Corks.... I thought this was very interesting even if you're not a wine drinker.

Have you ever wondered where that cork in your bottle of wine comes from?   The answer is most likely to be Spain or Portugal, Where over half of the world’s cork is harvested.     In fact it is the “National Tree” of Portugal.     However, unlike other forms of forestry, The production of cork Never involves the death of a tree.     Instead, they are gently stripped, Leaving a strange but fascinating Landscape of denuded trunks.     All of this takes some time. Cork trees can live to over 200 hundred years But are not considered ready for their cork to Be removed until they are at least 25 years old.   Even then, the first two harvests do not produce cork of the highest quality. It isn’t until the trees are in their forties that they produce premium cork.   Once the trees have reached the maturity necessary to produce high quality cork Then they will be harvested only every nine years. A tree, in its lifetime, can be harvested (the process is known as extraction) about fifteen times. Little wonder then, that in Portugal and Spain the propagation of the trees And the production of cork has become an inter-generational industry, With farmers still producing a crop from trees Planted by their great-great grandfathers.   The cork must, however, be extracted from the trees without causing any lasting harm to them – otherwise, 9 years later they will be useless. Extraction takes place in the summer when the tree is least susceptible to damage. The poor cork which is produced as a result of the first two harvests is known as male cork: Later extractions provide what is known as gentle cork Which is what you will screw out of a wine bottle, the contents of which it helps to flavor. The extractors must be skilled at their job. They make two cuts to the tree. The first is horizontal and is cut around the tree. This is known as the necklace and the incision is made at a height Around three times the circumference of   the tree.  Then a series of vertical cuts are made which are called openings or rulers. This is the point at which the extractors must use the most strength But at the same time be at their most gentle. They push the handle of the axe in to the rulers and pry the cork away. If the cuts are too deep or impatiently done Then there is a risk that the phellogen of the tree will be damaged. This is the cell layer which is responsible for the development And growth of the periderm of the tree – its bark in other words. Damage this and the tree will produce poor or no cork in the future: it may even die. So strength and gentleness must be used in equal measure during the extraction. Once the cork is extracted it is stacked in layers and left to dry out. Once that has taken place it is taken to be processed. The technique used leaves the trees alive and the environment intact – cork production is said to one of the most Eco-friendly and recyclable harvests on the planet.   Not only is cork easy to recycle. The trees prevent the local environment from becoming arid And so actively help to maintain rare ecosystems. Not only that, but the cork forests of the Iberian Peninsula are home to a number of endangered species which would find it much harder to thrive without the presence of the cork oak forests.   Although 60% of the cork extracted is still used for bottle stoppers (despite the recent predilection for using alternatives) cork is an essential component of a number of other things too. If you are a fan of badminton, then without cork you would no longer be able to play – it is a vital component in the manufacture of shuttlecocks. More sports rely on it too – the centers of baseball and cricket bats are made of cork.     Cork is also a great material to use for insulation.  I t is non-allergenic and easy-to-handle and if it does catch fire, its fumes are not toxic like man-made insulation materials. The different segments of woodwind instruments are fastened together by pieces made from cork and not only that – the baton of your concert conductor will most likely also be made out of this versatile material.   Cork has many other uses, too, including components of the fairings to the heat shields of spacecraft. Yet ultimately, the fascination is in its production, which leaves so many trees stripped and bared to the elements and which gives the landscapes of parts of Spain and Portugal such a unique appearance.

Strong historical basis - 'IN GOD WE TRUST'

