Since the first orders to deploy US ground troops to the Mexican border, there was a lot of uncertainty about what they would be doing. The Pentagon in general and the Defense Secretary in particular are now pushing back at suggestions of severe actions against migrants, citing existing US laws.
The Posse Comitatus Act forbids US troops participating in law enforcement, and despite talk of a memo authorizing the troops to detain migrants, the Pentagon has reiterated that they will not be doing any law enforcement, because they legally cannot.
Furthermore, Defense Secretary James Mattis is ruling out having any of the troops at the border armed with guns, a move intended to preclude them shooting any migrant civilians. The troops will have batons.
This reflects a split between the White House, which is presenting this as an “invasion” that needs to be confronted militarily, and the Pentagon, who are carefully following the letter of existing US law.
Lame.
Sure, obeying the law is lame in MAGA land.
It’s just Cheeto pandering to the Christian fascists that helped fund his campaign.
Sheldon Adelson’s is a Christian fascist? Who knew.
Great that the WH ignores international law, just like Israel.
Cardboard cutouts would be just as effective and a lot less expensive.
Repelling invasion is not law enforcement. It’s the most basic aspect of sovereignty. Art. I, Sect. 8 gives Congress no power to dilute sovereign power. Fun fact: thousands of young men advancing on our border carrying flags of foreign nations with the intention of entering our nation without our permission isn’t something to which the laws of trespass or littering apply.
True, repelling law invasion isn’t law enforcement.
Any more than immigration is invasion.
You mean legal immigration. No slipping in through the back door.
No, I mean immigration, period.
Especially since this kind if “immigration” will hit only poor of this country. But only the most comfortable in our society are advocating illegal immigration as something good and almost a natural human right. I do not hear anyone arguing for the increase in food stamps, child nutrition, housing for poor, and assistance to elderly, increased school budgets, unemployment insurance, health care. What will happen is — higher number of needy will reduce benefits to everyone. Local governments already practice this math. So, the fat cats and idle intellectuals will not feel guilty for increased poverty and fierce competition fir jibs at the bottom. They will love it! Workers will work for practically nothing — having working poir go on welfare, so taxpayer subsidizes corporations by feeding, clothing and housing poor. Not only that — they can enjoy the clash between poor and poorer, clash between immigrants and overwhelmed communities, and all attendant evils of pitting humans ine against the other. Then moralizing from ghe high, talking down their noses to the bigots, racists, fascists, and assorted haters that do not have the intellectual capacity of their enlightened masters — laughing all the way to the bank. Until some pain is felt by those who happpily give away money earmarked for the poir, unemployed, children and elderly — they will keep on blithely feeling so superior in their fake humanism.
But poor countries mostly devastated by IMF loans, having no money in their budgets but for lian repayments — will niw have a safety valve — go to Europe and US — so with fewer moughs to feed, less pressure in budget, and repayments to fat cats will not be in jeopardy. So instead of dumping their governments and dumping onerous loans — US and Europe will provide the safety valve. This cannot go on forever. The architects of the post WWII economic world order are responsible for global financial mismanagement, and collapse of sustainable economies. Nobody forced them to give lioans to countries that clearly had no abilities to repay them. Even those that could — were given disasterous economjc advice by IMF snd World Bank. Many had been forced to shutter down profitable branches of economy as a condition to loan. This was done under guise of promoting service economy. Prime example Greece.
Now, our political class instead of addressing real issues, chases mirages. Countering China, Russia, Iran, and a whole slew of less notable enemies, but, hey, every morsel would do.
Immigrants ante portas! That will keep us distracted!
Then immigration isn’t really the problem is it ? It’s the socio-economic set up that allows enough capital to accumulate into too few hands that is the problem.
Sorry Dave for the long answer. I feel we are not having a really open debate on something as important as mass immigration of desparatelly poor. We are mostly being either assaulted by the idealistic notion that we can stop it — or by by God-like pronouncements that we are stupid, inferior or both — and open borders are a must. No arguments.
Yet, the problem is indicative of our complex reality, with no real, neaningful public debate. We are treated as mentally challenged kids. With either being indulged in fantasies, or being told to shut and sit down. Your comment on economy makes sense.
