Posted on 06/16/2006 10:41:38 AM PDT by Small-L
President Bush has refused to meet with border law-enforcement officials from Texas for a second time. His response to their request came in the form of a letter Monday, angering both lawmakers and sheriffs.
In fact, some Republican members of the House, upset by what they call the administration's seeming lack of concern for border security, are preparing to hold investigative hearings in San Diego and Laredo, Texas, early next month.
Members of the House Subcommittee on International Terrorism and Nonproliferation hope to expose serious security flaws that could potentially lead to terrorist attacks in the country, said Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, who is a member of the panel and has pushed for the hearings.
"The next terrorist is not going to come in through (Transportation Security Administration) screening at Kennedy airport," Poe said. "We already have information that people from the Middle East have come through the border from Mexico. They assimilate in Mexico learning to speak Spanish and adopt customs and then they cross the border into the United States."
Poe requested the meeting for members of the Southwestern Sheriffs' Border Coalition a group that includes all 26 border-county sheriffs from California, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas. The sheriffs wanted to speak to the president about the increasing dangers in their communities and along the border.
"The president is the busiest man in the world but he needs to take the time to talk to the border sheriffs and learn what's happening in the real world from them," Poe said. "We can't understand why he refuses to meet with them."
In May, all of the Republican House members from Texas traveled to Washington to meet the president regarding border security. Bush did not meet with them, however, and former White House spokesman Scott McClellan was sent in his stead.
Poe said the White House letter dated Monday showed the disconnect between the administration and the American people who want the border secured.
"The president would appreciate the opportunity to visit with border sheriffs," said the White House letter written by La Rhonda M. Houston, deputy director of the Office of Appointments and Scheduling. "Regrettably, it will not be possible for us to arrange such a meeting. I know that you understand with the tremendous demands of the president's time, he must often miss special opportunities, as is the case this time."
Rick Glancey, spokesman for the sheriffs coalition, said its members are angry and disappointed in the president's response. Glancey said Bush's recent tour of the border with Border Patrol spokesmen did not reflect the reality of what locals live with every day.
"It's a slap in the face to the hardworking men and women on the front lines of rural America who every day engage in border-security issues," Glancey said. "He missed the opportunity to take off his White House cowboy boots and put some real cowboy boots on and walk in our shoes for a few minutes."
The border hearings will expose the truth to the American public and force the administration to take a serious look at the border, said Allan Knapp, Poe's legislative director.
Knapp and Poe have traveled twice to the border this year, spending time along barren stretches where they witnessed no security and numerous migrants crossing into the United States, they said.
"We need to expose the lack of border security before it is too late," Poe said. "We're fighting a war on terror in Iraq and we're winning, but we're losing our own border war. These hearings will be a necessary step in the right direction."
Andy Ramirez, chairman of the Chino-based Friends of the Border Patrol, said he has been called to testify before the panel in San Diego. Ramirez said he has turned in two years of Border Patrol documents and memos, which he will discuss before the committee.
"The president has basically pushed his whole administration's agenda toward the war on terror, yet he can't find the time to meet with law-enforcement leaders responsible for border security," Ramirez said. "It is appalling and outrageous that the war on terror and border security does not extend to the U.S. border."
Blatantly untrue Miss Marple. The dissent against Illegal Immigration is real, and without the cooperation of the moderators on this forum, it would be deafening.
I was born in Yellow Dog Democrat country in the thirties, and believe me the defense of this President on all issues right or wrong, makes the Democratic machine I was raised in look like amateurs.
The president is Wrong, wrong wrong. on immigration, and he will destroy the Republican Party if he continues, his current fight against the will of over 80% of the people.
The dissenters on this forum will be blamed, but the fault lays squarely at the feet of Karl Rove and The President.
Not name calling, just identifying you correctly. You use an oxymoronic tag line, by the very words of Jesus, you can not be a non-evangelical atheist, you are either with Him or against Him. As I recall you admired that position from our President.
It's obvious, you've never worked along the US/Mexican border!
The numbers out of Washington, also come from folks that have no clue about what goes on along the border or immigration in general. It's not surprising you would believe pencil pushers over real border enforcement folks.
