How Quickly Will the National Guard Kill a Mexican?
"Many Texans like myself remember what happened the last time the US military patrolled near the US-Mexico border: a team of Marine snipers shot and killed an 18-year-old US citizen, Esequiel Hernandez, Jr. Hernandez was tending a flock of goats within sight of his home while carrying an antique, single-shot .22 calibre rifle."
Hernandez was a US citizen, so his killing in 1997 sparked outrage north of the border. But what will happen if National Guardsmen make a "mistake" and kill a Mexican?
We can be certain that Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, and the other Fox anchors will loudly blame the Mexican and celebrate the killing for "sending a signal" to Mexicans that crossing the border could get them shot. George Bush will mumble some earpiece-fed words about 9/11 and avoid taking a position on one side or the other, which the right will celebrate as a de facto endorsement of murdering immigrants.
Is Karl Rove planning such an "accidental" shooting to shore up Bush's rightwing base for the November elections?
Remember Bush told Blair he wanted to paint a US plane in UN colors and provoke a surface-to-air attack by Saddam to trick the UN into voting for a US invasion.
Does anyone not think George Bush would sacrifice the life of a poor Mexican to keep Republican control of Congress?
- Bob Fertik's blog
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What a moron!
No matter what the president does, I think this time around he is grasping at straws!
29% and sinking!
Correct
The Republicans need an issue for 2006 and 2008. Racism always plays well to their base.
How many American deaths has Bush been responsible for since taking office by going to war, practising class war for the ultra-rich, not enforcing health, safety, labor and enviornmental rules eliminating or decreasing social benefits, engineering a minimum wage economy without health or pension benefits when corporate profits are higher than they have ever been, outsourcing American jobs, crushing unionization, incompetence, gutting FEMA, increasing heaing oil and gas prices that just puts more money in his and families pockets and redirecting income and wealth to the ultra-rich, his base as he has called them? How many as he maimed, injured and made or worsened illnesses? Killing Mexicans won't keep Bush up at nights.
Militarizing the border will give Americans a taste of the Iraqi occupation, further militarizing America and further making Americans used to barbarism. This will be especially true when he replaces the National Guard with mercenaries, as planned.
The one good thing that will come of it is that it may help the left-wing mayor of Mexico City to become President in the upcoming elections.
"Mexicans" or "illegals" are
"Mexicans" or "illegals" are the labels Republicans use once these people have reached the US. "Undocumented worker" is the label businesses will use to continue to hire them at below market wages. "Terrorists" will be the labels they use to justify shooting them down at the boarder. Just like any civilian who gets killed in Iraq (armed or unarmed) is called an "insurgent." Republicans LOVE labels!
"They want the federal government controlling Social Security
like it's some kind of federal program."
- George W. Bush in a debate in St. Charles, Mo., Nov. 2, 2000
The Border Patrol
It is really freightening! We have so
many jingoistic people in the military
and Bush supporters must be, also; because, otherwise, I don't see how they
can support him.
How could anyone do the horrible deeds
that he is responsible for ?
As has been said by others here and people around the world, Bush is a total
hypocrite. I saw him in a film showing
him on the campaign trail with a friend
who was using the "religious right" He
said " I could do this. It's easy"
I don't see anything of Jesus in him. I
think, this whole thing about his being
a Christian has been for campaign
purposes, only.
Bush is at the "beck and call" of oil and
other business men, and that is the sum
total of who he is.
I fear that there may be accidental
shootings at the border with no
consequences for the shooters. He says
that he is not militarizing the border;
so we can be sure that he is. He, almost
always, does the opposite of what he
says.
Mexcian War # 2
We have Americans being shoot by invaders from Mexico, and the picture that is being painted here is something which isn't true! IT IS A WAR ON THE BORDER and at this time our Army is in a foreign country fighting and dying for what reason nobody knows. Our Government for the last 20 years has been playing chase with the Mexican people and we are losing. We have Mexicans marching in are streets of the US and are politial people are playing with them for thier votes! What in Hell are we doing here? WAKEUP US CITIZENS!! And wakeup Washington Deadbeats. What is Wrong here is Mexico is Dectating are way of life in the US. This has got to stop and right now! and not Tomorrow, today! The game is over.
War on the Border
It is mostly because of bad trade policies. Clinton put NAFTA and GAAT
into effect. Now, we, also, have CAFTA.
These policies are for the benefit of
corporations, only. Our government has
colluded with corporations in driving
wages for workers down, here and abroad.
Our government has passed tax laws that
encourage companies to outsource jobs,
and give the "OK" for companies to
create slave labor.
Our government has, via trade agreements
that provided loans to other governments,
corrupting them with money handouts, ruined working conditions in these other
countries. They force countries to
accept corporations that compete with
local farmers. The people of Haiti used
to be able to make a living growing
the produce the people needed there.
Now, they can't because of multinational
corporations indercutting prices.
The same thing is true with Mexico. What
we need to do is get rid of NAFTA, GAAT,
& CAFTA, and make bi-lateral fair trade
agreements. Trade agreements should
benefit workers of both countries
involved instead of just the big
corporate heads.
