Calling it a Career

December 31st, 2021 was my last day in uniform. It was a privilege to serve my country and be able to support my family. I think it was a fairly normal career with many more ups than downs. There was fulfillment in being able to train thousands and continue as a mentor for many of those. It is a close call in determining the fulfillment derived between that and arresting bad guys and seizing tons of contraband. There is a certain euphoria in a controlled delivery, which can take weeks to complete, in order to arrest many of those in an organization. Catching bad guys and interdicting contraband is a lot of fun, very exciting. It requires comraderie and teamwork and builds long term friendships. Running a Peer Support/Chaplaincy program was also very fulfilling, serving our office and those from around the country in the different components and taking care of their families was an honor... and a burden that weighs heavy. I can't stess enough that those who serve in this capacity absolutely need to have an outlet, as the stress is cumulative. They give so much of themselves including financially. There is so much more to say and perhaps I will expound in the future, but for now, I can attest to the fact that outside of the political leaders, the agency has some great talent at the top. To those who remain, you have my thanks and my prayers, Stay Safe. BT

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN-FURLOUGH

I have been working to protect this country for about twenty years. There have been many occasions where I have done it without compensation and without complaint. For the first time in twenty years, I was told not to come into work. I have always taken pride in protecting my country and being able to support my family at the same time. Now I am not doing either. My colleagues and I have done many things which most would not do, because we took an oath and carry a badge and gun. There is an empty place in my heart and soul because I am not there, but it is worse to feel that I am letting down my family because I signed on to be a Federal Officer. I am educated, experienced, and understand the politics. There is no solace. BT

Merry Christmas to All...

Well, in case you have been wondering, I am still around. A couple of years ago I moved to a different position back in the great State and have been quite busy ever since. Unfortunately, as a personal decision, I did not think it was fair to continue posting due to my new responsibilities. As far as I can tell, things haven't changed much, a better wage for those in the trenches which is deserved and may stem attrition to a certain extent. I still bemoan the loss of institutional knowledge of the foundation, but perhaps that was the plan. What I really want to do is wish you all a wonderful Christmas and encourage you to surrender to the season. Surround yourself with those you love, family and friends. Give thanks for your blessings and start or continue to pray for help with the challenges that you and we all face. Life is too short, make the most of it through your relationships with those you love and remember, if you don't tell them you love them they may never know.

I may yet figure out a way to continue here so thanks for checking in and please accept my best and warmest regards during this Holiest of seasons.

BT

Oh My, I Was Right ...... Imagine That!

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08219.pdf

There is just not much more to say, than I have been telling them this for the last three years.


BT

It Is In The Interview.....

Today I had the opportunity to train Officers about to go out into the field on one of our newer systems. The setting was just like the field, where Officers are dealing with international travelers or those going international in the near future. The system worked pretty well and only crashed once, but was up and running in short order. It was easy to use and prompted the user when ever mistakes were made. As one of my colleagues stated, " a trained monkey could use it". He is pretty much right, but that is not really the dangerous aspect. As I anticipated and have written previously, the high tech systems set up a false sense of security for those lacking experience. They begin to feel that by asking the basic questions needed to input information into the system, they are conducting a proper interview. They rely on the database to indicate who might be the smuggler or terrorist. Unfortunately for them and the country, those that are most dangerous won't be in the system. KSM had over thirty genuine passports in a variety of names and from a variety of countries. The basic questions posed by border agencies throughout the world can be found in the Al Qaida training manual.

Interdicting the smuggler, criminal, or terrorist always comes down to one thing.....

The Interview!

Anything that detracts from the interview is counter-productive. Relying on systems for
threat assessment is terribly dangerous and keeps the Officers from honing their interviewing skills. It is not the systems or high tech tools that are hurt us, but forgetting that these are just tools to assist the Officer in conducting threat assessment. The Officer needs to utilize the information provided by the systems and tools to direct the interview in the direction it needs to go. This is the rare exception. The false sense of security provided by these tools and the constant barrage to process travelers faster makes for a less secure nation. It is the utter reliance on these systems and tools that lead to problems where the process stops because the computers aren't working. If we have developed the interviewing skills in our Officers, we can implement our continuity of operations planning and not miss a beat. If our Officers no longer have the skills, we are all at risk.