American Minute with Bill Federer MAR. 3 - 'IN GOD WE TRUST' On MARCH 3, 1931, Congress adopted "The Star-Spangled Banner" as the National Anthem. Written by Francis Scott Key during the War of 1812, the 4th verse of includes the lines: "Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just; And this be our motto 'IN GOD IS OUR TRUST'! And the Star Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave, Over the land of the free and the home of the brave!" The 'Star-Spangled Banner' stirred patriotism across America, with its 4th verse inspiring the 125th Pennsylvania Infantry to use 'IN GOD WE TRUST' as its battle cry at the Battle of Antietam. During the Civil War, Rev. M.R. Watkinson wrote to the Treasury Department, November 13, 1861, suggesting the recognition of "Almighty God in some form in our coins." Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase, who Lincoln later appointed Chief Justice, assigned the task to James Pollock, the Philadelphia Director of the Mint. James Pollock was the former Governor of Pennsylvania and a former U.S. Congressman.  Complying with Secretary Chase's request, The Report of the Secretary of the Treasury on the State of the Finances (U.S. Dept. of the Treasury, 1863, page 190-191), gives James Pollock's reply: "We claim to be a Christian nation - why should we not vindicate our character by honoring the God of Nations... Our national coinage should do this. Its legends and devices should declare our trust in God-in Him who is 'King of Kings and Lord of Lords.'"  James Pollock continued: "The motto suggested, 'God our Trust,' is taken from our National Hymn, the 'Star-Spangled Banner.' The sentiment is familiar to every citizen of our country - it has thrilled the hearts and fallen in song from the lips of millions of American Freemen.  The time for the introduction of this...is propitious and appropriate. 'Tis an hour of National peril and danger - an hour when man's strength is weakness - when our strength and our nation's strength and salvation, must be in the God of Battles and of Nations.  Let us reverently acknowledge his sovereignty, and let our coinage declare our trust in God."   Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase wrote to James Pollock, December 9, 1863: "I approve your mottos, only suggesting that on that with the Washington obverse, the motto should begin with the word 'Our,' so as to read: 'Our God and our Country.' And on that with the shield, it should be changed so as to read: 'IN GOD WE TRUST.'"   Salmon P. Chase's proposal was passed by Congress on April 22, 1864, allowing the motto on one-cent and two-cent coins. On MARCH 3, 1865, Congress voted to approve the motto 'IN GOD WE TRUST' for all U.S. coins. House Speaker Schuyler Colfax noted: "The last act of Congress ever signed by President Lincoln was one requiring that the motto...'IN GOD WE TRUST' should hereafter be inscribed upon all our national coin." "IN GOD WE TRUST" was inscribed in the U.S. House Chamber above the Speaker's rostrum;  above the Senate's main southern door;  on a tribute block inside the Washington Monument;  and on a stained-glass window in the U.S. Capitol's Chapel. President Truman stated October 30, 1949: "When the U.S. was established...the motto was 'IN GOD WE TRUST.' That is still our motto and we still place our firm trust in God." President Eisenhower remarked at a ceremony issuing the first stamp bearing the motto "IN GOD WE TRUST," April 8, 1954: "America's greatness has been based upon a spiritual quality...symbolized by the stamp that will be issued today... Regardless of any eloquence of the words that may be inside the letter, on the outside he places a message:  'Here is...the land that lives in respect for the Almighty's mercy to us.'...Each of us, hereafter, fastening such a stamp on a letter, cannot fail to feel something of the inspiration that we do whenever we...read "IN GOD WE TRUST." The same day, President Eisenhower stated to a Women's Conference: "I have just come from assisting in the dedication of a new stamp... The stamp has on it a picture of the Statue of Liberty, and on it also is stated 'IN GOD WE TRUST'... All of us mere mortals are dependent upon the mercy of a Superior Being... The reason this seems so thrilling is...the opportunity it gives to every single individual who buys the stamp to send a message - regardless of the content of a letter...that this is the land of the free and 'IN GOD WE TRUST.'" President Eisenhower remarked at the 75th Anniversary of the Incandescent Lamp, October 24, 1954: "'IN GOD WE TRUST.' Often have we heard the words of this wonderful American motto. Let us make sure that familiarity has not made them meaningless for us.  