Tag: Border Security

Thusly, He Spake!

FLASH!

Big Yawn!

Last night, just mere hours ago, our Dear Supreme Leader went before the people of the “boob tube” from the Oval Office (a first, btw) and told us all about the “crisis” on the border.

To begin with there is NO “crisis” on the border…..As usual he made little sense and spouted his usual LIES and bullsh*t……

President Trump called the situation at the US-Mexico border a “humanitarian crisis, a crisis of the heart and a crisis of the soul” in a national address Tuesday night—but he stopped short of declaring a formal emergency in order to get a border wall built. In his brief speech, the president again called for $5.7 billion to build a wall, which he said would actually be a “steel barrier,” reports Politico. In a quick rebuttal, Nancy Pelosi accused Trump of “manufacturing a crisis” at the border, per the AP, and she and Chuck Schumer reiterated that Democrats would not pay for any such barrier. The president, meanwhile, maintained that the wall “would quickly pay for itself,” arguing that its cost would “indirectly” be covered by savings from the new trade pact with Mexico.

Trump also said that “our Southern border is a vast pipeline for illegal drugs,” and he again asserted that criminals crossing the border were endangering American lives. The impasse over funding for the proposed wall is at the center of the partial government shutdown, now in its 18th day. The president said the government “remains shut down for one reason and one reason only: because Democrats will not fund border security,” per the Washington Post. Countered Pelosi: “The fact is: President Trump must stop holding the American people hostage, must stop manufacturing a crisis, and must reopen the government.” The White House has been considering the possibility of Trump declaring a national emergency, a controversial move through which he would divert military money and resources to build a barrier without congressional approval.

Like I said…the usual BS…..a “crisis” of his tiny brain….but the analysis…..at least that darn “caravan” crisis has been averted (another of those things from a tiny mind).  Nothing new in his rhetoric…..same crap he spread 2 years ago….why was an Oval Office speech necessary?

President Trump delivered an address on the “crisis” at the US-Mexico border Tuesday night—and fact-checkers started work as soon as he got to the word “crisis.” The Washington Post, which calls Trump’s description of the situation “misleading and bleak,” reports that the president said there is a “growing humanitarian and security crisis” at the border, but there is no new security crisis at the border and apprehensions of people trying to cross illegally have fallen from a peak of around 1.6 million in 2000 to 400,000 in fiscal 2018. The Post notes, however, that there is indeed a growing humanitarian crisis caused by the increasing number of families with children attempting to cross the border. More:

  • “The federal government remains shut down for one reason and one reason only: because Democrats will not fund border security.” The New York Times call this remark false, noting that while Democrats are refusing to give Trump $5.7 billion for a border wall, they have offered $1.3 billion for other border security measures.
  • “Our southern border is a pipeline for vast quantities of illegal drugs, including meth, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl.” Politico calls this statement “misleading,” noting that most fentanyl sold in the US comes from China, and while most heroin in the US does come from Mexico, the vast majority of it is smuggled through existing border crossings, so a wall would not significantly improve the situation.
  • “The wall will also be paid for indirectly by the great new trade deal we have made with Mexico.” The Post awards this claim Four Pinocchios on a scale of one to four and accuses Trump of misunderstanding the economics. of trade deficits. “Congress must still appropriate the money, and the trade agreement has not been ratified,” the Post adds.
  • “America proudly welcomes millions of lawful immigrants who enrich our society and contribute to our nation but all Americans are hurt by uncontrolled illegal migration. It strains public resources and drives down jobs and wages.” The AP considers this claim dubious. Researchers have found that immigration both legal and illegal ends up delivering a boost to the economy, though Americans without high school degrees don’t tend to benefit.
  • Senator Chuck Schumer, who you will be hearing from later tonight, has repeatedly supported a physical barrier in the past, along with many other Democrats.” Schumer and other Democrats did indeed vote for a fence along 700 miles of border in 2006, though it was far less substantial than the barrier proposed by Trump, who has called the 2006 version a “nothing wall,” the Post reports.
  • “At the request of Democrats, it will be a steel barrier rather than a concrete wall.” Politico reports that congressional Democrats have not requested a steel barrier—and have said the material used in the barrier does not affect the shutdown debate.
  • The AP notes that in their rebuttal, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi accused Trump of shutting down the government and “holding workers hostage”—but “it takes two sides to shut down the government.”

