-=> Quoting Roland Balke to Jean Halverson <=-
WL>But back to your point: yes, we need to beef up security
WL>along our southern border.  This job belongs to the Border
WL>Patrol, Customs and the Coast Guard, and I'm certain all
WL>three services could find plenty of work for ex-military
WL>personnel -- but I would imagine they are suffering from
WL>the same budget cuts as the Pentagon, and won't be able
WL>to add a lot of people until a more conservative President
WL>takes office.
I've publicly come out against the militarization of the Southern Border 
for one very valid (IMHO) reason. What would the rules of engagement be for 
our troops on the border? With the shooting death of one Mexican boy on the 
border by a Marine squad doing recon work and the subsequent uproar that it 
caused, it's painfully obvious that we can't send troops to the border and 
seal it off.
As long as the ex-military are under the age of 37 when they join the 
Border Patrol, it'll be just fine. The Civil Service law requires that 
anyone appointed to a law enforcement position covered under the law 
enforcement provisions of the Federal Retirement program, MUST be appointed 
and enter on duty before their 37th birthday.
However, we need not only more people on the border, but more in the 
interior to remove those who are already here in the country. Forget 
another "amnesty". The last one was an unqualified disaster. But that's the 
subject of another post.
Lastly, the INS, the parent agency for the Border Patrol, is the one 
federal agency that has experienced tremendous growth for some time now. We 
have NOT been under the budget axe. We ARE however, under scrutiny for 
mismanagement, and rightly so. There is a plan to disband the agency and 
transfer the various functions to other agencies and make the Border Patrol 
a seperate Justice Department agency. Time will tell what happens.
The biggest complaint is the dual role the INS has. Both an enforcement 
role and a benefit granting role which many times is at odds with itself.
John , jnsampson@ibm.net 
 "To find reasonable doubt, one must first be capable of reason."
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