We carry the torch of freedom as a sacred trust for all mankind. We do not believe that God intended the light that He created to be putout by men." Eisenhower continued: "Atheism substitutes men for the Supreme Creator and this leads inevitably to domination and dictatorship. But we believe - and it is because we believe that God intends all men to be free and equal that we demand free government.  Our Government is servant, not master, our chosen representatives are our equals, not our czars or commissars." Eisenhower concluded: "We must jealously guard our foundation in faith. For on it rests the ability of the American individual to live and thrive in this blessed land -and to be able to help other less fortunate people to achieve freedom and individual opportunity.  These we take for granted, but to others they are often only a wistful dream." Get the book, American Minute-Notable Events of American Significance Remembered on the Date They Occurred On July 11, 1954, a month after the phrase "UNDER GOD" was incorporated into the Pledge of Allegiance, Congress enacted Public Law 84-140 which put the motto, 'IN GOD WE TRUST,' on all national coins and currency. In 1956, the phrase 'IN GOD WE TRUST' was legally adopted by Congress as the official United States' National Motto. John F. Kennedy stated February 9, 1961: "The guiding principle of this Nation has been, is now, and ever shall be 'IN GOD WE TRUST.'" President Reagan stated in his National Day of Prayer Proclamation, March 19, 1981: "Our Nation's motto 'IN GOD WE TRUST' - was not chosen lightly. It reflects a basic recognition that there is a divine authority in the universe to which this Nation owes homage." Reagan stated at a White House observance of National Day of Prayer, May 6, 1982: "Our faith in God is a mighty source of strength. Our Pledge of Allegiance states that we are 'one nation under God,' and our currency bears the motto, 'IN GOD WE TRUST.'" Reagan said following a meeting with Pope John Paul II in Vatican City, June 7, 1982: "Ours is a nation grounded on faith, faith in man's ability through God-given freedom to live in tolerance and peace and faith that a Supreme Being guides our daily striving in this world. Our national motto, 'IN GOD WE TRUST,' reflects that faith." President George H.W. Bush met with Amish and Mennonites at Penn Johns Elementary School in Lancaster, PA, March 22, 1989.  When a Mennonite leader stated:  "We want to keep that theme, 'IN GOD WE TRUST,' which is stamped on our money,"  President Bush replied: "It's staying there. Nobody can knock that off." President George H.W. Bush remarked on the National Day of Prayer, May 4, 1989: "We are one nation under God. And we were placed here on Earth to do His work.  And our work has gone on now for more than 200 years in the Nation - a work best embodied in four simple words: 'IN GOD WE TRUST.'"   Get the book, America's God and Counry Encyclopedia of Quotations In a 2003 joint poll by USA Today, CNN, and Gallup reported that 90% of Americans support "IN GOD WE TRUST" on U.S. coins. In 2006, on the 50th anniversary of its adoption, the Senate reaffirmed "IN GOD WE TRUST" as the official national motto. In July 2010, a Federal Appeals Court in the District of Columbia ruled 3-0 the National Motto was constitutional under the First Amendment, quoting the 1970 decision, Aronow v. United States: "It is quite obvious that the national motto and slogan on coinage and currency 'IN GOD WE TRUST' has nothing whatsoever to do with the establishment of religion." On March 7, 2011, the Supreme Court denied a challenge by an atheist who was intolerant of the National Motto, by letting the decision of the Federal Appeals Court stand. On November 1, 2011, the House of Representatives passed an additional resolution in a 396-9 vote reaffirming "IN GOD WE TRUST" as the official motto of the United States.  Search AMERICAN MINUTE archives   Watch past FAITH IN HISTORY episodes for FREE