Kinda reminds me of the word ‘bullsh*t’ hidden under a fake sneeze……

I tried something different…..I took a sip of bourbon every time Trump used the word “Crisis”……and by 10 minutes into the speech (wait that was the length of the whole thing) I was already feeling tipsy….

This is a “crisis” that was generated in Trump’s tiny mind…there is NO crisis on the Southern border…

There was nothing substantive about the speech…..not even the opening was genuine……my analysis…..”Begging For Bucks”, the new Trump reality show in the making.

Down here, Gulf Coast, there is a fish that will bite on anything even an empty hook….we call them “Croakers” because of the sound they make when caught……these fish  remind me of the Trump supporters….they will bite on anything Trump feeds them….accurate info or a lie…..matters not to them.

Finally, the rebuttal delivered by Schumer/Pelsoi…..these two looked stiff and phony….they stood there making themselves appear like a famous painting, American Gothic”….I could not listen to their meanderings through the English language…..the Dems would have been better using AOC  for the rebuttal, the Left loves her and would be listening.

All in all another waste of time….but the bourbon was soothing…..

Another Brick In The Wall

Can you hear Pink Floyd?  Close your eyes…it’s there.

Well that is not what this is about……it is all about that wall that has been wanted by Trump…..first promise was that Mexico would build it, then it was a threat to shut down government if he, Trump, did not get the money for his wall, then a memo to cabinet members telling them to look for unused funds for the wall……none of these waffles have given him, Trump, what he wants…..”that big beautiful border wall”……

Now we have the next “brick ” in Trump’s wall song…….

President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to shut down the government over funding for his border wall. But as the question of money for his campaign proposal once again roils Congress, one man thinks he may have found a solution: Crowd-funding.

Brian Kolfage, a 37-year-old Florida resident who was severely wounded in the Iraq war, has started a GoFundMe campaign to complete Trump’s signature pledge. The campaign has raised over $2 million in the three days since it started, with an overall goal of $1 billion.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/19/trump-border-wall-gofundme-campaign-1070788

Who will fund the wall this time?

Will the raised funds actually go for a wall or will they fall into the abyss of of other Trump charities and Foundation stuff?

Mexico?  Russia even?  Or just gullible ignorant Americans that fell for the BS the first time?

Closing Thought–21Nov18

OMG!  What will happen to us?

Just weeks ago Our Dear Supreme Leader sent US troops to the border to protect the country from a “caravan” of dangerous human beings that were on their way to the US Southern border.

Of course there was blow back but it mattered not…the troops were sent and they prepared for the onslaught of dangerous 4 year olds and bare foot women……

Has the situation become less of a problem?

Why do I ask?

Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, the commander of the US military operation at the southern border, has announced that the Pentagon is planning to begin the drawdown from the border very soon, potentially sometime later this week.

This is happening even though the migrant convoy that was meant to have precipitated this whole scramble to the border still hasn’t arrived. This adds to he belief that the whole deployment was little more than a pre-election political stunt.

It appears to whole thing might be over before the caravan really gets here in earnest, with Buchanan saying that the end date for the operation was already set for December 15, and he’s seen no indication of it continuing past that.

The operation was controversial from the start, with officials not clear what they would do, or indeed what they could legally do to the migrants. Suggestions that the troops might shoot at migrants were quickly brushed off,and while President Trump praised them for their “beautiful” barbed wire, the reality is that the deployment really did very little but make an appearance

(antiwar.com)

After I wrote this draft the Pentagon has backed off this report somewhat…….so I feel I must be fair to all concerned about this situation…….

With some 5,800 US troops having made their show of deploying to the Mexican border, and seemingly having little else to do, on Monday Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan reported that he was expecting to start drawing down troop levels as soon as this week. He added that the operation was only scheduled to last until December 15.

By Tuesday, however, the Pentagon was furiously backpedaling away from that, insisting that there is no actual timeline for ending the US deployment, nor indeed any plans for a drawdown, despite what the general in charge of the operation said the day before.

