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Contributed October 7, 2011 |3345 views|30 comments
Editor’s note: The following is a response to “Re-Declaration of Independence -- Stopping the Mexican drug cartels,” by Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples, posted on this website and the recent report, “Texas Border Security: A Strategic Military Assessment,” written by two military experts for use by the Texas Department of Agriculture. The author of the article below served 21 years active duty in U.S. Army Special Forces, with eight more in reserves. He was a counterinsurgency advisor in El Salvador and served elsewhere in Latin America on counternarcotics missions. He retired from the Army after a post-9/11 tour in Afghanistan. The writer resides in the San Antonio area.
The Texas Department of Agriculture, along with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), took the highly unusual step of commissioning a military-style “assessment of the impact of illegal activity along the Texas-Mexico border on rural landowners and the agriculture industry.” Two retired Army generals turned national-security consultants, Barry McCaffrey and Robert Scales, wrote the resulting 182-page report, released last month. (Read the report online at http://www.texasagriculture.gov.)
I read this report with interest. The out-of-control violence of the Mexican drug cartels is -- make no mistake -- spilling over the southwest border like a growing flood. It forces the United States (outside Washington, D.C., anyway) to acknowledge that we are in a third war in addition to those in Iraq and Afghanistan. Indeed, the report notes that Texas DPS officials have “acceded to the fact that much of their effort was derived from experience in recent [military] campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
The Mexico apologists in the news media and certain special-interest organizations can be expected to play the ethnicity (“race”) card and try to shift all blame onto the United States itself. It is true the United States’ insatiable appetite for drugs has a great deal to do with the proliferation of narco-cartels and narco-terrorism; however, Mexico’s endemic corruption and violence also play a part. Mexico has fostered the flow of illegal aliens into the United States as a safety valve to prevent violent revolution. Further, Mexico generates false national pride and touts its sovereignty whenever the United States makes a concerted effort to enforce immigration laws. Mexico, however, never considers that it violates U.S. sovereignty with its fostering of illegal immigration. As if the nearly nonstop trespass of bands of illegal aliens hiking across their land hasn’t been bad enough, nowadays the extreme threat of cross-border violence forces some South Texas landowners -- farmers and ranchers -- to consider evacuation to safety with their families.
Beyond the McCaffrey-Scales report, open sources have mentioned over the decades that U.S. military personnel have been active participants in operations against narco-traffickers in Latin America. Often as not, these operations have involved counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist doctrine, particularly since insurgent and terrorist organizations began using narco-residuals since the 1970s. By the 1980s, traffickers were well established in Mexico and moving their drugs and human chattel across the U.S. border with near impunity. Concerns grew over the movement of drugs, human trafficking, increased gang activity (such as in San Antonio), and the infiltration of known or suspected terrorists as well as violent criminals into the United States. With an under-strength U.S. Border Patrol and over-taxed Customs Service, as well as scant local law-enforcement resources, Washington decided to use the U.S. military, both active and reserve components, along the U.S.-Mexico border in support of civilian law enforcement. The military assets employed were limited to intelligence, aviation, and special-operations units, with restrictions placed on their roles. In part, the restrictions were put in place to avoid negative publicity and to curtail violations of the Posse Comitatus Act.
During the summer of 1997, elements of the 20th Special Forces Group (National Guard) were sent to support Joint Task Force-6, headquartered at Fort Bliss, Texas, near El Paso. JTF-6 was a combined organization consisting in part of representatives the U.S. military and local, state, and federal law-enforcement agencies. Ground units from the U.S. military, specifically Special Forces, were tasked with conducting surveillance operations in several sectors along or near the border, mostly in proximity to known or suspected routes used by narco- and human traffickers. These surveillance elements were under severe restrictions, especially with regard to “rules of engagement” and detention. Their mission was to report rather be confrontational. (It should be noted that although it was a National Guard unit, most of these 20th Special Forces Group personnel were prior active-duty SF solders.) Meanwhile, other 20th SF Group elements were tasked with supporting counter-drug operations in South America. It was a good “peacetime” utilization of our strategic reserve-component assets. This writer provided much of the pre-deployment, open-source information to assist the designated team in mission preparation for the Texas border. I also conducted one of several post-mission debriefings of this group’s Special Forces Operational Detachment-A (SFODA, also known as an “A-Team”) afterward.
