Some question Bush plan to send Guard to southern border

[sabra]

http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2006/05/15/news/update/doc4468ac625c283786330351.txt

Some question Bush plan to send Guard to southern border
By Associated Press

11:30 a.m. - FARGO — Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D, said Monday that President Bush's proposal to send National Guard troops to the southern border may further strain units already stretched by duty in Iraq.

``They (Guard members) have had a tasking that was far beyond what anybody contemplated when they signed up,'' Pomeroy said. ``It's been tough on the soldiers, it's been tough on their families, it's been tough on their employers.''

The president's proposal could deprive states of National Guard resources they need, Pomeroy said.

``I think there's going to be a lot of questions about just how much it's fair to ask our Guardsmen to bear,'' Pomeroy said. ``And at what point to you jeopardize getting people in the Guard at all, when they sign up for the National Guard, when they sign up it means constant deployment?''

[enough]

1. National Guard, once a Bush playground, now his plaything. (nt)

[papau]

3. Damn good thing Iraq results have freed up so many spare guardsmen - n/t

n/t

[papau]

2. So we do not send troops to our Northern Border or our ports?

Is it just Hispanic terrorists that are the concern?

And do Containers full of folks coming through our ports not present a problem?

Rather like the extra hiring of 70,000 folks to take your nail clippers at the airport, and at the same time no extra hires to protect atomic or power plant or chemical, drinking water or bio-assets in the USA. It makes sense in a Rovian way that I am sure will not be questioned by our media.

Our "not owned and controlled by the right wing GOP rich - they just act that way" media will be a joy to watch tonight.

[madrchsod]

4. or the 10,000 new border guards

spread out over five years that he thought was to expensive..

[papau]

6. The Guard - the low cost way when illegals/offshore not available :-(

:-(

I wonder if the GOP will agree that using the Guard as cheap labor will improve the ability to maintain a volunteer Guard.

[Eugene]

5. With what equipment? Most if it is still in Iraq

according to Sen. Chuck Hagel.

Hagel on Bush Immigration Plan: ‘That’s Not The Role of Our National Guard’

<snip>

We’ve got 75% of all the equipment of National Guard all across this country is in Iraq.
We’ve got National Guard members in their second, third and fourth tours in Iraq. We have
stretched our military as thin as we have ever seen it in modern times. What in the world
are we talking about here, sending a National Guard that we may not have any capacity
to send down to protect our borders.

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/05/14/hagel-on-immigration

Also: Putting Guard on border debated