On Wednesday morning, November 21, newspapers reported on a "border intelligence analysis" conducted by the United States Customs and Border Protection agency. The analysis is dated November 17. In it, the CBP concluded that the border patrol faces "minimal" risks at the border. See, e.g., Ron Nixon, Helen Cooper, and Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Homeland Security Finds Risk to Border Agents is "Minimal", N.Y. TIMES, Nov. 21, 2018 (subscription may be required by The New York Times).
The next day, November 22, was Thanksgiving. Newspapers reported that earlier in the week John Kelly authorized James Mattis to authorize the Army to use deadly force. And also to "detain" and to search people. (This is not what law enforcement does, Mr. Mattis said. If this is law enforcement, the Army could not do it. Also, it would be against the law to order the Army to do it.) See, e.g., Robert Burns, Mattis Says He Has Extra Authority to Use Military on Border, AP, report by the Associated Press dated November 21, 2018.
Seems contradictory, doesn't it? That's because it is contradictory.
Remember the context here. Remembering the context can be hard especially when the corporate media transcribes press releases and prints them as news.
A long time ago -- say a couple of weeks -- the current administration wanted to show force on the border as a way to assist their candidates before the recent midterm election. Mr. Mattis famously said that the Defense Department does not "do stunts."
Then came the November 17 Customs and Border Protection border intelligence analysis that its own border agents faced what the CBP called minimal risk. (Regardless of when the CBP's analysis was reported out to us, the administration knew then of course.)
Obviously aware of the CBP analysis, a "memo" was signed by former marine four-star general John Kelly on Tuesday, November 20. Mr. Kelly is now this administration's chief of staff. (We did not know he was still somewhere in the military's chain of command, but obviously he is and we can count on him staying in the chain of command in the future.) As noted, Mr. Kelly's memo authorized Mr. Mattis, another former marine four-star general, to authorize the Army to search people, take them into custody, and even to kill them. Inside the United States.
These things are actually not contradictory when you put them in context. The Nov. 20 memo came about because of the Nov. 17 border intelligence analysis.
Back to the reports, not the newspaper reports from the corporate media, but the reports written by the administration's own people. CBP says there's a minimal risk to its own agents. Who carry guns, by the way. Seems like there is no security necessity for the Army to do any of the things ranging from searching people to taking people into custody to killing people. (None of which is a law enforcement activity according to their commanding ex-general.)
You might say that we are supposed to believe "fake news," not what the newspapers said but what the federal government wrote in a memo. Between the memo and the border intelligence analysis conducted by the agency responsible for border intelligence, I go with the analysis, don't you?
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