OPINION — I think it’s time we gave our citizen soldiers some time off.
These young men and women have had a rather active couple of decades.
From terrorism attacks to natural disasters to activation and deployment to the Middle East, I think they have had enough.
This soldiering business is hard work requiring time, training and dedication and the members of the National Guard, no matter which state they are serving with, make sacrifices of great magnitude to fulfill the terms of their enlistment. This isn’t the stereotypical beer guzzling, weekend-warrior stuff of lore, it is real-life deployment. Whether helping their neighbors through a national disaster – earthquake, flood, etc. – or shipping off for points unknown, they are always ready to march into harm’s way, even if that includes a stateside deployment.
We are learning that about 4,000 National Guard soldiers are to soon be deployed at the U.S.-Mexican border.
You see, there is no wall, yet.
In fact, there isn’t even any money set aside to build a wall yet.
So we’ve got to do something to keep the rapists and killers and drug dealers out. And, those victims trying to caravan to the U.S. to escape persecution and death in South America? Yeah, got to keep them out, too, by God. Heaven forbid we offer succor to the oppressed.
Already, Texas and Arizona are falling all over themselves trying to be the first and best at offering up citizen soldiers to put on foot patrol along the border. So far Texas has earmarked 250 guard members and Arizona has tagged 150 for activation.
California has yet to commit any soldiers and, quite frankly, I don’t expect much cooperation between Sacramento and the White House as Gov. Jerry Brown and the president are not exactly on speaking terms and activation of warriors from the Golden State would require Brown’s cooperation.
The use of citizen soldiers along the border isn’t anything new or radical of thought. George W. Bush and Barack Obama each employed members of the guard to patrol the border back in 2006 and in 2012. The troops were used to supplement border agents enforcing drug laws, which is why the National Guard came into play. Regular Army cannot be used as a tool of law enforcement, the guard, because of its unique militia structure – you know, that group they talk about in the Second Amendment – can be part of a law enforcement group.
The actual patrol will have little to do with stemming the tide of illegal access to the United States. Those numbers are fairly inconsequential at this point anyway. Most of the undocumented immigrants came to the U.S. quite legally. They entered the U.S. with legal visas and completed paperwork. They just decided to stick around after their papers expired. The whole drama and fiction of desperately high-tailing it over some barrier of some kind is a highly dramatized account that very few undocumented immigrants actually experience.
The drug interdiction is also now a very different thing.
The cartels have pretty much given up the marijuana enterprise because gringos are growing their own and it is much cheaper and higher quality now that legalization has come to places where compassion matters. The infusion of other drugs – from cocaine to heroin – is actually a South American thing. Yes, some of those drugs come across the land borders, but Mexican nationals aren’t really involved in that trade.
Besides, here on the Baja, there is a commodity even more lucrative than drugs. The waters of The Sea of Cortes are home to more than 5,500 species, among them, the totoaba, a rather large and hearty fish that has been over-fished and exploited over the years. Besides being a hard-fighting game fish, and a tasty one at that, the totoaba also is valued by Chinese herbalists who claim the bladder of the fish has special restorative properties as an aphrodisiac fetching prices of approximately $60,000 per kilo. The totoaba fishery has been almost all but depleted even though rescue efforts are in play.
So, I’m not quite sure what we’re planning to do with 4,000 troops walking the beat on the border. I seriously doubt they’ll be looking for fish heads.
I would imagine they might help lend a hand in blocking some of the drugs entering the country. And, maybe, just maybe, they might keep a handful of eager folks from coming in without proper paperwork, but quite frankly, the Mexican nationals I have known are fairly intelligent people and most have no desire to force themselves into a place where they would feel unwelcome.
It’s just not their style.
But, it will make for good optics to see the president reviewing boots on the ground at the border.
Still, it’s lousy duty.
The desert is harsh and hot, especially coming into summer.
The terrain is hostile. Lots of snakes and other critters that like to bite and harass humans.
And, there’s really no place cool to hang out. U.S. Border Patrol already has those places staked out.
It would be nice if at least once, these citizen soldiers drew a decent duty station that isn’t under water, under suspicion or under siege.
