Right. We've done nothing about border security, except more than quintuple the resources devoted thereto over the last few decades. (Graph show number of full time border patrol agents.)
Posted on 01/06/2007 6:38:04 AM PST by kellynla
Armed men overran a National Guard observation post along the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona this week, forcing the soldiers to retreat and prompting an investigation by the U.S. Border Patrol that has focused on the intruders' identity. No shots were exchanged and no one was injured in the incident, which occurred shortly after 11 p.m. on Wednesday. The National Guard troops were members of an entry-identification team, assigned to monitor major illegal-alien and drug-smuggling corridors. After forcing the soldiers to flee, the unidentified men retreated into Mexico. National Guard Sgt. Edward Balaban said the troops did not know how many men were involved in the attack "because obviously it took place in the dark." He said National Guard officials are investigating the incident and will determine shortly whether to change any procedures for troops at the border.
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
Really? Condi pushed the totalization agreement to give our SS to Mexico. And Ceasar Conda, former Cheney director for domestic policy is one of the biggest open border behind the scenes people around.
Please be careful what you wish for.
Who is CEASAR V. CONDA?
From 1996 to 1997, he served Republican Senator Spencer Abraham (R-MI) as administrative assistant and legislative director. In 2001, he became Vice President Dick Cheney’s assistant for domestic policy. On September 30, 2003 Empower America installs Cesar V. Conda, who is currently a partner at Navigators, a government relations consulting firm as new member of the board of directors. Mr. Conda was Policy Advisor for the Dole-Kemp Presidential Campaign.
Conda joined the advisory Board of The International Economy magazine of National Foundation for American Policy who boasts membership of George Soros.
http://www.international-economy.com/MastheadTIE.htm
Certain people, like Grover Norquist and Ceasar Conda worked tirelessly to defeat prop 187, Norquist is the point man for the Bush white house on immigration. Conda worked for Dick Cheney and now is involved with Soros.
ARIZONA REPUBLIC (Op-Ed): A conservative manifesto for solving border woes
Aug. 15, 2004
"How, exactly, would we as a nation seal our borders, and how would we man our economy if we did? Who would labor in the fields to get our crops out of the ground? Who would take the low-paying jobs in our hotels and hospitals? Few native-born Americans now raise their children to do work like that: We aspire to better–and we're lucky that we can. And even if we could stomach the kinds of draconian measures some suggest on the border, that would only drive more of the migrant flow underground, with more of the consequences Arizonans know so well: the disruptive transients, the soaring service costs and the deadly violence associated with human smuggling. In other words, the so-called solutions of those who oppose realistic reform would only entrench the status quo. Conservatives, both in the White House and Congress, have a better answer. Arizona Reps. Jeff Flake and Jim Kolbe and Sen. John McCain led the way last summer with a groundbreaking legislative proposal; then, in January, Bush outlined a set of principles that picked up on several of their best ideas. The centerpiece of both packages: a guest worker program combined with a transitional provision for those already here and working–a measure that would allow them to come in out of the shadows and earn the right to a legal job. "
Signatories (Affiliations for identification purposes only) Jeff Bell, principal, Capital City Partners Larry Cirignano, president, CatholicVote.org Cesar Conda, former assistant for domestic policy to Vice President Dick Cheney Francis Fukuyama, dean of faculty, the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies Richard Gilder, Gilder Gagnon Howe & Co. LLC Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the House of Representatives Ed Goeas, president and CEO, the Tarrance Group Kerri Houston, vice president of policy, Frontiers of Freedom Tamar Jacoby, senior fellow, the Manhattan Institute Jack Kemp, 1996 Republican vice presidential nominee, co-director of Empower America Steve Moore, senior fellow, Cato Institute Mike Murphy, Republican strategist Grover Norquist, president, Americans for Tax Reform Richard W. Rahn, senior fellow, the Discovery Institute
I can't wait to hear the results of the investigation into this incident, as well as a statement of the rules of engagement. I doubt that that will happen, unless...
I may drop a hint in the ear of a local reporter, one who has a good relationship with the military and who may actually want to get that kind of information out to his reading public.
Is Tancredo part of a 3rd party? Gosh, I though he was a REPUBLICAN like you.
The article was wrong.
All the best with THAT, HiJinx!
