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REQUIEM

Below are the two final essays to be posted on Allegiance and Duty Betrayed. The first one is written by a friend -- screen name 'Euro-American Scum' -- who, over the past four years, has been the most faithful essayist here. He has written about everything from his pilgrimage to Normandy in 2004 to take part in the 60th–year commemoration of the invasion, to his memories of his tour in Vietnam. His dedication to America’s founding principles ... and those who have sacrificed to preserve them over the past 200+ years ... is unequaled. Thank you, E-A-S. It has been a privilege to include your writing here, and it is a privilege to call you my friend.

The second essay is my own farewell. And with it I thank all of the many regular visitors, and those who may have only dropped in occasionally, for coming here. I hope you learned something. I hope a seed or two was planted. But, even if not, I thank you for stopping by ... 25 March, 2010

1/06/2007

The Tale of the Invisible
Seven-Hundred-Mile Fence


We had a wonderful discussion this week under the column entitled ‘A Terrible Tipping Point’. A good many of the comments focused on the danger represented by the increasing availability to islamic terrorists of the components necessary to construct a portable nuclear device – which has the potential to wreak significantly more death and destruction, and long-term damage to our environment and infrastructure, than the tragic events of 9/11/01.

There have been countless meaningless rumblings, and one actual piece of ‘legislation’ (not suprisingly, still unsupported by the funds to back it up) from congress -- all aimed at suppressing citizen outrage regarding our open borders, but none of which is destined to see realization.

When it comes to genuinely and resolutely addressing the crisis occurring across our southern border, everything that emanates from Washington is simply window dressing. To the majority of opportunistic traitors in our government, the invasion that is destroying our national identity, making a mockery of the rule of law, rewarding insidious parasitic behavior, and putting every American citizen in danger, is secondary in importance to the desire to increase their voting base, the lure of cheap labor, or the vision of a one-world borderless utopia. And don’t tell me the fundamental nature of the above does not fall under the definition of treason (common synonyms: betrayal, disloyalty, duplicity).

Tom Tancredo, in his book In Mortal Danger, writes:

We have the necessary technology, combined with human resources, to secure our borders tomorrow. It is a canard for politicians to say that it is impossible and that we must figure out a different way to defend America rather than defending our borders. What they are really saying is, ‘I choose not to defend and secure our borders because there are political ramifications that I fear.’ It is those fears that put the life of every American citizen in mortal danger.

Every day that our borders remain porous physically endangers every one of us, as a result of the increase in violent crime that invariably accompanies the influx of the criminals, and it drains our economy and our education and healthcare systems because many of the parasites demand and receive the same services that the rest of us have earned. But, much worse, it increases the likelihood (becoming more of a certainty with the passage of time and the inaction of those whose charge it is to ensure our safety and sovereignty) that there is an ever-increasing number of terrorists among us, some of whom have brought with them the means for our destruction.

Jerome Corsi, author of Unfit for Command, discusses the threat that both nuclear suitcase bombs, and dirty bombs, pose in his more recent book, Atomic Iran: How the Terrorist Regime Bought the Bomb and American Politicians:

... the threat of dirty bombs is real, though we should not assume that a dirty bomb would be the weapon of choice, especially not for a group of skilled terrorists who would have the backing of a nuclear-armed rogue state such as Iran. The mad mullahs and their terrorist associates would, if possible, opt for a much more deadly scenario, one that could truly bring the civilized world to its knees in the space of one day. If serious terrorists are going to spend their time devising attacks, the terror masters directing them will move to the most feasible attack that can cause the maximum amount of damage. Why bother with anything less?

Whatever their eventual modus operandi may be -- future attacks of a nuclear, chemical, biological, or other sort -- the facts are clear: there are already countless islamic cells within our borders. They are proselytizing and recruiting in mosques, schools, and prisons. And we continue to allow more of them, and additional 'equipment', to enter this country virtually unfettered.

With such an unprecedented, deadly threat staring us in the face, and virtually nothing keeping islamic operatives from simply strolling across our southern border ... suitcase in hand ... with what are the president and congress occupying themselves?

The piously declared ‘new era’ in Washington is being ushered in with significant fanfare and air of self-importance. Will the much-touted ‘new Iraq policy’, an increase in the minimum wage, expansion of embryonic stem-cell research, a tightening of ethics rules (where have we heard that before, and which of the ‘fool-me-once’-challenged among us continues to believe such pap?), and the inexhaustible fountain of nonsense posing as issues of importance, have any relevance when one of more of our cities are reduced to rubble, and our countrymen are suffering in debilitating ways that our minds cannot even begin to comprehend?

Not only is our government reneging on its promise to build a physical barrier to prevent the continuing flood of illegals of all stripes (islamic terrorists surely among them). Our fearless leaders are also stationing our countrymen at the border, putting their lives in extreme danger, and forbidding them to do what needs to be done to fulfill their duties.

Yesterday National Guard troops stationed along the Arizona border were forced to retreat when confronted by hostile criminals intent on crossing. Unable to engage the enemy because their role is bureaucratically defined as not to extend beyond an administrative capacity, members of the greatest fighting force in the history of the world had no choice but to retreat at their own border, when confronted by armed criminals seeking to cross (story).