"Do we need to come up with some type of policy on what to do with the current 12 million illegals? I think so (perhaps you don't)."
We already have such a policy. It's ignored.
"No, what is beneath contempt is the number of people who actually think the POTUS should be there to hold their whining, crying little hands each and every through bit of trouble or difficulty that life brings."
So, we should just shut up and do what he says. Our betters know what's best for us, after all. How dare a taxpayer have a political opinion not in accord with the *ruling* Administration. The nerve.
However, when one is reading a thread on the intelligence gathered from Zaqawri's compuer, and the success of the mision and its ramifications is being discussed, and suddenly someone comes on the thread to say "Yeah, but the border with Mexico is open" (which is inaccurate) you sort of get peeved.
Suppose you posted a thread about immigration, and it was suddenly flooded by people who mocked it and pointed out all of the successes in Iraq and called you names. Would you not be a bit peeved? Of course you would.
That is my point. If you think this constant thread hijacking is helping your cause, you are quite foolish.
If that is what you took away from my comments - Then my time is to valuable to waste in a serious discussion with you.
Regards (and here's hoping the Prez wipes your sniffling nose next time you need it).
So whats so shocking? He is directing this to US citizens of hispanic origin. If the video were directed at US citizens of Vietnamese or any other ethnic origin nobody would bring this up. I don't know where you are such a warped moronic interpretation of this.
And that has what to do with the video? Apparently you didn't notice the numerous US flags being waved by the hispanic Americans in the video, or the US flags on the uniforms of those hispanics serving in the military depicted in the video. We routinely display flags of foreign countries when foreign dignitaries come to visit. People who are proud of their heritage display flag decals of other countries on the bumpers of their cars. The video depicted a little girl who obviously proud of her heritage gave a small flag to President Bush. Try putting it into context and get over it! I'm beginning to think that much of this immigration debate has more to do with "hispanophobia" than concern for the borders.
He spent most of his life in Texas. His parents moved to Midland when he was only about 2 or 3. So he went to school in the east for a few years, what of it? He spent most of his adult life in TX. I would bet he knows a great deal of Teaxas history.
Believe what you want Wolfstar. I'll not waste my time educating you any longer.
The sealed minds you are trying to convince couldn't be opened with a chainsaw.
They'll believe any halfwit journalist who backs up their bias, but facts and logic can't penetrate their thick skulls. The distortions posted on this thread about President Bush are unbelieveable.
I've become convinced over the past months that it is an exercize in futility to reply to any of these dimwits.
Just post the facts about what President Bush has actually done to "All" and let the truth be known that way.
Blatantly untrue Miss Marple.
You've GOT to be kidding! LOL!
Immigration only haters infiltrate ANY thread about President Bush.
It doesn't have to apply to immigration at all. It is the most flagrant, rude, rule-breaking, nasty, but consistent occurrence in my five years on FR. It's absolutely disgusting.
And it's taking this good forum down the drain.
You sound like the yellow dog Dem I talked to from Texas.
When I told her the facts about where he was raised and chose to live (TEXAS!) she refused to admit that she was wrong. She kept saying he was a northeasterner in spite of the truth.
I expect leftists to be completely uneducated about these things, but not freepers......
Actually, OWF, I'm seriously thinking about joining a long list of people and walking away from FR permanently. The only thing that keeps me here is the Dose.
FR used to be the place I'd come for up-to-the-minute news and stimulating political conversation. But somewhere along the line it became dominated by (1) the types of fringe people who voted for Perot, Buchanan, and minority parties such as Reform, Natural Law, Libertarian, etc., and (2) imposters from the Left pretending to be unhappy conservatives and Republicans in order sow division.
Heck, we don't even see much in the way of substantive news posted here anymore. Much of what's here falls within a very narrow range of topics, leading to the same tired arguments. It's stale stuff.
There was a time not too long ago when a thin, badly constructed article such as this would have been thoroughly discredited here. Now it's an excuse for the haters to run rampant. Not only to run rampant, but to squeeze out those of us who are not haters.
I keep thinking what's the point.
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