The latter can stem from radicalized Muslims or white supremacists. Don't forget that earlier this year the Obama administration also labeled returning veterans as possible 'rightwing extremists' as well as a whole host of other surprising recipients.

Photo: Possessions on their backs, Central Americans ran to hop a moving train in Arriaga bound for Mexico. From there, they will walk across the border into the U.S. (Adriana Zehbrauskas / New York Times)


One would have to be on Mars not to see the growth this year in news items on homegrown terror. From Jan. - Nov. 2009, 7 serious U.S. plots were discovered and derailed. This is more than for the 7 preceding years combined. Odds are one or more intended terrorism plots will eventually succeed.


Open Border – Open Invitation

Our very porous border is partly to blame and a foolproof remedy is slipping further away. Already-appropriated funds for building a protective fence have been delayed. During this delay building costs have escalated – just when the Feds are embroiled in a burgeoning war effort, bailouts, handouts, a monster-size health reform bill and a possibly-passing, small-business-bankrupting cap and tax, er, cap and trade bill.

Since the government has dilly-dallied in building the fence, costs have nearly doubled to $4 million a mile. The fence that was supposed to have been finished by 2009 is looking at a 2016 deadline.

Let's see, $4 million a mile... times 2000 miles, yes, that's a lot of zeroes. And that doesn't address the equally porous northern border that is more than twice this size – over 5500 miles. This figure includes both shared land and waterways. Another 2,000 miles of coastal waters surrounding Florida and Puerto Rico are also surveilled by our border patrol. So what can we do?


Eyes in the Skies

Plan B would turn over a considerable amount of border surveillance to Predator B drones or UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems). However, the Predator has not been without its problems. A 2001 Pentagon report concluded that this craft "performed well only in daylight and in clear weather," according to the New York Times.

Gee, we'd have to hope that terrorists would only attempt to move during the day in terrific weather.

Image: MQ-9 Predator B (CBP)

By 2002 half of the Pentagon's original Predator fleet had crashed due to mechanical failure and their cameras were unreliable.¹

One Custom Borders Protection (CBP) Predator B has already been lost.

On a night flight over the Tucson desert, as usual, a civilian contractor sat at the controls. All was proceeding as expected. Then while the drone cruised at an altitude of 12,000-15,000 feet, the ground computer crashed and so did the Predator B. Newspapers merely reported that they had "lost contact" with the UAS at 12:50am, omitting the rest of the details. It was a costly lesson to learn that redundant computer systems should be mandatory.

One other problem is the sheer physical size of the border. While a UAS can stay aloft for 20 hours without refuelling, it would have to make repeated trips back and forth, back and forth, to keep the border properly surveilled. With the Predator's top speed at 275/mph, it can cover quite a bit of real estate while using infrared cameras. Since flight restrictions prevent the drone from flying any closer than 10 miles to the Canadian border, it still leaves a large swath of borderland open to terrorists especially when the drone is on reverse course. To date, 6 UAS perform aerial monitoring – five along the southern regions and just one along the Canadian border.


Wide Open Water

Since smugglers are starting to frequent water routes more often, a maritime version of the Predator B will be utilized starting sometime in 2010.

In October 2006, a $34 million contract was awarded to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems for two such Predator B's. At a cost of $14 million each for the MQ-9 Predator B Guardians, we have to hope its report card fares better. In addition to $28 million for two of these drones, another $6 million is required to pay for their internal equipment, infrared camera, ground control station and logistics support. Not cheap, but they can cover more water and are faster than Coast Guard boats.


Feet on the Ground – Too Few and Far

The 2009 budget allocated funds for 2200 new border patrol agents, which brings the total for both northern and southern borders to just over 20,000 personnel.

That sounds like a lot doesn't it? Customs Border Patrol's own website states that agents "work around the clock" so that schedule effectively cuts the 20,000 staff by 2/3 assuming they work 8-hour shifts.

Photo: U.S. Border Patrol agents discuss their 400 pound marijuana seizure on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande River across from Mexico August 7, 2008 near Laredo, Texas. They had chased some narco traffickers until the drug dealers abandoned their cargo and rolled their Suburban down a hill, while escaping safely into Mexico. (John Moore/ Getty)

Consider the nearly 9,500 miles of monitored sea and land areas, that's roughly 1-1⁄2 miles for every agent to guard. Or is it...

Miles for each agent to patrol expand beause many must now work in pairs, whether on land or in boats. This new policy replaces the 'lone wolf' approach after a 17-year-old illegal alien shot an agent 8 times in San Diego 18 months ago.

As seen above, there are at least 8 agents performing this drug seizure.

The number of border agents actually patrolling is further knocked down when holidays, vacation time, sick days, paperwork and other non-field responsibilities are factored in.

Other than patriotism and perhaps lack of job opportunities during this recession, one has to wonder why anyone aspires to be a border agent. They are also exposed to brutally violent drug cartels ravaging both sides of the border. Besides narcotics, cartels are now expanding their trade to include smuggling people.

Border agents hands are often tied by our own government yet it's not been enough to dissuade new personnel from signing on.


Hamstrung By Our Government

Remember the outrageous case of Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean? They were sentenced to long jail terms for wounding a fleeing and repeat offense Mexican drug smuggler. When they found Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila's ditched vehicle, it contained more than 700 pounds of marijuana.

Iran Reaches Out to Mexico
Breaching America: Examining Illegal Immigration from the Muslim World
Travelers from Muslim Countries Still Jumping U.S. Borders

These are just a small sampling.

As recently as Sept. 2009 terrorists were arrested on the border. In separate incidences, security breeches included bombs and missiles.

In December 2009, Former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says that in the U.S. we are seeing “the full spectrum of the threats you face in terrorism” and Muslims radicals are gaining traction here at home.

It's only a matter of time till the next attack. Let's hope America is ready to defend herself. Let's hope the bullets are for terrorists.

URL: http://standeyo.com/NEWS/09_Terror/091214.bullet.for.terrorists.html