It could be worse, of course, they could end up being assigned to the president’s big parade shindig in November.
No bad days!
Ed Kociela is an opinion columnist for St. George News. The opinions stated in this article are his own and may not be representative of St. George News.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews, @EdKociela
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.
Eddy boy you are so ever misguided. I know these National Guard troops they love our country and respect the office of the president and I am sure they would love to be in his parade.
Eddy please don’t speak for folks you know nothing about.
Dogboy,
you are so misguided, the last thing the guard wants to do,
is support this piece of crap, and the last place they want to be,
is near the Mexican border, when they should be on vacation with
their families.
you are a numskull that does not have a clue and it sounds like
the parade is cancelled.
I’m pretty sure Eddy can say whatever the hell he wants. He is after all, a U.S. Citizen protected by the same rule of law we all are. Who made you “all knowing” about the military and veterans? You couldn’t have served; because I know for a fact no recruiter would sign a cry baby like you. So take your “dogmatic act” down the road, and get hit by a car, no a truck, wait, do you think you could find a D-9 dozer ? There’s my 1st amendment right in action.
Where do you get this stuff??
The actual patrol will have little to do with stemming the tide of illegal access to the United States. Those numbers are fairly inconsequential at this point anyway. Most of the undocumented immigrants came to the U.S. quite legally. They entered the U.S. with legal visas and completed paperwork. They just decided to stick around after their papers expired.
So, you’re saying they went to the trouble of doing it legally (which we all know is a long and tedious process) and then just didn’t feel like renewing it. (which is actually quite easy) Never anything uplifting, just hateful stuff from you.
“I, _____, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”
Pretty simple, heh Ed?
But as a liberal political agitator, along with the support of this news organization, you’re allowed to have your space. Why? Because the First Amendment gives you that right.
The right that our brave soldiers commit their lives to.
Otherwise, you’re pathetic.
Gunboy,
What kind of nut do you create, when you breed
a gunboy with dogboy?
A doggun good ole white boy from southern utah.
It’s amazing how brave people are when they’re secluded behind their keyboards…
Other than that they’re usually spineless panty-waist little twerps.
tcrider is a pathetic liberal uninformed loser and is totally clueless just like his hero, special eddy ! it stands for tricycle rider, as in pedal powered with a basket and a bell. Grow up TC !
johnboy,
you been swallowing your chewing tobacco again, like the piece of crap that
you draftdogers have been worshiping, you are suppose to spit it out, when your done
chewing, like the piece of crap was sharing some chewing tobacco with putin and he
does not spit it out, he swallows instead.
Now that was funny !
Well “Utahguns” it’s twice as amazing when users have to make up inherently threatening usernames to intimidate others while they hide behind their k/b’s. But you are right about one thing: “they’re usually spineless panty-waist little twerps.”
how many donuts did you have this morning? you’re awfully cranky..DOH !
My username threatens you?
You still check under your cot for boogeymen before you turn in for the night, right?
why do discussions on what to do about the illegal mexicans always deteriorate into this so quickly?..
I’m sorry I can’t take you serious every time I see your name I think of the Simpsons. Lol
TCrider is an uninformed uneducated leftist.. Thats all Folks.. total loser.. I put my 20 years in.. Unlike mr 4f tcrider the binky sucking loser..
That is a good joke, but a piece of advice for you. When fighting against these good ol’ Utah boys don’t stoop to their level of name calling. The best way to shut them up is with facts. They can’t handle the truth! pun intended
what pun? lol
Jack nicolalson “you can’t handle the truth”. A few good men! What a great movie.
filter it’s cute, but it isn’t a pun, at all. Now I’m thinking you’re a college age female or younger. your naivete shows thru.
you thinking that that is a pun is kind of like you thinking I hate hispanics
just ridiculous. childish
No filter wouldn’t know a fact if it hit him in the face…
Just throw an encyclopedia, then I get more facts. It’s a better deal that way, facts are hard to come by in the Trump era.
Every National Guardsman knows exactly what they are getting into when they sign up. They look forward to serve ! It’s a good thing special eddy isn’t in charge. He doesn’t have a clue again !
