Arizona Ups the Ante on Border Security

[Draggingtree]

American Thinker:

 

 

April 13, 2012

Arizona Ups the Ante on Border Security

 

By Elise Cooper

President Obama's speeches on border security are heavy on sarcastic rhetoric but light on substance. Remember his immigration comments in May 2011?

You know, they said we needed to triple the Border Patrol. Or now they're going to say we need to quadruple the Border Patrol. Or they'll want a higher fence. Maybe they'll need a moat. Maybe they want alligators in the moat. They'll never be satisfied. And I understand that. That's politics.

American Thinker interviewed many Arizona officials who believe that there is nothing political about their safety and wellbeing.

Once again, the Arizona Senate is feeling the need to enact legislation in an attempt to help secure the border. Because the federal government is not doing its job, Arizona Senate Bill 1083 will probably be passed in the near future. It calls for the establishment of a state guard. Congressman Paul Gosar (R-AZ) believes that the state senators wanted to participate in finding a solution since "the state is trying to grapple with an epidemic problem. This administration would rather sue this state instead of working with it. SB 1083 is a cry to get help. This is a consequence from the federal government's inaction."

State Senator Sylvia Allen (R-AZ), the author of the bill, explained to American Thinker that the border is exponentially more dangerous today: there's more drug activity, and Mexico has become the number-two poppy seed-grower. Furthermore, most of the marijuana into the U.S. comes through the Arizona corridor, and there is more evidence of terrorist connections with the cartels.

Allen noted some of the highlights of the bill. The state guard will be a supplement for state and local law enforcement, who are stretched thin, and will allow more boots on the ground. The candidates will be vetted by going through a fingerprint check, a background check, a polygraph, and a psychological evaluation. The training will consist of approximately forty hours initially plus one day a month, with extra training provided for special units. The governor will pick a commander who has a military or law enforcement background; the rules of engagement will be the same as they are for law enforcement. They will be used only on an "as requested basis," or if the governor chooses to assign them a mission such as assisting with disaster and rescue efforts.

These volunteers will carry guns and will be able to detain and arrest until a law enforcement agency takes over

 

 

Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/04/arizona_ups_the_ante_on_border_security.html#ixzz1rvrbBlCo

[RandyM]

I have a son and daughter-in-law in Tucson who would probably volunteer for this.