Posted on 02/26/2009 9:02:06 AM PST by AuntB
The Department of Homeland Security has contingency plans to rush additional personnel and other resources, including the U.S. military, to parts of the southern border if law enforcement agencies on the ground are overwhelmed by spillover effects from escalating criminal violence in Mexico, department officials say.
The escalation has included videos of torture and executions posted on the Web - a tactic former officials say was likely copied from Muslim terrorists - and hours-long firefights between authorities and criminals toting large-caliber automatic weapons. A State Department travel advisory for U.S. citizens last week compared these incidents to "small-unit combat."
The DHS plan, which "does not change or supersede any existing authorities ... addresses how a number of government agencies would deploy federal resources to help state and local partners on the ground if local resources were overwhelmed," DHS spokeswoman Amy Kudwa said.
She said the agencies would include the U.S. military "as needed."
"We have been coordinating with the Department of Defense," she said.
News of the plan....comes on the heels of the State Department warning for Americans planning to visit Mexico, and of a report which found that Mexican cartels "maintain drug-distribution networks or supply drugs to distributors in at least 230 U.S. cities."
In Arizona, Lt. James Warriner, a spokesman for the Department of Public Safety, told UPI that the violence was "definitely creeping across the border into Arizona" in the form of military-style home invasions, kidnappings and human-trafficking operations.
"There have been home invasions ... using the tactics" familiar to law enforcement because of their employment by Mexican cartels. "They are very heavily armed" and sometimes wear paramilitary-style uniforms"
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
I have attached a copy of a disturbing news report that appears in today's edition of the Washington Times and reports on how our government may finally have no choice but to take action in response to the ever escalating violence that is taking place on a daily, if not hourly, basis in Mexico.
If you changed the name of the country from Mexico to Afghanistan, no one would be surprised. That is why the President says we need to increase the number of soldiers that we will send to Afghanistan.
During the Bush administration we heard the president and members of his cabinet often repeated the same mantra about the "War on Terror" that "We were fighting them over there so that we wouldn't have to fight them over here!"
With that brilliant strategy, Bush left our border with Mexico largely unprotected permitting millions of illegal aliens, drugs and criminals and potentially terrorists to stream across that border.
As I pointed out within the past couple of days, there are still members of both houses of Congress who still refuse to support efforts to complete a fence to help secure our border that is supposed to separate the United States from Mexico.
This evening, President Obama included in his State of the Union the following:
"And with our friends and allies, we will forge a new and comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan to defeat al Qaeda and combat extremism. Because I will not allow terrorists to plot against the American people from safe havens half a world away......We cannot shun the negotiating table, nor ignore the foes or forces that could do us harm. We are instead called to move forward with the sense of confidence and candor that serious times demand."
Once again we have a president who focuses his concerns that terrorist on some distant soil might well be plotting and preparing to attack our nation. Certainly this is a real possibility and one that needs to be dealt with effectively.
However, it is absolutely vital that in searching far and wide to uncover threats to our safety that our nation's leaders not ignore that which may be occurring up close and virtually under our noses!
There have been numerous intelligence reports about various terrorist training camps operating in the Tri-Border Region of Brazil. (I would point out that Brazil is within this hemisphere for those members of Congress who may be geographically challenged!) There have been numerous reports about illegal aliens from "Special interest countries" (countries that are associated with the state sponsorship of terrorism such as Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc) being apprehended as they attempted to enter the United States by running our nation's borders.
Lets also not forget that whether a person is killed by a terrorist or a member of a violent gang or drug cartel, that person is no less dead! The loss to his family and friends is no less severe.
Consider this quote from the news report:
News of the plan, first revealed last week by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, comes on the heels of the State Department warning for Americans planning to visit Mexico, and of a report from the U.S. National Drug Intelligence Center, which found that Mexican cartels "maintain drug-distribution networks or supply drugs to distributors in at least 230 U.S. cities."
Did you notice that number of at least 230 cities? I am willing to venture a wild guess that not all of those 230 or more cities are all to be found along the Mexican border!
Here is a hypothetical analogy to the situation concerning the violence in Mexico:
The smoke detector has been ringing for quite some time. At what point should the fire department be called and the building evacuated?
Now consider how long the lunacy in Mexico has been festering and escalating. How much longer will the "Fools on the Hill" (Congress) continue to debate the completion of the fence and the need to take many additional measures to not only secure the border but to identify and weed out the members of the various violent gangs and cartels who are, no doubt, operating in cities across our nation?
There is that famous saying that "Nero fiddled while Rome burned!"
Perhaps we should come up with an appropriate award for our nation's leaders who are so intent on not interfering with the status quo that provides so many exploitable workers and hence campaign contributions and potential voters that they are unwilling or unable to do what is absolutely vital for the security of our nation and the safety of our citizens.
Perhaps an appropriate award would be a miniature statue in the shape of a fiddle!
A final thought. Consider the final sentence in that news report:
Analysts say the extreme nature of the violence in Mexico is in part a product of the destabilizing effects of President Felipe Calderon´s use of the army and federal authorities to crack down on the cartels - which has provoked shootouts with police and escalating violence between the cartels as markets are destabilized by the removal of key players.
You have to wonder if the analysts were using some of the dope being smuggled by the cartels! The violence is a response to the efforts of the Mexican army and law enforcement to crack down on the cartels?
