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| Soldiers at US Border Posts To Be Armed |
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Posted by FoM on March 26, 2002 at 23:33:54 PT By Pamela Hess, Pentagon Correspondent Source: United Press International 
Bowing to Senate pressure, the Pentagon will shortly allow nearly one third of the 1,600 National Guard soldiers manning border crossings to carry weapons, Pentagon officials told United Press International Tuesday.The decision reverses a White House decree not to allow any soldiers at U.S. border crossings to carry side arms -- an attempt to avoid sending an undiplomatic message to Mexico and Canada, prevent accidental shootings and circumvent the possibility that the Defense Department's mission on U.S. soil will be expanded, these sources said. The policy change is expected to be made final this week. The 4-500 soldiers allowed to carry arms likely will be only those at remote border crossings manned by just one or two law enforcement officers, according to a Pentagon official. National Guard soldiers at airports, those that provided security at the Olympics in Salt Lake City and those at the borders working counter-drug missions all carry weapons already. Neither the Treasury Department -- which runs U.S. Customs -- nor the Immigration and Naturalization Service could recruit sufficient numbers of reliable people quickly enough to boost border security in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, so the Defense Department was tapped to provide extra manpower for a six-month period. That request was made in October. Protracted legal haggling finally resulted in an agreement in February that placed 734 soldiers with the Customs Service and 824 with the INS for 179 days beginning March 8. In exchange, the two agencies will pay the Defense Department $75 million. Part of the arrangement was that the soldiers would not carry weapons -- a decision made by Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge and President Bush because the White House did not want to militarize the borders, a Pentagon official told UPI on Tuesday. "We really don't want to have military forces on the border. They are borders with friendly countries," the Pentagon official said. The Pentagon was also concerned that arming soldiers on this special duty raised the possibility of an "unlawful and potentially lethal use of force incident" -- the accidental killing of an innocent traveler by a soldier not trained in law enforcement -- according to a March 11 letter from the Pentagon to Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. The Defense Department was also worried about mission creep. It is not interested in expanding its mission to encompass border security, the letter stated. According to the Pentagon, the soldiers are doing low-risk work that does not require side arms. They are searching shipping containers, helping direct traffic and generally supporting the law enforcement officials already at the border crossings. "They were not likely to be placed in a position where they would use force, either deadly or another kind," the official said. If the soldiers are threatened, armed INS or Customs agents are supposed to protect them. "Military personnel are required to work with armed INS and Customs agents as part of a team at all times," wrote Peter Verga, Pentagon director of homeland security, in his March 11 letter to Leahy. Leahy sent a letter to Bush March 20 signed by more than half the U.S. Senate asking that the troops be allowed to carry weapons, pointing out that soldiers in full battle dress uniforms are potentially high-profile targets. "It defies logic that active duty personnel working in direct support for armed federal agents will be prohibited from carrying weapons themselves especially as they will be in battle dress uniforms which will presumably make them obvious targets," Leahy wrote. The Pentagon only grudgingly agreed to this added operational burden. More than 75,000 reserve and National Guardsman have been activated since Sept. 11, many of them for homeland defense missions like guarding airports and flying combat air patrols over U.S. cities. It took six months to work out the memorandum of understanding with Customs and INS. "We don't like to do these things. We do them as a matter of last resort. That's why we entered into the undertaking with a specific end date and a specific requirement -- because we have better things for these folks to do," the Pentagon official told UPI. At least part of the reluctance to get involved in border patrols is the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, which forbids the U.S. military from enforcing U.S. laws on American soil. The official said posse comitatus was not a strong factor in the decision not to arm the soldiers. The deployment of the soldiers under federal rather than state authority has raised a related set of questions. When President Bush announced the deployment of the troops to the borders, all 50 state commanders of the National Guard -- who answer first to their state governors, if the troops are not specifically called up by the president -- protested that the states should be in charge of their mission, allowing the governor to maintain command of the soldiers. Leahy expressed a similar point of view in a letter to Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in December. They wanted the soldiers to remain under state control to free them from the restriction of posse comitatus, to allow them to continue to train for other missions -- prohibited when they are federally activated -- and to allow the soldiers to remain within their home states to do their work. "Guard forces serving in their home state can bring unparalleled familiarity with the problems and challenges facing their communities," he wrote. The White House rejected the entreaties, activating the soldiers under Pentagon authority, an arrangement defense officials say offers better financial protection to reservists. It also gives Bush and Rumsfeld control over what the soldiers will be doing. If they were under state control, they could be tasked to support other agencies that need manpower at the whim of the governor. Newshawk: Mike G. Related Articles: U.S., Mexico Set Plan For a Smart Border Border Agents Are Finding Drugs Canada Battling 'Weak Link' Perception What Can Be Done at the Border? Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #18 posted by CaveMan on March 27, 2002 at 11:23:56 PT |
| do not make anee wun mad hoo mite hurt yuu..trie to be frendz with strong peepul.mayk shur awl yoar laybuls r uhprooved bi uh loy yur [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #17 posted by Ethan Russo MD on March 27, 2002 at 11:10:03 PT:
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| It is extremely gratifying to see how well the CannabisNews.com crew has been educated. I do not even need to say anything, and yet, the troops are able to pick apart opposing arguments, highlight the inconsistencies, and bury the other side in reasoned logic supported by facts. I am truly proud. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #16 posted by Jose Melendez on March 27, 2002 at 10:54:20 PT |
| from: http://www.unimed.com/proddisc3.html WARNINGSPatients receiving treatment with Marinol should be specifically warned not to drive, operate machinery, or engage in any hazardous activity until it is established that they are able to tolerate the drug and to perform such tasks safely. Also, from: Patients receiving treatment with Marinol (dronabinol) should be alerted to the potential for additive central nervous system depression if Marinol is used concomitantly with alcohol or other CNS depressants such as benzodiazepines and barbiturates. Patients receiving treatment with Marinol should be specifically warned not to drive, operate machinery, or engage in any hazardous activity until it is established that they are able to tolerate the drug and to perform such tasks safely. Patients using Marinol should be advised of possible changes in mood and other adverse behavioral effects of the drug so as to avoid panic in the event of such manifestations. Patients should remain under the supervision of a responsible adult during initial use of Marinol and following dosage adjustments. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #15 posted by Jose Melendez on March 27, 2002 at 10:43:38 PT |
(Marijuananews note: The FDA approved warning label for Marinol
says, "You should not drive, operate machinery, or engage in any hazardous
activity until it is established that you are able to tolerate Marinol® and
perform such tasks safely." http://www.marijuananews.com/marinol_was_the_first_schedule_2.htm Marinol Was The First Schedule 2 Drug To Be "Down-Scheduled," Boasts Roxanne On Its New Marinol.com Web Site. Doesn’t That Mean That It Should Never Have Been Schedule 2 Anyway? [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #14 posted by dddd on March 27, 2002 at 10:24:03 PT |
| ..Patrick...knowing that I made you laugh,makes my day....I would never have been a clown,.,had it not been for my younger brother.,,,and I'm not kidding,his name is Patrick!,,,,anyway,I honed my clowning skills at the dinner table..I would try to make Pat spray milk or food due to a perfectly timed joke or clown thing!..I had it down to a science....eventually,,he learned to avoid being the victim of my evil comedy,,and my Mom and Dad were too stoicly familiar with my antics to succumb,,so,,I decided to start workin' on my Grandma,,,she was a seasoned old gal,,,an english teacher named Edna Rose Francis,"Grandma Snuffbucket",,she liked this name.?....anyway,,one Thanksgiving or Easter dinner,I decided to try my cheap fun on Grandma Snuffbucket,....I wasnt fuckin' around,,I waited till she had a mouthfull of food,and as she chased it down with a swig of wine,I sprang my custom designed antic,,,and it worked way too well!....Grandma Snuffbucket started makin' these snortin' goat/cattle snorkel sounds ,,,much too polite to spray food and wine ,,,she inhaled the mouthful,and went into a choking frenzy that scared the shit out of me,,and made me realize that clowning can be dangerous!....yes,,,the clown weapon!...I am trying to master it for use against bad people... I dont care if they want to call it terrorism...I'd be proud to be the one to cause Ashcroft an uncomfortable chuckle,,with the type of special silly joke that can make a prayer breakfast howl with uncontrollable mirth ...if I was gonna try to joke with the big boys,,I'd have to do some real custom work......it would be a real challenge....Imagine ....you get to audition for the the job of being jester for Donald Rumsfield,,,after the Rumsfield audition,,,you're headin' south on the 405,and you get a call from your agent on that dam cell phone!....you have gotta go to beverly hills, ,,,,and try to make Bill Bennett laugh! and he's in Virginia...West or South Virginia????...time to move to Canada..I finally find a job in British Columbia,,way downtown Vancouver,,,,in Gastown......................wish I could go on,but old clowns know that ya gotta save some fun for next time..... dddd...proudly abnormal...not fake either! [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #13 posted by Ethan Russo MD on March 27, 2002 at 09:25:38 PT:
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| The warning label for any product containing THC will likely closely resemble that for Marinol: http://www.marinol.com/pdf/Marinol.pdf It has the usual cautions about motor vehicle use, rapid heart rate and the like. There are no major surprises. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #12 posted by p4me on March 27, 2002 at 09:09:10 PT |
| Neither the Treasury Department -- which runs U.S. Customs -- nor the Immigration and Naturalization Service
could recruit sufficient numbers of reliable people quickly enough to boost border security in the wake of the
Sept. 11 terror attacks, so the Defense Department was tapped to provide extra manpower for a six-month
period. That request was made in October The government should have a backlog of applications. With the pay and benefits that these guys make they could get a thousand people out of Catawba County here in North Carolina. Why if I were in allowed to recruit for these good jobs, I wouldn't have to die or be Moslim to get 72 virgins. What do you mean they cannot get enough help. Why didn't they list a job description with pay scale and benefits and put in some extra lines to handle the calls? This is absurd that they cannot hire a thousand people when millions are out of work and half of all people with jobs would quit to get on the security and size of that federal paycheck. What is this article trying to do. Make the government look incompetent? I have presented the question: What will the warning label be on the whole cannabis pills that will be made by GW Pharmacueticals in the UK? This is a serious question that soon will be answered by GW when the great day comes, but I really would like everyone to give it a go, especially EJ. It is a great question to present to public. In all seriousness my label would say- Warning: 1)do not operate a motor vehicle or machinery while under the influence of this medicine 2) this product will produce a change in mental perceptions. Nol van Shleck(sp) answered with this- Do not smoke these pills. I wish Dr. Russo would comment although because of his position and the seriousness of his work, I do not expect a response, although he may take this opportunity to lay it on us. VAAI [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #11 posted by Patrick on March 27, 2002 at 08:35:18 PT |
| I am rolling on the floor and laughing my ass off!!! Thanks for the memories!!! You are tops my friend in the "crackpot" department! keep on keepin on my friend.
[ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #10 posted by dddd on March 27, 2002 at 08:01:11 PT |
| ..Your are excellent and super cool!...the only problem I might have with you,,,is that you may be trying to out-crackpot me,and make me look like some kinda normal commentary guy...it wont happen!.....I won the Wisconsin State Crackpot Bee back in 1969,and I could make you look more normal than Hoss Cartwright at a pancake breakfast.... ..I'm proud to be a crackpot,,,,as long as everyone understands that it has nothing to do with "crack",,or.."pot"..!ddd [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #9 posted by qqqq on March 27, 2002 at 07:35:21 PT |
| Willie Nelson....terrorist songwriting guy....evil bastard tried to fuck the IRS out of paying his proper share of taxes to uncle sam,,,,,not many people know,,but the shortage of funds caused by Willie Nelsons wreckless tax shenanigans,,caused a funding shortage at the CIA,,and may have been part of the reason that terrorists were able to pull of the 9/11 disaster-attack!....one can only wonder,,if Willie Nelson would have paid his taxes,,,perhaps this whole thing would have never happened,,,,but why blame Willie Nelson?...what about Britany Spears or "Kenny Boy" Lay,,I'd like to see Ken Starr look up his ass,,,but that's about as likely as Britany Spears doing a lap dance for Ashcroft on a Barbara Walters special. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #8 posted by Patrick on March 27, 2002 at 07:22:51 PT |
| But busting white folk ain't nothing new. I know first hand.The numbers thing dddd about em bringing about a balance to show off th no profiling thing, well that means as a nation we would need to arrest more white guys than all the prisoners combined to accurately represent the numbers in society. Why hell that is a frightening thought considering we already house the majority of the worlds prison population as it sits. New slogan for tourism. Come to america and commit drug crime. Retire with 3 meals and television. Exercise facilities and weekly prayer allowed. What does this year's federal budget have allocated for housing and corralling ¾ of a million more cannabis users in prison? We will need more room than that number to balance out oour prison society. More jobs and more cops! Certainly that won't limit the budget any for the highways, the elderly or the bombing campaign. Would it? dddd my abstract and crackpot theories tend revolve more around the trigger happy bozo with a nuke to play with. We may never know who all has one. Oh well, welcome to america land of the secret government, the freely restricted, and the terrorized. Any lab rat that wants my piss in the future can scoop it out of the toilet or shake it off their pant leg. Viva la Mexico [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #7 posted by Dan B on March 27, 2002 at 07:12:12 PT:
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| See the lead article here: http://prorev.com/indexa.htm And here's another great article on fascism in America: http://prorev.com/fascist.htm The latter link is to an earlier article that speaks directly to the issue of America becoming (in fact, already being) a fascist state as defined by the Italians, who coined the term. I think these are both quite important. Both come from Progressive Review, and the latter one is linked again below. Dan B [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #6 posted by goneposthole on March 27, 2002 at 06:58:06 PT |
| Leftist rebel turned terrorist way back in 1910. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #5 posted by dddd on March 27, 2002 at 06:42:48 PT |
| Hi Patrick...Mandela,,,I will pretend that he came to mind for you ,,so I could point out my abstract theory that suggests that a person no longer need be black to have a high likelyhood of getting busted,,in fact,,I have a new crackpot theory that suggests that non-blacks may be in increased danger of being falsely profiled because the cops wanna get the white bust count up so they cant be accused of racial profiling..... ...and...speaking of Africa,,it would appear that Bob Mugabee won the electoral college,,or was it a supreme court thing?.... [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #4 posted by Patrick on March 27, 2002 at 06:41:56 PT |
| …with the guns. They follow orders and shoot you here in america. Just like in Afghanistan little terrorist boy on the computer. They will fuckin kill you if you resist. Tom & Rollie resisted. May they rest in peace. Some die and don't even resist. They, how you say, got in the way. And heavens forbid that you resist with a car, a baseball bat, a knife, a gun, or even a big ole jet airplane. You resist? You will die. They that do not mind being paid to terminate resistant life forms like you will live and you will die. Then the courts and societies will settle up later. That's a fact of life now. Its go with, and do what, the arresting authority says or it's die running or fighting. I didn't make these new rules up. I just observed em. Some people choose the time I guess and others let the time choose them. The DEA is cranking up its version of nazi germany here in america. Cannabis users don't want to die anymore than you do. They are not terrorists. They are people who are actually less addicted to cannabis that any prohibitionist's fat kid is addicted to mickey d's super size fat fries. This United States thing is about people and people that lay claim to truth, justice, and the american way. The American Way starts off with the premise that I am free and innocent to begin with stupid. Someone needs to put down the power and slowly back away from the switch so the sane americans left here smokers and non-smokers alike can dissasemble the nuclear bomb genie thing. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #3 posted by Patrick on March 27, 2002 at 06:17:02 PT |
| Yes Mexico and Canada might be housing the next strike/threat! Condition: Taupe or was it Rose? Terrorist, is that now the legal lexicon for the equivalent of yelling fire in a crowded movie theater? Quick, shoot, terrorists! Nelson Mandela spent a long time behind bars for his color and his belief. Not really sure why that comes to mind. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by dddd on March 27, 2002 at 05:33:34 PT |
| ..folks at UPI!!....ya gotta love it.Just look at how the story begins!..:"Bowing to Senate pressure, the Pentagon will shortly allow nearly one third of the 1,600 National
Guard soldiers manning border crossings to carry weapons, Pentagon officials told United Press
International Tuesday.".. ..yes,,they "bowed" to senate pressure,,,yes,,a pressure that forced the pentagon to take action!...Pentagon officials told UPI tuesday.....yea,,you know,,"pentagon officials"!,,,they were the ones who told UPI... ...hey...speakin' of the pentagon,,,there was another report by "pentagon officials" that came out...and once again the mighty pentagon had to bow to pressure from the senate!..golly,,no one can get away when those darn senators put the pressure on you!...dddd [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #1 posted by kaptinemo on March 27, 2002 at 04:57:07 PT:
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| In 1997, the US Marines ("first to fight for right and free-ee-dom, and to keep our honorrrrrrr clean!...) shot and killed a Hispanic-American shepherd boy named Esequiel Hernandez while on anti-drug patrol on the Mexican border. Being a shepherd in an area where (four-legged) predators are common, he had a broken down old .22 caliber rifle to ward off varmints showing too much interest in his flock. He had been tracked for at least twenty minutes before the Marine snipers, whose equipment include highly accurate sniper scopes allowing them to see who they are shooting at, fired upon him. Their excuse was they he was firing upon them. As stated, he was probably unaware that they were there, since they were in full ghillie suit camouflage; most likely, he was shooting at what he thought were coyotes. In any event, they killed him. http://www.dpft.org/hernandez/ http://www.overland.net/~ysgwd/ZekeHernandez.html http://www.metrotimes.com/border.html So, now in the name of counter-terrorism, more innocents will be endangered and possibly killed. God, don't they ever learn? [ Post Comment ] |
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