Every informed American knows that the goal of islamic terrorists is to bring America to her knees, in as brutal and violent a manner as possible. We also know that we have it entirely within our power to at least dramatically reduce the probability that they will succeed. Yet our own leadership is forbidding us to do so, when the single most vital responsibility of our government is to defend our territorial integrity.

When (not if) the next, and much more deadly and virulent, terrorist attack occurs here on American soil, upon whom do we lay the blame for the torment and suffering that will befall thousands, if not millions, of our innocent countrymen? Do we hate the madmen who have made no secret of their desire to destroy us? Or do we reserve a more potent brand of hatred for those calculating pretenders among us who claim to be our protectors, while at the same time placing their insatiable thirst for personal power above the very lives and liberties of those whose trust and commission they consistently debase, and deliberately betray?

The American government is as much an enemy of the American people as is any Middle Eastern terrorist organization. And, if wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing deceit contributes to degree of malevolence, then the wickedness of those who claim to represent us, and who claim to have our best interests at heart, is beyond measure.

The American Crisis is worsening by the day, while our leadership continues to turn a convenient blind eye, polishing their primping and posturing skills, and offering up meaningless, toothless, mirage ‘solutions’ to a cancer that threatens to eventually render our individual liberty and sovereignty extinct.

It would appear that the future of our republic rests on the shoulders of the American patriot. We are walking down a path ... certainly not well-lit, nor well-traveled ... that has not existed in our lifetimes, or those of our parents or grandparents. We must continue to keep the Founders’ vision primary in our focus, and always look to Him for guidance.

I believe I hear them weeping, and imploring us to reflect on the glorious history of this republic, the monumental sacrifices that were required to make it so, and the need to assure her future (‘to provide new guards for [her] future security’) ... before the time and opportunity to do so has passed.

~ joanie

37 comments:

Anonymous said...

An excellent summary of a sad situation.

Anonymous said...

Bravo! I second every word!

Anonymous said...

I guess by now you've all heard that the Bush Administration has been working on a secret plan for over three years which would give full Social Security benefits to illegals.

Their "totalization plan" was signed by the head of the Social Security Administration in June, 2004 but only made public last week thanks to a 3-year FOIA battle waged by a seniors group, TREA.

U.S.-Mexico Pact Revealed: Billions to Non-citizens at NewsMax.com

We really need to take back our government, folks.

Anonymous said...

I'll be sending TREA Senior Citizens League a donation. If it weren't for them, this treasonous act would never have been discovered.

The Totalization Agreement (6MB .pdf file)

Anonymous said...

Well said. However, unless there is a major change in Washington, nothing is going to happen. Washington is interested in Washington and the next election.

Anonymous said...

John Cooper said...
I'll be sending TREA Senior Citizens League a donation. If it weren't for them, this treasonous act would never have been discovered.


Good thought, John.

Anonymous said...

Tom Tancredo, in his book In Mortal Danger, writes:

We have the necessary technology, combined with human resources, to secure our borders tomorrow.

Anonymous said...

Very well said, as usual.

Anonymous said...

Notice how this run in with the Guard, and the two Border Patrol agents who will soon be serving serious jail time for just doing their job, isn't getting any press at all?

I wonder why. <-/sarc->

Anonymous said...

"If ever a time should come when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin"--- Samuel Adams

Anonymous said...

John McCains' thoughts on the border fence from the WorldNetDaily article, Why John McCain is finished:

"I think the fence is least effective. But I'll build the g-d--n fence if they want it."

Hopefully, the voters of Arizona will take away McCain's cushy job in D.C. and buy him a pick and shovel so he can make good on that promise.

Anonymous said...

Here's how our country is run:

Bill Clinton authorized Sandy Berger's access
Investigation into pilfered documents reveals former president signed letter

January 4, 2007 By Chelsea Schilling

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53629

President Bill Clinton signed a letter authorizing former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger's access to classified documents that later came up missing, according to a newly released investigation report by the National Archives and Records Administration.

The sensitive drafts of the National Security Council's "Millennium After Action Review" on the Clinton administration's handling of the al-Qaida terror threats in December 1999 suspiciously disappeared after Berger said he intended to "determine if Executive Privilege needed to be exerted prior to documents being provided to the 9/11 Commission."

Then-Attorney General John Ashcroft testified before the 9-11 commission about the millennium report, urging the panel to ask why the document's warnings and "blueprint" to thwart al-Qaida's plans to target the U.S. were ignored by the Clinton administration and not shared with the incoming Bush security staff.

The NARA investigation report said Clinton signed an April 12, 2002, letter designating Berger – and another person whose named is redacted – as "agents on his behalf to review relevant NSC documents regarding Osama Bin Laden/Al Qaeda, Sudan and Presidential correspondence from or to (Sudanese President) Omar Bashir, contained in the Clinton Presidential records." A subsequent letter from a National Security Council official, May 14, 2002, said Berger repeatedly was briefed that "he was not allowed to remove any documentation from NARA."

