Comments on: Bush’s Border Security Theater

By: M/Sgt Hart

M/Sgt Hart — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 03:39:36 +0000

Rudderless, Man, you oughta be the local humanitarian services rep. for the imported labor. You must never have been to the Euro-union, the cheap labor now owns them. And the welfare bill in NM for no compensation for health services, DWI’s and the whole concept of Alteca/Aztlan, you gotta be doing some of the good stuff dude. You should come to downtown Baghdad for more training dude, they’ll luv and welcome drivel like yours. I do Not.

By: ahem

ahem — Wed, 17 May 2006 06:19:36 +0000

The irony: using the NG as cheap labor in lieu of more Border Patrol officers to guard against the influx of… cheap labor.

By: Bob

Bob — Wed, 17 May 2006 04:28:47 +0000

Give the guy a break for a change. 6000 troops won’t solve the problem but it will buffer the BP folks a bit and there is plenty of slack to take up. The Guard is quiet capable of any Border mission assigned to it. Remember, the primary mission will not be enforcement, but reinforcement. I am curious as to how the Mexican Army patrols that have crossed into Texas will react to this new policy. I will bet they do NOT cross the river again. One thing not mentioned is the fact that adding 8000 more BP still does not get that number of boots on the ground as there are a significant number of BP retiring, out on medicals/stress, etc every year. Where are they penciled in? It is a start folks. Now let’s watch our elected rep’s trash it anyway!

By: Noah Shachtman

Noah Shachtman — Tue, 16 May 2006 20:53:02 +0000

It’s just a pitch, right now. The PopSci thing is different, focusing just on Iraq.
And seriously. I wouldn’t spend a whole lot of time trying to divine my supposed ’06 agenda. Or, on second thought, please do. And then tell me what it is! ;-)
nms

By: C-Low

C-Low — Tue, 16 May 2006 20:48:53 +0000

Dont get your hair up on your back now.
I’m glad to hear that Noah I look forward to it, you do good tech stories. Is that going to be part of the article you have been talking about in the upcoming Popsci? Are you going to cross post that same here after its release by the magazine or a link?
Not knocking your politics its a free country and I understand 06 is fast approaching and all I just miss the defense tech part of defensetech.org. You could of got some good hooks in and at the same time brought some interesting stuff to the table.
I think the guard deployment was merely for show it really wont change much at all on the immigration issue. The meat of that speech was the tech deployment (if it comes to be) and the guest worker program with the no mass deportation talk. Those last two items if implemented will have a possibly powerful impact good/bad depends on your perspective.

By: Big D

Big D — Tue, 16 May 2006 20:32:34 +0000

“currently spends about $160 million per year on training“
waaaaiiiit…
That’s over $10,000 per agent per year.
Nobody’s commented on that?

By: J

Tue, 16 May 2006 18:43:23 +0000

Just my $.02 worth. But doesn’t the Army Corps of Enginners have Guard Units? From what I read into the speach the Guard will mainly be helping to improve roads, build barriers, install monitoring networks, and operating UAVs (something they are already skilled in)[Not to mention this could provide an intresting training environment where trainees accomplish a real world task as a apart of their training. This way they can get some what operation experiance doing their jobs under combat-like (harsh)conditions, safely in the US) They would do these things until done (i.e. all roads are completed) or untill such time as the Boarder Patrol has enough people to accomplish the mission. As the technology and systems are built we’ll probably see a draw down of the Guard troops and an increase in Boarder Patrol Agents. The remaining Guard will proabbly serve a similure role as the Coast Guard does with the DEA in the counter narc missions.

By: Noah Shachtman

Noah Shachtman — Tue, 16 May 2006 17:35:25 +0000

Actually, C-Low, I pitched that story to a big magazine on Friday. So I guess I’m able to put aside that legendary “partisan hartred,” after all!
nms

By: C-Low

C-Low — Tue, 16 May 2006 17:27:24 +0000

Not sure what speech you listened to maybe it was the CNN accidental airing of the rehearsal who knows at least it wasnt a big black X, besides I remember all those same mistakes during Clinton era right, right?
But back on point from what I heard it sounded like Bush met half way yes he deployed 6k NG but those ARE NOT going to be chasing down border jumpers. I think he made that clear. What they will be doing is basically sounding like what the minutemen have been doing on steroids military style. Exploiting observation, surveillance resources then with existing signals group telling the Border Patrol were to pick up infiltrators. Another aspect mentioned was NG building barriers, installing those techy sensors monitors, patrol roads, and fences in urban corridors to slow infiltration and speed identification/interception. This all sounds pretty easily within what the NG is capable of.
The housing aspect is a good point thou although I would imagine when not deployed they would be based at the existing bases in the States requesting the deployments.
But if you could put your partisan Bush hatred aside a minute Noah I would love to see a write up on some of that techy equipment Bush mentioned in his speech we were going to exploit. I would guess some spider sensor like networks (short the lethal aspect), security towers like Murc mentioned (short the lethal aspect), of course the now famous UAVs, and also like Murc mentioned some balloon tethered sensors (like the ones we got over every FOB in the sand box over there).
My two cents for the Democrats, until they become a party of ideas and not just the con to whatever Bush proposes they will never be anything more than the bitchy old lady aunt that only sees the gloomy side to everything. Nothing is perfect.

By: Byron Skinner

Byron Skinner — Tue, 16 May 2006 17:00:29 +0000

Good Morning Folks,
Lets see from President Bush last night, 6K National Guardsmen/women pulling a two week tour on the Mexican Border. Methinks a good investment tip would be a liquor store near the border.
In “Cobra II” Gordon and Tanner say President Bush can’t be held accountable for Iraq because he was only doing what Cheney and Rumsfeld told him to do. He didn’t and still doesn’t have a clue.
Last night we heard Carl Rove speaking. See end of last paragraph.
To change topice, Kudo’s to Noah and David, PS June 06, maybe the best and most honest article on Iraq yet. David I can now understand why you were 86ed. Keep it up guys.
ALLONS,
Byron Skinner