Ben Stein does it Again

Go here and read the speech that he gave over the weekend.

And remember. And. Never. Forget.

Best line of the Day

is here.

My thoughts on how we should start working on the Border

I have several thoughts on the border situation, especially as it pertains to the military.

1. Use the current military posts in the Southwest US as staging areas. Ft. Huachuca, AZ, Holloman AFB, NM, and Ft. Bliss, TX are good places to start.
2. Begin with using some heavy Engineer units to begin the wall building project. I am willing to bet that if National Guard commanders asked for volunteers for extended duty, they would get a good amount of them like this (when I was in the Guard, I would have killed for an extended tour); despite troops that have been over in the Sandbox.
3. As the wall is being built, train the other NG troops (Military Police, Infantry, Armor and Artillery would be my choice ) with the border Patrol. I would bet that it would require little training, as most of these troops have experience in Iraq and Afghanistan patrolling areas. The only training I would think they need is some minor Law-enforcement stuff which they are not allowed to do, anyway.
4. Also establish some “Border Camps,” similar to what the US Army had in Germany during the Cold War. These camps had barracks, a chow hall and a lot of the other stuff that modern bases had. With the advance in technology, they would not be too bad, even though they would be in the middle of the desert. They would be modernized, and one the Army was finished with them they would turn them over to the Border Patrol.
5. For patrolling, use HMMWVs (Hummers), helicopters, UAVs. If illegals are spotted, then you detain them until the BP shows up and carts them off (we could also have small detention centers at the border camps, in coordination with the Border Patrol.

Just my opinion; your mileage may vary. But do something, and do it soon. The Great Wall of China is a good start; modernize it like the East German border and then we are talking.

UPDATE: Before anyone starts calling me Nazi or other such shit, by the term "Border Camp", I mean an installation that houses the troops (National Guard or Border Patrol); not an Auschwitz or some other such Concentration Camp.

"During the Cold War era the 2d ACR was responsible for surveillance of 731 kilometers along the Iron Curtain. Its section included 375 kilometers of the border separating West and East Germany, as well as the entire 356 kilometers of the West German-Czechoslovakian border. From a distance the border area appeared deceptively peaceful and scenic. Closer inspection however revealed the Iron Curtain's massive and deadly barrier system. Its series of metal mesh fences topped with barbed wire and equipped with sensitive warning devices, guard towers with interlocking fields of observation, and concrete walls similar to those found in Berlin were an imposing deterrent to those on both sides. Only a few legal crossing points existed and these were heavily guarded and fortified.

The former East German and Czech border commands consisted of hand picked individuals who were considered politically reliable and were well-trained in marksmanship and surveillance skills. The low number of successful escapes from East Germany, normally about 25 a year in the 2d ACR sector, testified to the deadly efficiency of the barrier system. The Walt Disney feature film "Flight to Freedom" depicted a successful escape by a family from East Germany into the 2d ACR border region.

To conduct continuous border surveillance in sector, the Regiment operated six border camps in addition to the home garrisons of the squadrons. Camp Harris located in the town of Coberg, Kingsley Barracks in Hof, Camp Gates in Brand, Camp Pitman in Weiden, Camp Reed in Rosts, and Camp May in Regen. From the border camps, 2d ACR units patrolled their border sectors both by vehicle and on foot. Helicopters from the Fourth Squadron assisted from the air. At each border camp, a reaction force was kept on standby around the clock and could clear the camp within minutes of the alert horn sounding. Finally the Regiment worked closely with the German border agencies, the BGS (Bundesgrenzshutz) and BBP (Bavarian Border Patrol), and the ZOLL (customs) Police, sharing intelligence information and conducting joint patrols. The mission of the Regiment demanded the constant vigilance and dedication of all the soldiers stationed along the wall."

Go here for more Info on the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment.

"Just Like My Dad"

I found this over at Politics of a Patriot, which is a blog of a young woman just about ready to graduate High School and enlist in the Marines. She has her head on straight and has a lot of good stuff to say.

The money quote in the article,

Later when asked why he wanted the position as chief petty officer, Diego told his mother it was so he could ask someone to go get him doughnuts and he would not have to say thank you.

“So I could be just like my dad,” he said.

Oh, and grab some tissue; you'll need it.