Muslim Brotherhood Leader Meets Obama in White House

Muslim Brotherhood Leader Meets Obama in White House

The American people better  wake up and soon or it will be too late. Elect true patriots only! VOTE AND VOTE CORRECTLY DO YOUR RESEARCH AMERICA'S FUTURE IS IN YOUR HANDS AND I'M NOT KIDDING!  Spread the word to all in your orbit.

Tumbicastío, Michoacán Autodefensas and Special Forces: Closing in on El Chayo and La Tuta Mexican counter narco policies yield mixed results Three more found dead in southern Chihuahua state Mexico begins squaring military law with court rulings

Borderland Beat

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• Tumbicastío, Michoacán Autodefensas and Special Forces: Closing in on El Chayo and La Tuta
• Mexican counter narco policies yield mixed results
• Three more found dead in southern Chihuahua state
• Mexico begins squaring military law with court rulings

Tumbicastío, Michoacán Autodefensas and Special Forces: Closing in on El Chayo and La Tuta Posted: 02 Mar 2014 09:46 PM PST Chivis Martínez for Borderland Beat The Hunt for Chayo and La Tuta I  reported on Friday that Chayo was located at a specific ranch in Tumbicastio, Michoacán . After being reinstated as spokesman and leader for Tepalcatepec autodefensas, Dr Mireles was ratified as equal spokesman and leader of the autodefensas general council with Hipolito Mora and Papa Smurf.  Presently, that is the status of Dr. Mireles.  On Friday there occurred a meeting between autodefensas and the Feds.    Autodefensas have agreed to not engage in advancement of large cities, at this time.  Feds have agreed to send an elite team of Special Forces and satellite tracing equipment to the location of the discovery of Chayo.  La Tuta is also in that area.  Tumbicastío, an extremely remote area, with problematic accessibility, it is located high in the Sierra Madre del Sur mountains at an elevation of 12, 600 ft.  Because having only two dirt mountain roads accessing Tumbicastío, people of the sierras have learned to use steep, treacherous access pathways to maneuver in and out of mountain roadway.   Dr . Mireles speaking to the crowd (Comunitario Octavio's foto) The dirt roads are no picnic in of themselves.  Snaking through the Sierra requires knowledge of the area or  an abundance of time.  This plays in favor of Caballeros Templarios who navigate the escape routes quickly permitting escape.  Due to the lack of knowledge in navigating the mountains, Federal forces have been stopped in their tracks, after  receiving information to the location of key Templarios leaders, namely Chayo and La Tuta.  Since Friday, the concentration of federal forces has been Tumbiscatío to Arteaga.  Bringing with them satellite equipment, heavy artillery and tanks.   For their part AD teams have accompanied Special Forces as they advance in to Tumbiscatio, and have stationed in points encircling the mountain range. Publically today, Dr. Mireles stated to reporters, that with  their  joint action with the Special federal forces, they  are close to capturing in Nazario Moreno González, aka "El Chayo" and with luck, also Servando Gomez, aka "La Tuta ". Dr. Mireles shared with reporters, including El Universal: "We are close to some leaders, "El Chayo", was on a ranch near Tumbiscatío" reports José Manuel Mireles.... But here at Borderland Beat readers already knew that “news” from our "source".   Dr. Mireles Calls for the Ouster of Infiltrators Dr. Mireles visited several communities today in an autodefensa caravan, reminiscent of his life prior to the airplane crash that left him in critical condition.   He is partially paralyzed and blinded in one eye.   Although he appears to have decided to forego his last two weeks of therapy, he seems rejuvenated from just a week ago, and appears stronger. He visited the site of the Los Reyes killings of 5 unarmed autodefensas, killed when Templarios open fired from rooftops.   Dr. Mireles, spoke to the crowd, had a moment of silence and left a bouquet of flowers on the black and white checkerboard tiled walkway where those killed fell. A part of his message today to the crowds, was to not be afraid to give information about infiltrators that wear the shirts of autodefensas, but who are criminal infiltrators.   Tomorrow Autodefensas will oust Apatzingán's Mayor Uriel Chávez  (El Chayo's nephew) Autodefensas report that tomorrow mayor Uriel Chávez will be removed from office.  He is charged as operating under the direction of Caballeros Templarios.  A new city council has been selected.   click on any image to enlarge

Mexican counter narco policies yield mixed results Posted: 02 Mar 2014 09:00 PM PST Col. Lopez Gutierrez By Chris Covert Rantburg.com As the Mexican border state of Coahuila claims a sharp drop in homicides fir the first two months of 2014, another state, Tamaulipas is claiming a spike in denunciations for crime, according to Mexican news accounts. According to a news compilation presented in the online edition of El Diario do Coahuila news daily, the Coahuila state Procuraduria General de Justicia del Estado (PGJE) or state attorney general announced that a double digit drop in homicides were reported in the state for the first two months of the year, when compared with the same period in 2013. Overall, intentional homicides (homicidios dolosos) dropped to 78 as opposed to 140 from 2013, a total of 44 percent.  Gang on gang murders have dropped by an even greater amount of 46 percent with 44 in 2014 and 81 in 2013. In Saltillo, which is the state capital of Coahuila, gang on gang murders dropped by 86 percent, while intentional homicides dropped 63 percent, six so far in 2014 as opposed to 16 in 2013.  No numbers were given on the number of gang on gang killings. In Torreon, gang on gang killings dropped from 54 incidents in 2013 to 23 in 2014.  A 49 percent drop in intentional homicides over have been recorded, with 69 deaths in 2013 as opposed to 35 in 2014. While the drops in homicides are impressive it is important to note that the Coahuila PGJE has cooked criminal statistics before by reporting false statistics to the federal government then taking those results and reporting them as fact. Even so, in Tamaulipas a senior Mexican Army command has reported an equally sharp spike in criminal incidents reported to their commands. According to a news report which appeared in the online edition of Milenio news daily, Colonel of Infantry Jesus Gabriel Lopez Gutierrez was quoted saying that while in the first two months of 2013 daily calls reporting criminal activities to their communications node averaged thee to five calls per day, the number of calls have increased dramatically going from between eight to ten calls per day. Col. Lopez Gutierrez is commander of the Mexican 15th Infantry Battalion which is responsible for security in southern Tamaulipas state, easily one of the most violent in Mexico. According to the report, more calls came from the urban municipalities of Tampico, Madero and Altamira, and fewer from  the rural areas of Altamira, Gonzalez and Aldama. Most of the calls received are calls already made to other security groups, while about a third relate to federal crimes.  The rest are either domestic reporting and reporting of traffic problems in southern Tamaulipas.  According to the report, the calls can last from 10 seconds to four minutes, depending on the amount of information received. The Colonel reported said that the spike in calls doesn't seem to correspond with an increase in crime.  According to the report, the increase of calls reflect local citizens' demand for better security. The Colonel also noted he was not aware of any timetable for the return of the army to the barracks, an early promise of the Enrique Pena Nieto administration from the 2012 campaign and last year.  That promise had been continually reiterated in Mexican press until the spring of 2013, when even top army commanders publicly admitted they were not to return to the barracks anytime soon. It is interesting to note that the Mexican Army has been in charge of security in southern Tamaulipas since May, 2011, which would coincide with the discovery of the San Fernando mass murders, which took the lives of 193. Chris Covert writes Mexican drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com andBorderlandBeat.com He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com