Officials did, however, confirm that what Lt. Gen. Buchanan said the day before about transferring some of the troops to California might still happen. The White House may have come up with something for them to do as well.

(antiwar.com)

Not to worry there will be another generated “crisis” by next election.

Time for me to go and prepare stuff for our meal tomorrow…..hope everyone has a great day…..and a better tomorrow.  chuq

Wait For The Whites Of Their Eyes!

All have heard about the infamous “caravan that is inching its way to the US Southern border….and likewise the US troops that have been ordered to the border to deal with the “slow moving invasion”……

But Our Dear Supreme Leader has issued more “standing orders” to the troops waiting for the invasion to begin on our border…..

In response to a caravan of migrants making its way north through Mexico, President Trump has ordered the biggest deployment of troops along America’s southern border since the days of Pancho Villa—and he says any migrants throwing rocks will be treated like gunmen. “I will tell you, anybody throwing stones, rocks, like they did to Mexico and the Mexican military … we will consider that a firearm,” the president said Thursday. He was referring to a clash between asylum seekers and Mexican police at the Guatemalan border Sunday, Politico reports. “They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back,” Trump said. “We’ll consider—and I told them—consider it a rifle.”

Trump said that he plans to bring in an executive action next week that will deal with what he called the “abuse” of the asylum system, the Washington Post reports. He didn’t provide details of the order, but said the military is helping to erect “massive tent cities” at the border. “We have a lot of tents, we have a lot of everything,” he said. “We’re going to hold them right there, we’re not letting them into our country.” Asked about Trump’s “consider it a rifle” remark, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Jamie Davies said he wouldn’t discuss hypothetical situations, but added that troops involved in “Operation Faithful Patriot” are “trained professionals who always have the inherent right of self-defense.” (Trump says he plans to use an executive order to end birthright citizenship.)

What coward would order troops under his control to use deadly force on children with rocks?

You can tell the cowards that never served their country they equate a pebble with a bullet.

Plus have you ever seen the protective gear that our troops wear?  A rock will have little effect on their effectiveness.

Only a spineless tool would even consider firing on unarmed innocent civilians……but then loo who I am talking about….

OMG! The “Caravan” Nears!

The invasion looms!

You have heard the silliness I am sure.  The mass of people walking their way to the border with the US is somehow a threat to our national security……first what moronic bullshit!

The Defense Department says it’s sending 5,200 active duty troops to “harden” the southern border against a migrant caravan making its way through Mexico, the AP reports. Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy tells reporters that 800 soldiers were en route on Monday and that the remainder of the troops would be at the southwest border by the end of the week. That’s in addition to the more than 2,000 members of the National Guard already providing assistance at the border now. Officials say the troops will provide “mission enhancing capabilities” and will be armed. The announcement comes as President Trump has been trying to focus on the caravan just a week before the midterm elections.

O’Shaughnessy says the military will cooperate with US Customs and Border Patrol as it first strengthens the border in Texas, then Arizona and California, the Washington Post reports. Among the deployed are US Army Corps of Engineers members, three combat engineer battalions, helicopters with night-vision capabilities to tell the CBP where help is needed, military police units, and cargo aircraft including a C-17 and three C-130s. The Pentagon has already sent down 22 miles of concertina wire and plans to send enough to cover 150 miles. The operation is called Operation Faithful. “Border security is national security,” O’Shaughnessy said Monday, per USA Today.

Another thought—–S Forces Deployed: Africa — 1000 Syria — 2000 Iraq — 5000 Afghanistan — 8000 US Southern Border — 8200* + regular CBP * Total includes: 5200 active duty + 2000 National Guard

First why the need for troops?  We already have 2000+ on the border.  What happens if they make it to the border…..are the troops willing to shot and kill unarmed civilians?

Of course if you ask a supporter there are diseased ridden people in the midst and/or gang members with all their weapons and drugs and stuff.

This is all so fucking silly!

Then we need to have a debate on immigration…..that is about as worthless an endeavor as climate change or guns….Americans are NOT capable of having a discourse on these subjects because critical thinking has bee replaced  with personality worship and slogans and most important…HATRED!

Then there are all those “really bad people” that are in this caravan, according to Our Dear Supreme Leader, Trump….there are these bad people but they are not in the “caravan” these people are Trump and the spineless enablers….THESE ARE HOLLOW PATHETIC LITTLE PEOPLE!

