Congress put in the 2006 budget a requirement to hire 10,000 new border patrol agents over the next five years, with 80% of that number designated for the Mexican border; Dear Leader cut that number to 210.

As was explained by the then-head of DHS, the reduction represented: "a recognition that we need to balance those things as we go on down the road with other priorities."

Any time you see the phrase "other priorities" from this bunch, think "tax cuts for Dear Leader's base".

So who takes it in the shorts? Why the National Guard of course. This is supposed to be "transitional", but no one has bothered to say what happy state along the border is being transitioned to.

Sometimes you just can't make this stuff up.

Yeah, how long do they expect the guard to be there? At some point these folks are supposed to go back home to their families. Mexico's certainly not going away.

This can't be a permanent solution. Therefore, it can't be anything other than window dressing.

Unbelievable. Bean, if they expect you to spin this one, too, you should ask for a raise.

Oh, the Elephants might go. The Meskins are unarmed so there's no risk. They might even look at it like the new South Beach Diet, Jonah Goldberg could sweat off a couple hunnert pounds.

Well there you go, Fixer: let the right wing bloggers guard our southern border. That way they can serve in the war on terror with little or no risk of bodily harm. The most dangerous risk probably would be a potent cold margarita in the middle of a hot summer afternoon somewhere in the bad lands. Surely they would eagerly sign on?

Great idea, Fred. But, you gotta ensure wireless connections so they can live-blog their harrowing experiences in the "War against poor Brown People."

Day two, 1245: Saw a scorpion. MOMMMY!

These morons could fuck up a wet dream. By and large - that was the most incoherent, stupid thing to ever be called a speech by a Preznit I have ever heard in my lifetime.

My dogs could do a better job of making sense.

"Two weeks a year my ass"

You don't even want to visualize the logistics of this. Are they just going to rotate 10 guard battallions in each two weeks? Or federalize them for one year tours? And that nutcase Norwood who evens imagines we have the ability to deploy 48,000 guardsmen on a permanent basis?

Employers may be as patriotic as Uncle Sam and apple pie, but at some point having 'Army Reserve' on your job application or resume is going to be a job killer. And certainly a promotion killer. If I am the police chief or fire chief of a medium sized department can I afford to promote that detective or firefighter to a leadership position knowing they could and probably will get whisked away for weeks and months at a time? If I am a supervisor tasked by my manager with a product rollout on a tight timetable am I going to be pleased when my project manager suddenly reports "Sorry boss, got mobilized to Laredo, see you in a few weeks".

The way BushCo is working things employers will be more willing to hire guys out of rehab than a guy getting out of the military with a Reserve obligation. At least the drunk is more than likely to show up on Tuesday, whereas your reservist might not show up until next December.

Smart and ambitious people will be figuring this out soon enough and from the newspaper reports already have. Those of them who really want to be full time warriors will stay in the Army where at least they will have a chance to get first class training and equipment, I suspect most of the rest are going to bail. Why on earth would anyone freely join the Guard at this point? Why would some J.O. with leadership and technical skills or some M.P. with experience in dealing with really dangerous prisoners risk their whole career path by extending their Reserve obligation if that means endless rotations to Fallujah or El Paso?

The book is still open on whether Bush has actually destroyed the Regular Army, but if I was a Guard Recruiter I would seriously be thinking about locking up any sharp objects.

"Join the Reserves! Good training! Meager benefits! Crappy pay! And two weeks of patrolling the Arizona border every summer! What's not to like? And son I was talking to you, why are you running away?"

I live in AZ, and for the last 2 years, the minutemen come in April, May, Oct and Nov. Let's see em here in June, July, August and Sept. Then we'll see the cajones they speak with.
If not, they are still a bunch of wannabee's on vacation!! Fools!

Also Bush slid around the touchy subject of EMPLOYERS of illegals. Gosh darn it, it's so tough to figure out who's an illegal. "True, I'm not paying the legal wage but I thought they were legally in the country." or "I would never hire someone who was legal because, gosh darn it, what would I do with the money they paid into retirement?" or "I don't want to hire anyone that would be too easy to fire without cause just because I can." Bush acts like he's not using this whole thing to keep cheaper than legal labor available, but that's exactly what he's doing. Americans won't do the work, eh? Didn't hear him say that we'll pay this valuable work force at least the minimum... after all plumbers do work many do not want to do but they don't do it for cheap. His message had three main points. 1) To the immigrants: You'll be subject to a time limit but we'll hire you (they can't collect retirement or gain seniority). 2) To the employers: We'll make the illegal thing you're now doing legal (you won't have to change your practices, you'll keep more of the money paid for the job as a tidy profit). 3) To the bigots: We're making sure that they'll go home when we're done using them.

They can't come in the summer months, Seven. Hell I spent the summer months on deployment in Yuma - on mess duty.

Just like the republican wussies they are, they have not the gear to stand up to Mother Nature. Just like they don't pack the gear to serve. Seen one - seen 'em all.

Ike would have deployed the guard to watch the minutemen, not the aliens.

1. Timely
   
2. Strategery
   
3. Webb wins
   
4. Huh?
   
5. Bunnypants in Bagdad
   
6. Outage
   
7. Filthy Lucre Watch
   
8. Playing the numbers
   
9. My letter to Countdown
   
10. Jefferson's Nigerian Scams