Three more found dead in southern Chihuahua state Posted: 02 Mar 2014 09:00 PM PST A total of three individuals were killed or were found dead in drug and gang related violence in three separate incidents in southern Chihuahua state municipalities, according to Mexican news accounts. Saturday afternoon at around 1540 hours an  man was  shot to death in Hidalgo de Parral municipality, according to a news account published in the online edition of El Diario de Chihuahua news daily. Emmanuel Ochoa Holguin, 27, was in the main bus depot in Zona Centro of Parral city, and about to board a bus bound for Ciudad Juarez when a two armed suspects ran up to him and started firing before several onlookers.  As soon as the victim fell, the shooters went to a black sedan with a third suspects driving, then fled the scene. According to a late news report, Ochoa Holguin had previously served time for drug related offenses in 2009 and 2011. Also in Parral, two Chihuahua state ministerial agents interviewed a suspect who was drunk at the bar La Estrella in Morelos colony, who confessed to the murder of an unidentified individual a few days ago, according to a separate El Diario de Chihuahua news report. After searching for two hours in San Jose colony in the village of Santa Rosa, the police found the victim who was in an advanced stage of decomposition. A third unidentified individual was found shot to death in southern Mexico. One unidentified man was found shot to dead in Bocoyna municipality Friday afternoon, according to a new report in El Diairo de Chihuahua. The victim was found on a road between the village of Viveros and  Situriachi Dam shot once in the head. Chris Covert writes Mexican drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com andBorderlandBeat.com He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com