The team members were enthusiastic about their mission. This particular A-Team had plenty of prior-service experience, good training, and -- in line with overall mission readiness -- spoke Spanish. The team was tasked to pull surveillance in Texas along a suspected corridor used to traffic drugs and illegal aliens from Mexico. The area lay along the western Rio Grande Valley, but the team was not positioned directly on the border. Instead of deploying the 12-man A-Team as a cohesive element, it was split into two six-man teams. The men carried what is called a “basic load” of ammunition for their M16 rifles and sidearm pistols, but had no fragmentation hand grenades, Claymore mines, or machine guns. They were limited to engaging hostile elements only if directly threatened, or to save fellow Americans. The Border Patrol deposited the two split-teams into their mission area via vehicles. The SF troops established “hide sites” and commenced to observe the terrain. Early into the operation, several armed parties were observed entering the operational area; the SF observers radioed appropriate reports to JTF-6. An estimated 50 individuals were observed -- several miles inside Texas -- all armed with AK-series and some Israeli-made Galil assault rifles. (Both are common weapons in Mexico and throughout Latin America.) The Special Forces soldiers agreed these Mexican gunmen were conducting what amounted to a reconnaissance patrol.
In no time, the Special Forces soldiers came under heavy gunfire, on U.S. soil.
The teams requested permission to return fire, which was denied. Then they requested an immediate extraction, which was also denied. Instead, they were told to await extraction by the Border Patrol. The SF troops remained behind cover, under small-arms fire at a range of perhaps 100 yards. When the volume of fire would die down, the U.S. troops were sniped. Fortunately, no one was killed or wounded. It took Border Patrol elements nearly four hours to arrive and extract the teams by vehicles. By then, the dozens of Mexican combatants -- drug-gang mercenaries -- had hiked back toward the border.
The incident left a bitter taste in the mouths of these SF troops. When the team’s parent company in the 20th SF Group found out what had occurred, there was more anger and frustration. The JTF-6 quickly presented non-disclosure statements to the SF team members and insisted they sign them. Eventually, most of the parent SF company’s personnel were forced to sign the statements, since word had spread like wildfire about the incident. To my knowledge, this incident never was reported in the news media. The non-disclosure statements expired five years later, in 2002. By then, though, Sept. 11 had occurred and the 20th Special Forces Group was deployed to Afghanistan following the active-duty SF units. Some bad feelings remained, however, for those individuals involved in the 1997 incident. According to some of those on the ground in Texas, the Mexicans’ gunfire was more intense than most of the hostile acts they saw in Afghanistan. Several of the 20th SF Group team members, when not serving in the National Guard, were law- enforcement officers themselves; one was an attorney. All felt betrayed over their treatment by JTF-6 and especially by the Border Patrol.
The 1997 incident highlights the fact the Texas border is a dangerous area where U.S. sovereignty has been violated repeatedly by armed elements. If these Mexican narco-mercenaries were that brazen in 1997 -- 14 years ago -- what might they be willing to do now? To its credit, the Texas Department of Agriculture has tried to answer that question. The McCaffrey-Scales report is a good read. Another good source of information is the monthly magazine Homeland Security Today. Although based in Virginia, it’s no stranger to the border. An online reader perusing the magazine’s “Mexico” archive is warned: One article has a small but gruesome photo provided this year by Mexican officials. It shows a Mexican man who had been kidnapped by a rival gang that literally skinned him alive and then cut his heart out. This level of barbarism once was associated only with al Qaida and African tribe-on-tribe genocide. No longer. It now exists in our neighbor to the south -- and it’s headed this way.