Go to fairtrade.org, citizen.org,
multinationalmonitor.org, democracynow.
org,populationconnection.org, ringoffire.
org, globalexchange.org.
Spread the word. People need to get
information that is not available in the
regular media.
First Step Toward Private White House Army?
Governors of many states, including Texas, where a large portion of Bush's 6,000 troops will be deployed, are already protesting Bush's move. They say, quite correctly, that the move takes too much control and use of guardsfolk from states and places them in the status of active federal army. Worse, a "White House army."
But here's another possibility - more likely, I think: By calling for the Guard to be sent down in such force, Bush is setting the stage for the deployment an army of private contractors - Halliburton, et al. - to the border. Rove knows there will be a big controversy around the guard deployment - he's probably counting on it. The old "sweeten the lemon by making it more sour first" approach. I.e., following outrage over the guard call up, private contractor deployment will seem more welcome.
According to a report I recently heard - I think it was "wee small hours" NPR (the only time they air decent news stories these days), there are plans to construct "detention centers" for illegals along the border - a classic Halliburton contract.
I for one find it pretty darn scary that Bush has found a pretext to assemble a "private army" on US soil.
This is from WFAA.com in Dallas:
" We are looking at a range of options," said a senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The question is how best to deploy assets to have the most immediate impact."
Under consideration:
• Using federal funds to pay for Southwest governors to deploy National Guard troops.
• Requiring National Guard units from around the U.S. to conduct their training near the border.
• Hiring private contractors to assist the Border Patrol in support roles."
http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/nation/stories/DN-immigbush_1...
Regular reserve and national guard troops...
train just one weekend a month(usually at garrison)and then there is the two week summer camp training sessions. If they will be tied up for their entire two week summer session(run year around), then they cannot accomplish the training they need for other uses(think Iraq or another Bush scheme).
This was a major point of contention on KGO San Francisco early this morning(Ray Taliaferro).
Another point that came up is that Bush spoke of only 6000 guardsmen doing this border patrol...when you figure out that the job entails 24/7 coverage...that would require at least 18,000 troops. Where can Bush get 18,000+ bodies from the Guard? The answer is, he can't.
A mind once expanded can never return to its original dimensions.
Anne Hathaway: 1556-1623
The greatest degrangement of the mind is to believe in something because one wishes it to be so.
Louis Pasteur
WAKE UP DEMOCRATS!
I can't believe the majority of senators and representatives of my own party are backing this stupid Amnesty law. Anyone who helps them needs their head examined, think about it - every single illegal immigrant who works cheap is lowering wages for ALL working people! I can't understand why I seem to be the only one connecting all the dots - how many of our elected leaders are being paid off corporations who want cheap labor? And no, I don't know what the answer is for all those already here, and I don't want to rip families apart, but if they announce Amnesty it will be just like last time with thousands streaming across the border. And the ridiculous excuse that "they do jobs Americans won't do" only holds water when you look at what they're paid. I remember when the majority of people picking crops here in Florida were Floridians, white black etc, and a FEW migrant workers. But then when growers figured how to smuggle in lots of cheap Mexicans and Guatemalans, suddenly no more Americans!
Fine the employers
If we fined all the companies who were employing illegals, the practice would soon end. And maybe there would suddenly be lots of jobs for legal Americans. This whole thing makes me so mad. And before I get accused of being a troll, let me tell you that I speak fluent Spanish and work alongside many (legal) immigrants. And many of them are just as worried as I am at the prospect that our wages might drop due to pressure from a tidal wave of illegal workers. Let's stop depressing wages by hiring illegals! And someone please explain to me how my party, which has a long history of working for worker's rights, labor unions, benefits etc. is now suddenly on the side of wage depression, and taking the side of corporations over people? Since when are we the party by the corporation and for the corporation? And why don't any of our representatives seem to have the guts to stand up and say something? It seems the Democrats, just like the Repugs have become bought and paid for by corporations.
Fine and one year on a prison farm!
Fining Illegal Employers for hiring Illegal Aliens at slave pay is a crime, it is a law breaking offense. These criminal, both employers and Aliens have to be punished for their crime. Aliens to be fingerprinted and fined. We have to put a stop to this slave trade in the US. The law is in writing all we have to do is in force them. The US citizen knows what has to be done, but Washington is trying to better their political standing, and to me it just plain BULL S--T! We would not be in this predicament if politicians hadn't received payola from employers!
Jail Time
I don't think fines would do it. Jail time would be more effective. A couple of years in prison for the head of the company that employs the illegal, the person that hired the illegal and the CEO of the parent company. For example, the CEO of Walmart would face jail time if some store hires a contractor who hired illegals to clean the show.
Don't use Military personnel for Police
Using Military personnel as law enforcement is and has always been a hideous error in judgement, as they are not trained as police. With the exception of the Coast Guard which is essentially law enforcement by it's very nature, all the other branches have their own internal Police force. It was Army Guard personnel who shot the 4 at a university in Ohio, and if memory serves, that is much closer to the Canadian border. What will happen to American troops of Mexican extraction? Will they be ordered to guard the Canadian border instead?