Posted on 05/09/2006 12:40:29 PM PDT by NapkinUser
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressmen Tom Tancredo (R-CO) decried a recently-disclosed U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) practice of tipping off the Mexican military to the location of Minutemen volunteers. According to a story in this morning’s Inland Daily Bulletin, CBP notifies the Mexican government of when and where the Minutemen are planning to monitor the border and if violence is used by the Minutemen against illegal aliens. There has not been one verified instance of Minutemen volunteers using violence against illegal aliens.
“The Mexican military doesn’t exactly have a ‘good government’ reputation. The Border Patrol has documented more than two hundred incursions into the U.S by the Mexican military, and Texas sheriffs even apprehended Mexican government vehicles that were used to ferry drug runners across the border. By tipping off Mexico’s military to the Minutemen’s location, the U.S. government is asking for trouble,” said Tancredo.
“Heavily-armed military officials stationed only yards from civilians are at least intimidating. I can only surmise that the Border Patrol bureaucrats’ spying is meant to have a chilling effect on the Minutemen’s recruitment of more volunteers,” said Tancredo.
“The Minutemen haven’t been accused of breaking the law. Quite the contrary—they have gone out of their way to aid law enforcement and ensure the safety of our border. The U.S. government has no grounds upon which to stifle the Minutemen’s constitutional right to organize,” Tancredo concluded. “I want to know the legal basis for CBP informing a foreign government of the activities of private citizens who are obeying the law.”
How can you trust a politician that goes in the lift off mode, without making sure he really has fuel in his tank? Isn't that being a big trigger happy? What is wrong with making some inquiries, awaiting the comment from the administration, and after being satisfied about the facts, then commenting? What is the friggin' rush?
It always makes me go back to the basic question...what is really driving their outrage.
Frustration. It is as simple as that.
The worst thing is he porked it into the emergency appropriations for the WOT...funds our troops needed. Oddly enough that's never listed as one of his credentials.
Thanks - I printed up the translation - who care if she finds it or not.
Tennessee is becoming little Mexico in many places now. I was listening to the radio this morning and they were talking to a construction worker in Nashville. He said he hadn't given politics that much of a thought before but illegals are taking his livelihood away. He was pretty angry.
The GOP leadership had better stop listening to the Rockefeller Republicans who have nearly ran the GOP and this nation into the ground and start listening to conservatives who put their sorry hides in office. Contrary to the question of another looser Jerry Ford saying "Where else can they go" referring to Conservatives at the 2000 GOP Convention we do have somewhere else we can go. We can also replace the GOP. The GOP has forgotten it was born of a major issue and was formed by three parties. It didn't take long to do it either and put a POTUS in the White House.
Tancredo seemed to assume a story from a Mexican web site was true, without doing some more checking, and without waiting for a White House response, and went ballistic. Is that clearer?
"When the gov't starts going door to door to confiscate our guns... that'll be the last day of my life."
Live Free or Die. Couldn't say it better myself.
Bush should be ashamed of himself for spying on American citizens trying to protect the border.
Why do you think this is only coming from a Mexican web site?
http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_3799653
What's driving mine is tyrants in office. I'm as outraged over the plants deal as I am the ports. And if Bill Clinton had did this you would be also. My beliefs didn't change when the occupant of the Oval Office changed. Who ever the Flag Officer are ordering carriers and other deep draft Navy ships berthed in port pier-side in the UAE rather than in the harbor where they can get underway under own power should be court martial and the Secretary of Defense asked to resign. I would say as much no matter who was POTUS.
This is the nugget that is of interest in your link. We will have to wait and see what "notification process" means, and who the spokesman is.
Frankly I don't really care about this issue. It is a waste of time. It is not as if the Minutemen are secretive about where they are. In fact, they love the publicity, and usually welcome the media just coming on down.
What am I missing here?
Actually with my over thiry years directly involved with Port Operations and Port Security I knew it was all a distorted lie...it didn't matter who the President was.
Yes, but the article says that this notification is after-the-fact not before, which is standard procedure. The whole argument being made is that the government is tipping the Mexican government off to their location BEFORE any such actions.
"I'm not posting this to get in an argument but that seems like a clear statement he made that it's phony. He doesn't say anything about believing it to be."
_____________________________________________
Its still simply Jim R's statement that the story is phony. He did not provide any supporting information.
I went to that thread, and it's mostly mockery. As I said, I honestly don't want this to be true. But, CBP issuing a terse denial isn't a strong reassurance, while the newspaper is standing by the story, plus the rough translations here that tend to lend credence on some level to the claim. Do I "believe" a Mexican website over one of our own agencies? That's one of the more peculiar, repetitive statements on the thread you pinged me onto. It's peculiar because "Mexican" is being used pejoratively. If that Mexican government site was hacked, and these three reports are fraudulent, that's one thing, but I don't think casting aspersions upon Mexicans in general bolsters the case that this whole thing is fabricated. I'll continue looking for info, but thanks anyway.
This is consistent with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963 that provides consular access to foreign nationals being detained by a foreign government. This is the same agreement that protects United States citizens when they travel to foreign countries.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol continues to appreciate the efforts of civilians who contact law enforcement authorities regarding suspicious activity.
Not sure how you get mostly mockery out of that. Seems like a pretty straight forward response by the government. Several networks have been reporting much the same denial coming from the government. If you don't want this to be true that should calm your fears.
The mockery begins immediately after the posted article, by the usual coterie.
The follow on posts in no way alters the content of the original article, which pretty much debunks the story. That is what you said you were hoping for.
"That is what you said you were hoping for."
It's a denial. That's just the beginning, as far as disproving is concerned. Are these three reports not authentic? Or, is there some misperception between our government and the government of Mexico, as far as the import of negotiations that have been ongoing for some time?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.