Last year, Berger plea bargained a criminal sentence on the charge of unlawfully removing and retaining classified documents. A judge gave him no prison time, a $50,000 fine, 100 hours of community service and a ban from access to classified material for three years.

According to the NARA report, after the 9-11 attacks, Clinton administration officials were swamped with calls regarding their handling of terrorist threats, and Berger soon realized he would have to testify. Berger said he put in over 100 unpaid hours of his time to be responsive.

The former White House adviser said the documents up for review were so numerous that he was unable to reconstruct them from memory, so he took 10-to-12 pages of notes and hid them in the pocket of his blazer.

The investigation report says, however, the May 14, 2002, letter stated "notes may be taken but must be retained by NARA staff and forwarded to the NSC for a classification review and appropriate marking. Berger, the letter said, "was made aware of this requirement."

In July 2003, Berger's handling of the papers began to "cause archival concerns in maintaining provenance" after he asked to leave the viewing office several times to hold very private phone calls. Later, in September, Berger once again stepped out of the office and headed for the men's room, but personnel reported an unknown white object beneath his pant leg.

A witness said Berger "bent down, fiddling with something white, which could have been papers, around his ankle."

After Berger's actions aroused suspicion in September 2003, an unnamed archives official hand-numbered drafts provided to Berger as a means of controlling the documents without consulting with NARA general counsel, security, management, the Office of the Inspector General or law enforcement.

In October, Berger returned to the archives office and was given one file folder of documents at a time. The NARA report indicates an e-mail numbered 217 came up missing after he reviewed it. Berger later said he slid the document under his portfolio.
When personnel noticed it was missing, they offered a copy of document 217 to Berger, and he reportedly slid the second file under his portfolio as well.

Later, Berger said if he had been asked to return the file "it would have triggered a decision for him to give the documents back."

Instead, Berger said he had to make a private phone call and went to a desk outside the office. However, the phone line remained unlit, and he quickly departed to the restroom, a location from which he was reported to have recently returned.

Berger made numerous suspicious visits to the men's room in which personnel were concerned he might be hiding documents. He said he "went to the restroom on an average of every 30 minutes to one hour to use the facilities and stretch his legs."

According to the NARA report, Berger claimed he accidentally took the files outside of the archives building and didn't want to risk bringing documents back because personnel might notice something unusual. Instead, he took the files to a fenced construction area on Ninth Street, slid them under a trailer and returned to the office to finish his review. After doing so, he returned to the site, reclaimed the documents and took them to his office.

During the visit, Berger is reported to have hidden four documents in his pockets, all versions of the Millennium Alert After Action Review.

Archives officials decided to call Berger and ask him for the documents. He said he didn't think he had any files. They advised him NARA was treating the matter as a security infraction and was going to report the incident to the National Security Council. If Berger admitted to taking the documents by mistake, the incident would be reported as inadvertent removal. But, he maintained that staff members were in error, and he had given the files back to an assistant.

Later that evening, Berger claimed to have found two documents, and NARA made arrangements to pick up the files the following morning. However, NARA reports the documents were an e-mail and a facsimile Berger reviewed Sept. 2, 2003, not classified files viewed Oct. 2, 2003.

Berger said he could not find any additional documents and claimed he must have thrown them away. According to the NARA report, "He had destroyed, cut into small pieces, three of the four documents. These were put in the trash. By Saturday, the trash had been picked up. He tried to find the trash collector but had no luck."

The inspector general was briefed on the incidents Oct. 10. That day, OI investigators recovered documents from Berger's home at the request of his attorney. Six months later, the Department of Justice notified the 9/11 commission.

Berger said if someone had always been with him, he would not have taken any documents.

Despite his April 1, 2005, guilty plea for Unauthorized Removal and Retention of Classified Material, Berger still vehemently denies smuggling any documents in his socks. According to the report, he said he was adjusting them "because his shoes frequently come untied and his socks frequently fall down."

Anonymous said...

Excellent! Thank you for the intelligent, common sense perspective.

Anonymous said...

Media Ignore Story

Armed Mexicans Attack Unarmed National Guard Troops on US Soil
By Jim Kouri January 6, 2007

http://www.canadafreepress.com/2007/kouri010607.htm

In a story that should have rung alarm bells in every newsroom across the nation, armed Mexican entered the United States and attacked unarmed National Guard troops working at a border patrol post near the US-Mexican border. The troops had to retreat to safety.

Not surprisingly, the news story received scant coverage by the mainstream news media and hardly a mention on the Fox News Channel. It's a story that should outrage all Americans including President George W. Bush.

Unfortunately, President Bush and his Administration did not even comment on this vicious attack on unarmed US troops as well as the unbridled assault on American sovereignty. During a press conference held on Friday afternoon by Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, there was not one word about this unprovoked attack on soldiers.

According to syndicated columnist and journalist Sher Zieve, the attack was initiated by several Mexican nationals at about 1:00 AM (et) Thursday morning at one of the National Guard entrance identification team posts near Sasabe. The troops retreated to safety. According to KVOA TV News reports in Tucson, AZ, no shots were fired and no one suffered injuries.