BT

Good News....

Alright folks,
I will be leaving my current position and heading back to the field. It will be a different and yet similar role to what I have been doing for the last several years. I hope now that the future is somewhat clearer, this mode of communicating and addressing threats can get back to the beacon it was intended to be. Thank you for your patience. Don't think that the last few months have been wasted. They haven't been, a great deal of information has been collected. This is especially true with regard to the threats in the United Kingdom. It is enough to build an entire course around. I don't have a time table yet, but at least a direction.

BT

Still Bleeding...

We are still here, just waiting for some good news and trying to keep a positive attitude. Most of those that I have worked with for the last five years have gone or will be gone very shortly. I will be going soon, where, I am not sure. I hope it is to a place of my choosing, if not, it is going to hurt an awful lot. Throw a few good thoughts this direction, I would appreciate it. A novena would be fine...

A few "In Memoriams"

Roger Correa-Just a hell of a good man, who raised a good family and showed
love to a whole bunch of us.

Mr. Cantu-A nice old gentleman who collected tolls at the Los Ebanos Ferry sometimes.

Jay Moore-The best gunsmith I have ever known and worked with. He was a friend
to generations of sportsmen, from my grandfather to me.

I will try to keep this site going, if things go well and I end up where I would like to be, it should come back to the original mission statement.

BT

Updates from the Field...

Last night I had the pleasure of eating dinner with some old friends and some new ones. A variety of CBP Officers from Journeymen to Supervisors from all over the country. The refrain was the same from all, unhappiness in how business is being conducted. Not unhappiness with the job, but at not being able to do the job because of the bureaucrats and their push for mediocrity.

Assigning new Officers to man radiation portal monitors for up to two years and the fact that this task is requiring up to fifty percent of their manpower, leaving very few Officers left to conduct enforcement operations. This harmony was the same from all environments- land, sea, and air. Overtime is plentiful due to the RPMs staffing requirements.

The same can be said for assigning new hires to work primary for a couple of years at the airports. You take these young Officers full of enthusiasm and motivation and stick them in these duties and you might as well invite them to look for other employment challenges... and this is exactly what is happening. These people signed up for a law enforcement career and are being relegated to stampers and RPM baby sitters, that is why our retention rates are so bad. We continue to lose Officers right out of the Academy to other agencies.

I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel except for the train. Unless something is done, CBP will be full of old people that can't move to other agencies and are less than able to fulfill the duties of the CBP Officer. When some ports are losing 60 to 80 people a year, you would think somebody in the ivory towers would take notice.

They just keep sending new people to be trained, with the way things are going, I wonder who will conduct the training.


BT

Still Catching Bad Guys...

One of the pearls of wisdom that I share with my trainees is that no matter what the bureaucrats are doing in Washington, no matter what the politics of the moment, we still have to do our job at the borders. That is exactly what is happening:

Hidalgo, TX Port of Entry seizes over 1,ooo pounds of Cocaine.

Nogales, AZ seizes over 3,000 pounds of Marijuana and another almost 2,000 in the last week.

El Paso Area Ports seized over 3,400 pounds of Marijuana and 72 pounds of Cocaine.


The agency has never been in such turmoil, but through it all, the Officers come through.
Well done.

BT

Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative....Passports

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is gradually being phased into effect. Basically this is going to make it a requisite to have a passport to enter the country. This has always been the case when coming from the Eastern Hemisphere, but shortly in the air environment, a passport will be required from all foreign arrivals. This will be put into effect in the land environment next year. The dream is that by requiring everyone to have these documents, we can catch the terrorists trying to enter the country. Of course like everything else now a days, the passports are supposed to be smart documents, hard to counterfeit and high tech.

There are a few problems with this new requirement. One, is that a major goal of the terrorists we are fighting is to hurt our economy. Requiring passports from people living along the nations borders, some of the poorests parts of the country will have dire consequences for the economy of these areas. Many of these people on both sides of the borders can't afford the cost of the passports.