Oh oh Johnboy got his pretty pink panties in a knot again
nobody asked you turd muffin…
they look forward to serving, not “they look forward to serve” Also you don’t need a space before an exclamation point. Come on John, this is grade school knowledge.
Believe it or not I and many other non-leftists do have compassion for the desperate people that have or are trying to sneak into this country. We just don’t want so many of them here that they basically turn parts of the US into something resembling the bad parts of mexico or some S. American hole. And that’s often what happens. There’s a reason countries have borders and immigration laws. It isn’t because people are “big meanies and racists” like a lot of crybaby idiot leftists like to proclaim. California has tons and tons of problems. Huge swaths of it are not good places to live and in the good parts housing is so expensive only the wealthy can live in them. A lot of these problems are a direct result of million– tens of millions of illegals that have flooded in and now occupy the state. And most of those don’t aspire to spend their lives picking fruit “so food prices don’t go up”, and “doing the jobs Americans won’t do”. You leftists can be so ridiculous and use such absurd reasoning.
And mexican nationals don’t traffic drugs? please.
The way to get illegals to pack up and leave is to make it not so easy for them to work in this country. Powerful business interests within both parties just love the cheap labor too much, so that will never happen. Like I’ve said, I see many houses in this town being built from the ground up by crews of illegal mexicans. And leftists tell us what? “oh, they just love to be out in the fields picking fruit, and keeping produce prices down”. Yeah, I’m sure…
Excellent choice of words and logic.
My family, who immigrated through Ellis Island, owned a ranch in the Bay Area from the 40’s through the early 80’s.
We had many wonderful workers that came up from Mexico to work for us. When the work was done, they went back to their homes.
My folks even helped almost twenty of these workers make their way through the immigration process to become American citizens. Friendships with these people and their families continue to this day.
I can tell you one thing for sure, the majority of these people that became Americans through the legal process don’t take kindly to immigrants that sneak into the U.S. and take advantage of the system.
The MSM’s take on immigration does not reflect how these legal immigrants feel about illegal immigration. In fact, these Mexican/Americans feel that if they were emboldened enough to go through the legal immigration process, then, those immigrants wanting American citizenship should do the same thing.
Translation for the inept t-crier: “You want it…you work for it”.
If there are tens of millions of illegals in California, even the the tent cities could have maids and landscapers! Better recheck your data source.
true, so tens of millions nationally, millions just in CA
You are wrong on this one Ed, just not even close. Where was your outrage when Obama did this? And if you actually talk to some border patrol agents, they are over worked and overwhelmed by the flood of illegals crossing each day (and a high percentage of them are crossing for the wrong reasons). They need serious help down there. A country without borders? Yea Ed, that just can’t work.
Considering that you live here in your safe bubble and Ed lives near the border, I would bet he has more knowledge of how the border patrol agents feel then you. We are not being flood by illegal immigrants across our border each day like you think. Do people sneak across the border? yes, but is it a flood, no! People are so scared of immigrants coming across the border they lose all logic on the matter. What ever happened to “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” We are the greatest country in the world, why wouldn’t somebody from a third world country want to do all they can to better the lives of their children at any cost. I would do the same thing if I was in their shoes. We are just a bunch of white jealous @#&%$#@! that are afraid to do what is right in the matter of helping those in need. I would rather have a community of Hispanics that actually work than a community of lazy white trash idiots that just sit on their butts collecting welfare and voting for people like Trump because their facebook feed told them that he is the white messiah.
You are also due for a yearlong stay in the congo. We’ll see how we’ll you do with a healthy dose of “true diversity”; you and special Ed both, since you are both deprived of “diversity” in your lives. Plus, if you’re so in love with “hispanics” move your little self south of the border, or even just move to SoCal– It’s basically become an extension of mexico. Actually almost all of CA has. It’s a “multicultural” hell hole unless your wealthy enough to live in the good parts.
I’ve been to the Congo, really nice people, I have also lived in Southern California, the Taco trucks are the best. I don’t have a love for any specific culture, just a hate for intolerant bigots like yourself. I do not fear a multicultural America, I embrace it.