The US Border Patrol is conducting an investigation into the attack. Investigators are attempting to determine who the armed men were, what they were doing and why they approached the post before returning to Mexico.

A Border Patrol agent, who requested anonymity, says that the well-armed intruders were drug traffickers who are fully aware US National Guard troops are prohibited from carrying any type of weapon and have been ordered not to confront lawbreakers coming across the border. The Guard troops are not allowed to apprehend illegal entrants, as well.

"Basically, the National Guard troops are doing what private groups such as the Minuteman Project have done at US borders -- observe and report," said a Homeland Security Department official.

What he failed to mention is that the Minutemen didn't cost taxpayers millions of dollars to just stand at the border unarmed and act as the eyes and ears of the already stretched-thin Border patrol agents.

"We don't know if this was a matter of somebody coming up accidentally on the individuals, coming up intentionally on the individuals, or some sort of a diversion," Rob Daniels, spokesman for the Border Patrol's Tucson Sector told KVOA News.

The west desert corridor has been the busiest in the Tucson Sector for marijuana seizures since last year. According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, agents have seized 124,000 pounds of marijuana there since October 1, 2006.

With more Border Patrol agents and National Guard troops patrolling the Arizona section of the U.S.-Mexican border, it has become more difficult to smuggle drugs and people across may have caused drug and human smugglers to become more aggressive.

Since arriving in mid-June, the Guard has assisted the Border Patrol by manning control rooms, doing vehicle and helicopter maintenance, repairing roads and fences, constructing vehicle barriers and fences and spotting and reporting illegal entrants in entrance identification teams.

There are dozens of National Guard entrance identification teams along the Mexican border, including east and west of both Nogales and Sasabe and on the Tohono O'odham Nation. All of the teams are unarmed.

"This is one of the most expensive dog-and-pony shows dreamed up by the Washington establishment in recent history. Imagine using trained troops on the US border unarmed and prohibited from taking action. It's a scam," says Mike Baker, a political analyst.

Anonymous said...

The 241 Marines blown up by Hizbollah during Ronald Reagan's presidency had 'guards' who were ordered to have no bullets in their guns.

The USS COLE was ordered to have unloaded weapons while located in the Yemen port where 19 sailors were killed and 39 hurt in the suicide attack there.

That is the US State Department at work.

In both cases, there was no reason for the US personel to be where these murders occurred.

The State Department, in each case, placed them in danger and specifically ordered them to disarm themselves.

It sounds like the same US State Department procedure is taking place on the US-Mexican border.

Some people don't learn from experience.

Or are they deliberately trying to destroy the US and US troops?

It was a disaster when Reagan pulled the US out of Lebanon with out any retaliation. That told Hizbollah and the rest of the watching muslim world that they could get away with such things.

And later with the USS COLE Clinton's non-action sent the same message to the muslims that they could get away with that.

joanie said...

During a press conference held on Friday afternoon by Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, there was not one word about this unprovoked attack on soldiers.

In a recent speech to the Heritage Foundation, Chertoff stated, ‘We are going to build ourselves what I call a virtual fence, not a fence of barbed wire and bricks and mortar, which I will tell you simply doesn’t work but rather a smart fence, a fence that makes use of physical tools, but also tools about information sharing and information management that let us identify people coming across the border.’

He’s the Alan Greenspan of national security. If doublespeak were an Olympic sport, he’d score a string of perfect 10s.

And THIS is the idiot charged with overseeing America’s sovereignty and security!

Chertoff needs to get the axe. But, then again, it’s no longer about ability or performance. If it were, Condi Rice and Julie Myers would be applying for unemployment, too, and John Bolton would be heading the State Department.

Arabism, cronyism, cowardice, and political correctness are alive and well on both sides of the aisle on the Hill, and in all corners of the White House.

~ joanie

Anonymous said...

...don't forget to buy your duct tape and visqueen!

The following is only vaguely related to the topic, but is yet another example of the mis-allocation of American troops.

We are now hearing the democrats scream that we can't sent any more troops to Iraq because the military is at the "breaking point" and about to snap. Then why do we have thousands of troops vaccinating camels in Africa instead of guarding our borders?

From More Heart than Sense, an editorial in Investor's Business Daily:

A year after 9/11, U.S. Central Command deployed a task force to the Horn with a mandate to detect and defeat transnational terrorism. Over the past four years, however, the mission has morphed into a "humanitarian operation" to win the "hearts and minds" of the local Muslim population.

The primary front-line troops of the task force, known as CJTF-HOA, are now doctors, nurses, civil engineers and even veterinarians engaged in humanitarian projects such as vaccinating livestock, including camels and goats.

When U.S. troops first arrived at the Djibouti base in 2002, they treated a smattering of 50 people and 250 animals, the U.S. Naval Institute said. The most recent effort involved a whopping 3,400 people and 24,000 animals.

Other troops, meanwhile, are building schools, roads, bridges, hospitals and village wells. When they're not doing that, they're baby-sitting village children — all in the hopes that one day when they grow up, they won't hate us and join al-Qaida.


I find myself longing for the good old clinton days when the military's main duties were to carry hillary's bags and guard the rain forest.

Anonymous said...

Very good arguments, very well said.

