Posted on 08/21/2004 9:04:20 PM PDT by ETERNAL WARMING
(08-21) 15:55 PDT MEXICO CITY (AP) --
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 2002-03 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 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 week 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 Republicans Abroad, 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.
Funny, you never hear the President or his nephew complain and voice their outrage over the millions of criminals that are invading our country, routinely bringing in *tons* of drugs, murderers, rapist, robbers, while millions of others choke off our social services, schools, jobs, jails, leaving thousand of American victims in their criminal wake.
While government points a gun to the head of American citizens demanding we pay for all this chaos.
How come we never hear this little sawed off brat complain about all this? Why is that?
I think it's clear where his allegiance is.
In the time of attack on the Alamo, it was Tejanos --- both hispanic and non-hispanic who were fighting ---- they were fighting against Mexicans --- Mexicans were killing the Tejanos to prevent Texas from becoming independent --- they were not fighting for this country.
bumperoo
The problem of illegals will be solved when employeers are put in jail for hiring illegals. Like the 86 immigration law tried to do.
I think he considers himself part of the new international elite which enjoys taxpayer protections for their glamorous lifestyles -- but the taxpayers can shove it when it comes to being protected themselves. This kid has never risked his life for anything at all --- yet he's got the huevos to condemn men far more brave who are being shot at and murdered by those who refuse to respect borders.
This is exactly what the lower classes in Mexico which is the majority have to contend with and why they're leaving -- pampered little elites believing they are entitled to position and money and dictating to the little people --- but where can we go?
I could not have described or worded that any better FITZ.
You are funny! FR wouldn't be the same without massive humor injections like these. GHW Bush (senior) was talking about establishing a new world order with free markets, rule of law, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and peace.
If you think that's a bad idea, then you have some explaining to do. I suspect you're not very interested in those things because you've been reading Webster Tarpley diatribes, listening to Noam Chomsky, or watching Michael Moore films. Which of these are your memes?
I can't help but feel that our forefathers spin in their graves nowadays!
"God" talks to Osama bin Laden, too. "He" tells him that President Bush is a Jew-loving infidel who should be stopped at all cost. (I think "he" is just Osama's lust for the title of bringer of the third caliphate, but that's another story.)
I'm with the Jews and with President Bush. Osama has a career goal that doesn't fit with my view of humanity's future.
Anyway, you should double-check the source of those "holy spirit" whisperings again. They might be due to a chemical imbalance or a Faustian deal you've made with yourself.
Both parties are wooing voters in Mexico why!?? Am I missing something here?
Good luck, brother Atossa. I'm going to take a different path from you. We'll see how it turns out. I'm optimistic about what Americans will decide next, and I don't think we're anywhere near Armageddon. We've weathered many worse times than these. All we need to do is remember that history isn't over. It's not over because the rapture is next, and it's not over because our president is soft on immigration. We can change the president's mind on that. And even devout Christians will remember that only Christ knows the day He will return.
Nice to see some common sense around here occasionally. The Wall Street Journal asked it best a few months ago in an editorial: "What about immigration causes conservatives to lose their bearings so fast?"
It's sad to see people here decrying the rapid growth of our federal government (correctly) on one thread, only to then turn and call for massive, inept, impossibly complicated, damaging federal bureacracies when it comes to immigration.
WRONG the DESCENDANTS of EUROPEANS! The current crop of EURO-PEONS who live in that dying and decadent continent are worthless IMHO.
You like the fact that Californians are paying millions and millions of dollars in support to illegal immigrants? And that situation is just in one single county! There are hundreds of millions of dollars going to illegal immigrants. That's my tax revenue. That's my budget. That's my future savings.
This is not sound business. It's not capitalism. It's redistribution of wealth by fiat and subsidized labor for these "wealth engines" you seem to love so much.
We don't mind legal, limited immigration. We already have those limits now -- and we have plenty of good results from welcoming legal immigrants.
What we can't afford, and what we are obligated by law to prevent, is wetback, border hopping, truck squirreling illegal immigration.
It's easy for you to sit on your high horse and tell us that it's OK for us to pay taxes for these people, sacrifice for our futures, and even limit the number of children we have while illegal immigrants get free medical care for their kids and spawn like rabbits, but I'm telling you to step off with that nonsense.
Legal immigration has sometimes helped our country. But it was always decided by law. Our leaders sat in their duly elected capacities and decided what was acceptable on behalf of the American people.
Fostering and looking the other way on illegal immigration is lawless and it has real consequences for Americans of all races and cultures living here today.
And we have good reason to demand that it end.
Flouting the second amendment, amenestying illegal aliens, and treating the redefinition of marriage as a trivial matter all have one thing in common: ignoring the rule of law and disrespecting the American people's will.
It's all happening for the same reason: American law is protection from tyranny. Without it we would have chaos and anarchy, much like the French revolution. That would suit the black armbanded NION/ANSWER types to a tee. And it would suit George Soros as well. The EU would love to see us devolve into a cultureless, faithless, shapeless society with no direction, no convictions, and no respect for our own Constitution.
And so it goes. I trust that we'll do the right thing in the end.
Then don't elect people who give out welfare payments. This is an argument against welfare, not against immigration. And I doubt you complain that much about all the cash you save thanks to Mexican immigrants (legal or otherwise) when you go to the restaurant, Wal-Mart, golf course, hotel, etc.
We don't mind legal, limited immigration.
Sounds like Democrats and the AFL-CIO talking about capitalism. They're all for it... as long as the federal government "limits" it. Sickening.
As immigration from Mexico has skyrocketed over the last two decades, so has our economy and so has the GOP. How do you explain that (after all, you're losing millions, right)?
Whom may that be? Lets have names.
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