Well said Joann and El Zorro. It is comforting to know that at least a few out there actually get it. The rest have no clue and quite frankly, they probably don't want ... Read More
Well said Joann and El Zorro. It is comforting to know that at least a few out there actually get it. The rest have no clue and quite frankly, they probably don't want one.
El Zorro Plateado Nueces Strip, Texas October 19, 2011 10:00am
By now no one should be surprized at anything Cuellar does or says. The comment by Facts to "let them defend themselves" only serves to highlight his ignorance ... Read More
By now no one should be surprized at anything Cuellar does or says. The comment by Facts to "let them defend themselves" only serves to highlight his ignorance of the situation and of the primary law of the land. Protection from the invasion of American soil by foreign nationals is a Constitutional right of American citizens and this right is to be enforced by the federal government. Our federal government is not performing it's constitutional duty and we should all be up in arms about it and demanding enforcement of our current immigration and border security laws.
Joann Juhasz Floresville, TX October 19, 2011 12:18am
I have had many conversations with volunteer Border Patrol members and they consistently confirm the increased danger and violence that is spilling over into Texas. Just ... Read More
I have had many conversations with volunteer Border Patrol members and they consistently confirm the increased danger and violence that is spilling over into Texas. Just last week I listened to a power point presentation about securing ( or not securing) our border. I also receive regular updates and videos on what is occurring on our border.
This problem transcends just one nationality. Increasing numbers from other countries are illegaly crossing over. An open door policy and opportunity for America's sworn enemies to enter and do harm to United States citizens our government, according to the Constitution, is supposed to protect.
I found Rep. Cuellar's questioning of the two distinguished retired army generals to be condescending and purposely demeaning in tone and content. I realize these are Rep. Cuellar's districts and the report could be perceived by Rep Cuellar as having a negative impact on his political career. Rep. Cuellar should care more about the citizens he represents than his "professional" political career.
Rock'n chair Rambler Over Taxed, TX October 18, 2011 3:24pm
Yeah right. And get themselves sued out of their land by the Southern Poverty Law Center race pimps. A few have tried and ... Read More
"Let them defend their own land."
Yeah right. And get themselves sued out of their land by the Southern Poverty Law Center race pimps. A few have tried and a few have lost that battle.
"A fence is not going to stop this problem"
Not by itself, but it will slow them down. At least it will look like we actually respect our own borders and are willing to stake a claim to this land.
"it is a law enforcement responsbility"
And according to Eric Holder, it is the exclusive responsibility of the federal government, which they have largely neglected for purely political reasons, primarily pandering to the Democrat voter base.
And, what the heck is the DIA? Did Obama rename some federal agency again? Dept of Insufferable Asses? Dept of Idiotic Acronyms? Dept of Interracial Affairs? There probably is one of those.
Rock'n chair Rambler: There you go again spending my money! Let them defend their own land. A fence is not going to stop this problem, nor is spending billions of dollars ... Read More
Rock'n chair Rambler: There you go again spending my money! Let them defend their own land. A fence is not going to stop this problem, nor is spending billions of dollars we don't have. Is this criminal or theorist activity? The DIA has stated it is criminal so it is a law enforcement responsbility. What are the Texas rangers doing lately? Shopping at the HEB so don't worry about anything going down there.....
Rock'n chair Rambler Over Taxed, TX October 18, 2011 10:05am
The Declaration of Independence is not binding law. Try reading the US Constitution to see what powers and therefore, ... Read More
"According to the Declaration of Independence"
The Declaration of Independence is not binding law. Try reading the US Constitution to see what powers and therefore, exclusive responsibilities the Congress has, specifically Article 1, section 8:
"The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;"
Before you get all excited and smarmy, the use of the term Welfare of the United States, did not include or infer food stamps, midnight basketball, social security benefits for life, Medicare, Obama-care or any of the myriad and endless government programs upon which to squander the national wealth and go into debt to the tune of 14.8 trillion dollars.