Anonymous said...

Joanie, here's the latest and complete story of the 2 border patrol agents who are being sent to jail for DOING exactly what the National Guard troops you mentioned aren't allowed to do.

Who can sleep well at night knowing our country is doing these things?:

2 Border Patrol agents
face 20 years in prison


Officers prosecuted – wounded drug trafficker
given full immunity in exchange for testimony

When Border Patrol Agent Ignacio Ramos pulled the trigger last February, all he knew was that his partner was lying on the ground behind him – bloodied from a struggle with a fleeing suspect – shots had been fired and now, it appeared, the drug smuggler he was pursuing had turned toward him with what looked to be a gun in his hand.

In the split-second he had to respond, Ramos determined the course of his and his partner's lives – federal prison for the next 20 years for assault with serious bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon, discharging of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, violating civil rights and obstruction of justice.

Ramos, 37, is an eight-year veteran of the U.S. Naval Reserve and a former nominee for Border Patrol Agent of the Year.

On February 17, he responded to a request for back up from agent Jose Alonso Compean, 28, who noticed a suspicious van near the levee road along the Rio Grande River near the Texas town of Fabens, about 40 miles east of El Paso.

Ramos, who headed toward Fabens hoping to cut off the van, soon joined a third agent already in pursuit.

Behind the wheel of the van was an illegal alien, Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila of Mexico. Unknown to the growing number of Border Patrol agents converging on Fabens, Aldrete-Davila's van was carrying 800 pounds of marijuana.

Unable to outrun Ramos and the third agent, Aldrete-Davila stopped the van on the levee, jumped out and started running toward the river. When he reached the other side of the levee, he was met by Compean who had anticipated the smuggler's attempt to get back to Mexico.

"We both yelled out for him to stop, but he wouldn't stop, and he just kept running," Ramos told California's Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Aldrete-Davila crossed a canal.

"At some point during the time where I'm crossing the canal, I hear shots being fired," Ramos said. "Later, I see Compean on the ground, but I keep running after the smuggler."

At that point, Ramos said, Aldrete-Davila turned toward him, pointing what looked like a gun.

"I shot," Ramos said. "But I didn't think he was hit, because he kept running into the brush and then disappeared into it. Later, we all watched as he jumped into a van waiting for him. He seemed fine. It didn't look like he had been hit at all."

The commotion and multiple calls for back up had brought seven other agents – including two supervisors – to the crossing by this time. Compean picked up his shell casings, but Ramos did not. He also did not follow agency procedure and report that he had fired his weapon.

"The supervisors knew that shots were fired," Ramos told the paper. "Since nobody was injured or hurt, we didn't file the report. That's the only thing I would've done different."

Had he done that one thing differently, it's unlikely it would have mattered to prosecutors.

Over two weeks after the incident, Christopher Sanchez, an investigator with the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General, received a call from a Border Patrol agent in Wilcox, Ariz. The agent's mother-in-law had received a call from Aldrete-Davila's mother in Mexico telling her that her son had been wounded in the buttocks in the shooting.

Sanchez followed up with a call of his own to the smuggler in Mexico.

In a move that still confuses Ramos and Compean, the U.S. government filed charges against them after giving full immunity to Aldrete-Davila and paying for his medical treatment at an El Paso hospital.

At trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra Kanof told the court that the agents had violated an unarmed Aldrete-Davila's civil rights.

"The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled it is a violation of someone's Fourth Amendment rights to shoot them in the back while fleeing if you don't know who they are and/or if you don't know they have a weapon," said Kanof.

Kanof dismissed Ramos' testimony that he had seen something shiny in the smuggler's hand, saying that the agent couldn't be sure it was a gun he had seen.

Further, Kanof argued, it was a violation of Border Patrol policy for agents to pursue fleeing suspects.

"Agents are not allowed to pursue. In order to exceed the speed limit, you have to get supervisor approval, and they did not," she told the Daily Bulletin.

Those shell casings Compean picked up were described to the jury as destroying the crime scene and their failure to file an incident report – punishable by a five-day suspension, according to Border Patrol regulations – an attempted cover up.

The Texas jury came back with a guilty verdict. Conviction for discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence has an automatic 10-year sentence. The other counts have varying punishments. Ramos and Compean will be sentenced next month.

"How are we supposed to follow the Border Patrol strategy of apprehending terrorists or drug smugglers if we are not supposed to pursue fleeing people?" said Ramos, who noted that he only did on that day what he had done for the previous 10 years. "Everybody who's breaking the law flees from us. What are we supposed to do? Do they want us to catch them or not?"

He also noted that none of the other agents who had responded to the incident filed reports that shots were fired and, besides, both supervisors at the scene knew they had discharged their weapons.

"You need to tell a supervisor because you can't assume that a supervisor knows about it," Kanof countered. "You have to report any discharge of a firearm."

"This is the greatest miscarriage of justice I have ever seen," said Andy Ramirez of the nonprofit group Friends of the Border Patrol. "This drug smuggler has fully contributed to the destruction of two brave agents and their families and has sent a very loud message to the other Border Patrol agents: If you confront a smuggler, this is what will happen to you."

