Feds Plan 'Surge' if Mexico Drug Violence Spills Into U.S.

[toreskha]

I remember about two or three years ago when Congress was debating what should be done about the southern border, how Democrats and several moderate Republicans, including John McCain, were shunning the idea of "militarizing" the border. Why? What's wrong with using the military to back up the Border Patrol if it works?

Depends on where it's being militarized. Out in the boondocks and where the gangs like to cross over is fine. We should have bases out there that concentrate on carrying out strikes on cartel assets and intercepting them.

Areas where the general public and commercial vehicles cross is another story. You don't want to scare tourists, and it looks creepy besides.

[maybejim]

In El Paso, the country's largest border community and one of the safest metropolitan areas in the nation, Sheriff Richard Wiles said that while he doesn't anticipate the city or county being overwhelmed by border violence he applauded the DHS plan to quickly respond if the worst should happen.

That's not the reports I'm hearing from my son who's stationed in El Paso. Large parts of the city are off limits to the military because of the spillover violence.

[tattedupboy]

Depends on where it's being militarized. Out in the boondocks and where the gangs like to cross over is fine. We should have bases out there that concentrate on carrying out strikes on cartel assets and intercepting them.

Areas where the general public and commercial vehicles cross is another story. You don't want to scare tourists, and it looks creepy besides.

What's more important, keeping out potentially dangerous people who aren't supposed to be here anyway, or making the place look less scary for tourists? Aren't the illegals doing that all by themselves?

[toreskha]

What's more important, keeping out potentially dangerous people who aren't supposed to be here anyway, or making the place look less scary for tourists? Aren't the illegals doing that all by themselves?

The people who we really need to be worried about aren't crossing at major areas where there's lots of tourists and semi trucks getting weighed. They hang around the middle of nowhere, where they're less likely to be spotted by LEOs.

A while back, major cartels operating out of SA were flying up old airliners full of drugs to northwest Mexico and unloading their cargo to smugglers who would run it across the border. They use 4x4s, low-flying planes, etc and if confronted, may occasionally become violent. This may more often be the case if they've got the support of rogue army units on their side.

It's those people we need to look out for and use military force against. We should also pressure the Mexican and other Central and South American governments to allow us to actively carry out airstrikes and gunship attacks on the cartel leaders. Devastating violence is the only language those people understand.

[tattedupboy]

The people who we really need to be worried about aren't crossing at major areas where there's lots of tourists and semi trucks getting weighed.

Actually a lot of them are crossing the border in plain sight, being smuggled in vehicles.

[DocBoCook]

I'm just glad after March, I will no longer be part of the Sham this is what the US Military has become over the last 5-7 years

[toreskha]

Actually a lot of them are crossing the border in plain sight, being smuggled in vehicles.

Of course, but those aren't the ones that would be best handled by the military. What value would troops add to the situation that the border patrol can't do just as well? I don't remember the last time there was a gunfight involving automatic rifles or grenades at a US border checkpoint.