It is clear and understandable to include a border fence or whatever else is required to secure the nation's borders from invasion, which is clearly within the scope and meaning of "Welfare of the United States".
If you can't understand this simple English, then you must be a Harvard graduate law professor turned community activist.
The Marcelina Muse Dry Tank, TX October 18, 2011 9:21am
Facts, if a voting requirement was common sense you would be sitting all the elections out. People have to be alive to enjoy their rights. Pursuit of happiness cannot happen ... Read More
Facts, if a voting requirement was common sense you would be sitting all the elections out. People have to be alive to enjoy their rights. Pursuit of happiness cannot happen without a safe and stable environment. Border security is a primary job of the federal government, which it is not properly doing. If you truly believe what you write volunteer to go down to the border and patrol some of the ranches where those "kids doing what kids do" are found. I am sure you could talk it out with them and solve the problem.
Rock'n chair Rambler: There you go again, wrong facts.
According to the Declaration of Independence, the government gets its power from the people and the primary duty ... Read More
Rock'n chair Rambler: There you go again, wrong facts.
According to the Declaration of Independence, the government gets its power from the people and the primary duty of government is to protect the unalienable rights of the citizens. You know like the pursuit of happiness. Happiness for me is not paying to protect private property owner's ranches!
Rock'n chair Rambler Over Taxed, TX October 18, 2011 7:48am
I wonder how many people have to be murdered for it to be considered a "huge issue"? Bombs going off in malls and train ... Read More
"This is not a HUGE issue"
I wonder how many people have to be murdered for it to be considered a "huge issue"? Bombs going off in malls and train stations in the US will happen. It's not a matter of if, but a matter of when.
"spending more money defending a rich rancher"
What kind of socialist useful idiot would consider that a good argument? Rich or poor, they bleed red blood and their property rights are just as important as any citizen. They deserve the protection of the government, which is the PRIMARY duty of government, not providing welfare to Left-wing anarchists and street dwelling scum!
New Guy,
What may have started as a "border problem" is moving inland. I personally know of two people who live in the Nixon area who are consistently dealing ... Read More
New Guy,
What may have started as a "border problem" is moving inland. I personally know of two people who live in the Nixon area who are consistently dealing w/ trash, cut fences and other breaches of their private property. They have contacted everyone they can think of, to no avail. Secondly, if people here are hiring illegals, they are not helping the problem.
Just because you appear in front of a subcommittee does not mean it is all that news. Subcommittees tend to bring out the cats and dogs and do nothing for advancing the ... Read More
Just because you appear in front of a subcommittee does not mean it is all that news. Subcommittees tend to bring out the cats and dogs and do nothing for advancing the true issues. This is not a HUGE issue unless you are a rancher along the border. Yes there is a problem, but how much money (my tax payer's money) are we willing to spend to fix it. More importantly, what private company will make the extra cash from doing this? Always follow the money and then you will find out why it is getting the press. I know of several security firms who will make big bucks by us spending more money defending a rich rancher along the border. Real reform requires real actions. How many illegal employees are working for Wilson County companies? How about starting there.
Testimony of Dr. Michael Vickers Homeland Security’s Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations and Management
“A Call to Action: Narco-Terrorism’s Threat to the Southern ... Read More
Testimony of Dr. Michael Vickers Homeland Security’s Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations and Management
“A Call to Action: Narco-Terrorism’s Threat to the Southern U.S. Border” Friday, October 14, 2011
Thank you Chairman McCaul, Ranking Member Keating, and Members of the Committee for inviting me here today.
I’m Dr. Mike Vickers, a rancher and veterinarian from the city of Falfurrias in Brooks County, Texas.
Brooks County contains a Border Patrol check point that is approximately 65 miles from the Mexican Border (Reynosa Mexico). I have come here today to testify on the violence, crime, and lawlessness that is overwhelming Brooks County and its surrounding counties. Most counties in Texas that have border Patrol Checkpoints are rural counties with small sheriff departments. Human and drug smuggling by gangs and organized crime has overwhelmed our local sheriff’s department. Brooks County sheriff’s department has 6 deputies to patrol 943 square miles of ranch country. Many ranches are left to fend for themselves.
