, “He was the classic provocateur under COINTELPRO, always suggesting far-out violent schemes. He turned out to be the Judas who helped set up Fred Hampton’s murder”

O’Neal fed information to FBI agent Roy Mitchell, who worked closely with the Chicago Police Department’s Gang Intelligence Unit, the squad that dealt specifically with Black organizations. Days before the raid, O’Neal gave Mitchell a detailed floor plan of Hampton’s apartment that indicated where Hampton and his fiancee Akna Ajeri (who was eight months pregnant with their child at the time of the raid) usually slept.

Taylor also believes that there is strong evidence that O’Neal drugged Hampton on the day of the raid. Hampton’s autopsy showed a large amount of secobarbital in his system, despite the fact that he was militantly against drugs.

Hampton was shot in the head in his bed. He never even woke up. In 1982, after many appeals, the courts finally awarded survivors of the raid $1.85 million in damages. But to this day, no police or FBI agents have ever been indicted for these ruthless murders.
[/quote]

An Informant was also able to get close to Malcolm X and became one of his bodyguards.

http://www.etext.org/Politics/Buzzkill/buzzkill.7

[quote]Malcolm X as early as 1953, when the young minister for the Nation of Islam was placed on a Security Index of people top be rounded up and detained in times of “danger to national security.” and there was at least one under cover informant present at his assassination:
Malcolm’s bodyguard Gene Roberts, who was actually an undercover cop with the New York Police Depart-ment’s Bureau of Special Services (BOSS).
[/quote]

These people in organizations have a way of rising to the top, getting into trusted positions. That is a part of the consistent M.O. that we see with Infiltrators. In researching I have not found any one surefire way of dealing with them.

The paid Infiltrators are often profiled, these are individuals that they would like to use as Informants.

http://november.org/stayinfo/breaking08/MolesWanted.html

[quote]

Carroll, who requested that his real name not be used, showed up early and waited anxiously for Swanson’s arrival. Ten minutes later, he says, a casually dressed Swanson showed up, flanked by a woman whom he introduced as FBI Special Agent Maureen E. Mazzola. For the next 20 minutes, Mazzola would do most of the talking.

“She told me that I had the perfect ‘look,’” recalls Carroll. “And that I had the perfect personality — they kept saying I was friendly and personable — for what they were looking for.”

What they were looking for, Carroll says, was an informant — someone to show up at “vegan potlucks” throughout the Twin Cities and rub shoulders with RNC protestors, schmoozing his way into their inner circles, [b]then reporting back to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, a partnership between multiple federal agencies and state and local law enforcement.[/b] The effort’s primary mission, according to the Minneapolis division’s website, is to “investigate terrorist acts carried out by groups or organizations which fall within the definition of terrorist groups as set forth in the current United States Attorney General Guidelines.”

Carroll would be compensated for his efforts, but only if his involvement yielded an arrest. No exact dollar figure was offered.

“I’ll pass,” said Carroll.

For 10 more minutes, Mazzola and Swanson tried to sway him. He remained obstinate.

“Well, if you change your mind, call this number,” said Mazzola, handing him her card with her cell phone number scribbled on the back.

[/quote]

This young man was originally arrested for spray painting. (There is no way to know if he was encouraged by an Informant to perform the action.)

After he served his time for the activity, he was contacted to become an Informant, which he declined. Yet they still kept pressuring him.

http://www.stormfront.org/forum/showthread.php?t=550324

A similar scenario happened to a young man over at the Storm Front Forum. He called to find out more information about the local laws regarding Firearms in the state. A few days later he was paid a visit by the FBI. After discussing his phone call, which is what initiated the visit. He was asked to become a paid Informant to infiltrate white nationalist organizations. He was also asked to name anyone he knew who was involved in any illegal activities.

He advised that he was not aware of anyone involved in illegal activities, and that he did not wish to become an informant. Since then he has been a target of Gang Stalking, and they occasionally call him to see if he will change his mind and become an Informant, which he constantly declines.

(The best thing to do in this scenario is to get a lawyer, and give them the phone number or the card of your lawyer the next time they come calling. )

This information is from the security culture brochure. If you do get a lawyer expect even more retaliation, but it’s apparently the best method for dealing with this kind of pressure.

http://www.gangstalkingworld.com/Handbook/TheHiddenEvil.pdf

On his former website, and PDF Mark M. Rich had also mentioned that these support groups might have been infiltrated.

[quote]If you join a support group, you may also receive harassment via threads posted on message boards. Like other mediums of harassment, the topics of these threads may be about events that are unfolding in your personal life, as well as threats or insults covertly directed at you. This will probably happen repeatedly by the same person or people.

They may also employ some Gaslighting, or Jacketing tactics. Jacketing was often used during Cointelpro to make genuine activists look like informants.(10) Some internet groups which help stalking victims are heavily populated with perpetrators posing as victims.(7) Some of these perpetrators seem to be very vocal & popular members of these support groups. It seems that this a damage-control mechanism put in place to corral people, manage them to some

degree, & impede the groups’ progress. These people may also help with misdirecting events, or generally keeping groups disorganized & ineffective, under the illusion that progress is being been made.

