Dozens Of Chechen terrorists Entered USA from Mexico

I don't think I ever called for stopping everyone. But given the 4000-8000 (figures not disputed by either candidate during the debate) daily illegal crossings during a time of war, I think I can demand that my elected officials "do something." That is what they are paid to do.

You keep talking about detecting individual people in the water. For some reason, I doubt that AQ is swimming here from Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia. I do think we have the capacity to detect boats, as we have the capacity to detect submarines off of our coast.

As to Israel, many of its problems stem from the fact that it lives under artificial restraints, i.e. the present administration calling for "restraint" whenever Arafat's boys decide that a school bus filled with children or folks celebrating holy days are legitimate target. Had the U.S. supported Israel treating the Palestinians as we treated Afghanistan, I think there would have been a solution to this problem long ago.

BTW, why can we not secure our border and go after the enemy? I for one am confident in our ability to walk and chew gum at the same time.

Yeah ok, you are not getting it. Thats ok, the scale is hard to visualize. It is easy here in Israel where it is mostly dessert and you can drive across the nation in 45 minutes.

Try driving across Nevada and think of trying to spot 10 guys with a backpack out there that don't want to be spotted.

It is a lot harder than you think. I have had the fun of playing war games with helo's looking for me. Without a heck of a lot of luck, you aint a gonna find me if I don't want to get seen. It is real hard to understand if you have never tried it.

Try a paint ball game in the woods. Dang spooky where those paint balls come from all of a sudden. With any kind of undergrowth at all and a minimum of training it is nigh on to impossible to spot a determined squad if the goal is simply not to be seen.

While it is the governments duty to protect it's citizens, it is still unreasonable to think that they have much chance at sealing the borders of a huge free country. Now if Israel which is tiny and is playing a very high stakes game cannot with 100% conscription, where does that lead us?

Do you want 100% conscription just as starters? Will you give up freedom for safety? If you do you will have none of both.

That is my point. Yes they must do something, they are and are doing a darn good job at it. Better to start with complaining about liberal judges that do not enforce the laws than complain about Bush not getting the job done. He is, they Arnt.

Unless you want a USA bar code branded in your forehead, just how can you tell the guy next to you is illegal?

We are already using UAV's and other military gear on the borders which is a bit of a constitutional nightmare. How far will we go to give up the freedom the Terrorists want to take away?

At what point do we win the battle and loose the war?

It would be one hell of a deterrent to a would-be foreign invader if they knew that the Pentagon could have 50-100 million trained men under combat arms within 24-48 hours max. The Border Patrol or locally-operating SF units (for example) would have a massive "weekend warrior" volunteer army. Free, military manpower, would be a major asset to commanders and law enforcement personnel operating in the border regions. The political climate would have to change in the US for Congress to mandate that every city and town set up a local, official militia by force of law.

I bet people would line up in DROVES. I am not sure if the command structure could handle the massive influx of volunteers at first. Special Forces ODA (6) and ODB (6) units (12 man teams) could effectively supervise a few hundred unpaid, all-volunteer weekend warriors. As more training was required, military "advisers" with different MOSes could be brought in for specific types of advanced training. For example, how to use NVG, FLIR or remote ground sensors to spot or detect targets along the border for air assault/interdiction units. The weekend warriors would cost the taxpayer far less than a 50 million man permanent standing garrisoned army.

The only up front costs would be regional arsenals and training centers with new M4s, M-60s, SAWs etc and some additional NVG/FLIR technology. Older military hardware like deuce and a halfs could be passed down and recycled, rather than sitting around rusting. The taxpayer would get the maximum use of the military dollar, stretching the years of useful life on every truck, every humvee out another 20 or 30 years. Even the Sheridan tank could be handed down when airborne loses this great asset.

Weekend volunteers could be reasonably expected to pay for their own uniforms and MREs if they wanted to play the game. As leadership was exhibited, the best trainees could get honorary rank and be candidates for OCS, an ROTC program or direct application for recruitment into one of the branches of the service. Recruiters would be encouraged to be present and in the field at all USA Militia meetings, rather than drive around cities or sit behind desks. Coordination with local FEMA branches could be organized. The possibilities are endless. We desperately need an Eagle Scout type of volunteer militia to encourage good citizenship; promote responsibility; provide firearms training and safety procedure; enhance national security, and; provide trained resources should local communities have the need in time of emergency (and budgetary constraints).

If you know any government officials, or if you know the right agency, I would pitch this idea . It sounds plausible, although numbers seem a bit high to me, but less would be a good back up for USA. It was how the US gained its independence from Britain. A militia worked then and it would be a great benefit for the borders. I realize a lot would be older, retired or not eligible for Reserves, but it makes sense.
I am not as knowledgable as you on weapons and type of military operable gear/machinery available. I am sure the military would gladly receive a little help on homefront.
It might show that the draft is not needed, enough patriots out there to protect us.
My only concern is there are a few 'over the edge' types in some of the militia around, who concern the government. How would you handle them?

As part of the official superstructure, under DoD oversight, with SF and other mil. & Intel assets providing over watch, "training" and "leadership", in local conjunction and coordination with the national Guard and local police as well, I think the "over edge" types would not be a concern. Whether it is fighting forest fires, brush fires, dealing with hurricane damage cleanup or even rounding up illegals, or staking out border regions, an all-volunteer USA militia would be an unbelievable force multiplier. The total population of the US I believe could support 50-100m if the plan was implemented properly. Every town. Every city. The math is there. QC would be up on the list also.

Any significant or sensitive arsenal (SAWs, 240s, FLIR and ground based sensors for example) would have to be in an SF barracks or other centralized location with strict inventory controls in place, of course. We can't let what happened in the Philippines in recent memory happen in this case. Barret M82s, M4s, NVG and other "goodies" went AWOL. It was rumored a local insurgent group grabbed them.

http://www.malaya.com.ph/jan08/metro4.htm There is more info available on this one sample case, yet it illustrates

Lots of other issues need to be nailed down. Outsourcing is also a problem in my opinion.

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E11676%257E2427643,00.html

You are just too knowledgeable, what do you do for a living? I am amazed at the amount of detailed info you have pulled together, or have you been working on this for some time? This is very good information.
My only hesitancy is the numbers, do you really believe 50-100m would be interested in volunteering? Has any studies or surveys been done to get a consensus on those numbers?

It sounds great and I for one would like to know that we have a plan on paper, one that is organized and "readiness" is a real item.

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