If Bush Sends National Guard to the Border

UPDATE: Anderson Cooper 360 covering this after next commercial break. 

If as predicted President Bush does put National Guard or other armed forces on the border, then the left will dredge up an incident from the past. It involved a Marine shooting a goat-herder after the goat herder fired upon him in 1997 during drug interdiction patrols. These patrols stopped after this incident, and afterwards the drug cartels took over the border towns.

Although the defense department has supported the Marines — they had radioed to superiors asking for permission to load their weapons and fire at Hernandez — it has also suspended all missions that would put troops on the U.S.-Mexico border while it reviews military drug policies.

Please review these old articles about the incident, since the left will undoubtably serve this up with their unique flavor of Liberal Mythos. Some day I will write a series of articles on modern liberal mythos, and how it is manufactured, but that’s another day as I am getting too close to vacation. If you don’t believe me about liberal mythos and paranoia, it’s already starting here.:

Sun 05/14 I am deeply creeped out by George Bush’s announced intention to use the National Guard to secure the borders….

Here is the NPR recap.

Here is a recount from the Houston Chronicle from the defense attorney’s POV, with full details of evidence.

Zimmermann also took issue with activists who have seized on the shooting either to blast the military for racism or to make Banuelos the fall guy in the debate over militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Noting that more than a quarter of the 56 Marines assigned to the Redford patrol had Hispanic surnames, Zimmermann said it is “ludicrous” to claim Hernandez was shot because he is Hispanic. Banuelos, he said, is of Mexican-American descent.

And while calling border militarization a “legitimate national debate,” Zimmermann said Banuelos should not be a pawn in that debate.

“Corporal Banuelos was carrying out lawful orders of his chain of command,” he said. “He was doing what he was supposed to do.”