Ranchers are being threatened if they call Border Patrol or local law enforcement to report smuggling activities on their property. Some have left their ranches and have moved to the cities of San Antonio, McAllen or Corpus Christi. There are hundreds of smuggling routes throughout Brooks and its surrounding counties that are used by criminals to skirt the Border Patrol Checkpoints.
This year our sheriff’s department busted a large drug ring affiliated with the Zeta Mexican Drug Cartel. For over 7 years they had shipped over 2000 pounds of narcotics a week through our ranches. An unsealed indictment revealed that two Zetas had come to Falfurrias and were shown where our sheriff deputies lived so that they could come back, kidnap them, and find out who the informant was. This is still and ongoing concern.
Property damage is staggering, cut fences, mountains of trash, destroyed water sources, vandalized homes, and stolen vehicles are everyday occurrences. Large range fires have also been set by smugglers. A recent fire killed at least 3 illegal travelers and required many more to be air lifted to safety. This picture is of a ranch fire this year started by a vehicle with Mexican plates that left the road fleeing the Border Patrol and DPS (Department of Public Safety.) It carried 21 illegal immigrants and was clocked at 112mph by DPS. Border Patrol was able to save 4 of the trapped passengers moments before the truck exploded. The truck passengers were undocumented, illegal immigrants from India.
Most unsettling are the dead bodies showing up on the ranches. 51 Illegal aliens’ deaths have occurred so far this year with another 31 reported still missing and nearly 500 total deaths since October 2004.
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Some are murdered but at least all are criminal homicides. One day when my wife came home she noticed the dogs playing with a round object in the yard. It was a woman’s skull. Her body was found about 150 yards from our back door. She had a fractured tibia. She didn’t walk out there with a broken leg. We suspect rape and murder. Other dead women were found on my south fence and my neighbor’s ranch during that same period.
Last year three female skeletons were found on an adjacent ranch southeast of my home. Many women are sexually assaulted, raped, and brutalized. Last Saturday night a group of women were given a pill by a Coyote (a human smuggler) to give them endurance for the trek around the Checkpoint. All of the women became drowsy and fell asleep. One awoke that morning nude next to the nude coyote. She grabbed her clothes and fled. Fortunately she found the highway and then the Border Patrol Found her. She was raped and our sheriff’s department is investigating. Many women dress like men because of the threat of sexual assault.
Dealing with the dead bodies has exhausted our County resources. I have aerial photos of our Sheriff Departments compound containing hundreds of vehicles confiscated from drug and ranch smugglers. Seven years ago myself and others started a group called The Texas Border Volunteers to help law enforcement control the smuggling through private property. We are concerned about the other thousands of people coming in to our state and nation without us know who they are and where they come from. We have monthly operations and report criminal activity to law enforcement (USBP). We also enlist camera systems to monitor smuggling pathways (see photos). We have reported hundreds of illegal aliens and drug smugglers during our operations. Hundreds of illegal aliens have been rescued by our volunteers. These are people who had been cheated of their money and left alone in the wilderness. Many go lost for days without food and water and ultimately die. We are currently in our second week of operations. Tuesday night we reported and assisted Border Patrol in apprehending 15 illegal aliens (criminal trespassers.) 13 of them were from Mexico, one was from Honduras, and one other from Guatemala. We see many OTM (Other Than Mexican). The Rio Grande Valley (McAllen) sector leads the Nation in OTM’s with 20,284 individuals as of September 19th, 2011 (figure for this fiscal year). If the Border Patrol only catches 8-10% then we have an astronomical number of OTM’s slipping in every year.
We have seen groups carrying guns. On one operation the coyote leading 33 Chinese illegal immigrants was carrying a rifle.