Socio-economic, or perhaps more precise systemic economic distortion, is
the cause of the real, productive economy decline. And the capital accunulating in few hands is not the problem for as long as the systemic tilt that allows some to corner capital l, is dealt with by taxation. These are the earnings that are result of systemic privileges, not market, and need to be put back into economy — not financial “instruments” making money with money, without passing through real economy. Financialization of everything is not the answer, as the winners of systemuc tilt are free if any responsibility. Measuring economic success by stock market is no more accurate then reading future in chicken bones.
Migration of desparately poor people is historically product of imperial economic policies. True in Roman Emlire, true today. Systemic distortions affecting us have radiated globally, and destroyed sustainable economies of poor and politjcally vulnerable countries. Such places would have struggled on their own — sure enough — but would have developed at their own pace and stayed where they are. Always around 10% of population is inclined toward change and adventure, and will seek new life and opportunities. Majority, wants to remain in their communities and engage in sustainable economic activity closer home. Mobility is by itself neither good nor bad — it is only a factor of coercion that determines its value to society. Today, it is fueled by gross abuse of the undeveloped and developing worlds’ economies by post WWII. economic order. And contemporaneous to American systemic economic problems.
At this point any new coercive economic gains globally (as in taking Libya’s oil and state funds, or planned takeover of Venezuela oil riches) do absolutelly nothing to change the dynamic of our economic malaise. So, even as we press forward with perceived benefits of global coercion, we are getting the grapes of wrath pouring over our borders.
There is not one thing that I see on the horizon that will change the trajectory. Meaning that the influx of the desparate will continue unless conditions in their own countries change. By better economy, or violence, disease and starvation.
This is a reality, and the only question is — what to do about it? As I do not see a glimmer of hope that our country will find the wisdom to see the bigger picture, short-termers will carry the day. There are many paliatjve measures that could be applied to address the causes and consequences of migrations. But even these seem to be in short supply as everything in politics has been reduced to juvenile logic.
The issue we MUST confront is the zealotism that has become rampant in just about everything guiding our decision making today. It is characterized by the Gid-like righteousness of people who believe theirs us the ONLY right way, with no evidence provided. Theirs is the one, the only and the finite wisdom. Do not question it. To be conservative by the very definition means cautious and incremental application of change to prevent blunders and agony caused by more revolutionary minded people. This mentality does not exist any more anywhere in America today. Period.
Revolutionary and zealotic attitudes are all the rage, and the nuttier the better. I include in this God-emulating syndrom all those that — with straight face — advocate open borders and unlimited immigration. This is zealotism of first order that — without a shred of sane argument — claims the superior knowledge how immigration is good, and doubters are stupid and backwards people.
History is repleat of zealotism bringing untold mysery to human beings in the name of Zealotists’ envisioned nirvana. Zealots today arguing open borders never, ever care about those most vulnerable in our society that will pay the high price.
Sure, we can turn our society in a Darwinian contest of survival — but those that see themselves as being smarter and winners in such cruel world — know nothing beyond their short-terming nose. The tides of misery will sweep them and the dysfunctional system they created. Wealth will not protect them. Nor will mighty armies.
The resulting destruction may be called “creative”, as God-like people tend to think. But the price of violent change is not worth the benefits. Human race has been continuously set back by such grand thinkers. For them, society of moderation, fairness and compromise is not fast enough. They want to change the world, now. And today as their grand economic plans have caused clearly bad results for vast majority of people, they do nit feel responsible. What, they could not possibly be wrong!
it is only ys, the inferior, that do not understand that short-term grabbing is progress, followed by never- ending short -term solutions to problems they created in the first place. Hiw stupid of us. Without them, sun will not rise nor set. Somehow in all of this — they never, for a hot second, even consider the damage they create or feel guilt for their countless victims. For God-like people such low life is not worth worrying about. They are sure that only their descendents are smart, creative and inventive — not the rubble that needs to be creativelly destroyed, and replaced by the rubble from far and wide.
Just a collateral damage on the way to greatness. Even as we speak, we know exactly who will pay the price for the zealotic haughtiness advocating radical insanity called unlimited immigration of desparatey poor. We know. And we lost our capacity to care or even think rationally.