What is the alternative, to have President Calderon flee from Mexico and turn over the government to the cartels?
Clearly the only solution is to take on the cartels and win! There is no such thing as "second place" in the war on drugs or terror!
The large scale apathy demonstrated by citizens of this nation has emboldened elected representatives to all but ignore the needs of the average American citizen in a quest for massive campaign funds and the promises of votes to be ostensibly delivered by special interest groups. There is much that we cannot do but there is one thing that We the People absolutely must do- we must stop sitting on the sidelines!
The collective failure of We the People to get involved in make our concerns known to our politicians have nearly made the concerns of the great majority of the citizens of this nation all but irrelevant to the politicians.
I implore you to get involved!
We live in a perilous world and in a perilous era. The survival of our nation and the lives of our citizens hang in the balance
This is neither a Conservative issue, nor is it a Liberal issue- simply stated, this is most certainly an AMERICAN issue!
You are either part of the solution or you are a part of the problem!
Democracy is not a spectator sport!
Lead, follow or get out of the way!
-michael cutler-
The time for contingency plans has long since passed.
Contingency plans on an individual basis is about all anyone could expect to actually do anything at all, much less do some good.
Having said that I continue to recommend that everyone pour money into their individual contingency plan until they are eating Raymen Noodles at least once a day because that is all the cash they have left over.
It is a safe bet that whatever you acquire from such a contingency plan will not go down in value.
Given the smiling faced lies Hussein $Oslash;bama The Magnificent is spewing to drooling TV "news" shows, such preparations might be the difference between maintaining some degree of civilized freedom and the slavery of dependence on a communist government proclaiming itself "Democratic."
First of all, the Homeland Security response is minimal compared to NORTHCOM, the North American Military Command.
As far as Texas and New Mexico are concerned, between Ft. Bliss (home of the US Cavalry), and the enormous Ft. Hood, securing the border will probably not be problematic. Likely Hood would have to task org some units to Ft. Huachuca, which would police the Arizona and California borders, assisted by the USMC Air Station at Yuma.
The time for implementing said plan is here, but to our ongoing sorrow the current occupant at HomeLandSecurity is a devotee of open borders and unhindered access to our nation by anyone and everyone who wants to cross the border. Her record while governor of AZ speaks for itself. We lived there and helped the Border Patrol by holding illegals when they trespassed on the ranch where we lived.
Unfortunately, it has been both Democrats and Republicans (Bush, McCain) who have let this border situation turn to this...also Anti-American groups like US Chamber of Commerce, ACLU, La Raza, MALDEF, other Hispano-Racist groups....
The real facts:
If you are against border security...YOU ARE ON THE SIDE OF THE MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS
If you are against deporting illegal aliens...YOU ARE ON THE SIDE OF THE MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS.
If you continue to ignore the situation in Mexico...YOU ARE ON THE SIDE OF THE MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS.
If you support continuing the prohibition of marijuana... YOU ARE ON THE SIDE OF THE MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS:
John P. Walters, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said marijuana, not heroin or cocaine, is the "bread and butter," "the center of gravity" for Mexican drug cartels that every year smuggle tons of it through the porous U.S.-Mexico border. Of the $13.8 billion that Americans contributed to Mexican drug traffickers in 2004-05, about 62 percent, or $8.6 billion, comes from marijuana consumption.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/022208dnintdrugs.3a98bb0.html
“News of the plan....comes on the heels of the State Department warning for Americans planning to visit Mexico, and of a report which found that Mexican cartels “maintain drug-distribution networks or supply drugs to distributors in at least 230 U.S. cities.””
Nine percent Nancy’s contingency plans ...
A group hug with mexican drug lords.
“...the violence was “definitely creeping across the border into Arizona”
Paging, Janet Napolitano!
And this is news to whom? Take the time to read post #1, AuntB's note from one of her correspondents.
We don’t need “contingency plans”.
We need the National Guard - armed, locked and loaded all along our southern border. End of problem.
I actually agree with you....a similar problem came with prohibition until the same people who created it had to come face to face with reality, and repealed it.
To tax and control the distribution will take it out of the hands of the black market, and defeat the drug cartels of their illegal income. Now it will mean making some different laws, such as drug tests for drivers, etc. There is a solution and the War on Drugs has failed miserably.
I taught CJ and I know, and I don’t smoke or do drugs, as a christian it is clear to me that any type of moral values cannot be regulated by laws. Those are internal personal decisions, and the good will be good and the evil will be evil.
I think it is obvious to most that are interested by now that the government in Mexico is no longer in control. The immediate threat area to the U.S. right now is Juarez. Juarez is a city of 1.3 million and they have no police force or mayor. Murders and kidnappings were off the charts before the Police chief and mayor quit. Crowds gather in the street and death threats against officials are printed on banners and displayed openly on major streets. It is a ticking time bomb and the whole country is a mess. It’s not like many of us didn’t see this coming- we have been trying to bring attention to this problem for years and our government has been ignoring the situation. The main post has a feel good message about plans for quick response- the only way I see them able to respond quickly is if they are in place right now- otherwise it is just a joke.
Hezbollah, in the thousands by some estimates.
Thanks for the ping, post, thread. BTTT!
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