Diseases are a big concern both human and animal alike. There is a big fear of Hoof and Mouth disease being brought in from China. Currently there is an outbreak of Hoof and Mouth disease in Taipei, Republic of China. Chinese have been a leading OTM group in the Falfurrias Border Patrol area. (Picture of Chinese apprehended during TBP operation) During our March operation, illegal Chinese immigrants had paid $50,000 each for transportation into the United States. Africa also has Foot and Mouth disease, and many Africans are being smuggled through South Texas.
People from special interest countries such as Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq are a concern for all of us. Other countries represented in OTM apprehensions include Dominican Republic, Somalia, Sri
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Lanka, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Venezuela, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Ukraine, Poland, Columbia, Ecuador and more.
Some ranchers want to sell their land and move away, but they are finding there are no buyers willing to purchase their ranch land. Many properties simply won’t sell because of the prevalent criminal activity. Numerous ranches along highways cannot graze cattle because of the constant fence damage. My fence along US Highway 281 is electrified. Some of my clients along the river have ceased agriculture operations because of threats or they have a present danger. Ranchers on the Mexican side have been run off their property and the cartels are fighting on their land for river access. My partner and I have both heard machine gun fire when working on ranches close to the river. Now hunting leases are in jeopardy of being dropped by hunters fearing the danger. This would be a big blow to the economy of the county and the individual ranches.
Dangerous encounters:
I found a rancher on a highway after dark who was robbed, tied to a tree, shot twice, and had his truck stolen by two illegal aliens. He was rushed to the hospital and survived.
A friend’s wife was attacked by 10 Guatemalan illegal immigrants as she was attempting to open the ranches main gate while bringing the kids home from school. She was able to jump in the car and escape.
I had five illegal aliens with sticks and cedar fence posts attempt to take my truck when I was leaving a ranch gate.
This year a group of Indian illegal immigrants tried to take the vehicle from a neighbor’s ranch hand.
Encounters with smugglers and illegal aliens are daily occurrences and most ranchers and their families are not leaving the house without being armed. In many parts of the county many ranchers cannot keep employees because of the fear that is constantly circulating.
My wife has had numerous frightening encounters. One in particular was a large muscular man with a pencil thin mustache and beard that followed her from her horse barn up to our house. He was not speaking English or Spanish, and she had no cell phone or weapon. She was able to make it safely inside the house and call the Border Patrol. He continued to try to walk up into the driveway of the house but luckily the Border Patrol arrived quickly. That was the last time she left the house unarmed or without her cell phone. The man was a Brazilian split from a group of 40 other illegal Brazilian immigrants, and he was speaking Portuguese.
Recently two Coyotes in a vehicle loaded with illegal aliens plowed through a local woman’s residence. She was killed.
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Our lives have been severely compromised to say the least. The Border Patrol’s budget in South Texas has been dramatically cut. Local and State law enforcement and Border Patrol need help! We all as Americans need them to have adequate resources to win this war on our southern border.
Again, thank you again to the Members of the Committee for having me here today. I look forward to answering any questions you might have.
DPS Warns Parents that Cartels Recruiting High School Students
AUSTIN – The Texas Department of Public Safety is warning parents about drug cartels recruiting Texas ... Read More
DPS Warns Parents that Cartels Recruiting High School Students
AUSTIN – The Texas Department of Public Safety is warning parents about drug cartels recruiting Texas high school students. DPS officials say they caught a 12-year-old boy driving a stolen pickup truck containing more than 800 pounds of marijuana last week.
Last month, two Texas teenagers were lured to Mexico where they were kidnapped, beaten, ransomed and released in a remote area along the Rio Grande River. In one Texas border county, more than 25 juveniles were arrested for drug trafficking within the past year.
“Mexican cartels have corrupted nearly an entire generation of youth living in Northern Mexico and they seek to corrupt our youth as well to further their smuggling operations,” said DPS Director Steven C. McCraw. “The Mexican Cartels value Texas teenagers for their ability to serve as expendable labor in many different roles and they have unlimited resources to recruit our children.”
