WHITE HOUSE UNAWARE OF PERILS AT THE MEXICAN BORDER
TheTownCrier Editorial
Feb. 10,2006
CNN’s Lou Dobbs reported Thursday on The Texas Sheriffs Coalition, who attempt to protect citizens near the Mexican border, and their meeting with congress and the White House.
The congressional hearing, broadcast on CSpan, was great theater. Making the point with agency video from the U.S.- Mexico border, U.S. Border Patrol chief David Aguilar described a 108 percent jump in assaults on U.S. border officers, assaults involving rocks, flaming rocks, firearms at speeding cars.
In the fiscal year that ended last September, there were roughly 800 attacks on the Border Patrol. In the past four months alone, there have been around 200 attacks.
Casey Wians reports, “ Incredibly, the sheriffs say the Bush administration was surprised by their true-life tales of out-of-control violence, incursions by the Mexican military, and assaults against U.S. law enforcement.”
SHERIFF ARVIN WEST, HUDSPETH COUNTY, TEXAS stated, “They seemed to be surprised at some of the issues we brought up that they apparently were not aware about.”
Louise Schiavone reporting from Washington, “Tonight, our nation's border sheriffs are speaking out about this new border violence that is putting their very lives at risk. The sheriffs say Washington bureaucrats and Homeland Security officials are completely out of touch with what is actually happening on our borders and Washington is indifferent to what they go through each day to protect this country.”
Lou then announced his poll question:
Are you surprised that the Bush administration is surprised by the level of violence on the U.S.-Mexico border?
I answered “No”, not surprised at all. This wouldn’t be the first time the president was not informed. It would be nice to think it would be the last.
It was late summer of 2001. Thousands of Americans had done everything legal they could think of for 6 months to draw the attention of the White house to the plight of 1400 family farmers having their water arbitrarily cut off in the Klamath Basin near Klamath Falls, Oregon.
The media became involved. William Lajeunesse, of FoxNews and most national outlets attended and reported on the activities inclucing the “Bucket Brigade”, a protest of 20,000 people in May through the streets of Klamath Falls. That was said to be one of the largest peace time protest in this country.
The protest spanned months, from food convoys to the establishment of “Camp Headgate” where the farmers and their supporters pledged to stand against armed federal agents who were stationed for months to guard the water from the farmers, the rightful owners.
But did President Bush, over those many months know anything about this struggle? Evidently not. Remember, Bush says he doesn’t listen to the news.
Sen. Gordon Smith, and Rep. Greg Walden had been told, this was not an idle threat, that if they didn’t do something about this travesty, they’d be out of office in Oregon. They believed it.
The pair finally managed to board Air Force One on it’s way to Portland. They pointed out the overflowing Klamath Lake to Bush as they flew over,the reservoir that was supposed to be out of water.
When the president made his speech that night he said, “There are some folks down there (Klamath farmers) who haven’t been treated very well!” We were finally acknowledged. As usual, the president had been kept in the dark and knew nothing of the months long protest in So. Oregon and No. California.
9/11 soon became our American reality. Camp Headgate was shut down in support of our president and our troops that would defend us against Islamic Terrorists. As always Conservative protestors support this country first above their own personal interests. The farmers are still fighting for water each year. Many have not been able to continue the struggle.
It boggles the mind to think that a Texas Governor and president of the United States could not be aware of the perils of our Southern Border and mass illegal immigration. Our leaders do not live in our world, but in a bubble of protection and elitism. One has to ask what else he is so terribly uninformed about.
TrackBack:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0602/09/ldt.01.html Aired 2/9/06
http://www.klamathbasincrisis.org/history/project100_021905.htm
THE GOOD AMERICANS
IS KLAMATH FALLS THE WELLSPRING OF A NEW SAGEBRUSH REBELLION?
http://www.wweek.com/editorial/2741/1902/
Feb. 10,2006
CNN’s Lou Dobbs reported Thursday on The Texas Sheriffs Coalition, who attempt to protect citizens near the Mexican border, and their meeting with congress and the White House.
The congressional hearing, broadcast on CSpan, was great theater. Making the point with agency video from the U.S.- Mexico border, U.S. Border Patrol chief David Aguilar described a 108 percent jump in assaults on U.S. border officers, assaults involving rocks, flaming rocks, firearms at speeding cars.
In the fiscal year that ended last September, there were roughly 800 attacks on the Border Patrol. In the past four months alone, there have been around 200 attacks.
Casey Wians reports, “ Incredibly, the sheriffs say the Bush administration was surprised by their true-life tales of out-of-control violence, incursions by the Mexican military, and assaults against U.S. law enforcement.”
SHERIFF ARVIN WEST, HUDSPETH COUNTY, TEXAS stated, “They seemed to be surprised at some of the issues we brought up that they apparently were not aware about.”
Louise Schiavone reporting from Washington, “Tonight, our nation's border sheriffs are speaking out about this new border violence that is putting their very lives at risk. The sheriffs say Washington bureaucrats and Homeland Security officials are completely out of touch with what is actually happening on our borders and Washington is indifferent to what they go through each day to protect this country.”
Lou then announced his poll question:
Are you surprised that the Bush administration is surprised by the level of violence on the U.S.-Mexico border?
I answered “No”, not surprised at all. This wouldn’t be the first time the president was not informed. It would be nice to think it would be the last.
It was late summer of 2001. Thousands of Americans had done everything legal they could think of for 6 months to draw the attention of the White house to the plight of 1400 family farmers having their water arbitrarily cut off in the Klamath Basin near Klamath Falls, Oregon.
The media became involved. William Lajeunesse, of FoxNews and most national outlets attended and reported on the activities inclucing the “Bucket Brigade”, a protest of 20,000 people in May through the streets of Klamath Falls. That was said to be one of the largest peace time protest in this country.
The protest spanned months, from food convoys to the establishment of “Camp Headgate” where the farmers and their supporters pledged to stand against armed federal agents who were stationed for months to guard the water from the farmers, the rightful owners.
But did President Bush, over those many months know anything about this struggle? Evidently not. Remember, Bush says he doesn’t listen to the news.
Sen. Gordon Smith, and Rep. Greg Walden had been told, this was not an idle threat, that if they didn’t do something about this travesty, they’d be out of office in Oregon. They believed it.
The pair finally managed to board Air Force One on it’s way to Portland. They pointed out the overflowing Klamath Lake to Bush as they flew over,the reservoir that was supposed to be out of water.
When the president made his speech that night he said, “There are some folks down there (Klamath farmers) who haven’t been treated very well!” We were finally acknowledged. As usual, the president had been kept in the dark and knew nothing of the months long protest in So. Oregon and No. California.
9/11 soon became our American reality. Camp Headgate was shut down in support of our president and our troops that would defend us against Islamic Terrorists. As always Conservative protestors support this country first above their own personal interests. The farmers are still fighting for water each year. Many have not been able to continue the struggle.
It boggles the mind to think that a Texas Governor and president of the United States could not be aware of the perils of our Southern Border and mass illegal immigration. Our leaders do not live in our world, but in a bubble of protection and elitism. One has to ask what else he is so terribly uninformed about.
TrackBack:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0602/09/ldt.01.html Aired 2/9/06
http://www.klamathbasincrisis.org/history/project100_021905.htm
THE GOOD AMERICANS
IS KLAMATH FALLS THE WELLSPRING OF A NEW SAGEBRUSH REBELLION?
http://www.wweek.com/editorial/2741/1902/
posted by TheTownCrier | 11:52 AM
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