1,000 Reasons Why

Mexican citizens are complaining that the US Border Patrol is using powerful pepper-spray chemical munitions against rock throwing thugs. Too bad.

SAN DIEGO - The Border Patrol says its agents were attacked nearly 1,000 times during a one-year period along the Mexican border, typically by assailants hurling rocks, bottles and bricks. Now the agency is responding with tear gas and powerful, pepper-spray weapons, including firing into Mexico.

The counteroffensive has drawn complaints that innocent families are being caught in the crossfire.

"A neighbor shouted, 'Stop it! There are children living here," said Esther Arias Medina, 41, who on Wednesday fled her Tijuana, Mexico, shanty with her 3-week-old grandson after the infant began coughing from smokethat seeped through the walls.

This reminds me of the American women who drove like idiots and had a "Baby On Board" placard attached to the window. Get the Mexican cops to do something and bark at the Americans later.

"We don't deserve this," Arias said. "The people who live here don't throw rocks. Those are people who come from the outside, but we're paying the price." Witnesses in Arias' neighborhood described eight attacks since August that involved tear gas or pepper spray, some that forced residents to evacuate.

The Border Patrol's top official in San Diego, Mike Fisher, said his agents are taking action because Mexican authorities have been slow to respond. When an attack happens, he said, American authorities often wait hours for them to come, and help usually never arrives.

"We have been taking steps to ensure that our agents are safe," Fisher said.

Mebbe we should bring back mustard and phosgene gas. Might as well give them something to really bitch about. Plus the sight of all those BP agents in chemical warfare gas masks would really jack up the tourist trade, no?

Mexico's acting consul general in San Diego, Ricardo Pineda, has insisted that U.S. authorities stop firing onto Mexican soil. He met with Border Patrol officials last month after the agency fired tear gas into Mexico. The agency defended that counterattack, saying agents were being hit with a hail of ball bearings from slingshots in Mexico.

U.S. officials say the violence indicates that smugglers are growing more desperate as stepped-up security makes it harder to sneak across the border. The assailants try to distract agents long enough to let people dash in the United States.

The head of a union representing Border Patrol employees said the violence also results from the decision to put agents right up against the border, a departure from the early 1990s when they waited farther back to make arrests.

"When you get that close to the fence, your agents are sitting ducks," said T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council.

The last I knew, they were using ball bearings as ammo to hunt small game. A ball bearing whizzing along at several hundred fps can kill a man.

Border Patrol agents were attacked 987 times along the U.S.-Mexico border during the 12-month period that ended Sept. 30, the agency said. That's up 31 percent from 752 attacks a year earlier, and it's the highest number since the agency began recording attacks in the late 1990s.

That is just ridiculous. Forget the pepper spray. What's needed are snipers.

About two-thirds of the attacks were with rocks. Many of the rest involved physical assaults, such as illegal immigrants getting into fistfights with guards.

About one of every four attacks occurred in San Diego, and most of those happened along a heavily fortified, 10-mile stretch of the border starting at the Pacific Ocean.

Agent Joseph Ralph estimates he has been struck by rocks 20 times since joining the Border Patrol in 1987, once suffering a broken a shoulder blade. "You find yourself trying to take cover," he said.

About four months ago, a large rock struck the hood of agent Ellery Taylor's vehicle.

"The only thing you can think is, 'I'm glad that that wasn't my head.' There's no way to see it coming," Taylor said.

In October, agents in California and Arizona received compressed-air guns that shoot pepper-spray canisters more than 200 feet. Agents already had less powerful pepper-launchers that lose their punch after about 30 feet — even less if absorbed by thick clothing or cardboard.

The Border Patrol says the pepper weapons are a less lethal alternative to regular guns, but they have caused at least one fatality. In October 2004, a college student died after she was struck in the eye by a pepper-spray canister that officers fired to control a celebration of the Red Sox's pennant win.

Border Patrol SWAT teams along the 1,952-mile U.S.-Mexico border are also equipped with tear gas, "flash bombs" that emit blinding light and "sting ball" grenades that disperse hundreds of tiny rubber pellets.

U.S. officials say the new tactics may spare lives. In March, an agent shot and killed a 20-year-old Mexican man whose arm was cocked back in Calexico, Calif., where rock attacks have soared in the last year. Two years ago, an agent fatally shot a rock thrower at the San Diego-Tijuana border.

No criminal charges were filed in either case.

It appears that Mexico will do nothing to control its border. If that is the case, put up the fence and shoot everyone who walks, crawls, swims, flies or saunters across it illegally. Stop this nonsense.

Stay Calm? Hell No!

This story in the WaPo shows how the Bush Administration is reacting to the vigorous and unrelenting protest against the prosecution and incareration of Border Patrol agents Ramos and Campean.