Embarrassing reality show buffoonery, with some potential murder and mayhem.
Why not follow the example of our BFF, Israel, when it comes to protecting the border, given we so love and admire Israel?
Jim Mattis believes that is more important to protect ISIS in Syria than to protect US citizens from an invasion of our southern border. I thought he is the guy who said ” it is fun to shoot people”. Mattis is just another tool in the box for the “Derp State”. Trump’s biggest problem is that he surrounds himself with traitors, he has been subverted by them in everything he has tried to accomplish. This is not 5-D Chess and We the people are NOT winning.
He does look like a nut-job.
The fox news “invasion” is just a diversion to cover up the mass genocide and white collar crime epidemic that allows the elite to feed upon the carcass of what’s left of the state.
The Pentagon didn’t worry about Posse Comitatus when it wanted to kill some white Christians in Idaho and Texas. Army forces were involved in Ruby Ridge and Waco, and extremely well armed.
Killing foreign invaders is illegal. Killing American heretics is required.
Killing foreign invaders is part of the Pentagon’s job.
Immigrants aren’t invaders.
Agreed. Not invaders. But what are they? In our history books we call all those European tribes that flooded Roman empire — invaders. Probably wrong, as majority just drifted in large groups from the Empire periphery into the heart of Empire unable to sustain the economy based on raping its far flung provinces. Their proconsuls were unable to generate more income in provinces as the selective plunder made any form of sustainability impossible. Thus, less and less to the Rome, less and less from Rome to pay “trubute” to more ambitious vasals and their rulers. Even privatized military was unable to squeeze more blood from the imperial turnip. And giving autonomy to segments of the Empire did not help — yes, it minimized expenses to the Rome, but sped up the process of strenghtening “provinces” militarily, while economies sunk.
And the resulting poor flooded the gates. And when Balkans ruler, Teodoric walked in with 40,000 strong army, there was nobody to stop him. His rule changed the empire into the outline of today’s Europe.
Parallels are too many to be ignored. And todays reaction is no different. Roughly, people divide in three grouos: those that reject the reality, those trying to address and resolve the problem and those arguing for no action — make lemon into lemonade types.
This is not just a fleeting phenomena. This is only the beginning, and there are those that are spending a great deal of money to make this spectacle happen. Just priming the pump.
Almost carbon copy of European saga. Some think it is fun. Others see the future voting block. Others see poor on poor conflict — a welcome distraction from serious problems. Others see future army made of those willing to die. Others yet see cheap workforce, knocking down wages. Some want show of force, but do not actually know what to do with that force. Imperial syndrom. Might, or at least appearance of might would do. No systemic understanding, no systemic approach.
Globalism created tribalism of interests — the very interests complaining today about the nationalism of the stupid deplorables that are waking up, inarticulate, confused but iknowing that globalised greed and avarice brings this earth no good.
But no worries. Deplorables can be reprogrammed to dig their own graves. With no leadership movements die, to be reincarnated in their ever more evil forms.
Invasion (Noun):
(1) An incursion by a large number of people or things into a place or sphere of activity.”
(2) “An unwelcome intrusion into another’s domain.”
This is an invasion.
The USA, very well endowed but just cannot get it up!! LOL! Impotent.
Defending the nations’ border isn’t law enforcement, it’s well within the portfolio of the military. Either secure the border or don’t. Unarmed soldiers on the border are nothing more than targets.
Have the invaders sent out their air force to soften us up before they storm our borders? And shouldn’t we be sending our aircraft to stop them before they get to our borders or are we afraid of their anti-aircraft defense systems? Who exactly is financing this well oiled fighting machine? Hide your children, they’re almost here.
When U.S troops are defending the borders of Iraq and Afghanistan they say that’s not our borders. When troops are placed at the U.S border, they say why do you sent troops there.
Notice the deceptive writing by Ditz: “Since the first orders to deploy U.S. ground troops to the Mexican boarder.”
First, it’s Mexico not Mexican border. Do I need explain the difference here?
Second, troops were sent to U.S border not Mexico’s because the troops are still in U.S. not Mexico. Someone needs to do some proofreading.
Why did the U.S. troops have guns at Kent State college when controlling U.S. citizens and will not have guns when controlling non citizen invaders ?