Joan Neuhaus Schaan – Baker Institute Blog

Why legalizing marijuana is a bad idea

September 24, 2012admin

What is the purpose for the push to legalize marijuana? Is it because there are those waiting in the wings who wish to legitimize their illicit endeavors and ill-gotten gains? Is it because there are designs on the funding used to combat illicit drug demand by those who want to find funds for their own programs? Is it because habitual users want to come out of the closet? Is it because it is viewed as a “silver bullet” against cartel violence? Perhaps all these factors and more come into play. Continue Reading →

Remembering 9-11

September 11, 2012admin

Eleven years have passed since September 11, 2011. Where were you when you heard the news? Most can answer that question. Whenever an event rocks one’s world, the time and place becomes indelibly etched in one’s mind. The day was an epiphany for the American public in a long war that began many years before and will continue for many to come. Continue Reading →

Is a proposed arms trade treaty a threat to the 2nd amendment?

September 3, 2012admin

Negotiations at a United Nations conference over a proposed Arms Trade Treaty, which would regulate conventional arms sales across borders, ended in July without a report. The talks will likely resume, however, and many are concerned about the treaty’s implications for the Second Amendment. The concern is justified, given the treaty’s goal is weapons control. Its terms are vague and could be used to launch efforts to attack the constitutional right to bear arms. Continue Reading →

U.N. Arms Trade Treaty: A threat to the 2nd amendment?

August 26, 2012admin

Negotiations at the United Nations conference over a proposed Arms Trade Treaty, which would regulate conventional arms sales across borders, ended in July without a report. The talks will likely resume, however, and many are concerned about the treaty’s implications for the Second Amendment. The concern is justified, given the treaty’s goal is weapons control. Its terms are vague and could be used to launch efforts to attack the constitutional right to bear arms. Continue Reading →

Separating drug policy from border security

May 1, 2012admin

Using the premise that legalizing drugs will stop the violence in Mexico and cripple the cartels is a fallacy. Legalization will only worsen the usage problem. Currently, Mexican cartels are believed to derive approximately 60 percent of their profits from… Continue Reading →

National security threats at our southwest border

February 23, 2012admin

U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, visited the Baker Institute this week to discuss the current and potential security risks along the U.S.-Mexico border as a guest of the institute’s Homeland Security and Terrorism Program.

McCaul, serving in his eighth year on the House Committee on Homeland Security, is currently chairman of the Oversight, Investigations and Management Subcommittee, which has oversight of all Department of Homeland Security operations. He has chaired numerous hearings on the operational presence of Mexican drug cartels in the United States and the threat they pose to civilians and law enforcement. Other hearings have focused on terrorist safe havens and the threat of Iranian terror operations inside the United States. Continue Reading →

Anonymous: The next evolution in security attacks

February 9, 2012admin

Anonymous has been described as a loose confederation of hacktivists. So what is Anonymous trying to prove? Any of a number of things. The common Anonymous thread is the thrill of hacking and “getting the goods” on someone or some group, or taking over a website. Thus far, it does not appear there is a central core of operation. What is interesting is the evolution of cyberattacks, from denial of service, to the release of classified documents, to the focus on persons within government responsible for securing the nation’s interests. Continue Reading →