Mexico begins squaring military law with court rulings Posted: 02 Mar 2014 09:00 PM PST Senadora Gonzalez Gomez By Chris Covert Rantburg.com Almost two and a half years after the July 2011 decision by the Mexican Suprema Cort de Justicia de la Nacion (SCJN) that international treaty obligation concerning human rights can take precedence over Mexican law, talks and committee meetings between military and senators continue that could lead to laws that balance Mexican law with international law, according to Mexican press accounts. A news report which appeared in the online edition of Milenio news daily said that several military staff admitted that the nature of fighting against narcotraffickers has let to some human right violations, and have been "inevitable". The lead in the senate to deal with military justice reform is Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) senator Arely Gomez Gonzalez, who has been holding hearings on this as well as other legal reforms since last fall.  But these meetings were not the first.  A quick meeting just after the 2011 SCJN decision was held between senators and the military. Last September, according to a news account which appeared in El Mexicano news daily, the senator declared that five meeting between senators and Mexico's senior military staff would take place to discuss "the balance between the protection of human rights and military discipline, with all the practical consequences that this entails..." In Friday's meeting military staff from the Secretaria de Defensa Nacional (SEDENA), the controlling agency for the Mexican Army and Secretaria de Marina (SEMAR) have both admitted that human rights violations, while rare have occurred in the past. Contradmirante Alejandro Vazquez Hernandez, director of the Justicia Naval de la Unidad Juridica told senators Friday, "We were asked to clean house, and now we are told we only dusted.  It is clear in some instances there have been human rights violations, but it is inevitable because of the fighting." The Admiral was referring to the 2011 SCJN ruling that conflated international human rights treaty obligations with Mexican law, a ruling which has gained severe criticism -- as well as acquiescence -- from military staff as well as field commanders.  That ruling said that anytime a civilian killed, though not involved in an exchange of gunfire, as an example, that case must be turned over the local civilian authorities to assess culpability and that military prosecutor must declare their lack of competence in proceeding with a case. At the time it was feared that the ruling would flood civilian courts with human rights cases directed against the military, but according to a Mexican Army staffer, the results have been different than feared. According to military prosecutor Jesus Gabriel Lopez Benitez, a large number of cases have been declined even when kicked upstairs to the national attorney general, 434 in total. A total of 434 preliminary investigations were moved to the Procuraduria General de la Republica (PGR) or national attorney general, which resulted in 271 arrest warrants.  Of those arrest warrants, 174 of them were for military personnel, including commanders as well as enlisted personnel, the rest civilians.  That has occurred because military prosecutors -- of which the Mexican Army maintains 108 separate offices -- now routinely decline prosecution for offenses against civilians in favor of civilian prosecutors. He said that the current system bypasses normal military discipline "as necessary, so indispensable in the Army, Navy and Air Force." "We are most jealous guardians of military discipline and behaviors that do not allow violations [which would] cast doubt on the good image of the institution", said  Lopez Benitez. Another problem for Mexico's military has taken place where, when a civilian prosecutor has been called to investigate the case of a civilian death from a military mission, for example, the circumstances has changed because now soldiers and everyone involved in an incident must deal with a separate element which was not involved in the original incident. The situation has created uncertainty in the ranks of prosecutors because now they do not know if they have the "legal certainty", as General Alejandro Ramos Flores, head of theAsesoria Juridica del Estado Mayor de la Defensa Nacional said, to properly perform their jobs. The 2011 SCJN ruling came from years of haranguing by human rights groups who stated repeatedly that military units cannot investigate their own if a crime has taken place involving military personnel.  Another more subtle charge by human rights groups, absurd on its face, is that because a military is involved with killing, it must be incapable of seeking justice for victims. The base that was brought before SCJN was of Radilla Pacheco  a radical peasant organizer who was detained by the Mexican Army in Guerrero state in 1974, and never heard from again.  That detention and subsequent disappearance took place in the depth of Mexico's Guerra Sucioor Dirty War, when a succession of Mexican presidents beginning in 1967, used their military to harshly crush political dissent as well as against armed revolutionary elements. During that time, according to statistics, about 1,200 disappeared, presumably all at the hands of Mexican security forces. Just after the 2011 ruling Calderon has advanced changes to the  Codigo de Justicia Militar(CDM), specifically to Article 57 which would remove forced disappearances, rape and torture among the offense that can be prosecuted under that code by military prosecutors. To date no element of that specific proposal has been advanced, however last fall proposals were advanced to make changes to the CDM.  According to an archived news account inMilenio last fall, senator Gomez Gonzalez has overseen discussions on some changes including establishing a separate court system including military judges and expanding the range of offenses.  The report failed to detail which offenses would be included with those that can be prosecuted by the military. The 2011 court ruling also placed it in direct conflict with another part of the Mexican Constitution Article 13, which states that a Mexican citizen can be charged with one crime in more than one jurisdiction. Article 13 prevents a legal condition of having an accused to defend against the same act more than once. A government draft report released at the time said that military prosecutions do fulfill the requirements of international treaties, despite political charges that it can never do that. A Mexican naval captain,  Mario Augusto Chichitz Diaz Leal, suggested a change in Article 57 which would allow the military top punish its own personnel a crime has been prosecuted. The problem with implementing the 2011 court ruling is more subtle that what can be shown in any statistics, and any further legislative refinement in favor of international treaties could hurt military discipline in the long run. According to Captain Chichitz Diaz Leal, "Any proposal for reform that goes beyond this concept, we consider that it would be unnecessary and detrimental to the well armed institute would run whenever the expense of maintenance of discipline, which is the fundamental basis on which a professional army is, effective and efficient." it is so far unclear in current Mexican press where reforms are to land.  Mexican senators involved on this issue just prior to hearing from the military heard from human rights groups and Mexican academics -- both groups long antagonists to the very notion of a military -- so is also unclear how much influence the military can have in the area of fighting organized crime. Chris Covert writes Mexican drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com andBorderlandBeat.com  He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com