Friday - June 18, 2010

What Do Arizona And Afghanistan Have In Common?

Hey, aren’t we seeing the same thing in the Gulf with the oil spill? Hmm ... I wonder when people will wake up and realize that we have TOO DAMN MUCH GOVERNMENT !!

Border Patrol agents must navigate a patchwork of environmental regulations dating back decades in order to police for drug cartels, smugglers and illegal immigrants—often on foot-and-horseback in some of the most vulnerable areas of the southwest border.

To unlock the legislative handcuffs, a group of House lawmakers are pushing a bill that would prohibit the Departments of Interior and Agriculture from taking any action that would “impede border security” on public lands.

The restrictions on those lands cover numerous laws, rules and interagency agreements, which the Department of Homeland Security has warned are getting in the way of securing the border at a “critical” time.

“It’s insanity,” said bill author Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah.

The basis for the restrictions dates back to the Wilderness Act of 1964 which established millions of acres of federal protected land and for the most part barred permanent roads and prohibited motor vehicles, motorboats, aircraft and any other “mechanical transport” from entering. For most casual hikers and backcountry campers, that’s not a problem. But as the border has become more porous over the decades, lawmakers say Border Patrol guards have found themselves at a disadvantage as illegal immigrants use the protected lands as a corridor to enter the United States.

Meanwhile, our enemies do what they damn please. It doesn’t matter whether those enemies are Taliban or coyotes, jihadis or drug cartels. The rules are being obeyed only by our side, and that puts our people at an insane disadvantage.

Border Patrol also can only drive into the wilderness areas in an emergency situation. That means it involves “human life, health, safety of persons within the area, or posing a threat to national security”—and the pursuit is “reasonably expected” to result in an arrest. Any time that happens, Border Patrol has to notify the local federal land manager to report on what happened. If the manager determines there was “significant” environment impact, they have to submit a written report.

The rules don’t end there. A House GOP aide said there are plenty of local rules unique to each region. Plus Border Patrol needs to navigate around rules dealing with endangered species.

The October letter from Homeland Security noted that Border Patrol was trying to work with Interior and the Forest Service regarding “Endangered Species Act issues related to Grizzly Bear and road use.” Biologists said vehicle use could be “detrimental” to the bears, but the letter said Border Patrol “must occasionally have motorized presence in those areas.”

Stupid seems to be the only limitless resource on the planet.

Posted by Drew458     on 06/18/2010 at 01:28 PM   
Filed Under: • Illegal-Aliens and Immigration • War On Terror •  
• Comments (3) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

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