Support Swells for Agents Who Shot Drug Smuggler
Conservatives Lead Movement to Free Ex-Border Patrolmen

Early this week, the Bush administration urged angry conservatives to remain calm over the convictions of two former Border Patrol agents who shot an unarmed Mexican drug smuggler, but petitions for their release continued to flood the White House.

It did not help that one the lawmen, Ignacio Ramos, was attacked by Latino gang members in his cell at the Yazoo City Federal Correctional Complex in Mississippi and beaten bloody. Days after prison officials confirmed the beating on Feb. 8, Department of Homeland Security officials admitted that an inspector general's report erroneously quoted Border Patrol agents as saying Ramos and his partner, Jose Compean, intended to kill Mexicans.

The phrase, "erroneously reported," is Washington-speak for "lied." And why would the White House urge conservatives to remain calm? The reason is simple. We're in another presidential election cycle and there is money to be made pledged and collected.

If my heated remarks to the Republican fund raiser who called me last week are any indication of what they are facing, the White House has a lot to be worried about.

House Could Hear Border Agent Case

Perhaps the case against the border cops is beginning to unravel.

The speaker of the House of Representatives will be asked to hold hearings on the case of two convicted Border Patrol agents for the shooting of a Mexican drug smuggler. The request, which comes on the heels of the Senate's decision to hold hearings last week on the case, was drafted by Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, and was sent Wednesday to all House members.

It's about time, but too early to start a happy dance. There must be more light shed on this case.

"Numerous and repeated attempts by Members of Congress to ascertain the facts of this case through inquiries with relevant federal agencies have been unsuccessful. Our requests for information have been delayed or denied, and certain federal investigators have even misled us about this case."

That's what puzzles me about this case. Why all this pressure to get a conviction on two low level cops? Even if the Mexican consulate is hot to trot on this (as mentioned in a previous post) why leave yourself open to charges like this? There is more here than meets the eye.

Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, on Wednesday also sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Richard Skinner asking for an investigation into his office for misleading Congress about the circumstances surrounding the investigation of the agents.

At a private September meeting, House members from Texas, Poe, Rep. Michael McCaul and Rep. Kenny Marchant, were told by Skinner's office that they had evidence that Ramos and Compean "were out to shoot Mexicans" and that they had admitted to knowingly shooting an unarmed person.

Skinner admitted this month at two House hearings that those statements were false.

It isn't just US Attorney John Sutton who wanted a piece of Agents Ramos and Compean; now the Homeland Security IG has let his ass get dragged into this. Why did these people put the screws to these cops? Why expose themselves to this kind of criticism?

"These congressional hearings are necessary to shed light on the truth of this case," Poe added. "There are many unanswered questions regarding the trial and what happened that day. The Justice Department has no business being the long arm of the Mexican government."

Documents obtained by the Daily Bulletin show that the Mexican consulate was actively involved in the U.S. attorney's prosecution of the Border Patrol agents and a Texas deputy sheriff last year.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has dubbed its investigation in these events as "the Texas Three."

This doesn't make any sense. Illegal campaign contributions from drug trafficking aren't in the picture, even if there are some handsome profits to be made.

Item #1. The smuggler was sneaking almost 800 lbs (worth about $1m) of marijuana. Even if he was making only one trip a week he was smuggling $52m of product a year. He probably was doing more. And most likely he was not the only "mule" for his boss. What was the profit for his boss? Here is one source. Other estimates place the profit margin at 170% or more.

500 pounds of marijuana can be purchased in Juárez, Mexico, for $50,000 and sold in St. Louis, Missouri, for $400,000.

In 1998 Americans spent an estimated $11 billion on marijuana. I imagine some of that found its way into the pockets of Mexican elected officials and cops.

Item #2. Let's not kid ourselves about the nature of "doing bidnez" in Mexico. Corruption is rife. Look at what happened in Tijuana. If something happens to interdict the flow of illegal drugs into the US, you can bet your last dollar that there are plenty of pesos available to bring Mexican public officials into the act.

Item #3. Sutton also went after Edwards County Deputy Sheriff Guillermo F. Hernandez for wounding an illegal alien being transported in a vehicle that tried to run down Deputy Hernandez. From the National Border Patrol Council web site:

The Texas Rangers conducted an independent investigation of Deputy Hernandez' shooting and cleared Deputy Hernandez of any wrongdoing; yet, somehow federal
Prosecutors managed to charge Deputy Hernandez a year and three months after the incident. Judging by the prosecutorial abuses that occurred in the Ramos and Compean case, one can only imagine how poorly the prosecution behaved in the
case against Deputy Hernandez

Why has our government responded so favorably to this manipulation?