What Is The ‘National Guard’?

My Closing Thought–12Apr18

The big story last week was that Pres. Trump has ordered the National Guard to the border to fight immigration problems…..my thinking is that the National Guard is under the control of the state and the reserves controlled by the federal government…..

Is my thinking accurate?

President Donald Trump recently announced his plan to dispatch National Guard troops to the southern border to assist with security efforts.

The Army National Guard is the oldest defense force in the nation, formed in 1636 as three militia regiments in the Massachusetts Bay Colony armed to defend against the Pequot Indians.

The actual term “National Guard” was first used in 1824 for New York state militia units who wished to honor the Marquis de Lafayette and his French National Guard. The title was officially adopted in 1903 and describes the force which, unusually, falls under both federal and state control.

https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2018/04/10/remind_us_what_exactly_is_the_national_guard_113304.html

Did this answer any questions that you may have about the use of the National Guard?

Closing Thought–04Dec17

A few weeks ago the Right Wing media was all outraged by the senseless attack on some ICE agents on the border….it was so damn important that it lead Fearless Fosdick to Tweet out his outrage at this savage attack by those damn “illegals”….this went on for a couple of days until something else popped up to grab the Right wing’s attention….like a shiny set of keys.

I want to know if they are so dedicated to the “truth” how they will handle this news…..

A Texas sheriff who was among the first people to reach two badly injured US Border Patrol agents said he thinks they were hurt in an accident, not an attack, the AP reports. The injured agents were found Nov. 18 next to Interstate 10 near Van Horn, which is about 30 miles from the border with Mexico. Agent Rogelio Martinez succumbed to traumatic head injuries and broken bones. His partner, who has not been identified, was seriously injured and hospitalized for several days. The agent has no memory of what happened that night. Culberson County Sheriff Oscar Carrillo said he thinks a tractor-trailer may have accidentally sideswiped the pair, the Dallas Morning News reported. I-10 is a heavily traveled route for truck drivers and accidents regularly occur, Carrillo said.

“From the beginning we were radioed to assist in the incident as an injury, not an assault,” Carrillo said. “If this was an assault, believe me, as sheriff, I’d be the first one out there emphasizing safety in our community and with our deputies.” It’s not clear why Martinez and his partner were along the highway and US Customs and Border Protection only said in a statement that they “were responding to activity.” A Border Patrol union, the National Border Patrol Council, has said the pair was attacked and struck with a rock or rocks. President Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also have said the two were attacked. Special Agent in Charge Emmerson Buie Jr. in the FBI’s El Paso office said last week that investigators were treating the incident as a “potential assault,” but they could not rule out other scenarios.

Don’t bother looking for they will ignore this news and just keep push their brand of hate and vile….as always…..they got their hate out of the original story….so no need to report on the rest of the story if it craps on their hate filled rants.

The Wall – An In-Depth Examination

It’s the WALL…..again.

WE have been having this back and forth about a promise that President Trump first made on his 2016 campaign…..a “big, beautiful wall” across our Southern border.

Since he first uttered the slogan there has been a massive amount of ink wasted on the analysis on what he has meant by his assertion.

Most people know what their “party” thinks about the Wall….very little has been written about a total analysis of the issue…..

Maybe this would help….that is if you are truly interested in the issue or you just like the concept….for whatever reason……..

A USA TODAY NETWORK special report examines the impact of Trump’s proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall, exploring every foot of the 2,000-mile boundary.

“Build the Wall.” Three words energized a campaign.

But could it be done? What would it cost? What would it accomplish? Our search for answers became this, a landmark new report, “The Wall.”

The task was massive. We flew the entire border, drove it too. More than 30 reporters and photographers interviewed migrants, farmers, families, tribal members — even a human smuggler. We joined Border Patrol agents on the ground, in a tunnel, at sea. We patrolled with vigilantes, walked the line with ranchers. We scoured government maps, fought for property records.

In this report, you can watch aerial video of every foot of the border, explore every piece of fence, even stand at the border in virtual reality. Still, breakthrough technology would mean nothing if it didn’t help us better understand the issues — and one another.

