Rick Perry’s Operation Border Photo Op
Governor Rick Perry of Texas announced today he will deploy 1,000 members of the Texas National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border in “Operation Strong Safety,” as clearly yet another element in Perry’s carefully orchestrated build-up for the 2016 Republican Party primary season. Perry’s notional excuse for this vainglorious grandstanding is the threat posed to the security of Texas by undocumented immigrants crossing the border — which is why he needs to “put boots on the ground,” as he said, cleverly deploying a bit of War on Terror cant to up the ante and make the “threat” seem real.
At the end of the day, this decision is clearly his to make, because as Governor he is also commander-in-chief of the National Guard (or, as Texas likes to call them, the Texas Military Forces) when the Guard is not on federal active duty. Naturally, one would expect that Perry, being a strong proponent of state’s rights, would recognize that this operation will put a dent in his famously low-tax budget. But since the “threat” to Texas is “real,” desperate times will call for desperate measures. He’ll just have to spend some money.
Um, not so much. This is where Perry shows his Red State Socialist colors. Because in the same breath as his declaration of war on people crossing the Texas border, which was greeted with huzzahs by the conservative Twittersphere, Perry also issued a declaration of war on fiscal responsibility and state sovereignty: “We expect Washington to foot the bill.”
Funny how that works.
Perry loves to squawk about so-called “state’s rights.” Well, rights carry responsibilities, and if Rick Perry wants the Texas Guard to stage photo-ops to burnish his run at the presidency, the least we could expect from so famous a representative of the “fiscally responsible” party is that he would be responsible for ponying-up the Benjamins.
But no. Naturally, Perry’s media enablers on the Right will find nothing untoward about yet another Red State claim on the taxpayer teat. They will say, Perry is “only doing Washington’s job,” so it’s reasonable for Washington to pay.
No, in fact, he’s not doing Washington’s job — because if Washington wanted this job done, Washington would have federalized the Texas National Guard itself.
What Perry is doing is creating a temporary jobs program for Texas National Guardsmen called “state active duty” — a jobs program that will be especially welcome in the kinds of rural communities that have suffered from higher-than-average unemployment rates and the “economic miracle” of Rick Perry’s low-wage “job creation,” communities where the National Guard Armory is an important social fixture. A Sergeant in the Texas Army National Guard on active duty will earn about $3,000 per month, plus additional benefits — three times as much as she’s likely to earn holding down one of Perry’s wage-slave jobs in retail or services. That’s a good thing.
But it’s not the federal government’s job to subsidize Perry’s extortion of middle- and working-class Americans. The federal government already pumps vast amounts of money into Texas. According to the Texas Legislative Budget Board, 34% of all funds spent by the Texas state government in Fiscal Year 2012 were federal funds. The federal government spends over $40 million annually on the Texas National Guard, with the state’s matching share of spending amounting to less than $0.25 on the dollar. The federal government pays for the Guard’s uniforms, vehicles, weapons, aircraft, operations, white boards, Number 2 pencils — you name it.
Source: Texas Legislative Budget Board
Now Perry wants taxpayers in California and North Dakota and Vermont to pay for a pointless political stunt, one that will do nothing to address the so-called “crisis” on the border because Guardsmen are not sworn peace officers. They have no powers of arrest or detention, and on state active duty they can’t enforce federal laws. The most they’ll be able to do is radio a spot report to the local Border Patrol sub-station — and any enforcement action that follows will depend, as it already does, on whether the Border Patrol has enough officers in the area to take action.
Here’s what Perry’s operation will achieve: nifty looking photographs of Texas Guardsmen in their battle-rattle — with unloaded weapons — looking south to defend Texas against the brown hordes spilling across the border, making Dallas safe for Rick Perry’s presidential fundraising dinners. Or at least pretending to do so. In fact, anyone crossing the border could simply walk past the Guard’s camp without giving it a thought — there’s nothing the Guardsmen could do but watch (and if they tried to interdict the immigrant, it would be the Guardsmen who were in the wrong legally).
No doubt many Guardsmen will receive important letters of commendation and decorations for the fine work they’ll do, setting up tents, driving around in Humvees, convening staff meetings in accordance with the Military Decision-Making Process, and all other manner of make-believe combat busy-work.
As political theater, it’s brilliant. As political policy? Not so much. Like everything Republicans do these days, Operation Strong Safety is all flash and no bang.
Perry sure does look smart in those glasses, though. How much you want to bet he’ll soon be touring the “front,” wearing fashionable camouflage gear?
Click here for reuse options!Copyright 2014 Liberaland
By: Russ Burgos
Interested in foreign affairs, global conflict, and political narratives and discourses
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Hirightnow July 21st, 2014 at 20:12
Dear Governor Perry.
It is with regret that we cannot, at this time or in the foreseeable future, reimburse your state for the use of it’s “National Guard”, for several reasons:
1) We find that your application for reimbursement includes many spelling errors, amongst them the quote “needed to keep out ferriners” : Please do not re-apply on this point (See below).
2) We find that, although declared to be an “Emergency” by yourself, many of the “illeagul brownies” , as your request refers to them, fall within the scope of legislation signed by President George W. Bush that gave new protections to children who were not from neighboring Canada or Mexico, stipulating that their asylum requests be fully adjudicated if they were picked up for being in the country illegally. If such persons are caught on United States soil, it is your duty to follow the law.. Please do not re-apply on this point (See below).
3) Due to budgetary constraints, the United states government cannot, in good conscience, reimburse your state (that, may we remind you, already takes a considerable amount of federal taxpayer money) funds that should, in truth, come from your own state budget. Please do not re-apply on this point (See below).