As a result of the above, you are going to have more people from Mexico and Canada attempting to sneak across the border. This in itself is going to cost the nation money in that you will have Border Patrol responding to more sensor hits and sightings of illegal aliens and this is expensive if you consider fuel costs, processing costs, housing, food, and time. In addition, we will be wasting resources on low risk for terrorism individuals because of a situation WE created. It is circular in that it will create a greater need for more Patrol Agents and once again more expense for the nation responding to low risk subjects.

Beyond what has been previously stated, this is my greatest concern. Border agencies continue to become more and more reliant on high tech databases utilizing bio-metric information. At the same time, they are under great pressure from the airlines and business communities to facilitate the flow of people entering the country. In this high stress and fast paced world, what happens is the Officers working the border Ports become reliant on these databases and documents. Swipe the document, stamp the documents, and DTR (down the road-an industry term), Welcome to America-We Love You. Primary Inspections become a muscle memory instead of threat assessment... AND THIS IS BAD. You have to understand that the terrorists, like those who killed 3,000 on 9/11 used genuine passports to enter the United States, they did not sneak across the border. Khalid Sheik Mohammed the Commander of the 9/11 plot had over 30 genuine passports, all with different information, when he was captured. Documents are only part of the big picture when conducting threat assessment. Over reliance on these documents detracts from the most important part of the process, the interview. That is when you are going to determine if the person in front of you is being deceptive. Anything that detracts from the interview is counter-productive to the overall mission. The requirement for the passport is another nail in the coffin that belongs to the interview. In our business, a little more talk leads to a lot more action.

BT

Merry Christmas.....

Today, this Blessed Christmas Day when we celebrate the most Holy of events, is a day to count blessings and not moan about anything. I am blessed with a wonderful family and some great friends and those are the most important things... as I continually tell those I train. I have been fortunate to be able to contribute to the safety of the nation, which gives me tremendous gratification. So today I wish you all the best and hope that you are with family and friends and that you prosper in the fast approaching new year. In harmony with the reason for this blog, remember that to a huge extent, this is a war of religion and the more you know of history and religion, the better you can protect this blessed nation.


BT

Still here....

Don't go away, we are still here. Thought we had some good news Friday, but BP is holding out, that is alright. Things haven't changed any except that some local opportunities have arisen due to people bailing. When you are at the top of the list, there is nothing else you can do, but hope that fairness and common sense prevail over ego and bias. What ever happens, this won't just disappear. We will continue or let you know why.

BT

Trying to Survive...

Folks,
This blog has not gone away, but quite honestly, a bunch of us are just trying to hang on to our jobs or find other places we can contribute in a meaningful way. It is quite unfortunate, but that is the reality that many of us who have dedicated the last several years to training Federal Officers to protect this nation are facing. After we spent years on the borders developing the skills to interdict the enemies of the nation and then taking those skills and being able to communicate them to new hires. We are being forced to leave as previous posts have indicated.

I promise to comment on issues that are pressing and I continue to research the threat in country from different groups. In fact, there is some very interesting things going on in this arena. It is very reminiscent of the 70s anti-nuke groups funded by the Soviets and satellites. In other words, it is fascinating and I could go on for a long time, but survival comes first.

Thanks for checking in....


BT

Bleeding badly...

Within the last year in a half or so, CBP has lost five extremely experience Instructors to other agencies. If you read the "I Wish It Was Fiction" post, that was one example, but tomorrow we lose another very experienced interdiction Officer whose field expertise was earned at the world's busiest port of entry. This Supervisory Officer and Instructor was going to be forced out of his position at the Academy and back into the field which would have cost him in the neighborhood of $20,000.00, because of a rotation policy that costs the Agency tons of money and exchanges experienced Instructor for those with little or no experience. Can you imagine moving to San Diego after taking that kind of hit. So he left, taking a job at another agency as a Program Manager. No longer an Officer sharing interdiction skills and experience. It costs about $70,000.00 to move an Instructor in or out of the Academy. That is about $140,000.00 per Instructor replacement. There are at least 10 scheduled to be moved in the near future. That is about $1,400,000.00, enough to pay 40 new line Officers for a year.

I could continue with similar stories, but hate to ramble about such this bad situation. I hope that this explains why I haven't been posting with the normal frequency. I don't like to report these kind stories. I would much rather share with you our successes, goals, and the cutting edge training we are doing to keep the nation safe. It is just not there right now, I hope it comes back around.

