Border Protection: November 2005 Archives

And apparently lots of folks missed as well. Captain Ed has the details of an unsettling incident at our southern border:

"In a disturbing incident that has received little national attention, the US Border Patrol found itself in retreat on US soil after interdicting a dump truck full of marijuana on US Interstate 10 last week. The truck made a run for the border but got stuck on a riverbed. While the Border Patrol started to unload the estimated three tons of weed, a larger armed group apparently comprised at least in part by the Mexican military forced the Border Patrol away from the vehicle and bulldozed it back into Mexico..."

This seems to be stuck in the local news with little interest from the national media. I agree with Cap'n Ed's assessment:

"But by far the biggest problem shown in this incident is that no matter who the Mexicans were, our Border Patrol presents no match for the drug smugglers and bandits along the southern border of the US. To have a dump truck stolen while they stood by and watched, afraid to fire a shot in defense of the border, amply demonstrates the futility of our entire approach to security along the southwestern edge of the US."

I would add that asking the Border Patrol to face military weapons is unreasonable. The U.S. does, however, have access to folks that are more than equipped to deal with such a threat. The notion that our military shouldn't be used to protect our borders is naive and outdated in an age when there are potential dangers even more menacing than the drug runners mentioned above. President Bush, Congress, are you paying attention?