Posted on 10/13/2006 9:59:39 AM PDT by XR7
Reports of an elephant crossing the river or people trying to smuggle an elephant across were rampant Tuesday while an elaborate political stunt was taking shape near the mouth of the Rio Grande.
It was a while later that the stunt, which was a photo shoot, was abruptly met by federal agents.
“The elephant never made landfall into Mexico, but I tell you something, he could have made 15 laps back and forth, but no one showed up,” said Raj Peter Bhakta, a former star on the NBC show “The Apprentice,” who also is a Republican candidate for the 13th District U.S. House of Representatives seat in Eastern Pennsylvania.
Three elephants, two African and an Asian, were taken out to a ranch near Boca Chica beach to perform, the 31-year-old Bhakta said.
He was in Brownsville to raise funds with friends and decided to get a first-hand look at border security while he was here, he said.
In Brownsville, he witnessed half a dozen men swim under one of the international bridges “with complete immunity” which in turn prompted him to take the immigration issue to the next level.
Bhakta decided to see if he could get an elephant accompanied by a six-piece mariachi band across the river.
According to his Web site, he is in favor of “sensible immigration reform” and supports a border fence, local law enforcement assistance with immigration laws and the use of the National Guard troops to help the U.S. Border Patrol.
“To my surprise, the band played on, the elephants splashed away, and nobody showed up,” Bhakta said of the stunt. “I’m astounded.”
The elephants came from Shrine Circuses, said James Plunkett, who produces the circus. They arrived in Brownsville on Monday and were scheduled to be on their way to Maybank on Tuesday afternoon. The elephants and the crew were at the Rio Grande for less than an hour, Plunkett said.
Plunkett said he and his crew were hired for a “photo shoot” and entered the Boca Chica beach area without any notice from the Border Patrol. However, when it became clear that the elephants were in a quarantined area, the Border Patrol alerted the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the elephants had to be detained.
The animals needed to be sprayed for ticks.
Rumors made their way around town and back to Plunkett and his crew, he said.
“We were hearing all kinds of crazy stuff ourselves,” Plunkett said.
Someone reported to the Border Patrol that people were smuggling elephants, he said.
Bhakta was getting on a plane Tuesday afternoon shortly after the USDA released the elephants and they began their journey back to Maybank.
He said he was “staggered” by what happened on Tuesday and was planning on sharing the story with his potential constituents.
“If I can get an elephant led by a mariachi band into this country, I think Osama bin Laden could get across with all the weapons of mass destruction he could get into this country,” Bhakta said.
The mariachi band was not immediately available for comment.
“If I can get an elephant led by a mariachi band into this country, I think Osama bin Laden could get across with all the weapons of mass destruction he could get into this country,”
I would LOL, but it's not really funny.
How could our "leaders" let this happen to the U.S.?
Some of our leaders STILL do not understand the significance of this issue to many Americans...
The symbolic irony of this is absolutely unbelievable.
Pat Buchanan feels his pain.
Yup. That's two in one week: a small aircraft crashes into a New York highrise despite being in a "Code Orange" alert, and now this.
But for the Grace of God...
He does not have a chance in hell of winning right?
Life imitates art:
Washington, D.C. (SatireWire.com) — In a troubling sign that investigators may be getting bored with their success smuggling guns and knives onto airplanes, the U.S. Department of Transportation today disclosed that its agents have recently cleared airport security checkpoints with an M1 tank, a beluga whale, and a fully active South American volcano.
http://www.satirewire.com/news/march02/screeners.shtml
ROTFLMAO!!!
BTTT
Leaders??????? I would call them politicians but definitely NOT leaders.
Now that is the finest Mariachi band I have ever seen.
Thanks for the link.
The American people have to realize that there is no such thing as a risk-free environment, despite the fact that many (both libs and conservatives) seem to be under the impression that they can achieve that. Your risk of being killed by a jihad attack here in the US over the next 5 years is about 100,000:1 against. Your risk of being killed in an auto accident is significantly higher than that -- are you going to ban road vehicles?
Man that really is good. Harps and the whole works.
I know the seriousness of this living in Texas, but the picture of a mariachi band leading some elephants was just too funny!
Exactly! My first thoughts.
They had some video of it on the news yesterday but so far I haven't found it on the net.
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