Posted on 01/31/2007 3:33:26 PM PST by kiriath_jearim
DEL RIO, Texas -- A recent standoff between National Guardsmen and heavily armed outlaws along the Mexican border has rattled some troops and raised questions about the rules of engagement for soldiers who were sent to the border in what was supposed to be a backup role.
Six to eight gunmen -- possibly heading for Mexico with drug money -- approached a group of Tennessee National Guard troops at an overnight observation post Jan. 3 on the U.S. side of the Arizona-Mexico border. No one fired a shot, and the confrontation ended when American troops retreated to contact the Border Patrol. The gunmen then fled into Mexico.
But the incident made some National Guard commanders nervous enough to move up training dates for handling hostage situations. And some lawmakers have questioned why the rules prohibit soldiers from opening fire unless they are fired upon.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
The Guardsmen know that if they defend themselves, they will probably be thrown in prison. Imagine the screaming leftist RATS if the Guardsmen had killed a bunch of drug smugglers.
Yeah, it's Bush's fault!
I have a question. On another post I read where the NG were being pelted with rocks. Are the NG allowed to throw rocks in self defense?
I believe he is the Chief Executive.
The Rats, as you call them, are Legislative.
The operational control is under the purview of the Executive Branch. So yes, it is Bush's fault.
That line absolutely left me slackjawed. They want to teach them HOSTAGE NEGOTIATION instead of allowing them to defend themselves or our country!!!!!!!! With this attitude it is just a matter of time before we are conquered.
Yes, it's Bush's fault.
"Six to eight gunmen -- possibly heading for Mexico with drug money -- "
This is interesting ... it dosen't say the men CAME from Mexico - it appears they were headed TO Mexico.
Is the Guard there to stop people from leaving also ?
"Imagine the screaming leftist RATS if the Guardsmen had killed a bunch of drug smugglers."
Imagine Alberto Gonzales and his stooge U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton if they killed a bunch of drug smugglers.
??INVERSION OR INSERTION???
Did you hear the guy on Levin's show last night(from Natl. Guard)say that Custom's helicopters are on dedicated missions to find pregnant illegals and shuttle them to US hospitals? Un-$#^%&@!*-believable.
They were exceedingly lucky. Even Blessed. Were it me, I'd have told my guys to lock up a head shot and open up. Worry about Admin later. But I'll be damned if I'm going to allow...even facilitate an armed invasion of home soil by an armed foreign force! There would have been an inevitable international incident and given the current climate in this country, likely as not, I and those troops would have been arrested and extradited for trial in Mexico. So I guess it's a good thing I'm not there.
"Yeah, it's Bush's fault!"
Yes it is.
I don't even see it as hostage negotiation. Why would field units need to learn hostage negotiation; you can bring in the experts. I see it as referring to training how to be hostages.
I was wondering that also, This squad came from Mexico and met with some people at a place in the US. They were only seen walking to the border. The NG was not posted as a front line WW1 unit like many here fail to remember. I can see it now.. NG kills pig hunters.
OMG, I didn't even think of that. Sickening
The closest one of them got was 10 yards, at night it appears, yet the NG identified automatic weapons and body armor ?
The "possibly heading for Mexico with drug money" is somewhat strange also - Going south you can have anything in your car, why smuggle it INTO Mexico ? UNLESS as you suspect, they first brought the dope up and got paid for it.
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