These informants/perpetrators will give you correct information, & you may not find out until later that they’re trying to traumatize you as well. You may not be able to make other group members aware of it, as these informants may be well-respected members. It seems like a contradiction. Why would a perpetrator give you valuable information?

While I don’t know the exact answer to this question, here are some possibilities:

1.They know you would have eventually found the information anyway, so this trade-off is worth appearing genuine & gaining your trust, which may be exploited at a later date.

2.Create fear & uncertainty within you, causing you to doubt your own judgment.

3.This
may further traumatize a person with feelings of hopelessness when they learn that a very well respected group member is harassing him/her.

If you think that the people who oversee these neutralization programs have not infiltrated these groups, or even deliberately created some as a catch-net in order to disrupt & minimize progress, you are probably mistaken. The people who designed this system were not incompetent & some of these support groups seem to be just another phase of the campaign. If you find yourself on the receiving end of repeated covert or overt criticism by one or more of these prominent victims, you can give yourself a great big pat on the back. This one of many layers in this system of control that you’ll encounter.

Also, some people who may have been genuinely trying to raise awareness, may have been bribed, blackmailed or simply tortured (Directed Energy Weapons) into becoming informants, & therefore, have been compromised. Some of the most outspoken victims & leaders in these groups appear to be deliberately operating within boundaries designed to slow progress. And, as in most social systems, there is envy, fear & jealously. If you choose to participate in one of these support groups, you may want to limit your exposure to certain people. However, although these groups are fraught with perpetrators, not all of them are. So you may still want to attend meetings & events as it will be a good opportunity to connect with other people. You will find many people who are very decent & you may even make some
new friends. Trust your own judgment.

I have been in contact with perpetrators posing as victims on the phone & via email that have hinted that I must not be genuine. It is likely that these fake victims have probably spread lies to targeted individuals indicating that I’m not really targeted since I don’t appear to be suffering or helpless. If you are raising awareness, then discrediting attempts such as these will be standard practice. It appears to be critical that they attempt to isolate you from group members who you may have a positive influence on. Once again, organizations were heavily infiltrated during Cointelpro & jacketing was used extensively.(10)
[/quote]

In his research in the PDF Mark had formerly covered the concept of Infiltrations as well. I am not sure if this is covered on the new site.

Infiltrations and organizations seem to go hand in hand. Even if you start out with a good crop of individuals, you still have the possibility of Informants infiltrating the group. They are prone to achieving high levels of trust in organizations, they can also be used for disruption and disinformation. They can even be used as sleeper cells for down the line.

With Infiltration the idea is sometimes to destroy the organization, at other times it is to ensure the state is in control of the organization, this is true offline and online. This is also true for personal infiltrations. Getting someone into your life so they are in a position of trust, which can be used later.

The idea is to not become too paranoid, because then you will not be able to function, however it’s wise to be cognizant of these Infiltrations on a personal and professional level.

http://milwaukee.indymedia.org/en/2005/08/203959.shtml

gangstalking
http://www.articlesbase.com/news-and-society-articles/infiltrations-704029.html

Immigration, Integration, And Criminalization

I was born and raised in the west. To say I knew illegal aliens were an understandment. These people were mostly Mexican fresh from the border. Having crossed over, they sought any kind of employment they could. For many years, they became known to us by a demeaning name as “wetbacks”.

They would risk life and limb, swimming the river to get to the USA. As I grew up, I became a professional in the Restaurant field. It was here, that these people came to mean more than just a poor worker from Mexico. In the course of managing, working, and keeping staff, they played an integral part of my business. Yes, even if they were illegal.

They stopped being “wetbacks”. I do not like the term, it is a demeaning word. I use it here to illustrate the bad rap many of them received. They became close friends to me, good workers, and family men. Yes, there were bad apples, trouble makers, and the rest. You always have that. But overall, the ones who helped run my businesses and worked hard were simply family men and women trying to find a better life.

According to the Center for Immigration studies, during the 1990s, an average of more than 1.3 million immigrants from both sides of the field -legal and illegal- settled in America. From January 2000 and March 2003 an additional 3.3 million immigrants arrived. Not all of them Mexican. They come from all spectrums, all nations, and all tongues. The United States Census Bureau projects that in less than 50 years the population of the USA will increase from its present 288 million to more than 400 million. The question bares asking. What are we going to do with them all?

