Guardsmen overrun at the Border
Basically, the story I am hearing is that National Guardsmen, on an observation post near the border, saw two groups of two gunmen advancing on their position. The men were wearing dark clothing, body armor, and carrying AK-47′s. The Guardsmen, being unarmed and unable to defend themselves, reported and withdrew from their position. Armed Border Patrol agents arrived, and the unknown gunmen retreated back into Mexico. As far as I can tell, no shots were fired… this time.
The fact that we have National Guardsmen, deployed to an international border that is known to be crossed regularly by armed and dangerous criminals, who are unable to defend themselves against aggression is unconscionable.
From a 1996 article in Harper’s Magazine:
The truth about illegal immigration is that until such time as U.S. law barring the employment of illegal aliens is enforced–or U.S. wages drop below those of the Third World–poor foreigners will continue to come here. Our elected representatives have neither the political security nor the will to alter this fact. We now live in a time when everything crosses national borders–images, capital, technology, disease, ideas–and as the century draws to a close, there will no doubt be more dramatic demands that the border be properly policed. These demands our government will oblige with grand operations and congressional bills designed to pacify the populace until after the next election. We should, however, expect little by way of substantive change–just more empty gestures, and more aliens.
How long must this continue?
there are many reasons dirty money does exist. this is the way of the world. anyhow , Black Jack Pershing ( who under orders of the President went after the camped out veterans in Wash D.C. – the depression + veterans bonus march )…anyhow, Black Jack did go into Mexico to get Poncho Villia back in the 1920′s. guarding the American border is a military mission. we shouldn’t have to make up a militia of volunteers to take the place of what congress should have to do. when nobody is around and there is nobody to report to – you realise there is no one to go to…when U are at the front line alone doing border militia work – those men with ak 47′s and body armor snipeing at U are crims from the other side. they want you out of their business. when u are alone ‘ u realise u are the gerneral. u ask ; does the President approve of the work ? what is the tolerance for ? timing ? border patrol volunteering gives me a feeling of being suckered in. border patrol voluteers vs billionaire drug smuggling operations. the government is the servant of the people. politicians are civil servants. they need to participate fully in the defense of our country. maybe, citizens do not understand political people ; who are elected servants. pablo escobar really got it in the end. norrega really got it in the end. American employers draw illegal undocumented people into our country. we make the market for this activity. to get real ; we might need to get to the root of the problems. American consummers of illegal drugs draw illegal traffiking. to drop the prohibition on illegal drugs will crash the market with a flood of cheapo drugs. we are responsible if we choose to drink the chlorox. citizens are responsible for poisoning themselves. its a choice as much as gambling , porn or going to church. money talks.
Those guard folks on the border not only are unarmed, at least in Arizona and California (the ones in Texas and New Mexico are said to be armed) but are not authorized to stop any illegals they see. They are window dressing, to placate angry citizens tired of their communities being overrun and having to press one for English. It won’t stop until people get mad enough to vote out their uncooperative representatives and senators, or more communities do like Hazelton, PA (where a local ordinance allows landlords not to rent to illegals). The ACLU (naturally) is fighting Hazelton, but if enough communities emulated Hazelton, not even the ACLU could fight them all.
Of course you recall that the reason the Guardsmen are not armed is that they shot and killed a shepherd the last time they were at the border. The fact he shot at them (apparently he did not realize who they were) does not seem to matter in all this.
Sadly, Tom Tancredo looks better and better.
One correction– it was a Marine, not a Guardsman, who shot that herder some years ago. But yes, the basic point has been lost. Any armed incursion onto US soil should be answered immediately with deadly force. As with the elimination of Sadr’s lieutenants, it tends to clarify matters, not complicate them. LtCol P.
Candidanswer, it wasn’t Pershing who charged the bonus marchers, it was MacArthur who ordered it, (he was CoS at the time) the OIC was George Patton.
Dick, soldiers in Texas and New Mexico are armed, this is also why those states have support from Guard contingents of other states. NJ, where I live, will not allow its guradsmen to be used in Arizona specifically because they are not allowed to carry weapons.
The bottom line is that the governor of Arizona, Janet Napolitano, is yet another example of a gutless politician beholden to special interests and unwilling to take real action against border threats. Instead she prefers to cozy up to the supporters of illegal immigration who, no doubt, hold political and financial sway in her little border state.
Canadiananswer,
The chase after Pancho Villa was around 1916 – one of the things that ended it was our involvement in WWI.
The thing that’s going to end this is when some guardsmen actually get into a real firefight with whoever those armed clowns were. Whether they were drug smugglers, people smugglers, Mexican Army doing freelance, Mexican law enforcement doing freelance, it doesn’t really matter.
I figure some guardsman (not from a border state) is going to have to take a bullet before something positive is done, sad to say.