The situation in Mexico has serious consequences for our Rights, and even our lives here in AZ and all along the Mexican border. We cannot emphasize enough how much it is in our interest to have a free, safe and prosperous Mexico as our neighbor. Many of us have family, friends there and they are our neighbor.

We strongly support the Human Rights of the Mexican people to be able to defend themselves. That means the Mexican people should once again have the rights and resources to possess, bear and use modern and effective firearms. As over 70 years of corrupt federal government and it's attending gun control have shown, the bumper sticker is so true. "If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns". Mexico is a textbook example of the failures of gun control. While some very limited firearms are permitted on paper, and in practice, the real effect has been to disarm the good people of Mexico.
That was done by the very corrupt political party that ran a country rich in natural resources and people, into the ground to prevent a revolution, not to "control crime" as was the pretense.

As the archived reports will show, the defenseless people of Mexico have suffered way too much. They deserve much better. We need to help.

Given the gravity of the ongoing drug war in Mexico our neighbor to the south, ASR&PA has been working to monitor the border situation and it's many effects on our state and our members:

Including drug and human trafficking, with related issues of murders, kidnappings, home invasions, extortion, destruction of wildlife habitat, illegal immigration, white slavery, money laundering, expenses of incarceration and medical treatments, the list goes on and on. Also de facto cession of areas of the state to the DTO's; fugitives, cash, firearms and ammunition running south. Most of these issues could be significantly reduced by simply securing the border.

To get it out of the way, ASR&PA does support legal immigration, trade, and travel between our countries. Especially so that we and our Mexican neighbors can once again freely and safely travel to our neighboring countries for competition, training, hunting and just enjoy good company.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Border op pt 7

Guard tries to reassure lawmakers
By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services
January 30, 2007
The head of the Arizona National Guard on Tuesday told lawmakers that
four soldiers did the right thing when they backed away from their
post earlier this month when confronted by gun-toting border crossers.
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"Our Guardsmen follow the procedures they were told to do," Maj. Gen.
David Rataczak told members of the House Committee on Homeland
Security and Property Rights. "They followed the SOP (standard
operating procedures) to the letter of the law."

Arizona lawmakers called the hearing in response to an incident on
Jan. 3 in which four National Guard troops from Tennessee left a
lookout post at the border after being approached by four to six gunmen.

The soldiers pulled back and contacted Border Patrol agents, who
tracked the armed men back to the border but didn't find them.

Rataczak said the troops had loaded weapons that they could have used
if fired upon. But the rules of engagement set out by the U.S.
Department of Defense prohibit soldiers from chasing or apprehending
border crossers.

Those rules are part of Operation Jump Start, last year's plan by
President Bush to send Guard units to the border as a short-term
stopgap while more Border Patrol officers can be hired.

But Rataczak's explanation provided little comfort to legislators who
questioned him for several hours.

The legislators argued that the nearly 2,200 Guard troops now in
Southern Arizona should be free to apprehend illegal crossers.

"I believe the National Guard are there basically as a window
dressing," said Rep. Warde Nichols, R-Chandler. "They're not able to
do anything."

Nichols said lawmakers voted last year to spend $10 million to put
Arizona Guard troops along the border in a more active role — a bill
that was vetoed by Gov. Janet Napolitano because she said it
infringed on her right as the state Guard's commander in chief.

Nichols said Bush and his administration share the blame.

"They've failed us in this area, too," he said.

While the hearing cannot change the rules of engagement for Operation
Jumpstart, Nichols said they may help renew efforts to have Arizona
Guard soldiers along the border in a more active role.

Rataczak, however, said that would militarize the border.

"We are not at war with Mexico," he said. "They are our friends."

He also said the soldiers did not actually abandon their post, saying
they kept the site — and the equipment there — under scrutiny. And
the general said the intruders never overran the site.

In fact, Rataczak told the legislators that the whole incident has
been overblown, calling it "a chance encounter."

He said the men, who were coming from the north, likely were drug
runners who had delivered their cargo and were headed back into
Mexico with their cash.

Rataczak said they tripped across the Guard site but were not anxious
to confront them, if for no other reason than being apprehended and
then having to explain to the drug lords in Mexico what happened to
the money.

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