Mexico Is Now Calling The Shots

WorldNetDailey has a story on the role the Mexican government played in the prosecution of two Border Patrol Agents. This is not good news for el Jefe in the White House.

The Mexican Consulate played a previously undisclosed role in the events leading to U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton's high-profile prosecution of Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, who are serving 11 and 12 year sentences for their role in the shooting of a drug smuggler, according to documents obtained by WND.

Agents Ramos and Compean were not the only ones caught up in the targeting information provided by the Mexican to US Attorney Sutton.

And Mexican consular officials also demanded the prosecution of Texas Sheriff's Deputy Guillermo "Gilmer" Hernandez, who subsequently was brought to trial by Sutton, the documents reveal.

The Clintons used the FBI to collect documents on their political enemies. Bush uses the US Attorney to throw cops in jail. What the hell?

Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas – among a number of congressman who have fiercely opposed the prosecution of Ramos and Compean – told WND he has "long suspected that Mexican government officials ordered the prosecution of our law enforcement agents."

"Mexico wants to intimidate our law enforcement into leaving our border unprotected, and we now have confirmation of it in writing," Culberson said.

It's nice to know what you can and can't get away with. As long as you leave the borders wide open you have nothing to fear from the US Attorney's Office in Texas.

The Outrage Continues

The Feds aren't happy with imprisoning two Border Guards, now they let one of them get assaulted, stomped on for several minutes according to his wife, while under the care of the federal prison system.

EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- A former U.S. Border Patrol agent who was convicted of shooting a drug smuggling suspect and then lying about it was beaten by fellow inmates in prison, his relatives and a congressman said Tuesday.

Prison officials did not immediately confirm that Ignacio Ramos had been attacked.

Any prison official in his right mind knows that a former cop must be given special protection in a jail setting. Excuse me, any competent prison official.

U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., a vocal supporter of the agents and opponent of illegal immigration, criticized the Bush administration Tuesday for failing to protect Ramos and demanded a full presidential pardon for the two men.

"Not only did the administration choose the side of a foreign dope runner over the agents who stopped him from smuggling a load of drugs into the county _ now they've failed to protect that agent while his case is on appeal," he said in a statement.

There has not been that much press on this case, unlike how the treacherous MSM supports the murderous Mumia Abu-Jamal.

Ramos' wife, Monica Ramos, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that her husband described being attacked late Saturday, when he "let his guard down." She said the attackers kicked and stomped him for several minutes.

He was able to identify one man in the group, Monica Ramos said.

The first time he "let his guard down" was when he tried to do his job in the Border Patrol and stop a drug dealer. He was very fortunate that there were no hand made knives used in the attack.

Officials of the Federal Bureau of Prisons did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment Tuesday.

Of course not. They are too busy protecting terrorists and drug smugglers like Panama ex-strong man Noriega. And don't hold your breath waiting for something to happen to the inmate that Ramos was able to identify.

Politics As Usual

Jose Alonso Compean and Ignacio Ramos are the two Border Patrol cops who are now in prison for shooting a drug dealer. Euphoricreality has put together some more developments in this ongoing saga of how the government screws the very people we need to protect our borders and panders to those who violate the same borders. The name of the article is: "Dirty Texas Politics Taint Border Patrol Agents’ Trial" and was written by Shawn Christopher Phillips at www.patgray.com.

The central perpetrator in this travesty of justice is the U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, who has old boy Texas connections from the judge overseeing the case all the way up to President George W. Bush. These connections, though not openly disclosed, have greatly impacted the case, as highly placed government officials look the other way while testimonies, evidence, and statements are manipulated behind the scenes.

Some of the issues which the government has been ignoring is that the drug dealer, Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila, not only was apprehended after trying to smuggle almost 800 pounds of marijuana into Arizona in 2005, several months later he was stopped again trying to smuggle a half ton of marijuana into the US! He was given a car by the authorities to travel into the US for court appearances and stuffs it with drugs! The results of this second incident?

U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton further extended immunity to this additional felony and sealed the indictment from jurors. Aldrete-Davila’s arrest record was expunged, and a gag order was issued. The jury was not informed of the second smuggling arrest, and Sutton issued a public statement that Aldrete-Davila was “never arrested” on drug charges.

The Bush administration is making a huge mistake in pursuing these two cops and yet letting a real criminal like former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger off with a by-your-leave. A Mexican criminal is caught smuggling almost a ton of dope into this country and skates absolutely free. And this is the part that really makes me sick.

Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila is now suing the US Border Patrol for $5-million for violating his civil rights, and Compean and Ramos are each doing over 12 years hard time. It’s rumored inside the beltway that President Bush will appoint Johnny Sutton to the federal bench before he leaves office on Jan. 20, 2009.

