Not that more pervasive external audits would not increase the number of frauds discovered, but past history shows that external auditors have not been the most productive in discovering fraud and auditors neither work under the assumption that the dishonest nor assumes unquestioned honesty.

Four Mexican army soldiers entered southern Arizona and pointed their rifles at a U.S. Border Patrol agent early this week.

The incident Sunday was the Mexican military's 43rd incursion across the U.S. border since October.

However, it was unusual because firearms were involved.
The Border Patrol and the Mexican government are investigating.

Apparently more than a few northeast Ohio Republicans decided to cross over in the March 4th primary and presumably vote for Hillary Clinton by choosing a Democratic partisan ballot.

We're used to hearing about partisans trying to game the system by voting insincerely for a candidate that they don't support. Democrats attempted exactly the same thing in Michigan by voting for Mitt Romney since they knew their votes for President would not be counted due to DNC rules. But Ohio law is very different from Michigan law regarding the procedure in primary elections.

How would you improve and standardize our criminal justice system to minimize the possibility of wrongful convictions? Some possibilities and background below the fold.

About two weeks ago in France riots again broke out in immigrant (mostly Muslim) neighborhoods (so-called “banliueus“) after an apparent traffic accident where 2 teenagers were killed. The riots went on for several days, with the rioters shooting at the police, with many officers injured. See:

France Stunned By Rioters' Savagery

Promoted by John. Good topic.

Just like drug use in this country, the drug war is constantly evolving. The history of drug use and the drug war has been documented by VH1 in "The Drug Years ", but what does the future hold? Here are two developments that I suspect will have a substantial impact on the future of the drug war:

Whether it's Republicans running amok on the spending front or Dems seemingly caving on the war/warrantless wiretapping it seems that few in Washington have a political backbone.

(Alright, my second favorite thing)

the Boring Coalition Against Drug Crime

Boring, Oregon, is a small community outside of Portland. I have a friend who puts on community theater at the lcal grange hall (yes, Boring actually has a grange hall). While seeing one of his plays I found this pamphlet and fell deeply in love.

There's a part of me that wants to assume that the good simple folks of Boring are in on the joke, but having stood in that grange I suspect the opposite.

From CNN , the bill would provide a process for obtaining legal citizenship to current illegal immigrants and would establish a program for guest workers:

The 380-page bill, which comes after nearly three months of negotiations, would give immediate work authorization to undocumented workers who arrived in the United States before January 1, 2007. Those workers would be granted a "Z" visa and placed on the path to permanent residence, according to a summary provided by Kennedy, who is chairman of the Immigration Subcommittee.

[...]After the provisions are in place, a guest-worker program would be initiated, under which 400,000 temporary workers per year would be granted a "Y" visa. The two-year visas would require they return home for a year, then allow them to re-enter for an additional two-years. The process could be repeated twice more.

Bush is backing the bill and there is bipartisan support in the Senate. The reaction outside of Washington appears to be decidedly mixed, with some conservatives interpreting this as amnesty and some liberals concerned about the creation of a non-citizen immigrant working class. Some quick thoughts below the fold.

Promoted by Brendan -- could the political rancor of today actually spawn armed conflict in the future? Are the fault lines across American society deepening to the point of potential civil war? I don't think so, but it's worth examining what lines in the sand we draw as conservatives or liberals.

This diary is an outgrowth of this comment , so some related commentary may be found there. That comment was, in turn, a reply to this open thread topic from Ender:

Is there any doubt that some liberals are overreacting whining babies? Top recommended diary on dkos - Is there any doubt now that it is a coup attempt? . You look at it, and all you can do is shake your head. Is there any doubt that the person who wrote that is a lunatic a bit off? At least we don't get much of that craziness here :)

The text of my original comment is reproduced here as a matter of convenience:

I have been saying for years that I think this country may actually be heading into a civil war some time in the (relatively) near future. I haven't ever put a time frame to it but I wouldn't be surprised if it occurred in my son's lifetime.

Welcome to my coming-out party. No, sorry pico; it’s not that kind of ‘coming-out.’ :-)

For my inaugural front page diary, I wish to start by stating that I will try to present the type of material I find most interesting: those issues that have no clear-cut or established partisan answers. Let’s go beyond the important but often trite partisan debates we have around here and examine what it means to be an American citizen in the 21st century. What are our obligations? What are our values? What are our goals? Most significantly in regards to our mission here of inter-ideological dialogue, what are our rights in the current political climate?

The Duke rape case has essentially fallen apart and the prosecutor is facing multiple ethics complaints and may be disbarred. The DNA evidence does not appear to confirm the accuser's initial story. The Duke case struck a chord with conservative bloggers from the beginning, and many conservative blogs have devoted significant time and resources to coverage and investigation. While the concern and interest is certainly appreciated, it's hard not to wonder where this passion for correcting legal injustices has been lurking all this time. As libertarian Radley Balko put it :