For "Thunder on the Border," click the picture:
Posted on 07/21/2006 6:33:00 AM PDT by conservativecorner
Presidential press secretary Tony Snow today defended his boss' level of commitment to border security, saying President Bush is "cognizant" of the fact terrorists may be entering the U.S. illegally.
"The president has made his views on border security well-known," WND told the spokesman, "and my question: Would the president make border security a higher priority if he were convinced it was being used as an entry point by terrorists like those who are part of Hezbollah and al-Qaida?"
Responded Snow: "Think of it this way. The president committed as much money to the borders already as the House of Representatives was planning on doing in five years. So, he was serious before – he's perfectly cognizant of the possibility there may be terrorists crossing over. We have intelligence assets deployed in the area, and so he's not going to be anymore concerned because he's already very concerned about it."
Yesterday, Snow indicated the president "is already putting National Guardsmen in positions where they can relieve the Border Patrol" – part of a $1.9 billion supplemental appropriation.
"I'm concerned that these people being "rescued" out of Lebanon are terrorists. Is anyone checking to see if they are American citizens?"
Special Briefing
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
July 20, 2006
Lebanon Assisted Departure Special Briefing With Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Maura Harty and Department of Defense Deputy Director for Regional Operations of theJoint Chiefs of Staff Brigadier General Barbero
(snip)
And with that, I think we'll take your questions.
QUESTION: General, is there a possibility that Hezbollah agents, who might be U.S. citizens, might have even green cards, could somehow get into this mix and courtesy of the U.S. Government find themselves in Philadelphia or in Baltimore?
BGEN BARBERO: I know that the Embassy is screening all the passengers before they arrive at the point of embarkation and I COULDN'T ANSWER THAT HYPOTHETICAL QUESTION. I know there is a screening process and I know we have security forces aboard every one of these means of conveyance."
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2006/69294.htm#departures
Not exactly reassuring. Rebel told me the screening process was a joke. But hey, they provided a Vet to screen the pets in case anyone needs, and they're providing doctors, in case anyone needs. I get the feeling that they are in PR overdrive because of Katrina. Meanwhile, we've provided free transportation for so-called "Americans" and can't be certain that none were Hezbollah.
For "Thunder on the Border," click the picture:
Seems like Tony was pretty sympathetic to the Pres. on the border issue when he was on the radio. I'm prepared to be corrected, but it seems like that was one annoying area of his belief system.
LOL, it's a work, but no progress is being made.
GW is a day late and a dollar short!
Our borders are a joke and are purposely left wide open for the dirt cheap labor that floods across it...along with the terrorists of course.
And, prey tell what is an intellectual vs a psudointellectual, in your mind?
Curiosity responds:
A pseudointellectual is one who attempts to sound erudite and knowledgeable on a subject yet in fact does not have anything of substance to say.
An intellectual is one who is genuinely learned and can make subtle, relevent, and intelligent arguments.
Your post that another freeper labeled as pseudointellectual, was, I believe, labeled acurately.
You attempted to justify the president's neglect of illegal immigration by claiming that he has in fact restricted immigration of potentially dangerous persons and only neglected the influx of low-priority non-criminal illegal aliens laborers. You attempted to make your opinion sound erudite by citing several facts that, while interesting, are largely irrelevent. Furthermore, as cripplecreek points out, your argument also ignores the obvious fact that without checking the backgrounds of the masses sneaking accross the southern border, we have no way of telling whether they are dangerous terrorists or relatively harmless laborers, exposing the lack of substance in your seemingly erudite post.
So yes, your post does fit quite nicely the classic definition of pseudointellectual: seemingly erudite yet at the same time vacuous.
I have all the credentials to be called an top-flight intellectual. So you don't know one when you see one. You are probably mostly threatened by someone who can express herself with a good vocabulary.
However, I am not an expert on this subject, I am just discussing the news. I was not arguing that border enforcement is perfect, now. I know it is not. Having said that, all that I can say about your two points is that you haven't made any friends, today.
Just another gratuitous pot shot. Who needs it? Nobody.
No, just the unabashed truth from the inside.
Oh, I see. Secret decoder ring, huh?
No, unlike you, I work in DHS.
I have a unique perspective that you keyboard warriors never will.
My qualifications are likely not as good as yours. However, seeing as how I hold a tenure-track junior faculty position at a Pac 10 school, I don't think I lack humility in asserting that I have some.
Incidently, I did not mean to suggest you are a pseudo-intellectual, only that the rather smug post of yours qualified for that discription.
Just as a smart person may sometimes do something stupid, a true intellectual may occaisionally write something that would qualify as pseudointellectual.
I don't know you or your work; I am sure most of it is of top caliber. Please forgive me if my post suggested otherwise.
Sounds to me as if it is just another d hominem which accomplis nothing but ill will.
Looking back at it, I do regret the tone of my post, and agree that it did little to contribute to the discussion. On the other hand, I think the same can be said of yours.
It also sounds as if you have very bad manners.
Yes, sometimes I can be a bit curt with people when I think they're talking nonsense. My advisor warned me about it, saying it could adversely impact my career. It's something I am working on.
I was not arguing that border enforcement is perfect, now. I know it is not.
Not perfect? No, not at all. That sentence qualifies for understatement of the day!
Having said that, all that I can say about your two points is that you haven't made any friends, today.
Well, I hope that I have done enough to make ammends and that we can still be friends.
Dittos, dittos, and more dittos.
I appreciate the olive branch.
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