By Dave Gibson
01/27/05

The Bush administration is using U.S. combat troops to patrol the borders which
define Iraq. In fact, they have announced that there will be a complete
lockdown on Iraq's borders during that nation's upcoming elections. While
protecting Iraq's borders is a top priority for our president, he seems to have
little regard for our own.

In a recent interview with USA Today, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge
announced that President Bush's 2006 budget will not include the promised 2,000
extra Border Patrol agents. The intelligence bill passed last December called
for adding twice the number of current border agents, over the next five years.
There are currently close to 11,000 U.S. Border Patrol agents, that force is
woefully inadequate.

Ridge said: "It's nice to say you're going to have 10,000 more Border Patrol
agents in five years, but what other part of Homeland Security do you want to
take the money from?"

Not only was the highly political intelligence bill, little more than window
dressing...now we see that it was completely meaningless. In President Bush, we
have a leader who seems to have great difficulty with the law. Bush wants to
grant so-called "temporary guest worker permits," which amounts to amnesty for
all illegal aliens and would do nothing but encourage more to cross the border
illegally. He now has apparently, disregarded the most important part of a bill
which was passed by Congress and signed into law by the President. Why did he
bother signing it?

The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) under President Bush, has
effectively stopped pursuing and deporting illegal Mexican immigrants. Bush
further eluded to his wish to an open border with Mexico, during his final news
conference before leaving for Christmas vacation. Bush said: "We want our
Border Patrol you know...chasing crooks and thieves and terrorists, not
good-hearted people coming here to do jobs Americans won't do."

Either President Bush does not understand the law, or he has no respect for it.
Bush's attitude on this issue also shows a complete lack of compassion for the
people living in those border states. He seems to put the interests of Mexican
citizens, before those of Americans.

The Bush administration recently announced that they would ask for $80 billion
for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. That is in addition to the $200 billion
that the U.S. has already spent on those 'nation-building' efforts. Bush also
committed $350 million of U.S. taxpayer funds to tsunami aid relief, which has
now been turned over to the corrupt United Nations. Taxpayers were even forced
to spend $17 million for Bush's inauguration security!

So we see that Bush has no problem spending the hard-earned dollars of American
workers. He does however, have a problem putting resources into securing the
Mexican border.

Bush understands the need for a nation to secure it's borders, otherwise he
would not commit U.S. soldiers to risk their lives to do so for Iraq. What a
shame it is, that the 'party of Lincoln' now has as it's leader, a man who
places the sovereignty of other nations--above that of his own.

After completing two years at Tidewater Community College, Dave Gibson became a
Virginia Beach Deputy Sheriff. He has since left the department and now owns a
small business in the city of Chesapeake, Virginia. An active volunteer in many
animal organizations, he has worked at the Virginia Zoo, the Norfolk SPCA, and
currently works for the K-9 New Life Center based in Virginia Beach.

"If ye love wealth better than liberty ... servitude better  than ... freedom,
go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsel or your arms ...  May your
chains set lightly upon you. May posterity forget that ye were our countrymen."
  - Samuel Adams