The El Paso Sheriff's Department has increased its patrols around the Ramos home. The family is receiving threats from people they believe are associated with Aldrete-Davila.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51417

Anonymous said...

...don't forget to buy your duct tape and visqueen!

The hell with the wheel! These are the two most valuable inventions of man. :>)

Anonymous said...

You've outdone yourself Joanie. Real good stuff here.

Anonymous said...

Not sure if this will go through,
but giving it a try :

file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Default%20User.D6GSTM51/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/OLK11/breaking%20news.jpg

Anonymous said...

"Chertoff needs to get the axe."

I will be happy to handle the axe.

"Arabism, cronyism, cowardice, and political correctness are alive and well on both sides of the aisle on the Hill, and in all corners of the White House."

Condi Rice was trained by an arabist (Weinberger, I think).
The entire US State Department dances for the muslims.

Anonymous said...

smithy,

That reads like something out of Alice in Wonderland.

Up is down.

Black is white.

The US government worked hard to prosecute its own policemen and reward criminals.

Is that why the US court system was set up?

Is that why the US prosecuting arm of the US justice system was set up?

Is that why the US has police forces?

No one in his right mind would become a policeman in the US today.

Anonymous said...

MIAMI — The Port of Miami on Sunday was in a heightened state of security after police discovered two men hiding in a cargo truck, FOX News has learned.

The container truck was stopped near the cargo-area entrance to the port around 8 a.m. and the driver of the vehicle, who had valid port identification, was questioned by authorities.

"The driver of the 18-wheeler was apparently asked several questions — we're told routine questions — and at one point, he said he was alone," FOX News' Nancy Harmeyer said.

Police became suspicious and discovered two men hiding in the sleeper cab of the 18-wheeler. All three men are of Middle Eastern descent.

"At this time we don't know why they were here, what they were planning to do, or quite honestly even if the driver knew that the two men were back there," Harmeyer said.

The tractor-trailer has been cordoned off and investigators from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security were on the scene.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,242265,00.html

Anonymous said...

Dallas-based food chain to accept Mexican pesos

January 6, 2007
By KAREN ROBINSON-JACOBS / The Dallas Morning News

Starting Monday, patrons of the Dallas-based Pizza Patrón chain, which caters heavily to Latinos, will be able to purchase American pizzas with Mexican pesos.

Restaurant experts and economists said they knew of no other food chain with locations so far from the Mexican border offering such a service.

"We're trying to reach out to our core customer," Antonio Swad, president of Pizza Patrón Inc., said Friday.

"We know they come back [from Mexico] and have pesos left over. We want to be a convenient place for them to spend their pesos."

While U.S. restaurant chains have stepped up their marketing to Latino consumers and incorporated Latin flavors in the menu, it's unusual to see that outreach extend to the cash register.

"I think it's a very interesting idea," said Ron Paul, president of Technomic Inc., a Chicago-based restaurant market research firm. "They are catering to that audience."

But Mr. Paul said he did not see other chains rushing to emulate the program, in part because of bookkeeping headaches.

Usefulness
Others mentioned that the growing use of credit cards and the desire to hang on to the pesos for a return trip to Mexico would dilute the usefulness of the program.

"If you're not in a border town, I don't see the functional benefit," said Juan Faura, president and chief executive of Cultura, a Dallas-based marketing and advertising firm.

He and others saw the program more as a marketing effort than a badly needed service.

"I would see it as a move by the chain to communicate unequivocally to the Hispanic market that they are for them," Mr. Faura said.

"I don't see any other reason for it."

But Andrew Gamm, Pizza Patrón's director of brand development, said the company tested the idea in a Mesquite store recently and had customers spend "a couple hundred pesos," without any advertisement of the service.

Bills only
Under the program – which is set to end in late February but may be extended – the chain's 59 stores will take peso bills only, not coins.

Using cards listing the conversion calculations, cashiers will enter the figure in U.S. dollars into the cash register and give the change in U.S. currency.

Mr. Swad said some franchisees have made arrangements with their banks to handle the currency.

All other franchisees can send the pesos to the corporate headquarters, which will go to a third party to handle the conversion.

Mr. Gamm said the company set its exchange rate at 12 pesos per dollar for the duration of the program. As of Friday's trading, 10.94 pesos were worth $1, according to Bloomberg News.

Mr. Gamm said the difference would cover the cost of getting the pesos converted to dollars.

Mr. Swad said he's prepared to take heat from American consumers who might be offended by the bypassing of greenbacks.

"We're not really interested in finding the safest spot on the board," Mr. Swad said.

About 60 percent of Pizza Patrón customers and 45 percent of the franchisees are Latino.

"We know the purity of our intention, and we're willing to take the heat when there is heat."

E-mail krobinson@dallasnews.com

Anonymous said...

Al,

The answers to your questions are no, no and no.

But tell that to the administration, Chertoff, and the Justice Department. I guarantee it will fall on deaf ears.

joanie said...

John,

I've tried to avoid talking about the Social Security Totalization Agreement for two reasons -- thinking about it makes my blood boil, and it's still very vague.