Look in a mirror and you will see the only bigot that has made any comments on here, fix that filter , you allow way too much MSM propaganda to stick in that closet between your ears. You are and will remain a leftist parrot until you start questioning what they are telling you. That’s some advice you should take to heart my friend. All you are ever capable of is reciting the latest liberal talking point of the day, which is almost always less than half the story and more times than not an entire misrepresentation of the facts. ! Don’t you ever look into anything? Good luck and hope you at least take some of my advice.
John it’s like you read my mind, because I can say the same thing about you. You copy lines from fox news so often you could be charged with plagiarism. But I do have one question, how does the mainstream media effect how I feel about Hispanics? Do you think it is subliminal messaging? Maybe Ed has implanted a microchip in me while we passed in the grocery store or something? Maybe I am an illegal immigrant and I don’t even realize it? My mind is blown John, is this what it’s like in your head all the time? Maybe it’s the weed I inhaled in Vegas that was brought across our border in the caravan of South American immigrants seeking asylum that is causing me to think this way. One last question John? Is a leftist parrot one of those cool talking parrots or just a regular one, I am not biased just want to know so I can make sure I do the parrot justice.
For 1 thing I do not copy and paste from fox news you moron…I just tell libtards like you to look deeper into things, you just recite the BS that was just on MSNBC or CNN and that’s all you know.. Sorry loser, you got a brain? Why don’t you use it instead of being a useful idiot and take that space you are complaining about and shove it between your ears so something will actually be in there. Nofilter you are most certainly one of the useful idiots. Your posts prove you haven’t got a clue other than what the MSM tells you. hahahahahahahaha! I feel sorry for you , bro ! NOT !!!!!! hahahahahahaha!
you’ve never been to the congo or you wouldn’t be calling it “nice”, LOL. socal is a …hole unless you’re rich enough to buy a place away from all the mexicans, and even real estate within communities of illegal mexicans is priced to the moon. I guess there’s always the famous kalifornia tent cities. the place is a disaster. supposedly it’s run by “liberals” but has about the worst income inequality in the US along with the most illegals. housing costs there are obscene.
i’d still like to know where the pun was in your earlier comment, lmao.
I have lots of friends in the San Diego area, you must be visiting the wrong parts. Why do you hate Hispanics so much?
filter, nowhere have i stated or implied that “i hate hispanics”. this is why a civil discussion cannot be had with your type.
and you’ve never been to the congo. don’t tell pointless lies
The National Guard guards our nation. It’s their job.
Glad that our president Trump is getting it done, despite the impotence and resistance of congress—on both sides of the aisle.
Liberals will never get it..Too self centered and programmed to understand reality !
Meaning doing only what the MSM tells them to do or believe.. they are a pitiful bunch. Reality usually ruins their day , so they choose to ignore it and chase the leftist carrot because that’s what they have been told will make everything wonderful.. They attack anyone who even suggests they should actually check out some of the crap they stand in. But they aren’t my shoes..most of the time what they are standing in smells like a bull has been there …hahahahahahaha!
How is that investigation on your idol Trump coming? His personal lawyer is now in hot water, it won’t be long before we see your beloved president taken away in handcuffs. Tick Tock John boy, even Paul Ryan knows it’s time to get out before Trump takes down the entire Republican party.
Use your filter moron ! You gotta get that manure out of your diet.
Hit a nerve I see, like I told TCRIDER, facts always make the right squirm in their seats.
Well then, why do you parrot their “fake news stories all the time” ?
You wouldn’t know a fact if it hit you in the face.. Keep watching MSNBC..Filter that crap !
Nobody watch’s msnbc, that channel is pure garbage. I won’t even go that low.
Ed Kociela . . . my husband and I came to Utah because our native state, California, had been overtaken with crime and was disintegrating into a state like Mexico (unless one could afford to live along the high-priced coastal areas). I worked in public health as a nurse, PHN, and watched and learned first-hand for a total of 10 years in Central California about how this happened.
The cause was a mixture of wanting cheap labor and misplaced but well-meaning social reform; both Republicans and Democrats were responsible. Because of the increased drug traffic through the cartels and gangs who utilized illegal immigrants as runners, I saw many drug-exposed infants come into this world and knew they would be prone to physical and mental health challenges and most likely poor parenting examples. I believe we are harvesting results of that today.
