Over the past couple of weeks, several factors have been working in concert that have made me more nervous to live near la frontera (the border) than any other time that I can recall. It all began on January 5th when the first news reports began circulation on an incident near Sasabe, Arizona on January 3rd:
National Guard troops working at an observatory post near Sasabe were approached by a group of armed individuals late Wednesday night and forced to flee, said Border Patrol and National Guard officials Thursday.
The event occurred about 11 p.m. Wednesday at one of the National Guard entrance identification team posts near Sasabe, said National Guard Sgt. Edward Balaban. The troops withdrew safely. No shots were fired and no one suffered injuries, he said.
“We don’t know exactly how many because obviously it took place in the dark,” Balaban said. “Nobody was able to get an accurate count.” (emphasis mine)
The lack of details and unsubstantiated claims were/are mind-boggling. Of course, they did see it fit to print this hypothesis that has now become gospel truth: “Border Patrol officials say the armed group returned to Mexico.”
So what did this nugget of shoddy journalism cause? Well, the harpies on the right saw three items that set their blood on fire: armed group – Mexico – National Guard troops flee. It caused an avalanche of stupidity to rain down from Mount MainStreamMedia on top of our heads:
- Gunmen Attack National Guard Border Patrol Site in Arizona (Fox News)
- Troops Flee From Border Outpost (Washington Times)
- Armed Mexicans Attack Unarmed National Guard Troops On US Soil (The Post Chronicle)
- Volunteers ‘with heat’ to support National Guard (WorldNetDaily)
- Lou Dobbs’ Poll Question on 1/5/07: Do you support a policy of withdrawal and retreat when our National Guardsmen are confronted with Mexican gunmen advancing across the border? Yes or no?
It’s a common thing for the propaganda organs on the right to coordinate their message, even when it’s deceptive, but do they realize what their irresponsible behavior leads to? Before it would be little to nothing, but now, the vigilante movement has decided that they want to play War Games in my backyard.
Volunteers with the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps are headed for the Arizona-Mexico border Friday to provide backup for National Guard troops in response to an incident near Sasabe in which the approach of armed men forced soldiers to retreat.
[snip]
Chris Simcox, the founder and president of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, said the incident shows the federal government is ineffective when it comes to protecting the border.
“The fact that National Guardsmen were forced to retreat from an armed incursion,” Simcox said. “It’s just absurd.” The volunteer border watch organization wants to send the message that National Guard troops aren’t making U.S. citizens any safer.
“The National Guard needs to be unhandcuffed and they need to be able to deal with these aggressive international incidents,” Simcox said.
Have you ever seen a more offensive headline?
The clear purpose of Simcox’ words are to raise the tension and spark a true war here in the southwest. These are the so-called “patriots” patrolling the homeland. Even though we are not at war with our neighbors to the south (I’ll say that again: we are not at war with our neighbors to the South), these armed militias are working actively to provoke a fight that would bring about true instability to that precious safety net of sovereignty they claim to uphold.
From another article on the vigilante’s deadly game of Risk:
Minuteman Lance Altherr said, “National Guard are under orders to not fire back or defend themselves and they basically had to run and that’s unacceptable in our eyes.”
The Minutemen, speaking out after the National Guard’s brush with armed gunmen along the border near Sasabe.
‘If we’re approached by anybody like that, armed gunmen, we’re not going to run. We’re not going to retreat. We’re going to hold our ground,” Altherr said.
Let’s stop any talk about the U.S./Mexico border not being militarized. And let’s stop and think about who is escalating the violence.
Since the blood-lusting Minutemen didn’t get to see any Mexicans strung up against a barbed-wire fence on January 3rd – it was only a matter of time before someone’s sangre ran in the desert – even though the Border Patrol’s internal investigation proved that the incident was handled according to policy.
Francisco Javier Dominguez-Rivera, 22, of Puebla, Mexico, was killed Friday in a confrontation with the unidentified agent north of the U.S.-Mexico border between Bisbee and Douglas.
This has caused an uproar in the area with U.S. citizens high-five’ing the action, the Border Patrol throwing up a smokescreen on the details, the Mexican Government sending a diplomatic note of protest, and the family of Dominguez-Rivera expressing public outrage.
“I want the death penalty for that killer, because my son was just trying to find a better opportunity,” an emotional Laura Rivera told the Mexican news agency Notimex. “He was a young worker whom they simply killed in cold blood, so I want justice.”
[snip]
Rivera said officials told her husband that their son’s body would arrive in Cuautla by Thursday at the latest.
“I want this all to be over, for them to bring the body and return my other two sons,” Rivera said, weeping.
While I disagree with la Señora’s calls for the death penalty, it is obvious that her grief is very real and very potent. Her son is a victim of policies that continue to end the lives of economic refugees everyday along la frontera due to everything ranging from bullet to snakebite to exposure.
As long as armed militias, bigoted lawmakers, and irresponsible journalists continue to work in unison against the reality and implications of a bi-cultural stretch of tierra – the threat of an international incident remains.
Crossposted from Latino Político, also available at ePluribus Media.
Well Manny we’re not at war with Mexico…yet…….as long as bush is in office we’ll continue to have no solutions for anything including this travesty with the Minutemen vigilante groups escalating the divisive tensions along the border.
Like everything else, bush does absolutely nothing about what is happening at the border..I’m beginning to think he wants to have WW111-the US against everyone else and he can go around blowing up people and places all over the globe. Kinda like his childhood pastime of blowing up frogs just because he could only now he’s doing it on a global scale.