Those of us who care about this job and protecting those we love, hence the nation are just trying to survive right now.

BT

Still Here....

Border Watch is still here and hopefully will remain, there just isn't a whole lot nice from this end to report. I try to keep it positive, but jeez the burros make it hard.

I will say this NTC has been working their butts off keeping the nation safe, so good job to the dedicated folks there.

One other attaboy to Del Bonita, Montana for being ever vigilant. Top Notch enforcement, way to go Greg and his folks.

BT

I Wish It Was Fiction...

Imagine this, you are in the training environment and in the course of your duties you find trainee with exceptional skills and expertise. You interview him and ask him if he would be willing to help provide training, he agrees. You utilize him as a visiting Instructor from the field and realize that he is providing 85% to 90% of the advanced course. Even though he has little field experience in your agency's area, he is brought to the training center as a permanent Instructor. His experience and abilities as an Instructor are highlighted by his critiques. You bring him aboard to assist in advanced anti-terrorism training due to his incident command expertise. Within this training a course is developed to challenge managers in mitigating incidents in this day and age of devastating events. Once again, the course is a resounding success as evidenced by the written and verbal accolades of the participating managers. He has once again illustrated that he is the best at what he does. He spends half of his time away from his family training employees on the road and then suddenly it stops. He is no longer training in the area of his expertise and is sent to a new realm. Those who take his place are pale replacements. His time at the training center is coming to an end, and he is returned to his former duty station, losing his grade and 25% of his salary, for his permanent position is said to be rotational and temporary. So instead of providing the best training possible to the agency's personnel, he is to be pushing traffic. He leaves the agency to take a leadership position outside the federal government paying more and providing more benefits for his family instead of being relegated to a journeyman position. The agency loses the best hazardous material and incident command trainer it has ever had. All he wanted, was to do what he did best and the nation would be safer, the agency would be more efficient, and we would still be conducting cutting edge training. I wish it was fiction....

BT

Recent Observations...

I am sure most of you heard of the incident, where airline passengers refused to fly with two Asian young men who were heard speaking Arabic and acting in a strange manner. Some complained to the flight crew and others got off the plane. Some may think this was unacceptable behavior that unfairly targeted these two men based on race, ethnicity, and language. That may be true, but here is the bigger story. The passengers took the action they felt necessary to ensure their safety. They did not sit back and await whatever their fate like the sheep aboard planes on 9/11. ( A somewhat harsh, but true statement). That is a good thing!

Airline security has been a huge issue lately and more so with the London plot. When we look at our airline security and evaluate TSA, more often than not, they come out looking bad. This is reflected in recent evaluations at the Orlando airport where almost 60% of all screeners failed an imagery threat test. That is they could not recognize dangerous objects utilizing the x-ray machines. The problem with TSA is the training, they need some serious training in a bad way. The only problem is that in order to be a TSA training Officer, you have to be in TSA. From what I have seen of their announcements, they only hire from within for these positions. I am sure that as many other agencies, they are relying on contractors(not good as a general rule) for training. What I don't understand is why they would not want to hire training specialists with deep and diverse experience from other agencies. It would only make sense... oh, maybe that is why...

BT

London Events...

Aside from the obvious, the threat from these terrorists, what else do we need to come away with from these arrests and the plot. Here are a few things to consider. The first is that aircrafts are still at risk and integral to plots to kill Americans and their allies in the war against terrorism. The second is that Al Qaida continues to use plans that have been used before, in this case the hijackings in the Philippines in 1995 and in the U.S. in 2001. This may be because they have had successes with these plans OR that the mastermind commanders such as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, are no longer around to come up with new plans so old plans are being reused. It is also a good bet that such targets like the World Trade Centers, Pentagon, and the Capitol are still at risk. Third, is that the intelligence that liquids were going to used as explosives aboard planes circulated a few years ago is proving to be correct. Remember the thermos alert? Fourth and MOST IMPORTANT, the terrorists said to be involved were British citizens as were those involved in the second set of London subway bombings and Richard Reid. It is a trend and it points to an internal risk both in England and here, from citizens who are Islamic fundamentalists.

