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May 14, 2006
duct tape and the national guard
I laughed when 8 of Colorado's most extreme right-wing representatives sent a letter calling for Bush to "Call forth the Militia". It is hard to believe he is actually considering it. Just last year, Bush signed into law a plan to place thousands of Border Patrol agents on our Southern Border, but then provided for just 210 new agents in his budget proposal (source). On a gut level, I see this latest announcement as a manipulative move for both TV and approval ratings in addition to votes for the GOP in November.
The nation has been worked up into a frenzy about immigration over the last year and the government has done nothing to dispel the many myths that have surfaced -- not the least of which being that placing troops at the border will fix broken policy.
While part of me remains optimistic -- that perhaps having troops there would deter would-be-immigrants from crossing the desert in this deadly season (and thus saving lives), troops have been placed on the border in the past -- with horrible results. Read of the devastating loss for one family which occurred the last time troops were placed on the border: link
So, to put it simply, placing the guard on the border is like telling everyone to load up on duct tape: it will provide a lot of peace of mind, a false sense of security and accomplish little good.
Posted by almamia at May 14, 2006 7:57 AM