Thank you for the steer to the link and the article. We should not be afraid of facts!
The article was wrong.
More accurately the article was extremely misleading. It doesn't actually say these particular Guard were unarmed, but doesn't say they were armed either. It clearly does, however, expect you to erroneously infer that they were unarmed due to the gratuitous quote from the malcontented Border Patrol agent who wanted to complain about (supposedly) having to babysit the Guard troops.
Although I'm presently inclined to think that having the Guard on the border is helping with security, and this is what most responsible officials are claiming, it is possible they could be a net drain on the resources of the border patrol. I'm not going to be convinced of that by an isolated quote, however. As you all know you can always find someone in a military or law enforcement organization who's eager to complain about this or that (or everything). Doesn't mean it bears any relation to reality.
Well, then, we know that's wrong, since these Guard soldiers WERE armed.
There are dozens of National Guard entrance identification teams along the Mexican border, including east and west of both Nogales and Sasabe and on the Tohono O'odham Nation. All of the teams are unarmed."
And we know that's wrong, since this was an "entry identification team" manning this observation post, and they were armed.
Well I can see that you are a total waste of my time.
You refuse to accept facts quoted by the U.S. National Guard and U.S. Border Patrol which I have documented and you have failed to document ANY rebuttal.
Guardsmen are strictly in a backup role along the border. That means performing administrative functions, building roads and fences - even conducting surveillance in some cases, such as with the team near Tucson.
Why do we need National Guardsmen to do such menial tasks? The only answer that occurs to me is: because they can't refuse.
Wrong. I pointed (and pinged you) to the link in Yoe's #12:
The armed confrontation occurred around 11 p.m. Wednesday near Sasabe , about a quarter-mile north of the border. A team of four or five Guard troops, armed with M-16s, were watching for border crossers at an observation post when they spotted four men carrying what appeared to be rifles, [Border Patrol spokesman Mario] Martinez said.
As the men came closer, the Guard troops left their post and called for the Border Patrol.
"In order to not be detected, they moved to a safer location," Martinez said. "That's exactly what we want them to do.
"They're armed for their protection. Once they are afraid for their lives, they can defend themselves.
IOW a spokesman for the Border Patrol specifically asserted that the Guardsmen were armed with m-16's, and were authorized to use them if attacked (but not in a policing action).
The Guard spotted the intruders, called in the Border Patrol (who discovered the tracks and determined that the intruders had returned to Mexico) and apparently managed to maintain the security of their observation post.
It's unknown what the intruders were up to, but if we presume they were scouts for people or drug smugglers, then it would appear the presence and vigiliance of the Guard, and the quick response of the Border Patrol, foiled whatever plans they had in mind.
But go ahead and ignore the facts. It's more important to paint this as a disastrous failure, since after all the sky is falling.
Hmm
Yeah, let's check your "documentation".
A Border Patrol agent, who requested anonymity, says that the well-armed intruders were drug traffickers who are fully aware US National Guard troops are prohibited from carrying any type of weapon...
So, against an ANONYMOUS "Border Patrol agent" we have explicit affirmations by Border Patrol officials that National Guard operating near the border, in areas where they might potentially be at risk, ARE armed, and that these Guardsmen near Tuscon specifically WERE armed. We also have Freepers who have performed this mission asserting that they were armed.
Your "documentation" consists of self assertions by known border panic monger Jim Kouri (who, despite your assertion that you document "facts quoted by the U.S. National Guard and U.S. Border Patrol," has NO connection with these agencies) that "[a]ll of the [National Guard entrance identification teams along the Mexican border] are unarmed," and his assertion attributed to an anonymous source that [by implication ALL] "US National Guard troops are prohibited from carrying any type of weapon".
What's the good of "documenting" claims that are demonstrably false?
Right. We've done nothing about border security, except more than quintuple the resources devoted thereto over the last few decades. (Graph show number of full time border patrol agents.)
These National Guard troops DID spot, and presumably foil, intruders very likely associated with the smuggling of ILLEGALS or DRUGS, and you really are willing to define that as a "disastrous failure".
Geez, here I thought I was engaging in hyperbolous parody. But you are too hyperbolous too be parodied!
Should have written "hyperbolic" probably. (On reflection I don't think "hyperbolous" is a word.)
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