Posted on 08/21/2004 5:08:47 PM PDT by 4.1O dana super trac pak
MEXICO CITY - President Bush's nephew, campaigning for overseas votes in Mexico on Saturday, called the federal policy of arming U.S. Border Patrol agents with plastic pellet guns "reprehensible."
Speaking in a mix of English and sometimes-halting Spanish, George P. Bush said his uncle was not to blame for the gun policy, which has angered Mexicans. He instead blamed it on "some local INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) guy who's trying to be tough, act macho."
"If there has been American approval for this policy, that is reprehensible," Bush said of the guns, essentially paintball projectiles filled with chile powder. "It's kind of barbarous."
The pellet guns, which were approved at the federal level, have been used on a trial basis since 2001 in California and Arizona. The U.S. Border Patrol fired the pepper-balls in 81 instances in 2002-2003 and reported no deaths or severe injuries.
President Bush's Hispanic nephew - he's the grandson of migrant worker Jose Maria Garnica - is in Mexico on a week-long visit to drum up support for his uncle among the estimated 1 million Americans living there.
The younger Bush, whose father is Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and [whose] mother, Columba, is originally from Mexico, acknowledged at a news conference that the war in Iraq is not popular in Mexico but defended the military action, saying "we're almost done with it."
He also acknowledged that "there are some people in our (Republican) party who don't see the benefits of immigration," but promised that President Bush was a proponent of immigration reform.
He called Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez " a dictator" and cast doubt on his victory last wek in a recall referendum, saying Chavez had "a long history of fraud." Outside observers, including former President Jimmy Carter, have endorsed the Venezuelan vote counts.
Christopher Fussner, global chairman of Republican Abroard, which funded Bush's trip, called Mexico "the most important country" for getting overseas votes.
Fussner said Republicans are advertising in overseas English-language newspapers around the world in hopes of capturing expatriate votes.
Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's campaign also has enlisted family members to woo voters in Mexico. His sister, Diana Kerry, chairwoman of Americans Overseas for Kerry, visited Mexico City in July.
Kerry supporters also held a voter-registration and ballot-request drive in Guadalajara on Thursday.
Oh please, kid.
I think they should be armed with rifle-caliber carbines in either .223 on .308.
Furthermore, this turd is likely violating a federal law by encouraging illegals to come here.
Can we expect the JBT's to come and arrest him at o-dark thirty?
This report is bunk.
George P. Bush speaks excellent Spanish and is much too poised for this sort of clumsiness.
The kid is an up-and-comer.
Pepper-ball guns to guard the borders?
American Guards at Abu Ghraib (and other prisons) have to use rubber bullets.
Why the hell have we spent billions of dollars on armaments and military programs to issue our guards pepper-ball guns and rubber bullets?
PC gets Americans killed.
They're a nonlethal defensive weapon that gets used when border agents are under attack by thrown objects. Would he prefer the agents shoot them with bullets? The Bushes are all jackasses on the immigration issue, and I'm fed up with it.
The writer of this should be canned. Or better yet, caned.
What a load of crap.
Kerry supporters also held a voter-registration and ballot-request drive in Guadalajara on Thursday.
What?
This kid can kiss my big toe. While he is in MEXICO courting votes..that will not be there..his "uncle" will be losing votes up here..where they really do count.
This just tees me off..always has, and it always will.
Thanks for the thread.
Dare he would ever say this in English on prime time network news
Welcome to the New World Order.
Many folks here have already "crowned" him the nominee 20 years from now.
ping
Calling Border Patrol officers defending themselves "barbarous" is bunk.
You obviously know nothing about him, and I don't mean that in a maliceous sense.
He is very well spoken and is very poised and has done this same sort of campainging in the Hispanic community for W in 1998 and 2000. These are the remarks of a rookie and the kid is no rookie.
It's the reporter you should be directing your resentment toward as I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that those first few sentences are totally gratuitous.
You know.. If you think about it. If terrorists staged an attack from across the border and attacked... There'd be nothing to stop them from reaching a town and laying it to waste before scattering.
Kerry supporters also held a voter-registration and ballot-request drive in Guadalajara on Thursday.
Am I missing something here?
I'm willing to bet that these remarks have been inaccurately attributed to him.
This AP story has been picked up by 3 or 4 papers in the last hour.
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