I wake up every day hoping I’m not going to read headlines about something terrible happening at the border or we’ve bombed Iran or any other terrible thing that bush and company have caused.
been nuts around here lately but, to be honest, don’t think Bush has much to do with it. He is just as hated by these fringe groups as he is around here in lefty blogistan, only they despise him because he “hasn’t done enough to secure the border from the invading Mexicans”
The media has blood on their hands for the way they’ve covered this region, Iraq and all of the other places that their objectivity was sorely needed – only to be marked absent on the roll call.
I agree..the media have so much to answer for-giving bush a complete pass all these years, helping convince the public invading Iraq was a good thing and so on and so on. I know I’ve said it before but I find the media more damaging to the country than bush…because they are not doing their jobs to inform the general public of what is really happening in this country. And of course I hold Lou Dobbs personally accountable for his fearmongering and so many baseless ‘facts’ concerning immigrants to the fostering of anti-immigrant feelings.
As for bush and the border well I just like to blame him for everything..even if he’s indirectly responsible..his silence on vigilante groups is one way he lets this kind of crap go on.
Am I overly suspicious when the Americans won’t return the man’s body to Mexico right away, but insist first on doing an autopsy? Could this be related to the claim of the unidentified killer-agent that he thought his life was in danger? Was Rivera shot in the back?
The Border Patrol seems confused.
On the one hand: “The last time an agent shot and killed someone in Cochise County was June 4, 2003…”
On the other: “Most of the incidents that happen like this usually happen when someone tries to elude us when they have a criminal history or are fleeing Mexican authorities,” Rodriguez said.
If such shootings are so rare, on what does the Border Patrol form its opinion? It was uncalled for to suggest the victim had a criminal history — that’s not pertinent, anyway.
If there were evidence that the border patrol officer’s life was in danger, for example, if Rivera had a weapon or had even touched him, the media would have been told, for sure. My conclusion: Rivera didn’t threaten him.
FBI is investigating, we’ll see happens; but the smoke-screen they’ve launched has obviously raised questions that need answering. Thanks for your commentary, latanawi
Our corporate controlled government/lifestyle does not want to do anything at the border.
Face it, the moguls want cheap labor, and they’re getting it, never mind what it does to our own working class.
Both parents working, no time or enough money for their own families, etc, etc…we know the drill.
It’s not the Mexicans fault for wanting a better life, afterall, Regan made it possible for corporations to use them, anyway they see fit, so they want to come where there are still some rules left….not many since the Bush group has turned the corporations loose to rape the American working force for their own gain…
We all know how it works…and the answer is…
I’ve been working on something for a month or so now, and I’ll put it up soon….
We have been placed in a time machine that has turned the clock back 80yrs as far as workers rights, to a decent work place, wage, etc, etc…it’s time to reset the time machine….coming soon.. ; )
Thanks Manee for the catlyst….great article man
wado
Hi ip..great to ‘see’ you.
/ I’ve been working on something for a month or so now, and I’ll put it up soon…./
I’m looking forward to it!
glad to have your perspective around here again and certainly looking forward to reading that diary. paz
Looks like they are taking this “Border attacks” show on the road. It was the same story they were trying to peddle last year in Texas. The only difference, in AZ the Mexicans are called “armed gunmen” and in TX it was the Mexican Army who were attacking the border. I guess now that Mexico has a new President, it would be wrong of the Bush Administration to make claims that Calderon is ordering a Mexican invasion. I just wonder if that will change now that pissed him off.
My guess, those so-called Mexican gunmen are the loony American Minutemen who are trying hard to scare people into building that wall.
That was my first thought… Armed gunmen (assuming the only way the Guard knew they were armed was what? Did they see weapons, or what they thought were weapons? Were shots fired?) offering some kind of threat to a National Guard outpost?
People crossing the border from the south would steer WAY clear of any such outpost, because that’s not why they’re taking the risk of crossing the border. And it’s highly unlikely that Mexicans seeking work in the US would be armed. That’s just insane reasoning. Counter-productive. Because again, that’s not why they’re crossing the border.
MY first thought when it comes to a story about armed men threatening National Guard troops was “home-grown gun-toting vigilantes” — because that scenario makes a warped sort of sense, given the mindset of some of these Minutemen types.
Would-be migrants toting guns, in a group, threatening American military types? That sounds about as plausible as Mexico invading to take back Texas!
This is pretty much my line of thinking also…just some more smoke/mirrors to blame the immigrants because after all at this point it’s only a matter of time before the immigrants will labeled as part of the ‘axis of evil’.
So, there’s no information out there as to what the real identity of this “armed” group is? And pardon me but I have a hard time believing that a militarily trained National Guard unit would just up and relinquish their post without some kind of resistance or at least a call for guidance and support. Is there no official report that goes further in explaining how this played out? It almost sounds as if the concoction of this story was shared equally by whatevewr group it was that wanted to be portrayed as armed Mexicans, as well as this NG unit at some level.
smoke still hasn’t settled and as of yesterday the FBI was still investigating. If I hear any more, I’ll be sure to let everyone know.
One thing I do know – the Guard backed off and called Border Patrol – which is their standard procedure. Of course, when the Migra Copters swooped in a few minutes later there were no signs of the phantom gunmen. You can see why there is skepticism.
This reminds me of the children’s game of telephone. What is first said changes radically as the game goes on. Unfortunately, the impact is far different and far greater when journalists are involved with misstatements of fact.
Thanks for posting this, Manny.
it was really sickening to see how they twisted the headlines in order to suit their dark purposes of sparking a bigger confrontation.