But, once Bush sends it to congress, they will have sixty days to voice disapproval. If they don't, it will go into effect through lack of action.

I would say that we need to pressure our 'representatives' in DC to nix this, but not enough pressure can be brought without it receiving any publicity, and you can bet that the media (even 'fair and balanced' FoxNews) are going to treat this as the best kept secret in the world.

(If you don't speak Spanish, it may be time to learn.)

~ joanie

Anonymous said...

JKF-- I read your column on Sierra Times today. Congrats.

Anonymous said...

TONY SNOW ACTS AS AGENT FOR THE PROSECUTION AGAINST TWO BORDER AGENTS

If I said what I thought of Tony Snow here it would be less than charitable.

Tony Snow can kiss my ***.

Our 'government' has sold us out.

Snow: 'Border agents must obey law, too'
WND ^ | January 13, 2007

http://wnd.com/news/printer-friendly.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53757

Those who have been lobbying for a presidential pardon or other intervention from the government on behalf of two former U.S. Border Patrol agents sentenced to prison for shooting an escaping drug dealer in the buttocks should review the evidence in their cases, White House spokesman Tony Snow told WND.

"They (agents Jose Alonso Compean, 28, and Ignacio Ramos, 37) eventually went before a … jury – and were convicted on 11 of 12 counts, by a U.S. attorney who has prosecuted any number of cases. But the facts of this case are such that I would invite everybody to take a full look at the documented record," Snow said.

"This is not the case of the United States saying, we are not going to support people who go after drug dealers. Of course we are. We think it's incumbent to go after drug dealers, and we also think that it's vitally important to make sure that we provide border security so our people are secure," he continued.

"We also believe that the people who are working to secure that border themselves obey the law. And in a court of law, these two agents were convicted on 11 of 12 counts by a jury of their peers after a lengthy trial at which they did have the opportunity to make their case," he said.

His response came to a question from Les Kinsolving, WND's correspondent at the White House:

"A nationally syndicated columnist, Phyllis Schlafly, reports the following, and this is a quote: 'President Bush pardoned 16 criminals, including five drug dealers, at Christmastime, but so far has refused to pardon two U.S. Border Patrol agents who were trying to defend America against drug smugglers.' And my question: If Mrs. Schlafly was at all inaccurate in this statement, you would surely rebut, wouldn't you?"

Snow said he couldn't comment about the specifics of pardons. But he said Schlafly's reference should include the details, how "according to the facts presented in court, you had an incident in which there was an attempt to pull somebody over. He finally got pulled over; somebody holds out a gun. Sort of scuffling ensues. And what happens is you've got a fellow running away, and a couple of agents eventually in pursuit, firing 14 shots at him – I think 15, actually. Fourteen by one agent missed, one did strike him in the fleshy hindquarters."

At that point yet, Snow noted, the agents "did not know if he was an illegal. They did not know that there were 700 pounds of marijuana …"

"They also have rights of appeal. So I don't want to be acting here as – I'm not going to be judge and jury, [WHAT IS IT THAT COMPELLS YOU TO SAY THAT, YOU STUPID ASS?] but I do think that there's been a characterization that somehow the government is turning a blind eye toward the law in enforcing the law. And … I think that's the important thing. So take a look at the facts of the case."

He said questions about the fact that the government brought the man back from Mexico and gave him immunity on charges to testify against the agents would have to be answered by a lawyer.

As WND has reported, five congressmen recently issued a call to Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez to intervene.

The lawmakers have asked President Bush to pardon Compean and Ramos, who were sentenced to 12 years and 11 years, respectively, in October. But the sentences are scheduled to begin Jan. 17, and in lieu of a pardon, the congressmen are asking Gonzalez to request the Justice Department to direct federal prosecutors not to oppose a court motion to keep the agents free on bond during the appeals process.

Reps. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif.; Ted Poe, R-Texas; Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C.; Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.; and Tom Tancredo, R-Colo.; announced their request in a news conference at the nation's capitol.

The lawmakers cited "discrepancies" in the government's case that they said raised questions as to whether justice was being served. The members of Congress were joined by former Border Patrol agent Andy Ramirez of Friends of the Border Patrol and T.J. Bonner and Rich Pierce of the National Border Patrol Council.

Bush also has received a letter about the case from more than 50 Congress members, and Grassfire.org has an online petition calling on the president to pardon the agents.

"Two brave Border Patrol agents trying to enforce the president's nonsensical border policy ending up being sent to prison, while an illegal alien drug smuggler is given immunity and walks free," Rohrabacher said.

As WND has reported, a federal jury convicted the two after a two-week trial on charges of causing serious bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon, discharge of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence and a civil rights violation.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas issued a statement in September arguing "the defendants were prosecuted because they had fired their weapons at a man who had attempted to surrender by holding his open hands in the air, at which time Agent Compean attempted to hit the man with the butt of Compean's shotgun, causing the man to run in fear of what the agents would do to him next."

The statement said, "Although both agents saw that the man was not armed, the agents fired at least 15 rounds at him while he was running away from them, hitting him once."