I saw our beautiful State of California slip away with increased trash along roadsides and used toilet paper in restroom stalls as well as gang graffiti, random shootings in our small town, and growing disrespect for people and/or property. So, please don’t tell me how the “rich cultural heritage” of Mexico and South American cultures have benefitted the peoples of this country. California is in horrible disarray because of illegal immigration from south of our border.
Far too long the permissive governments of this country have allowed immigration to run amuck and now it is near if not too late, and our beautiful country is slipping into a “…hole” like any third world country, and if liberals have their way, it will be a banana republic that is run without law and order.
I’m grateful for a president who will stand up to Congress and say, “take back the border.” We need a border to be a country, and it seems all the liberal progressives want lands with “no border.” I’m grateful we have our great men and women serving this country as citizen soldiers and I am grateful that they will help defend our country and our state against the invasion from south of our border. It’s time to take back our southern border and restructure immigration law and make those who want to be American from Mexico and South America countries stand in line with the rest of those in the world wanting to be American!
Ed. ellipsis
amen. really.
I bet special Ed has one of those houses in one of the nicer parts of mexico. a place where a lot of other US citizens owns houses down there. basically one of the more “protected” areas that doesn’t absorb all the 3rd world problems of good ol’ mehico. Special Ed needs to stop living such a sheltered little life. That’s why I’m always recommending he take a good solid year and go and live among the natives in the Congo. We’ll see if his leftist fairytale delusions survive a year in the Congo. A nice healthy dose of true diversity will do him good, not some frickin’ resort town south of the border. Even most dem voters I talk to are tired of the massive amounts of illegals that have flooded us. People in general are just tired of it and fed up. It isn’t even a partisan issue. Most of us just want the nightmare of illegal invasion to end. Normal people don’t want the 3rd world problems that being flooded with illegals creates. We just want decent peaceful places to live.
Parse the words as you choose, we must keep illegal aliens out. It’s not complicated. It has nothing to do with racism. We have laws.
I have no interest in having as a neighbor someone who has no respect for our country and simple honesty.
I met a young lady whose father entered this country illegally. When he and his wife had their first child, he turned himself into ICE. He said he could not be a good role model and father to children having done what he had. He paid his dues and is now a legal immigrant and citizen. And, a wonderful role model for his children.
This is who I want for my neighbor.
Excellent OP Ed. You’ve obviously caused a few pitiful snowflakes to have a meltdown!
hahahahahahahahaha! special eddy .. is the melting snowflake…he likes to leave the facts out of every piece he writes.. he’s pretty good at bad fiction and fantasy, but always leaves out the facts
fairytales and fiction is what he does.
Writes like a 9 year old too…Could you imagine if that leftard wrote a children’s book? What would it be called? ” The Left Minded Parrot .” ? ” Special Eddy’s Primer For Growing Up Progressive And Stupid?” I don’t think anybody would actually pay for the trash he writes anyway !
lol, he doesn’t have the writing skill to be writing any kind of book.
i believe his books are offered on kindle for free. it’s more than they’re worth
Do you think Ed gets any extra pay for getting the most clicks on the web site? He always has the most comments! If you don’t Ed, you should renegotiate your contract.
I truly hope he isn’t paid much, if at all. His books on plygs, although I believe written with good intent, were very poorly written books.
LOL, over the Edge Eddy/special Eddy, google says the word succor is pronounced just like sucker.
So are succors or suckers if we let all these illegals hang around forever and parasite of this country’s resources?
lmao 😉
as in, maybe I got succored into reading this idiotic, leftist, pro-illegal-invader drivel, lol…
The Congo, Ed, it’s waiting for you, opportunity of a lifetime….
😉
What is with you and the Congo? If your going to go get culture you should go somewhere with good drinks and fun night life, let’s go to Jamaica drinks are on John.
Go filter some porta-potties and make yourself useful..Maybe go to Mesquite and get a little more bong fodder? You should use the water you get for your bong and then I will at least know the reason you need a breath mint.