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.
It is indeed all over except for the counting of the dead (euphemistically, of course).
Don't laugh. The Demorats are signing 'em up to vote in this election here in Vegas. They're going into the stores, bars and street corners and not being too careful about ID from what I hear. Who do you think they'll be voting for?
The complete article doesn't add much. At least the scion dumped on the Venezuelan scepter of ominous portent - quite ominous. Oil is going to be around 50 bucks or more a barrel for a very long time. Maybe that will thin out those horrid SUV's on the roads. There is a silver lining in that.
Hilarious.
Want to make a wager on who wins Nevada?
I only know one person voting for Bush. One. The rest of us have had enough of his hispandering. We're the ones paying the price.
Stingballs are a plastic or gelatin pellet the size of a grape that are filled with a Capsicum-based irritant, kind of like pepper spray. You don't want to be on the receiving end of a bunch of officers shooting stingballs at you. Really, really unpleasant. Been through military CS training? These are, I am reliably informed, worse. The idea is to incapacitate a suspect in situations where you don't want to use deadly force, like using a stun gun, or a taser, or pepper spray. Nothing wrong with that. I don't know what Bush's nephew is complaining about. If you're a Mexican and you're not entering the US illegally, and you're not posing a hazard to the BP officers that caught you if you tried it, then you won't get shot with Stingballs. Don't F with La Migra, and you'll be fine.
My main (not the only) gripe with W is that he seems to be allowing Fox to dictate US border policy. That is something that needs to be addressed. The source of the article however, Associated Press, leads me to believe that this is just another attempt to drive wedges into the conservative base. Leftist media organs can be counted on to churn out mountains of anything that they can think of to divide conservatives before this election. I have seen lots of articles on a variety of subjects that attempt to do this very thing in the past couple of weeks.
That's nice. I'm actually glad to hear that. The GOP wins when you lose.
And I didn't think you wanted to take that bet. Thanks for playing. Later.
Actually, he's letting the large majority of American small business owners dictate his border policy. As he should.
Are you suggesting that a large majority of American small businesses rely on illegal alien labor, or did I miss something in your post?
Well, as Texas_Dawg said
Actually, he's letting the large majority of American small business owners dictate his border policy. As he should.
Never underestimate the power of low wages. Look how well it worked for the South in the 19th century.
FWIW,American citizens living outside of America,FOR WHATEVER REASON,are allowed to vote in American elections.Why do YOU have a problem with that? They still have to pay American taxes.Or didn't you know that? :-)
There are FReepers who were supporters of Pat Buchanan four years ago. They believe that President Bush did something unfair (they can't say what) to prevent primary voters from nominating Buchanan instead of Bush.
Four years ago Buchanan tried to cut into Bush's vote in Florida and Michigan by concentrating his commercials in those states and appealing to both racists and xenophobes.
This year they are targeting xenophobes in key battleground states through use of the Mexican immigration issue. Obviously Buchanan can't be out front so he uses a Colorado Republican Congressman named Tom Tancredo (a real nut case).
Buchanan set up an organization and website in Tancredo's name. Buchanan's webmaster is Tancredo's webmaster and he put his sister Bay Buchanan in as Chairman.
They are the source of much of the anti-Mexican, anti-Bush propaganda venom that Buchanan's spawn are spewing on FR. After the election they will slither back under their rocks for another four years.
ARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH! This schmuck can't even speak spanish? Bush in now, somebody really mean in later. I am EXTREMELY tired of living in an Hispanic country, I've had it it. MEXICO: Cure your corruption, your crime, your poverty, don't bring it all here.
Maybe George P. can be pres. of Mexico one day. I remember back in 2001 (before Sept. 11th), I said "we need to get al gore back, Bush wants to be president of Mexico, bill clinton wants to be mayor of harlem" Sometimes I think it is still true.
Mexicans, STAY HOME!
That's a lie.
I remember back in 2001 (before Sept. 11th), I said "we need to get al gore back
Quite telling.
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