How were law enforcement officials able to prevent this horrific plot? There were many factors, but one that should not be discounted is that because the terrorists were British citizens, the group was easier to infiltrate. This great example of cooperative international law enforcement is a win for the good guys.


BT

Don't Know Why I Leave...

Well, I returned from a great couple of weeks back home. While we drove that way, we flew back. I told my wife when we landed 1,300 miles later that if we had driven, we would be getting to Houston about now. She thought the short plane ride was great, I still like to drive cross country. It was probably better, because I am not quite sure that I could have crossed the Sabine River this time around.

I spent some time at the range with my brother and three Sigs, a 9mm Blackwater 226, a .40 Equinox 220, and .45ACP Stainless 220. Sigs are not my weapon of choice, but we shot the heck out of them and they all performed flawlessly. The groups were very tight. Of these, the .45 ACP was my favorite as it fit my hand very well and of course all real men prefer .45s. I also shot a Taurus PT-22 that spends some time in my pocket. It shot very tight as well, 10 rounds all in the head of a B27 at 10 yds. Not bad for a weapon with basically no sights. The last round did fail to feed, but I have to admit that the ammo was probably 13 years old.

I have shared some photos of what I did on my Summer vacation. If you are interested, they were taken with a Cannon digital with a 10x optical/32x digital zoom. It is a great camera. I used Picasa to import the photos, but two didn't make it for some reason. I may just put out a photo post after this because I took a bunch of pics. You can see why it is so hard to return to work and I really like what I do. Let me tell you anytime you have have a good botana platter and finish the evening with some Marble Slab, the day has been a success.

BT



The Beach at South Padre Island Texas


Time Well Spent...


Nature Knows Who is in Charge...

Las Primas at La Muñeca Ranch 

World War Three....

A week before 9/11, I was providing some anti-terrorism training to some border guards from the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union. After an afternoon of what started as mild interaction that became quite involved, a Colonel from the Uzbekistan border contingent said something to me that stuck. He told me that World War Three had already started, we (the U.S.) just weren't committed yet. A week later, all that changed... and yet our commitment still wavers. I find it almost amusing that people like Newt Gingrich and Sean Hannity are talking about World War Three now. They are right, but that is how far behind the curve most people are. Even from where I stand, I can see feeble excuses for preparation and training for no other reason than to be able to play CYA. Vice President Cheney said something after 9/11, he said that in this war, mistakes will be made. He was right, but he said that in order to foster an environment that rewarded forward thinking and pushing the envelope. In all good things, mistakes are made, they are fixed, and it becomes better. Unfortunately, those playing CYA, tend to promote the status quo and the nation suffers.

Now we have the Israel-Lebanon situation. If you take the mainstream of both peoples, you have tremendous similarities that can build and strengthen cooperation. Calmer heads should prevail and return the three Israelis, and things might settle down. So what is the problem, there are two. Among moderate Muslims, the possibility of peace with Israel can be seen. The same can be said among most Jews, who have grown weary of a constant state of war or wartime footing. One problem is the Israeli hardliners who ask for the return of three men, who may be dead, and the demand was made taking that fully into consideration. The other problem is deeper, there are those among the Muslims that will never accept peace with Israel, they do not seek diplomatic solutions, but their diplomacy comes from the blood lost from the bullets and bombs. There is no other way for them. As long as these fundamental Muslim insurgents or terrorists remain a factor, there will be no peace... ever.

Israel now has the opportunity to reduce Hezbollah and Hamas to much less of a threat and are justified in doing so. The tactic of taking out targets in Lebanon, may force actions against Hezbollah and Hamas by Muslim forces, which also works in Israel's favor. It should be noted that there are fundamentalists moving into Gaza from Egypt. Ask yourself, who would move into this hot area except for combatants. Anyone with common sense would be going the other direction. Make no mistake, there is only one force to be reckoned with in the Middle East from a military stand point and that is Israel. They have the weapon systems to take on anyone who challenges them. They have our weapon systems. If Iran and Syria become involved in a less covert manner, you can expect the environment to become much hotter. There are those nations calling for Israel to show restraint; Israel is showing restrain, because if they become unrestrained you will see a scale of destruction that hasn't been witnessed in a long time and remember, they will be using U.S. weapons to conduct their attacks.

