U.S. may deploy troops if Mexico border violence e

[dgriffin]

U.S. may deploy troops if Mexico border violence escalates


The National Guard or Army would be called only as a last resort, a Homeland Security official says.

March 13, 2009

Washington -- With drug-related violence growing along the Mexico border, the U.S. is willing to consider deploying troops to the Southwest -- but only as a last resort -- a Department of Homeland Security official told members of Congress on Thursday.

Help might come from the National Guard or even the Army if the deadly threat from Mexico's powerful cartels gets so bad that Homeland Security officials cannot secure border towns, Roger Rufe, the department's director of operations, told a House subcommittee.

But echoing comments a day earlier from President Obama, Rufe said there currently was no need to militarize the border.

"We would take all resources short of [Defense Department] and National Guard troops before we reach that tipping point," Rufe said, without specifying what circumstances would call for troops.

"The trend of increasing drug cartel violence in Mexico is alarming," Rufe said, explaining that the U.S. response plan "ramps up as the threat ramps up, and there are triggers within that to alert leadership when . . . the threat of violence has reached a level where forces in place can't address it."

And this is interesting:

"The United States and Mexico border violence can only be solved if we look at all parts of the equation," Rep. John F. Tierney (D-Mass.) said. "Let's examine our gun laws, let's cut down on U.S. drug consumption, let's ask there to be more resources to root out drug money laundering."
According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Tierney said, 90% of the weapons seized from Mexican organized crime came from the U.S.

Where do the Democrats grow these people? Tierney is saying that Mexican lawlessness is because over here our gun laws need to be changed? WFT! Of course 90 % of the guns are American! Who could run a decent drug cartel with Mexican manufactured guns?

[corner]

all part of the new world order is the international plan to disarm american citizens as charlton say "from my cold dead hands"!

[frankcor]

You would think that with a title like Homeland Security National Director of Operations, Mr. Rufe would have a better grasp of the constitution or the relationship between the federal army, National Guard and the states.

I could be wrong, but I thought National Guard units were commanded by the governor of their home states. It is customary that when a governor perceives an emergency in his or her state, they mobilize their Guard units. It is at the discretion of the governor to ask the president for federal troops to assist if necessary.

I can think of only one time in my lifetime that the president ordered troops in a state without the governor's request was when George Wallace refused to segregate the University of Alabama. JFK federalized the Alabama National Guard and ordered them to escort black students into the school. I don't recall if the Guard was used to segregate the public schools in Huntsville a little bit later.

And yes, Dave, it makes no sense to me that, when citizens are at risk from armed drug smugglers, to propose making it HARDER to get guns to protect themselves. Go figure.

[frankcor]

another thought ...

Rather than propose new gun laws, it would make more sense to issue .50 caliber sniper rifles with starlight scopes to every citizen who owns property within 2 miles of the border.

Within a few months, the cartels would have to figure out another way to get their goods into the country. And the price of their drugs would go up dramatically.

While I wouldn't propose a bounty on smugglers, I might toy with the notion.

[dgriffin]

Regarding the Army NATIONAL Guard (and Air Force, etc.), I believe the way it works is the governor commands the National Guard only when they are not on a federal mission. POTUS commands when they are on a federal mission.

A friend is a colonel in the New York Guard, which is NOT the National Guard. See following:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Guard

www.dmna.state.ny.us/nyg/nyg.html

[frankcor]

Ah ha! I stand corrected, Dave.