The Texas border region represents 9.7 percent of the state’s population, yet the region has 19.2 percent of the state’s juvenile felony drug referrals and 21.8% of the state’s juvenile felony gang referrals.
According to DPS, six of the seven Mexican cartels have established command and control networks in Texas, and they are recruiting Texas students to support their drug, human, currency and weapon smuggling operations on both sides of the Texas-Mexico border.
The state agency warns cartels and their operatives are extremely violent, torturing and killing thousands of people in Mexico. They use transnational and Texas prison gangs to further their criminal operations in Mexico and the U.S.
DPS officials urge parents, especially those who live along the border, to talk to their children and explain how the cartels seek to exploit Texas teenagers and the risks involved in dealing with these ruthless organizations.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection developed Operation Detour, an educational campaign warning high school students of the consequences of becoming involved with smuggling. DPS kicked off the program at Valley View High School in Pharr.
Hey Cuelliar. You should check out the TV series called, "Border Wars". You might learn something about the use of the word "war" and why they call ... Read More
Hey Cuelliar. You should check out the TV series called, "Border Wars". You might learn something about the use of the word "war" and why they call it that.
Instead of getting all defensive about some terminology in a report, Cuelliar should be explaining why it is that people can't go fishing on Falcon Lake without worrying about being killed by drug runners.
But, oh yeah.... it's not a war zone. Just feels like it when the bullets go wizzing passed your head.
The Marcelina Muse Dry Tank, TX October 17, 2011 11:39am
Too much money to be made by big business (Planned Parenthood, et. al) to stop abortions ... but at least terrorists that would overthrow our government are not being smuggled ... Read More
Too much money to be made by big business (Planned Parenthood, et. al) to stop abortions ... but at least terrorists that would overthrow our government are not being smuggled in w/ abortions.
Rock'n chair Rambler Over Taxed, TX October 14, 2011 8:30am
Well, duh. And just how do you propose to do that? We've spent trillions on the War on Drugs attempting to do ... Read More
"Stop the usage, you will stop the traffic."
Well, duh. And just how do you propose to do that? We've spent trillions on the War on Drugs attempting to do just that. I think it is safe to say that the war has largely been lost, measured by the amount still being smuggled into the country.
The one thing we haven't tried is legalization. It wouldn't stop the usage much, but it sure would free up a lot of money to feed our society's other bad habit....government entitlements.
Rock'n chair Rambler you can't paint. You go right ahead and "what if" all day long. Just don't spend my tax dollars on stupid plan to protect a border that ... Read More
Rock'n chair Rambler you can't paint. You go right ahead and "what if" all day long. Just don't spend my tax dollars on stupid plan to protect a border that Americans are supporting the CARTELs by buying drugs. Stop the usage, you will stop the traffic. I expect we will do that right after we stop the abortions.
Rock'n chair Rambler Over Taxed, TX October 14, 2011 7:23am
Let me draw you a picture. If a terrorist just wants to blow up some Americans and gets himself smuggled across the border by the cartels, ... Read More
"Really, local HEB?"
Let me draw you a picture. If a terrorist just wants to blow up some Americans and gets himself smuggled across the border by the cartels, where is his first logical stop going to be where there are lots of Americans in one place? Yeah, it could be a place where you shop.
Rock'n chair Rambler: Really, local HEB? I guess you should stay inside your house/trailer and feel safe. Watch out for that stray cattle, it may have a bomb up its butt ... Read More
Rock'n chair Rambler: Really, local HEB? I guess you should stay inside your house/trailer and feel safe. Watch out for that stray cattle, it may have a bomb up its butt and take out my ranch, not!
Rock'n chair Rambler Over Taxed, TX October 13, 2011 9:18am
"....United States Marine Corps on May 20, 1997 shot and killed Esequiel Hernandez, Jr., a civilian in Texas? Why not include this?"