24

There are only 24 hours left until former US Border Agents agents Jose Alonso Compean and Ignacio Ramos begin their 10+ year sentences. Thus far President Bush has ignored hundreds of thousands of emails and the pleas of 55 Congressmen to pardon these two men. Please contact your US representatives and the White House with your requests to have these men pardoned.

This from the Canada Free Press:

"If it can happen to them, it can happen to any one of us. It has definitely had an adverse affect on agents involved in border security." -Mark Parsons, President, Fraternal Order of Police in El Paso, Texas, Customs and Border Protection agent.

President Bush has shown no interest in pardoning these two agents whose sentences will surpass many murderers, rapists and even drug smugglers they have put behind bars. In addition to the obvious, however, the situation involving Compean and Ramos is having a "rippling effect" among border patrol agents and other law enforcement officials who have the increasingly dangerous and difficult task of protecting American citizens.

This will have a chilling effect on border security. And I believe that Bush wants exactly that.

Mr. Parsons stated that the aggressive prosecution, replete irregularities pertaining to the arrest and trial of the two agents, including but not limited to venue issues, restriction of exculpatory testimony and evidence, government corruption and jury misconduct "has made a lot of agents on the front lines 'gun shy' and afraid to do their jobs." He added that "if this can happen to agents Compean and Ramos, it can happen to any one of us."

It is also sending a strong message to illegal aliens, drug smugglers, and potential terrorists illegally crossing the border into the U.S. everyday. Those involved in illegal border activities see this as a victory for them, endangers the safety and welfare of the officers on the front lines and compromises the safety and security of every man, woman and child in the U.S.

These men and women are the first line of defense for our borders. The two agents were not acting in a manner to delibertly deprive an innocent human being of his life and liberty. They were protecting themselves from a perceived threat from a drug smuggler.

Make no mistake, the southern border of the U.S. is a virtual war zone being exploited by enemies of the United States. The demoralizing affect of this lack of prosecutorial discretion in a time of war is questionable at best, begging the questions: how serious are we in securing our borders, and why isn't the U.S. Department of Justice exercising the same zeal in the prosecution of illegal aliens as they are in punishing those front-line agents who are understaffed, out-gunned, and hamstrung by rules of engagement favoring the criminal?

I'm just so disgusted by this. And Sandy Berger gets probation for destroying national security documents!

Never Bring A Brick To A Gun Fight

What should be a self evident truth had to be taught to a group of rock-throwing Mexicans by Border Patrol officers in Arizona.

YUMA, Ariz. -- A U.S. Border Patrol agent fatally shot a man who was throwing rocks at officers from the Mexican side of the border late Saturday, officials said. The incident began after agents spotted a suspicious vehicle near the Andrade Port of Entry west of the California-Arizona border, just north of the international border and alongside the Colorado River. The driver fled and then tried to swim across a pond along the river in an effort to return to Mexico, the agency said in a press release.

So The BP stops a smuggler, smuggler panicks, smuggler flees, smuggler swims. Nothing to see here people, please keep moving.

But the man began to struggle to stay afloat and agents threw him a flotation device and began to try to rescue him.

So the aforementioned mope forgets to wait a half hour after stuffing himself at the all-you-can-eat bean burrito buffet and gets a cramp. The ever helpful BP throws the criminal a life saving flotation device and rescues said criminal from a watery grave. The crowd who witnesses this act of kindness responds by showering the federal agents with flowers and chocolates and cries of gracias, right? Wrongomondo.

Several people on the other side of the border then began throwing rocks at the agents, and one officer was struck in the head.

The Mexicans respond by trying to kill the BP officers. Why in the world would they do that?

Attacks on Border Patrol agents have become more common in recent years, and this year agents say they're seeing smugglers become even more violent as more federal resources make crossing into the U.S. ever more difficult. Smugglers are throwing softball-sized rocks, hunks of concrete and whole bricks at agents, either out of frustration or to try to get authorities to back off.

It sounds like the crowd is in the employ of the smugglers. They figure that as long as they are in Mexico and hurl their missiles across the border, they cannot be held accountable. Wrong again.

The officer then shot at a man who was getting ready to throw another rock, the Border Patrol said. Mexican authorities took the man to a hospital, where he died.

So what's the problem? The news release is very sparse on details we'd all love to know. Like what kind of firearm and ammo was used, where the rock thrower was hit, how many times he was hit, if his entrails were blown out his back, if he screamed all the way to the hospital, and if he begged to see his mother just before he bled out and died.

Maybe tomorrow.

It's not that I'm completely unsympathetic (well, maybe I am), but our people had better start controlling our borders. And if this is the only way to do it, then so be it. Better a few are killed so the rest learn. They all can't be this stupid.