Posted on 04/20/2010 12:31:07 PM PDT by HiJinx
SIERRA VISTA — With increased notice being paid to border security since the killing of a Cochise County rancher last month, it is important that local and state lawmakers get a commitment from the federal goverment to provide additional security along Arizona’s border with Mexico, the county’s sheriff said Monday.
“While we have the nation’s attention, it’s important that we strike now,” Larry Dever said. The killing of Robert Krentz, presumably by an illegal immigrant, “has put an exclamation point on the problems that we face and have faced down there for some time,” the sheriff said during a telephone conference Monday with fellow Sheriff Paul Babeu of Pinal County and Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl in Washington.
Dever spoke out in support of a 10-point plan for border security proposed by the senators, which calls for more federal personnel along the border as well as increased funding to reimburse law enforcement agencies in border communities for costs related to illegal immigration and drug smuggling.
“I want to make it clear that I’m very supportive of this idea,” he said.
Specifically, it calls for the immediate deployment of 3,000 National Guard troops along the Arizona-Mexico border, as well as a permanent increase of 3,000 Customs and Border Protection agents by 2015 and an additional $40 million for Operation Stonegarden.
“We feel overwhelmed right now. We cannot do this alone,” said Babeu. “This is actual action that is needed.”
The plan was a combination of the senators’ own long-held ideas and of recommendations from Border Patrol and sheriffs along the border, said Kyl.
After discussing the issue with the sheriffs, McCain said it was obvious that “border violence has escalated dramatically in the last couple of years.”
He went on to call the controversial immigration enforcement bill, S.B. 1070, passed by the Arizona Senate on Monday, a “good tool.” The bill makes it a state crime for illegal immigrants to be in the state and requires police to enforce federal immigration laws. The passing of the bill was a sign, he said, that “the state understands that the federal government is not fulfilling its constitutional duty” to secure the border.
Kyl agreed, saying that President Barack Obama has “backed away” from discussing border policy.
“He certainly hasn’t lead on the issue,” Kyl said.
Dever is scheduled to speak before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs today along with the mayors of Nogales, Ariz., and Nogales, Sonora. The topic of the hearing is “Border Security: Moving Beyond the Virtual Fence.”
• Provide the Border Patrol with the resources they need to operate unmanned aerial vehicles 24 hours a day and send additional UAVs to the border.
• Fully fund and support a federal operation in both of Arizona’s Border Patrol sectors that would ensure repeat illegal border crossers go to jail for 15 to 60 days.
Ping!
What’s that old question? Ah, yes...”What’s it going to take before you take action, somebody getting killed?”
Situation down here is way beyond the boiling point.
Border security is a must...but so is Posse Commitatus!
McCain & Kyl are open-borders RINOs.
Here is my security plan:
McCain quits and JD Hayworth gets elected.
Kyl steps down and AZ Gov. Jan Brewer appoints a conservative Republican to take over RINO Kyl’s seat.
SandRat has an interesting post regarding Posse Commitatus and the use of the armed forces.
Wish I could remember the section of the US Code that he cites. Fairly certain it’s in Title X.
Kyl disappoints me greatly. 2 years ago he was pushing hard for the fence and a closed border.
McCain’s “security plan”: kneel down and let the trafficante shoot you in the head.
Yeah, right.
I’m wondering how their 10-point plan meshes with the 18-point plan offered by the Arizona Cattlemens’ Association last week.
Posse Commitatus
The Posse Commitatus Act, while advisory and customary, is not equivalent to the Constitutional guarantee of border security to the several States. Further, the protections offered by Posse Commitatus, supposedly precluding the use of military force within the US are at best, illusory. I point you to USC Title X, Section 333:
The President, by using the militia or the armed forces, or both, or by any other means, shall take such measures as he considers necessary to suppress, in a State, any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy, if it—
(1) so hinders the execution of the laws of that State, and of the United States within the State, that any part or class of its people is deprived of a right, privilege, immunity, or protection named in the Constitution and secured by law, and the constituted authorities of that State are unable, fail, or refuse to protect that right, privilege, or immunity, or to give that protection; or
(2) opposes or obstructs the execution of the laws of the United States or impedes the course of justice under those laws.
In any situation covered by clause (1), the State shall be considered to have denied the equal protection of the laws secured by the Constitution.
So you see, Congress gave the President the police power with enormous latitude well over 100 years ago, Constitutional or not (IMO, not).
“After discussing the issue with the sheriffs, McCain said it was obvious that “border violence has escalated dramatically in the last couple of years.”
Idiot.
BTW, McCain seems to be a holdout for Obama in his new Senate Bill 3217, also known as the Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010, introduced by Democrat Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut.
More info on that from the Tea Party.
The vast majority of Tea Party Patriots’ Local Coordinators from all over the country agreed on our most recent weekly conference call that this is a bad bill and we oppose it.
In short it grants permanent, unlimited bailout authority to the Federal Reserve. It’s like TARP forever without the nasty, unpopular debates and votes in Congress. Beyond that it gives the Fed the power to takeover vaguely defined “nonbank financial companies”. And the Fed has the power to decide what constitutes a “nonbank financial company” on a case by case basis.
So, what are we asking you to do?
Four things:
1.) Please contact your own Senators first and voice your opposition to this bill. If possible, physically go in person to the local home offices of your two Senators and speak to someone there who will take note of your opinion and pass it on. If you’re not able to go in person, please call, email, and fax the offices of both Senators from your state. (Find Your Senators by State on the Senate Website)
2.) Call, email, and fax these 8 Republican Senators who are not yet 100% opposed to this bill:
Bob Bennett of Utah (202) 224-5444
http://bennett.senate.gov/public/
Susan Collins of Maine (202) 224-2523
http://collins.senate.gov/public/
Christopher Bond of Missouri (202) 224-5721
http://bond.senate.gov/public/
Saxby Chambliss of Georgia (202) 224-3521
http://chambliss.senate.gov/public/index.cfm
Bob Corker of Tennessee (202) 224-3344
http://corker.senate.gov/public/
John McCain of Arizona (202) 224-2235
http://mccain.senate.gov/public/
Olympia Snowe of Maine (202) 224-5344
http://snowe.senate.gov/public/
Scott Brown of Massachusetts (202) 224-4543
http://scottbrown.senate.gov/public/
3.) Write Letters about this issue to your local paper for publication on or before Sunday. Also leave comments on as many news blogs and websites related to this subject as you can find.
4.) Forward this message to as many people as you can and ask them to take these same 4 steps as soon as possible. Use the full power of your circle of influence to move others (at least 1 more person) to take action.
Once again it’s up to us, you and your fellow Tea Party Patriots, to defend America from out of control government.
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