Maybe because it has nothing to do with the greater issue which is the threat from the Mexican drug cartels and international terrorism. Maybe because the charges were dropped due to lack of evidence of wrong doing by all the jurisdictions involved, including the military and civil courts.
And, maybe because sometimes bad things happen in war.
You "open borders" enthusiasts, who constantly see everything through the lens of your ethnic pride, need to look at this issue from a broader perspective. It's no longer just an illegal immigration issue at which you can throw the race card every time someone tries to do something about the border. This is now a truly national security issue with connections to international terrorism operating with impunity across our southern border.
You race card throwing Leftists need to wake up and realize that bombs kill without regard to race, creed or sexual orientation. Maybe when the Muslim terrorist bombs start going off at the local HEB you'll quit trying to make border security all about hatred of Latinos.
WCN: Shame on you. How much money was wasted on this report? What about the incident when Corporal Clemente Banuelos, United States Marine Corps on May 20, 1997 shot and ... Read More
WCN: Shame on you. How much money was wasted on this report? What about the incident when Corporal Clemente Banuelos, United States Marine Corps on May 20, 1997 shot and killed Esequiel Hernandez, Jr., a civilian in Texas? Why not include this? Corporal Banuelos was working under JTF-6 at the time.
This statement goes against Special Operations doctrine "It was a good “peacetime” utilization of our strategic reserve-component assets." Having spent 3 years working with some of the finest special operations personnel I must conclude his is NOT a special operations mission.
JTF-6 is now JTF-N and is continuing to support Law Enforcement along the Southwest Border.
Rock'n chair Rambler Over Taxed, TX October 13, 2011 7:15am
Oh yeah, Homeland Insecurity director Napolitano tells us all the time that the border has never been more secure. Yep, and that's why Iran is now using the cartels to help ... Read More
Oh yeah, Homeland Insecurity director Napolitano tells us all the time that the border has never been more secure. Yep, and that's why Iran is now using the cartels to help assasinate foreign dignitaries in the US.
Oh yeah, and that's why our beloved Injustice Department under the very watchful eye of Eric Holder, who knows nothing about anything going on, like, eh, Fast and Furious, is so concerned about the State of Arizona trying to actually do something to combat these vicious elements operating with impunity on their city streets.
Right, bring a law suit against Arizona, but do absolutely NOTHING to effectively protect the border. Because it's his job to protect that Latino vote for his boss come 2012. That's what it's all about.
The Marcelina Muse Dry Tank, TX October 11, 2011 1:10pm
But this cannot be correct. We have been assured by our president and his homeland security chief that the border is safe and secure. Surely they would not mislead us.
Kudos to WCN for posting this. The criminal activity and threats to national security associated with the border crisis has moved, and continues to move, north.
Nannette Kilbey-Smith, Editor Floresville October 10, 2011 9:19am
According to a press release dated Oct. 7, Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX) will chair a hearing of the Homeland Security Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee Oct. ... Read More
According to a press release dated Oct. 7, Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX) will chair a hearing of the Homeland Security Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee Oct. 14 to present to Congress a comprehensive military assessment of the U.S.-Mexico border, authored by General Barry McCaffrey (Ret) and General Bob Scales, Ph.D. (Ret). Both Generals and Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples, who commissioned the report, will testify.
The report, Texas Border Security: A Strategic Military Assessment, demonstrates that Mexican drug cartels are attempting to establish safe havens in Texas as a launching point into the rest of the United States. Among the findings the hearing will examine:
Ø Cartels’ intention to influence all levels of government throughout the Americas
Ø Cartels’ intention to establish sanctuary zones in the U.S. one county deep
Ø Poorly resourced U.S. tactical efforts to stop cartel incursions; vulnerability to corruption
Ø Increasing likelihood that competition to control distribution territories and corridors will result in greater violence in Texas, as the Mexican military gains more control in Mexico
Ø The need to designate Mexican drug cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations
Nannette Kilbey-Smith, Editor Floresville October 7, 2011 3:47pm