Source: The Wall – An in-depth examination of Donald Trump’s border wall

Personally, I believe that an article like this would have served a greater purpose if it had been publish during the primaries…..

Deal Or No Deal?

Many Americans are applauding the new found cooperation between a GOP president and the Congressional Dems……but since the “good news” was release there has been a wealth of back and forth……

It is confusing…..so do we have a deal?  Or Not?

The Congressional Dems seem to think that there is a deal….

In a move that stunned many Republicans, Democratic leaders announced Wednesday night that they had reached a deal with President Trump to protect Dreamers from deportation in return for funding extra border security—but not a wall. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi announced the deal after a White House dinner, the AP reports. “We agreed to enshrine the protections of DACA into law quickly, and to work out a package of border security, excluding the wall, that’s acceptable to both sides,” they said in a joint statement. A source says the deal also includes a pathway to citizenship for the almost 800,000 young immigrants involved.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted that DACA and border security were discussed at the meeting, though “excluding the wall was certainly not agreed to,” the Los Angeles Times reports. This is the second time in two weeks that Trump has bypassed Republicans to cut a deal with Democrats and immigration hardliners are furious over what they see as an amnesty, the Washington Post reports. If reports of the deal are true, Trump’s “base is blown up, destroyed, irreparable, and disillusioned beyond repair,” said GOP Rep. Steve King. “No promise is credible.” Breitbart.com called the deal a “full-fledged cave” and dubbed the president “Amnesty Don.”

The with a flick of the thumbs Pres. Trump is saying that there is NO deal…..

Thursday morning brings a dose of confusion to the debate over the fate of young undocumented immigrants. President Trump tweeted that he and top Democrats had not reached a deal about the fate of the Dreamers, despite Democrats’ assertion Wednesday night to the contrary. “No deal was made last night on DACA,” the president wrote, referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. “Massive border security would have to be agreed to in exchange for consent.” All this began when Democrats including Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer had a dinner meeting with Trump at the White House on Wednesday, and Democrats emerged afterward to declare that they’d struck a deal to “enshrine the protections of DACA into law.” In exchange, they’d agree to a number of border security improvements—excluding the president’s proposed border wall.

Almost immediately, the White House pushed back on that characterization, with press chief Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeting that no deal to exclude the border wall was struck, reports the New York Times. Trump reiterated that in his tweet, adding that the wall “will continue to be built.” (He didn’t, however, address whether funding would be linked to DACA.) But the president also expressed support for Dreamers and suggested that he wanted a deal that would provide some kind of pathway to citizenship for them. “Does anybody really want to throw out good, educated and accomplished young people who have jobs, some serving in the military? Really!” hewrote. “They have been in our country for many years through no fault of their own – brought in by parents at young age.”

I for one am pleased to see some small incident of cooperation between the two parties……but with all my cheer leading…… is there a Deal or Not?

How long will this “cooperation” last?

Closing Thought–24Aug17

Another Brick In The Wall!

Soon we will be having the usual debate on the extension of the government so there will be NO shutdown, which most know is NOT a good thing, it is however a great slogan and political theater….

Pres. Trump’s pet issue is the building of the Great Wall of Mexico…..and NOTHING has changed….he still is using it to gin up his base…….

President Trump was speaking in Reno Wednesday even as the assessment continued over his Tuesday night rally in Phoenix. In Arizona, he didn’t just vent about the media, he also made headlines on multiple policy fronts. Among other things, he renewed his push for a border wall in a big way. “If we have to close down that government, we are going to build that wall,” he told cheering supporters. The issue is expected to come to a head during budget negotiations in September, with Politico reporting that Trump has been telling advisers he won’t accept any deal unless it contains “real money” to start construction. “He is animated about the wall,” one source tells the website. “He cares about that more than many other things. He knows his base cares and chants about it.”

Is he truly willing to shutdown the government unless he gets the funds for his “Big Beautiful Wall?”

But I thought Mexico was going to pay for it….is our check in the mail?

What kinda of mindless droid would destroy the government on something as worthless as his “Big Beautiful Wall”?

Thursday is at an end….time to slink back into the crypt and prepare for tomorrow’s stuff……be well, be safe…..chuq