Ramirez of Friends of the Border Patrol said the drug smuggler has "fully contributed to the destruction of two brave agents and their families and has sent a very loud message to the other Border Patrol agents: If you confront a smuggler, this is what will happen to you."

Snow followed up after the press briefing by faxing 12 pages of comment about the case of the border guards, including the statement from U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, as well as a guest column he wrote for the El Paso Times in October.

"Agents Compean and Ramos were not railroaded by some over-zealous prosecutor, they were unanimously found guilty by a jury in a United States federal district court after a trial that lasted more than 2 ½ weeks," he wrote in the newspaper. "The problem for Mr. Compean and Mr. Ramos is that the jury did not believe their stories because they were not true."

"In America," he wrote, "law-enforcement officers do not get to shoot unarmed suspects who are running away, lie about it to their supervisors and file official reports that are false. That is a crime and prosecutors cannot look the other way."

Snow also faxed a six-page analysis of the case, with a list of unsigned myth-fact comparison statements.

On another related question, Kinsolving asked Snow: "What is the White House reaction to The Washington Times reporting that our National Guard troops in the Mexican border near Sasabe, Arizona being required to be disarmed, and who had to evacuate due to incursions by armed Mexicans?"

"Talk to the Border Patrol about that," Snow said.

joanie said...

Tony Snow is the mouthpiece (see also: stooge, yes man) for an administration that, through its inaction, is contributing every bit as much to the demise of our republic as is any malevolent force from outside of our borders.

He’s sold his soul.

Anonymous said...

Based on what piece of human slime Tony Snow said here, "inaction" is not the correct word to describe this administration's sellout of the US.

Remember Tony Snow's first comment after the last (Maccaca-Foley) election was that the President would work with the newly elected left congress to get legislation through to undermine US sovereignty at the Mexican border.

joanie said...

Al, you're absolutely right. 'Inaction' was a poor choice of words.

I tend to think of the lack of a fence (both physical and manpower-wise) at the border as representing inaction. But it actually represents an enormous amount of behind-the-scenes maneuvering to avoid creating the barrier, and to set in place agreements, programs and policies aimed at increasing the power and presence of illegals in this country.

Point well taken.

Anonymous said...

I saw the top rated show 24 in its season premiere tonight.

The script could have been written by CAIR and MOVEonorg combined. All whites except the main character are evil, and cowards to boot. All muslims are brave and noble in character. The concentration was on the evil of "domestic surveillance," enunciated several times during the show in lengthy speeches by women characters.

If I ever watch it again please shoot me.

Anonymous said...

48 hours of freedom left for 2 border patrol agents: Lady Justice weeps while illegal aliens laugh

Mon, 2007-01-15

http://www.homelandsecurityus.com/
[GOOD SITE for this topic]

"If it can happen to them, it can happen to any one of us. It has definitely had an adverse affect on agents involved in border security." –Mark Parsons, President, Fraternal Order of Police in El Paso, Texas, Customs and Border Protection agent

By Douglas J. Hagmann, Director

15 January 2007: By now, everyone in North America, and especially certain Mexicans are familiar with the case of two former Border Patrol agents convicted of causing serious bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon, discharge of a firearm and violating the civil rights of a drug smuggler and illegal alien at the U.S. – Mexican border. Absent of a successful appeal or a presidential pardon, former agents Jose Alonso Compean and Ignacio Ramos will begin serving their 10-year-plus sentences in federal court this Wednesday. Despite an unprecedented exhibit of support from the public and public officials, including 55 members of Congress and over 175,000 U.S. citizens, President Bush has shown no interest in pardoning these two agents whose sentences will surpass many murderers, rapists and even drug smugglers they have put behind bars. In addition to the obvious, however, the situation involving Compean and Ramos is having a "rippling effect" among border patrol agents and other law enforcement officials who have the increasingly dangerous and difficult task of protecting American citizens.

Anonymous said...

http://www.homelandsecurityus.com/

See the video at the bottom of this site

20 muslim "youths" attack lone Australian young man

Australian TV

Anonymous said...

Violence against border agents up 59 percent over fiscal year 2005

Jan 17, 2007

http://sun.yumasun.com/artman/publish/articles/story_29418.php

Between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, 2006, Yuma sector Border Patrol agents have been the victims of border violence 86 times — a 59 percent increase compared to 51 incidents during the same period the year prior, according to a news release.

However, total apprehensions of illegal immigrants at the Yuma Sector was one of two ports along the southern U.S. border to experience a significant decline.

During the last three months of 2006, Yuma agents made 9,320 apprehensions — a 63 percent decrease from the same period the year prior.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection state that this is an indication that the Border Patrol is becoming better equipped to respond to and resolve border security threats between the ports of entry, according to a news release.

Total apprehensions along the southern border from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31 dropped from 207,197 last year to 158,818 this year.

According to the release, under the Secure Border Initiative, CBP continues to enhance border security through a comprehensive approach of implementing innovative programs to include the expansion of expedited removal, Operation Streamline and Operation Jumpstart as well as hiring additional Border Patrol agents, up to 6,000 by the end of 2008. The continued use of cutting-edge technology, tactical infrastructure and CBP's increased ability to detain other-than-Mexican's, further augments our border security mission.