the opinionist

Yesterday afternoon the AZ Central / NBC12 News reported that a U.S. Border Patrol [entry Identification Team] was overrun by gunmen crossing the border from Mexico. These are the AZ National Guard and whilst there are no reports that shots were exchanged - I cannot somehow imagine the National Guard withdrawing from a situation unless they came under fire. The AZ National Guard have brave men and women in Iraq so surely there must have been more than name calling and playground fisticuffs to encourage them to withdraw and leave the border unguarded?

The report is vague and brief but does indicate the incursion happened somewhere along a 120 mile stretch of the Mexican border between Nogales and Lukeville. From my quick Google’d glance - that is one heck of a large swathe of border. I have a tough time understanding how so few resources can be spread so thinly across such a vast stretch of land. I for one am disgusted.

The mainstream media really don’t seem to give a hoot about border security - yet the threat is clear. Drug trafficking, terrorism, abductions and all manner of threats are blindly ignored for sake of what? Political correctness? An ulterior motive? Boredom? What needs to occur before the mainstream media, the general public, Washington D.C. stand up and take note of the issue?

Representative Gabrielle Giffords (Democrat) - representing the 8th District of Arizona (that covers this stretch of land) has just been elected into office. Representative Giffords’ office has not yet made a public statement about this latest border incident. She has repeatedly called for improved national security measures including border control. Let’s hope she can deliver the goods during her term in office.

Representative Raul M. Grijalva (Democrat) - representing the 7th District of Arizona (covers Nogales) - has not yet made a public statement about the latest incursion across the border. A tremendously helpful contact at Rep. Grijalva is looking into it. Congressman Grijalva’s web site refers little to calls for enhanced border security but does focus on improving the efficiency of immigration and policy.

The public affairs contact for the Tuscan Border Patrol - Mr. Jesús Rodríguez (nice chap) - suggested a public statement would not be made but he did kindly point to a more detailed article posted under headline ‘Armed group forces Guard to flee post near Sasabe‘ in the Arizona Daily Star newspaper.

I wonder what the AZ National Guard News Releases and Public Affairs contact - Major Paul Gary (602.267.2550) - will say on the matter if pressed?

Is there a clear and present danger to the U.S. Border Patrol? The AZ National Guard? The citizens of AZ? The country as a whole? I’ll say! What the heck is going on? With their resources stretched so thin - why are more people not taking note of incursions like these and requesting action before things truly get out of hand!

R

Posted on January 5th, 2007 under AZ, Border, Gunmen, Harry Mitchell, Mexico, National Guard, Terrorism •  Email This Post • RSS 2.0 feed • Leave a response, or trackback