Posted on 05/17/2006 7:05:18 PM PDT by LouAvul
President Bush announced this week that 6,000 National Guardsmen would be sent to the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border to assist Border Patrol with surveillance and intelligence duties.
Shortly after Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told legislators in Washington that such a deployment wouldn't strain the Guard, Lt. Gen H. Steven Blum, who heads the Guard, elaborated on Bush's plan during an interview with CNN's Kyra Phillips.
PHILLIPS: Tell us, I want to hear it from you, the rules of engagement for these National Guard men and women.
BLUM: Well, the rules of engagement and the rules for use of force will be universal between California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. We are working with our states' attorney generals to make sure that there's no contradiction amongst the rules of engagement in each of those states, and we'll build upon the time-proven rules of engagement we've used for the counter-narcotics program that we've had on the southern border for about 20 years now.
PHILLIPS: Will they be armed, and if they get into a dangerous situation, if they feel their life is at stake, there is a high-threat situation going on, will they be able to fire that weapon?
BLUM: In short, absolutely. Every soldier and airman always has the right of self-protection to preserve their life and to save the lives of others. But no, not every soldier and airman will be armed.
There will be a lot of jobs that we'll be performing that will not require people to carry sidearms. However, if they're in a mission profile where they could be subject to threat or injury, or their life is threatened, they will, in fact, carry weapons, just as they do in other missions around the world.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Welcome to Wonderland, Alice.
they can sit there and give dirty looks right? whew! glad they're doing something
we'll build upon the time-proven rules of engagement we've used for the counter-narcotics program that we've had on the southern border for about 20 years now.
Yeah, because we all know what a huge success the "counter-narcotics program" at the border has been....Sarcasm tag not necessary.
I have suspected this from the moment I heard of this plan. Immediately I figured many would have rubber bullets, if any arms. Why? They will be there for show only- just to watch the immigrants run across and maybe deter a few, but never to engage, turn back or, horror of horrors, harm these innocents just trying to make a better life! I'm not surprised at all.
This has my vote for the dumbest news of the day.An unarmed soldier on the border is nothing more than a target.
If (God forbid) a Guardsman pulls a trigger, Stevie Blum will be the first to accuse him or her of murder. They may carry weapons, but they will probably have to purchase their own ammunition and risk court-martial for doing so. Blum is a purely CYA political general.
Uh.....I personally don't know any grandmothers, soccer moms, or preachers who AREN'T armed when within 1 hour of the border.....
Duh!
Blum is a purely CYA political general.
Believe me, there are plenty of generals just like him in the military.
These must be the National Hall Monitor Corps. You know
the whiny ones you'd punch in the face when the teacher wasnt looking.
When a heavly armed drug runner guns down an unarmed member of the Guard (unarmed soldiers, isn't that novel?), the rest of the Guard may then be be armed. If that happens it may be enough for another downward tick in the POTUS's popularity.
I rather imagine that NONE of them will be armed.
Those nasty old guns will just get in the way:
While they are serving coffee to Border Patrol executives and their guests from south of the border.....
While they are raking the rocks and doing landscaping and painting around Border Patrol headquarters......
While they are delivering soda and sandwiches to the Border Patrol rank and file officers.....
And While they are performing vehicle maintainence on Border Patrol vehicles.......
Etc...
As you can tell by my tone I am pretty cynical about this whole silly facade created by President Bush as an attempt to fool 'the base' that he is taking tough action.
Our guardsmen WILL BE SHOT AT BY Border Runners and the Mexican drug running Army. Give our boys their GUNS you POS political whackos!!!!!!!!!!!!
That makes two of us.....
Deploying guardsmen without weapons is a great way to destroy morale.
They're putting them there for target practice.
If not, why not. Could it possibly be to appease Mexicans and Vicente Fox?
The government is not serious.
Time to dispense copies of the Declaration of Independence for people to see how this government has reneged on its promises.
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