Illegal Friendly Combatants

Fascism is nothing but capitalist reaction.
--Leon Trotsky

Fascism is capitalism in decay
--V.I. Lenin
_________

The Border Patrol, a Federal Law enforcement agency, is adopting a military-type uniform for spurious reasons. It is yet another crawl toward the militarization of U.S. society and its law enforcement functions.

"The Border Patrol uniform is getting its first makeover since the 1950s to look more like military fatigues and less like a police officer's duty garb (New Border Patrol Garb Means Business)." The uniform is designed to be to be "more operational, more tactical," according to Assistant Border Patrol Chief Scott Garrett.

"Ramon Ramirez, an agent for 10 years, said the new garb looks more military, 'like you mean business'."

The problem with this is, the Border Patrol is not a military organization; not even paramilitary. The U.S. should not have any paramilitary organizations (other than the Boy Scouts.) So why are they adopting this posture?

There is a tactical requirement for the actual beating of the bush that is required of a field agent. While a rugged outdoor uniform is a requirement, surely our federal government could afford to provide an administrative as well as a tactical uniform. The military has several categories of uniforms, from formal to dress, office and combat wear. The border patrol should do the same.

L. Paul Bremer set the standard for glomming military garb into the nonmilitary as head of the Coalition Provisional Authority with those famed combat boots, presumably in case he had the need to hot tail it out of there. L.L. Bean-meets-Brooks Brothers chic. He needn't have worried; bringing crates of shrink wrapped $100 was a good insurance policy.

Dressing everybody up up like make-believe soldiers does not increase the effectiveness of the organization.

This Ranger has consistently opposed the militarization of civilian law enforcement. The Border Patrol adoption of military uniforms is setting a precedent that is unacceptable. What is next--FBI, ATF, State Troopers?

It is bad enough the SWAT teams of our local, state and federal police now dress like military assault team members. America is not a militarized society, although we are introducing the trappings of such through the back door. And in a seamless fusion of U.S. democracy and that which we are exporting to Iraq and Afghanistan, the two are beginning to look the same.

In the case of the Border Patrol, it is a law enforcement agency, and as such their mission is the preservation of life. Wearing a military uniform may lead them into the mindset of military belligerency and entitlement to first option of violence. The function of police is the preservation of life; unless, of course, like everything else, 9-11 has given them a license to kill in the name of the preservation of the homeland.

Having the National Guard military presence on the border enforcing civilian law was the first step in the militarization. Like most of the other unsavory actions we have witnessed these past five years, always a back door introduction, followed by the institutionalization of truncated freedoms.

The question is, since that they are wearing these new uniforms, can they now water-board illegal immigrants, once they are declared detainees, in the Rio Grande?