4) Frankly, Rick, you’re a loud-mouth dink, and nobody here in the office likes you very much; we’re keen to let you shit in your own sandbox, but, as Carl from accounting put it so aptly, “We shouldn’t have to buy the shovels for him to clean it out!”.
If you feel that your request for funds was denied due to an error, please contact a representative at 1 (800) 785-4888 (1(800) SUKITUP).
Best of luck in your future endeavors,
The United States Government.
Obewon July 21st, 2014 at 20:31
P.S. Mr. Perry how is your proposal for Texas secession going? We’re gonna have to bill you $3 trillion+ in advance for Texas’s share of Public Debt with all interest immediately due, relocating NASA, a bunch of new 49 star flagpins and a new North Texas border wall to keep TX immigrants out of the leaner USA!
Obewon July 21st, 2014 at 20:31
P.S. How’s your proposal for Texas secession going? We’re gonna have to bill you $3 trillion+ in advance for Texas’s share of Public Debt with all interest immediately due, relocating NASA, a bunch of new 49 star flagpins and a new North Texas border wall to keep TX immigrants out of the leaner USA!
Denise July 21st, 2014 at 22:43
perry needs to remove the glasses, he just gets dumber and dumber by the minute. here is a man that hates government. thinks anybody who receives aide likes free stuff, and that obama has a socialists government. here is a man who thinks government is to big and needs to stay out of the peoples business.
so what does the texas idiot do? decides to deploy 1,000 national guards that will cost texas taxpayers $12 million a month. in which he wants the socialist federal government he hates, to reimburse texas for his useless political stunt.
the guards can do nothing. absolutely nothing. and perry was told this by more wiser heads, but he sends the guards anyhow. he’s stupid!
Denise July 21st, 2014 at 22:43
perry needs to remove the glasses, he just gets dumber and dumber by the minute. here is a man that hates government. thinks anybody who receives aide likes free stuff, and that obama has a socialists government. here is a man who thinks government is to big and needs to stay out of the peoples business.
so what does the texas idiot do? decides to deploy 1,000 national guards that will cost texas taxpayers $12 million a month. in which he wants the socialist federal government he hates, to reimburse texas for his useless political stunt.
the guards can do nothing. absolutely nothing. and perry was told this by more wiser heads, but he sends the guards anyhow. he’s stupid!
burqa July 21st, 2014 at 23:19
No flag pin on Perry.
They say he is considering a run in 2016.
Obviously he has not decided. You’ll know when he does decide to run when he has the people coloring his hair leave a bit of gray at the temples to show “seasoning.”
William July 21st, 2014 at 23:40
“They say he is considering a run in 2016”.
Good.
Lord knows we could all use a good laugh.
http://youtu.be/NtFzuGeCfkc
burqa July 21st, 2014 at 23:19
No flag pin on Perry.
They say he is considering a run in 2016.
Obviously he has not decided. You’ll know when he does decide to run when he has the people coloring his hair leave a bit of gray at the temples to show “seasoning.”
William July 21st, 2014 at 23:40
“They say he is considering a run in 2016”.
Good.
Lord knows we could all use a good laugh.
http://youtu.be/NtFzuGeCfkc
granpa.usthai July 22nd, 2014 at 01:41
Latest intel update on pre K invasion force. Main body has stalled in north central mexico to await warming of bottles. Meanwhile, diaper division one is heading towards the northwest corner where they intend to add to the Rio Grande volume. diaper division two is holding fast outside the northern end of the valley (expecting main formation to cross @ Allen) then make a straight path directly towards Austin. Strongly suggest all personnel in this projected area keep gas mask available at all times. Sightings of a fleet of brightly colored submarines with pink butterflies headed towards Galveston Bay area. Recent surge in sells of beanie caps with spinning propellers reported in Mexico City. Large convoy of big wheels spotted heading for Brownsville. Enemy danger level rated ABOVE HIGH as finding of discarded teething rings show clearly for real bite marks consistent with HAVING TEETH! High altitude recon flights clearly show the beginning of a baba formation.
granpa.usthai July 22nd, 2014 at 01:41
Latest intel update on pre K invasion force. Main body has stalled in north central mexico to await warming of bottles. Meanwhile, diaper division one is heading towards the northwest corner where they intend to add to the Rio Grande volume. diaper division two is holding fast outside the northern end of the valley (expecting main formation to cross @ Allen) then make a straight path directly towards Austin. Strongly suggest all personnel in this projected area keep gas mask available at all times. Sightings of a fleet of brightly colored submarines with pink butterflies headed towards Galveston Bay area. Recent surge in sells of beanie caps with spinning propellers reported in Mexico City. Large convoy of big wheels spotted heading for Brownsville. Enemy danger level rated ABOVE HIGH as finding of discarded teething rings show clearly for real bite marks consistent with HAVING TEETH! High altitude recon flights clearly show the beginning of a baba formation.
greenfloyd July 22nd, 2014 at 02:36
Let us not forget this man’s untiring contribution to political satire. Inspiring. A comedic goldmine… pass the popcorn.
floyd[@]greenfloyd.org July 22nd, 2014 at 02:36
Let us not forget this man’s untiring contribution to political satire. Inspiring. A comedic goldmine… pass the popcorn.
fancypants July 22nd, 2014 at 03:25
and ricky never knew he could send the national guard to the border without obama’s permission
What a network drama queen……..
fancypants July 22nd, 2014 at 03:25
and ricky never knew he could send the national guard to the border without obama’s permission
What a network drama queen……..