tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post1517776015109737881..comments2024-03-25T20:06:39.794-05:00Comments on Grits for Breakfast: Should corporate mercenaries guard Texas' border? Meet DynCorpGritsforbreakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-67046554362726887552007-10-29T03:36:00.000-05:002007-10-29T03:36:00.000-05:00Please let us not be so judgemental. I happen to ...Please let us not be so judgemental. I happen to work for DynCorp and have knowledge that everyone working around me has at least 6 years experience as a law enforcement officer in the U.S. and most have military backgrounds. I would say about 90% of the people I work with are very professional. With about 14,000 employees you are going to have a few bad apples breaking the rules. It is far fetched to assume that the whole Company sucks or that their employees are a group of mercs! A few years ago I arrested a person that was in the Army for D.U.I. Does that mean that I should think that all Military are drunks? I for one think that with the proper training and management that contracting the U.S. Border jobs for a quick fix would be an excellent idea. I live in Texas and know first hand of the problems of illegal aliens.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-43291254409404259462007-07-12T20:06:00.000-05:002007-07-12T20:06:00.000-05:00wasn't allowing a private corp perform military/go...wasn't allowing a private corp perform military/government functions the beginning of a sci-fi movie where a company president really ran things, and the elected official was a figurehead? robocop in spades?billthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05631609235873230282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-60554670490280043392007-07-11T12:11:00.000-05:002007-07-11T12:11:00.000-05:00Howdy Grits,I don't think everybody is for Border ...Howdy Grits,<BR/><BR/>I don't think everybody is for Border Security. Not when the security comes tertiary to concerns over perception and appearance.<BR/><BR/>I also don't buy the Police State argument. I think we have that now with Border Patrol checkpoints in the interior. I think with a stronger Border we could actually minimize the intrusiveness. I.E: Checkpoint Charlie along the border... but no checkpoints beyond.<BR/><BR/>I'm not overly concerned with dishonest, lawbreaking, Mexicans swimming the river.<BR/>What I am concerned with are drug cartels, arms dealers, and other unsavory characters firing on Border Patrol and National Guard units to move product.<BR/><BR/>As I said, secure the border... then address immigration... but don't sacrifice security just to maintain this PC perception that we love lawbreaking Mexicans.<BR/><BR/>Daniel FloresDanielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17847770777949916479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-62928492403843308252007-07-10T11:13:00.000-05:002007-07-10T11:13:00.000-05:00Not too long ago, DynCorp advertized a job posting...Not too long ago, DynCorp advertized a job posting for a mentor to the Iraqi Interior Ministry; the purpose of the job was to facilitate an understanding of the legislative/parlimentarian process. With the allegation of DynCorp's employees' association with prostitution, the job posting takes on a whole new perspective. On another note, if Congress is considering a contract to pay DynCorp's employees $197K, why couldn't Congress consider a similar compensation package for Border Patrol officers in order to attract more folks into the profession?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-24181794682765821552007-07-10T11:04:00.000-05:002007-07-10T11:04:00.000-05:00DynCorp. I'm afraid those guys are likely the scou...DynCorp. <BR/><BR/>I'm afraid those guys are likely the scourge of wherever they are sent. <BR/><BR/>Please watch out for your daughters, people...and your sons.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-21310585029023478342007-07-10T08:55:00.000-05:002007-07-10T08:55:00.000-05:00Everybody likes the idea of the border being secur...Everybody likes the idea of the border being secure. The questions are how to do it, and can it be done without turning the Rio Grande Valley into a police state?<BR/><BR/>I think the solutions are political and economic, not martial. There aren't enough troops, public or private, to do the job, and if you hired enough corruption would be (and already is) rampant.<BR/><BR/>I'd prefer investments in Mexico that give workers a reason to stay home, and for US immigration policy, acquiescence to the free market on labor demand, i.e., dramatically expand legal immigration. The third leg of the stool is that US corn subsidies have devastated the rural Mexican economy, driving peasants north to our border and shifting the hinterlands to control of drug lords, so ending ag subsidies would help a LOT. <BR/><BR/>You can spend your money on a fence and thousands of new Border Patrol, or stuff like that that might do some long-term good. It's too big a problem to solve with force, and it's damn sure too expensive if we use mercenaries at $200K per year each. best,Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-6949758947143386772007-07-09T21:50:00.000-05:002007-07-09T21:50:00.000-05:00Howdy Grits,I don't trust a Border Patrol spokesma...Howdy Grits,<BR/><BR/>I don't trust a Border Patrol spokesman to give an honest and forthright answer on the situation. I realize this is anectdotal... but my little brother is a TX State Trooper (Highway Patrol) down near Marfa... and the security is a joke. Like I said... anectdotal... but I trust eyes and ears on the ground.<BR/><BR/>So... I realize a huge security issue. Now, being the jarhead cynic (realist) I am... I know that Border Patrol is under-manned and our troop deployments make the military spread too thin. <BR/>My ideal approach would be rotating armed Reserve (Army and Marines), National & State Guard Units along the border. Since that's not feasible with the deployment needs... I am not against mercenaries to pick up the slack.<BR/><BR/>As to President Clinton, I know... I served under Presidents Clinton & Bush both.<BR/><BR/>Bottom line:<BR/>I like the idea of the border being secured and locked down. We can re-assess immigration policies once it's secure.Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17847770777949916479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-57131521195419495892007-07-09T19:51:00.000-05:002007-07-09T19:51:00.000-05:00Should corporate mercenaries guard Texas' border?N...Should corporate mercenaries guard Texas' border?<BR/><BR/>NO!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-52395006788586406222007-07-09T18:47:00.000-05:002007-07-09T18:47:00.000-05:00Daniel, do you like the idea just because you want...Daniel, do you like the idea just because you want troops on the border, or because you think the Border Patrol and the Marines can't handle it? That's who Clinton used to try to secure the border; they shut down the Marine presence <A HREF="http://www.cnn.com/US/9708/14/border.shooting/" REL="nofollow">after Ezequiel Hernandez was shot</A>.Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-41349115605108544162007-07-09T18:26:00.000-05:002007-07-09T18:26:00.000-05:00I think it's a great idea. Since DynCorp apparent...I think it's a great idea. Since DynCorp apparently sucks, assuming they haven't changed,... I'm sure we can go with another firm.<BR/><BR/>Semper Fi!<BR/><BR/>Daniel, USMCDanielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17847770777949916479noreply@blogger.com