Within this group, you can be sure terrorists will also arrive. These people are bad seeds among the many good people who arrive with them. I have no problem with immigrants. My great-grandfather was one as well. On my grandmothers side, the generation goes back to the revolutionary period. Our family line in one way has been here along time. Great men and women from many nations came to this country to form a new nation. The real area of concern according to the Center for Immigration Studies Director of Research, Steven Camarota, says is that “every part of our immigration system has been exploited by terrorists”. This is true, but then Camarota goes on to suggest that we “cannot reform in just one area, but must address the problem throughout”. Within his statements are the reasoning that we must check not only Middle Easterners visas and backgrounds, but must “carefully check the backgrounds of all visa applicants, better police the borders, strictly enforce the law within the country, and, most importantly, reduce the level of immigration to give government agencies the breathing space necessary to implement fundamental reforms.”

There is no way we can round up 13-14 million illegal immigrants or whatever the number is actually. Who really knows. The authorities have numbers, but then they don’t know either. The point is, no one really knows how many illegal people are here in the USA. No one knows how many terrorists have entered along with them. No one knows really what to do. The only thing everyone agrees on is we must do something. So we debate in Congress, put together legislation, then can’t come to a reasonable solution. Our borders are still open and the flood gates of people are coming in. While we focus on the southern border, our other borders are porous as well.

The National Immigration Forum conducted interviews of illegal people living in Los Angeles, Miami, and Chicago. A Total of 233 such interviews were done in Spanish by trained interviewers. The main premise here is”would undocumented immigrants come forward, get legal, learn English, pay taxes, pay fines, and become US Citizens”. 81% said yes they would live and work in the U.S. the rest of their lives if they were able to legalize their status. 98% said they would make an effort to become legal over remaining undocumented if the U.S. would approve a new law that would allow them to become legal. Also within the questionnaire, the respondents said they would provide accurate information, become fingerprinted, have a criminal background check, pay a fine, learn English, notify the government of change of their address. 90% interviewed said they would become United States citizens if allowed.

No matter what you or I think, this is a big issue. The longer we do nothing about it, the more we have to lose. Making millions of illegal aliens criminals won’t work. They are here already illegal. This makes them a criminal right now according to our law. Many are afraid. Some are terrorists. Still, others are just family men and women working hard to survive. We need to try to legally integrate them into society. They are in our society but they are illegal. This makes them susceptible to crooks and evil men. They need protection of our laws. If they stay outside the law, our system can’t help them. I urge you to contact your congressman or woman and tell them to do something to solve this problem today. The longer we wait, the worse it will get. It will also provide ample opportunity for someone to enter that will cause terror. These kinds of people don’t care whom they kill, just as long as they kill someone living in America. Our future, the future of our kids, and our nation depends that we solve this issue now.

Dana Smith
http://www.articlesbase.com/motivational-articles/immigration-integration-and-criminalization-24270.html

Are women like Carrie Prejean and Sarah Palin the future of the Conservative party?

They seem like the perfect leaders for the Conservative party.

well the women of the view and my name is Earl is democrats in action. I take Sarah and Carrie. You libs amaze me, why do you hate beautiful intelligent women?

Leadership Based on Peace

When one reads the title to this article; immediately the thought of politics will be aroused. What will come on the minds of many who are politically inclined was Presidents Ronald Reagan’s political philosophy of peace through strength, (strength being leadership). President Reagan quite frankly was a political genius as he thoroughly understood the surrounding political dimensions of his environment and what it took to reach peace through leadership. He understood the factors of communications that imbedded the concepts of persuasion and his skills of conveying his perceptiveness about the issues before, during and after his time as he was a man of great foresight. What many critics of his time did not realize was his true drive for Peace. And, so therefore, President’s Reagan was extremely aware that in order to bring peace to the world and America his leadership style had to be conducive to meeting the ultimate goal of peace. It required boldness, courage, tenacity and intellect. He had to reach deep in his heart to find all the necessary skills of leadership such as: delegation, economic prudence, and be a world peace maker. If one closely reviews the decade of the 80’s they will quickly see a time of progress as never before. It was the technological boom, the cold war to an end without a major conflict a revitalized economy that solidified our comfort level for at least twenty years past his time.

So now one may ask what does this have to do with me; I am not a President. Well I can tell from experience as a former Assistant Dean to a Medical School, a California constitutional Gubernatorial appointee of a major State department, educational administrator and entrepreneur; I can’t tell you how many times I’ve needed to seriously utilize my leadership skills as an executive to reach for peaceful outcomes to seek the results we were seeking. Before, one can reach peace one must demonstrate the skills and the art of being a leader. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said: “In this movement we are all leaders” Dr. King was all about leadership based on peace. The movement of non-violence and peace have been premier vehicles and tools used in leadership development to seek peace.

It is rare to be in an executive position whereby one will not need to exercise leadership skills if peace is what the executive is reaching for. Executives, managers, and businesses need to interact daily in organizational behavioral matters that require a sensitive yet bold decision making.  Peace is typically at the very heart of the desired result. Because without peace there are no productive progressive outcomes and so therefore there is no leadership. Typically with leadership and peace come progressive performances.             

Dr. Richard C. Baiz, D.B.A.
http://www.articlesbase.com/leadership-articles/leadership-based-on-peace-705006.html