The Police State Continues -- US Military to Patrol Mexican Border

[Ted Striker]

Originally posted by Dis
military patrolling borders.

It only makes sense seeing as we are supposedly in a war against terrorism. Who cares what it looks like to the outside world. We are supposed to be in a war.

Don't make me bomb the MGM Grand dickhead!!!

[JimmyCracksCorn]

Ted is right in saying that the purpose of armies is to destroy things and kill people, and its an odd proposition to suggest otherwise. Any other role that a soldier might play is secondary to what essentially they are being paid to do, and almost always happens after things have been destroyed and/or people have been killed.

But I don't understand the benefit people see to having the military patrol the border. Does anyone really expect tanks to be roaming around the desert or artillery firing at people trying to get across? Of course not, any military units present would be performing a pure and simple police effort - and if thats the case (which I'm sure most will agree to), why not just hire more police (USBP) to do the same job?

[Dis]

they would be military police, not combat units.

[Ted Striker]

What exactly can military police do that Border Guards can't?

[Kontiki]

It's not really a question of tanks and artillery, though, but rather aircraft, communications and detection capabilities. I agree that ideally, the border patroll would have this stuff too, but in reality, the military is currently the best equipped group to handle the issue. No different in Canada - our Armed Forces are actively used in patrolling offshore, not for foreign military forces (although they do that as well) but for "police" issues such as narcotics trafficing and human smuggling.

[Dis]

Originally posted by Ted Striker
What exactly can military police do that Border Guards can't?

not look the other way.

[Ted Striker]

Originally posted by Kontiki
It's not really a question of tanks and artillery, though, but rather aircraft, communications and detection capabilities. I agree that ideally, the border patroll would have this stuff too, but in reality, the military is currently the best equipped group to handle the issue. No different in Canada - our Armed Forces are actively used in patrolling offshore, not for foreign military forces (although they do that as well) but for "police" issues such as narcotics trafficing and human smuggling.

While what you said makes sense, I don't think the amount of high tech stuff needed to catch Juan and his family as they cross the border is really necessary. If anything, it's overkill.

There's also the issue of a "temporary" military solution becoming permanent, as most temporary solutions often do. There are 2 wars going on right now and we want to divert resources to chasing down poor Mexicans and Central Americans?

We have a super huge bueracracy called Homeland Security created specifically for things like this. They should be able to appropriate the resources to get the job done.

When they're not busy flashing stupid terrorist threat alerts (haven't heard one of those in a while) or letting an entire city drown.

[Sava]

Let's just detonate a whole bunch of small nuclear weapons along the border with Mexico, so anyone who passes through that area illegally (or otherwise) will glow in the dark... making it easy to spot them and then deport them.

[Tattila the Hun]

Military's job is to gain certain objective (or prevent the enemy from gaining theirs). If there happens to be enemy unit in the way, they are defeated. But their goal, or job is not to kill the poor bastards wearing different uniform, nor it is to destroy their equipment. Killing and destroying is just the means to an end.

Same for, say, a cook. His job is not choping up vegetables and other ingredients, then boiling them in a kettle. That's just what he has to do to make a platefull of soup for you.

[DaShi]

Originally posted by Ted Striker
What exactly can military police do that Border Guards can't?

Appease people who are worried about illegal immigration.

I fully expect them to look the other way. Bush has shown that he is in favor of illegal immigration because it aids big businesses. This is a token act, not meant to actually change anything but appease those who are upset about this issue. I'm sure we'll hear monday from him abput how important illegal immigrants because they fill jobs americans won't do. I'm sure we'll being hearing it at least 6 times in the same speech.

So don't worry about this. It's not going to change anything.

[Joseph]

Originally posted by Ted Striker
I already addressed it dude, you beef up the Border Patrol who are trained to do their job

It's really that practically simple

They are going sent in the National Guard and not the US Army.

However this is a fig leaf by Bush to get his number up and give the illegal citizenship so they may vote for Rep. next election. In fact after he signs the bill allowing illegal citizenship he will not sent the NG to the border. He will come up with some excuse.

[Joseph]

Originally posted by Ted Striker
Aren't you a funny guy

Each branch of the military is designed to kill people and break things

Some of them are just more effective at it than others

Those big Navy ships just carry cruise missiles on them because they look cool, they aren't designed really for killing people

No they are design to sink ships and blow up building. Sometimes people get in the way and they died.

[Drake Tungsten]

Do you realize that misuse of language like that is just the flip side of people who call every dovish position they dont like treason? Oh wait, werent you one of those guys at one time?

May Ming forgive me, but Ted, you ARE an idiot.

lotm

[Raion]

What!

They're not on the Canadian Border.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by Ted Striker
What exactly can military police do that Border Guards can't?

Be there in significant enough numbers to do the job.

That being said, I think this is a terrible idea, but not because it smacks of authoritarianism.

I think it's a terrible idea because it's another example of the way in which we stupidly persist in using the military to do things they are not trained to do. When we do that, we make the problem worse, erode support at home for solving the problem, and demoralize the poor grunts who are just doing what they've been ordered to do. It's a losing proposition all around.

The obvious solution is a bigger, beefed-up, more professionalized border guard, specifically trained to guard the freakin' border. But that would cost money, which would interfere with the administration's ongoing festival of regressive tax cuts.