What does that mean here at home? Ask yourself, does this instability and open conflict make it more dangerous for the people here in the United States? Of course it does and that is why we need to be aggressive in our preparations and start pushing the envelope when it comes to training those who safeguard the nation at the borders. Superior training by those who have the ability to conduct it. You just can't throw numbers at the borders, you need the personnel and the best training for those who have chosen to serve in this capacity. Any less is dereliction of duty and compromises the safety of the nation.

BT

Semi-Annual Recharge...

I will receiving my semi-annual recharge for the next couple of weeks. If something interesting happens, I may be heard from, if not, I will wiggle the sand from my toes when I come back.

One note of interest, two vans ran the Port in Derby Line, Vermont coming from Canada. When CBP-BP caught up to them, they discovered 21 illegal aliens from such places as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Guyana, India, and 1 Mexican. Both drivers were from New York. Not to beat a dead horse, but read the prior posts on the porous Canadian border.

BT

Holding Back....

Yes, I am holding back. I know that there are those of you who are wondering why you haven't heard from me in a couple of weeks. I have been in the government service for many years now, longer than most marriages last. I came from the private sector, running my own business. I now know why so many people who work for the government become nothing but 8-5 bureaucrats. The reason is that so many of the people in charge (not all) are bureaucrats that don't care about doing a good job. All they want to do is get to retirement and along the way promote other bureaucrats that know more about kissing !## than kicking it.

It is a shame. With the creation of DHS and the nebulous result, you really need leaders to bring the agencies out of the mire. We just don't have very many real leaders. The same is true with CBP, and it hurts. I guess that I haven't made it to bureaucrat yet, because it really hurts. I was having a discussion with a good friend of mine a couple of years ago. We hold the same values about the use of common sense and the importance of interdiction. We agreed that it would be very hard to leave the agency after 9/11. We were both doing important work to protect the nation and felt that we were making a difference, leading others in a good direction. I am not so sure that I feel that way anymore. The bureaucrats keep throwing up roadblocks and this is not a fiction novel where the good guys always win. I believe in shooting straight and telling the truth. I was raised that way and I sleep well at night because of it, but it affects my career and the stability of my family... and not always in the best way. Like I said, it hurts.

BT

Al Zarqawi Dead... Does it Make a Difference?

The "glass is half empty" crowd is saying that the death of al Zarqawi doesn't matter. They claim that with his death, a thousand more will take his place. Others in the same faction state that his death will make matters worse as his followers seek vengeance. Where I am from these types of people are called ambulances, because whenever they open their mouth, they began to moan and whine. As usual they are wrong.

Al Zarqawi was an upper level Commander and removing him from the theater of operations is like having an all pro veteran quarterback with playoff experience taken out of the game. You can stick someone in his place, but it will never be the same. No organization can face this kind of loss without detrimental effect.

What makes his loss even greater is the losses that have preceded him, terrorists such as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed who was the commander in charge of the 911 attacks, captured in Pakistan along with computers and information.

Riduan Isamuddin (Hambali), commander of South East Asia affiliate of Al Qaida (Jemaah Islamiah), and responsible for the Balli bombings as well as that of the Marriott Hotel was captured in his area of operations.

These are significant losses for the terrorists and as such are significant victories for the U.S.
and their allies, whether the media wants to portray it that way or not. Let them be replaced
by thousands, and they will become cannon fodder for our troops.

BT

Maybe the Military and Fence Should be on the Canadian Border...

Last night, 17 terrorists were arrested in Toronto. Authorities showed evidence of bomb making materials and indicated that the group had acquired over 6,000 pounds of Ammoniun Nitrate and other components to produce explosive devices. They also seized weapons and communication gear. This is continued evidence of the presence of terrorists in Canada. Furthermore, the terrorists had attended a training camp in Canada.

The terrorists were all citizens or residents of Canada. As lax as the Canadian immigration policy has been throughout their history, the citizens could be naturalized. The arrests came after the FBI provided information to Canada derived from an investigation of two men from Georgia. With all this happening, I keep hearing Lou Dobbs as he gushes over the Canadian Ambassador telling him how much we love Canada on his show last June.

