Iraq Fallback Plans For US Military?

    The L.A. Times  has reported today that the United states military planners are working on a backup plan in case the currant troop buildup in Iraq doesn't work as planned. This new plan would include a gradual pullout of the forces and would then place more priority on better training the Iraqi forces.

It is a fallback if the Bush administration's plan to send about 26,000 more U.S. troops fails to stabilize Iraq, or if the Democratic-led Congress limits that move, it said.

The newspaper quoted a Pentagon official as saying "This part of the world has an allergy against foreign presence. You have a window of opportunity that is relatively short. Your ability to influence this with a large U.S. force eventually gets to a point that is self-defeating."

   I think that that part of the world has more of an illness to our presence instead of just an allergy. Actually, it would be more of an illness to the policies of the United States particularly under this administration which seems to hate everyone.

   I'll tell you something. The only way that any of this will come into being is if our spineless Congress grows some nuts and takes action to stop this mess instead of bickering over sit that shouldn't even be an issue in the first place.

 

IceRocket tags: US Military, Bush, Congress, Iraq

 

Touchy Issues Arise In L.A. Crackdown Of Gangs

    Did you know that Los Angeles police are not allowed to ask suspects what their immigration status is during questioning? Only in America!   That may be about to change after federal agents found 59 illegal's in Southern California jails after doing spot check. All of the illegal's were gang members who could have been deported if anyone had been allowed to ask the right questions in the first place.      Source

The review will continue, and officials expect during the first year to identify 700 to 800 gang members who are illegal immigrants, according to Jim Hayes, director of the Los Angeles field office for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The results so far have some officials convinced that border enforcement needs to be a big part of combating the gang problem.

The focus on immigration status comes as the city of Los Angeles is calling on federal agencies to help it crack down in response to last year’s 15.7% increase in gang crime.   

  The Washington, D.C.-based group has sued the LAPD to overturn Special Order 40, the rule that prohibits officers from asking about immigration status, arguing that the department is required to enforce all laws.

  The policy has been loosened slightly, allowing gang officers to ask about the immigration status of suspects only when they recognize them as having been previously deported. MORE

    Border enforcement? Do we have that in this country? It is hard to tell at times. If the government would put a quarter of the money into border enforcement that they have spent on Iraq and other silly little hobbies, we would not have much of a border problem patrol problem and all of these gang members who are here illegally would not be here. 

    Who in the hell came up with Special Order 40 in the first place? Oh, that's right, that would have been that idiot Daryl Gates, a former chief of police.

   The text of Special Order 40 can be read here. This " order " has been in effect since 1979 so naturally the current L.A. Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, wants the rule to stay in place.  He say's that relaxing the rule would not help with the battle against the gangs.

   There are other cities with similar orders on the books but I have not checked on their track records yet.

   This is one rule, order, law, whatever you want to call it that has to go.

   Does this rule apply to only Hispanics or to all immigrants or those who may look like immigrants? We can all probably answer that ourselves.

 

IceRocket tags: illegal immigrants, special order 40, L.A. police