Tuesday, March 30, 2010

McAmnesty Wants The National Guard On The Border


There are quite a few stories out today, in wake of the rancher who was killed by what is believed to be an illegal alien, calling for the National Guard to be activated to secure the border.

Sounds good until you meet the harsh reality. There is a little thing called posse comitatus, we called it posing as comatose, that has to be taken into consideration.

The Posse Comitatus Act is a United States federal law 18 U.S.C. passed on June 18, 1878, after the end of Reconstruction, with the intention (in concert with the Insurrection Act of 1807) of substantially limiting the powers of the federal government to use the military for law enforcement. The Act prohibits most members of the federal uniformed services (today the Army, Air Force, and State National Guard forces when such are called into federal service) from exercising nominally state law enforcement, police, or peace officer powers that maintain law and order on non-federal property (states and their counties and municipal divisions) within the United States.

The statute generally prohibits federal military personnel and units of the National Guard under federal authority from acting in a law enforcement capacity within the United States, except where expressly authorized by the Constitution or Congress. The Coast Guard is exempt from the Act during peacetime.

I am not sure what people expect. Do they want to National Guard to shoot the border crossers? There is little more that they can do other then jot down license plate numbers or call up a Border Patrol unit and issue a report. I know. I have done these missions, called JTF (Joint Task Force), missions. If the Border Patrol gets them, then of course they are turned over to the capable hands of judicial system, and given a date to appear in court for their supposed deportation hearing. Few show up and a large percentage of those that do are allowed to remain.

There is no catch and release really. It is catch and feed, and clothe and find them a job once they have availed themselves of what used to be the best medical care available, all on the taxpayers dime.

This comes on the heels of the announcement that the Minutemen, the civilian organization that volunteered to work with the Border Patrol, is closing up shop.

It seems too many of our politicians play this game of kick the can far too much, while listening to their mp3 players to tune out the distraction that is the American people, and while walking in the fast lane of the highway. They are then left wondering how that big 'ol 18 wheeler ran them over.

As far as John 'McAmnesty' McCain trying to act tough on this issue, Bubba, that train has done left the station.

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