These arrests follow a raid last November where four Canadian residents, refugees from Algeria, who had lived in Canada for as long as six years were arrested. Included in the group was an Al Qaida trained explosives expert who had participated in camps in Afghanistan. This group had aligned itself with Bin Laden and al Zarqawi.

Once again, you have to ask yourself where the greater threat lies? Is it along the Southern Border where those who seek work in the U.S. make their attempts to enter or the Northern Border from a land that continues to harbor and cultivate both foreign and domestic terrorists? In a country that is host to terrorist training camps. If you are a regular reader, you will recall the numbers of those interdicted entering the U.S. illegally from source terrorist countries is certainly greater along the Northern Border. You make the decision, exactly where do you want the fence built and along which border do you want the military patrolling? The answer seems clear....

Zarqawi...Don't Underestimate Him....

A few weeks ago, a video clip showing Abu Musab al-Zarqawi surfaced. The short version showed him shooting a machine gun. The long version made him look like an untrained geek more likely to shoot himself than anyone else. That was the version that received more attention.

Don't underestimate this guy. His role is as a leader and no longer as a fighter. The powers at be are correct to make him look like a bumbling fool, perhaps it may make him look weak in the face of his men, and to portray him as a mere mortal to our troops and the Iraqi people.

Zarqawi's threat to our troops and interests is not in his ability to use weapons, but to lead his men in the relentless struggle to defeat us. For the terrorists, the way to salvation is in their struggle against us. If they die in the struggle, they are granted paradise.

We will never be defeated by Zarqawi militarily, his only hope for victory is if we lose our resolve and abandon Iraq and the rest of the Middle East. This is an attainable goal, it worked against the Soviets in Afghanistan and with the media and the "elite" against the struggle, it could happen.

Can you imagine what would happen if the media, due to the losses of some of their own, and the "elite" said, " We are behind this effort, we are there, we will win". "We will take care of politics during the elections, but right now we are behind the war effort". It could do nothing but help.

It is wrong to use the Vietnam analogy, it doesn't apply. Anyone who didn't expect the going to get very rough when the battle moved to the urban areas is not credible enough to provide comment.

Zarqawi and his minions want the world and don't care how long it takes. If you doubt it, read their material and look at Europe. If their will proves to be stronger than ours, you better start studying up on dhiminitude. Their will, their very Faith, is their most potent weapon, not the mechanical dispensers of munitions that befuddled Zarqawi.

The only question that remains is exactly how strong is our faith?

BT

The "Leakiest" Part of the Border....

Now that everybody and their dog have become experts on protecting the borders of
our fair nation, it is probably a good time for a test. So answer the following and I will make it multiple guess to be fair:

Which U.S. border is the least protected?
(a) The Southern Border.
(b) The Northern Border.
(c) None of the Above.

If you answered (a), sorry you are incorrect. Even though we have many people sneaking across the Southern Border to conduct such activities as cleaning hotel rooms, picking produce and working construction, this is really the most protected border. We have more Federal Officers/Agents manning the Southern Border than any other border.

If you answered (b), sorry you are incorrect. While it is true the Northern Border has a great deal fewer Federal Officers/Agents than the Southern Border. It is also twice as long as the Southern Border. It is also true that we interdict more people from terrorist source countries on the Canadian Border than any other border. It is not the correct answer, by a long shot.

If you answered (c), you have certainly chosen the correct answer. Maybe this question was too easy. It is not the Southern or the Northern Borders that are least protected.

So what border could be the least protected?

Compañeros, the United States has over 12,000 miles of the least protected coastline you have ever seen. How often do you see border agencies working the coasts? Do you really think that every small vessel entering the country goes through any kind of scrutiny?

When you hear the politicians and media making all this hoopla about the danger the nation faces because of the porous borders, think about what you just learned and put it into perspective.

If Congress really wants to protect the borders, they need to do what the songs says,
"A little less talk and a lot more action". They need to hire a lot more professionals, Customs and Border Protection personnel, and I mean thousands to work the borders including the coastlines.

Aren't you getting tired of peeling the label?

BT

Troops on the Border....

Stationing troops on the border is generally not a good idea. Don't think that it hasn't been done before, it has and it cost the life of a young Texan caring for his livestock. Military troops have been used for years in anti-narcotics operations. On this ocassion four Marines flanked the youngster who was carrying a .22 rifle and killed him. They claimed self defense as he had been plinking with his rifle. A person carrying a rifle while tending livestock on private property is the norm in Texas and the rest of the border states... probably in Iowa too.

The problem now, as then, is that military troops are trained to kill. They are not trained for interdiction of people and goods coming across the border. The use of force model that applies to the professional law enforcement Officers that man the borders has to be maintained. The soldiers could very possibly encounter groups of 40 or 50 illegal aliens, will they know how to handle the situation, not if they are not trained. What if they encounter narcotics smugglers with hundreds or thousands of pounds of contraband, what are the rules of engagement, have they ever been defined?

Every Officer working the border has undergone an in depth background investigation as they have access to sensitive databases and have to be trusted with interdicted seizures of narcotics, weapons, money and people. I assure you that the soldiers, as brave as they are, have not been subjected to this type of scrutiny nor will they be. Each one of these Officers has undergone months of training in the law, arrest techniques, the proper use of force, situational response, and more than this post will allow. Instructed by professionals that have done the job and can provide leadership and guidance. How much training will these soldiers receive in these areas?

Have no doubt that these soldiers will not just be dealing with illegal aliens, they will encounter U.S. citizens and residents as well. Who will they stop? Will they know the difference between a Border Crossing Card and a Resident Alien Card? Do they need probable cause or reasonable suspicion to stop someone already on this side of the border. Or will they stop all the Brown Ones? Don't forget, most of the land in Texas that runs along the border is private property, so ask yourself, how would you like a bunch of soldiers with weapons running around your property?

As in the past, the potential for bad situations is great. Having untrained people working the border is just like having the Minutemen out there. Sooner or later bad things are going to happen.

Why is this happening? The answer is easy, Congress has refused to deal with this situation for many years and continues to underman the borders with the professionals needed to do the job or they have passed some pie in the sky law but refused to fund it. The well know unfunded mandate, do more with less... Welcome to the results.


BT

A little bit of sunshine...

A flash from the ivory towers:
CBP is now going to have specialists in different positions throughout the agency. A definite move away from the generalist mentality that has plagued the agency since it's inception. This is definitely a step in the right direction. There is nothing like having the right person in the position for which he has been extensively trained and in the position he favors. Now if CBP could keep from continually adopting policies or practices from the old INS, things would certainly get better.

You know every once in a while a pearl of wisdom comes from on high. Of course if they had listened to us in the first place, we would not be playing catch up.

BT

Border Agency Retention Problems...

In the last few months, I have had the pleasure of seeing many of the young Officers that I have trained in the last couple of years. Unfortunately, they have been wearing another agency's uniform.

If you are a regular, you know that I have repeatedly mentioned the fact that CBP needs to stop hiring old folks. No disrespect intended, but when you hire old folks, they don't stay very long. They may want to work for just a few years before they retire or they decide that wrestling bad guys for a living is not what they signed up for ( even though it is).

So we end up with transitional Officers with no job experience. On the other hand, the young Officers are looking for jobs with a twenty year law enforcement retirement. Sometimes they are looking before they finish their basic training. You really can't blame them.

The agency just closed an announcement taking in 25,000 applications. Why, because we are losing Officers and we need to plug some holes. I have seen some very good young people come and go. Until the agency can make the job enticing enough to retain some of the good young Officers, it will continue to hemorage.

Now put it all in perspective, these are the folks charged with keeping the terrorists out of the country. It would be nice if we could train these young people and nurture their careers in such a way that the country would be safer and they would be likely to stay and continue to learn the job. Anyone that thinks that they can master the CBP Officer position in a few short years is sorely mistaken. It is a job that is so broad that you can never learn it all, hence the need for specialists and if you need specialists, you have to make the job benefits good enough to retain Officers long enough that they can master certain aspects of the position.

Plain and simple, it is just common sense. The excuse is always money, but at stake is the nation's security. In the old days, it was called cutting off your nose to spite your face.

BT

Nogales on Tuesday and Wednesday....

Marijuana->2,000 lbs

Meth-45lbs

Cocaine-3 lbs

Another slow week in Nogales, maybe the weekend will pick up a little .


Good Job Folks!

BT