My personal opinion is that Sean Penn is one great actor, and I’m sure he will do an excellent job portraying a Border Patrol agent in the manner the director wants. But what a whacked out, leftist, insufferable prick this guy is as a person. Whenever I see him on screen now, I cannot help but think of who he is as a real person–a hate America, defeat America, socialist. That’s what these overtly political Hollywood elitists don’t get. We don’t want to hear your stupid ideas about the world. Just shut up and sing or act. No matter how this movie portrays ICE, it could never be as bad as the real thing. But hey. What does that matter. Nobody knows or cares what the hell we do anyway. If people cared about what goes on in ICE, we wouldn’t have the equivalent of Brittany Spears running the agency.

AynaydaPizaqvick on May 22, 2007 at 4:37 pm

Some younger U.S. Muslims say suicide bombings could be justified
By Rebecca Trounson, LA Times Staff Writer
12:10 PM PDT, May 22, 2007
One in four younger Muslims in the United States believes suicide bombings to defend Islam are justified in at least some circumstances, although nearly 80% of all Muslim Americans say such attacks are never acceptable, and most are critical of Al Qaeda, according to a nationwide poll released today.
The study, by the Pew Research Center, paints a picture of a richly diverse, complex and still largely immigrant community that for the most part has blended comfortably into American life.
Most Muslim Americans are moderate, mainstream and middle class, the study shows. They are largely assimilated, happy with their lives and have adopted such core American values as a belief that hard work will lead to success. And their income and educational levels are comparable with most Americans.
In a conference call today from Washington, D.C., Pew Research Center director Andrew Kohut said that the support for suicide bombings–although limited–was one of the few trouble spots the study found in an overwhelmingly positive portrait of the U.S. Muslim community.
Overall, 78% of Muslim Americans said suicide bombings of civilian targets to defend Islam cannot be justified; 13% say they can be, in some circumstances. The view is strongest among those younger than 30, but for all Muslim Americans, such support is far lower than among Muslims in many other nations, including in several Western European countries.
The poll also found that most Muslim Americans are Democrats or lean that way, but also tend to be social conservatives.
It also found that native-born African American Muslims, who make up about 20% of the Muslim community in this country, are the most disillusioned segment, tending to be more skeptical of the view that hard work pays off and less satisfied with the way things are going in the U.S.
The Pew poll estimates that there are roughly 2.35 million Muslim Americans. The U.S. Census Bureau does not ask questions about religious beliefs or preferences.
The study was based on telephone interviews with 1,050 adult Muslims, some of whom were interviewed in Arabic, Urdu or Farsi, in addition to English. The margin of error for the poll, which was conducted between January and April, is plus or minus 5 percentage points.

the_don on May 22, 2007 at 5:16 pm

Who cares about the “Puke Poll” when Muslim clerics in other countries (like Dubai) are openly recruiting suicide bombers on TV one has over four thousand signed up already. Enough of those recruits can be sent to the U.S. as part of the new “get here, get legal” Amnesty Two, the nightmare continues- opening in neighborhoods across the U.S. this Summer.
And how does that tie in with an actor ten years older that the mandatory retirement age for ICE agents doing this movie? Any ICE agent his age would be so conservative that he would be for nuclear punishment, where we just vaporize muslim nations.
This movie is a cheap rip-off of “Crash”. LA ICE agents should be portrayed by an actor closer to their real persona like “Larry the Cable Guy”. And, the only way a Border Patrol Agent like Sean Penn would be getting head from an Austalian is if that Australian were a guy. I going to get as many ICE agents as I can to throw popcorn at the screen when Mrs. Madonna comes on.
I hope they don’t plan on using “Crossing Over” because “Cross Dressing” would be much more appropriate. This movie is DEAD already, a real stinker, going straight to TV. Harrison Ford won’t be able to secure the lead in Mary Poppins Two after this dud.

code7 on May 22, 2007 at 5:57 pm

Oh, and Debbie, Kevin Jeffrey did leave disgruntled, because management ordered him to DC on a permanent move, so he retired. Good move Kevin! DC is full of the rudest, unfriendly, self-absorbed butt kissing petty bureacrats on earth. And when the wall came down all the Communists moved here, too. The place is an alien “sanctuary”. This place stinks like Bombay, is corrupt like Mexico City, and is full of sexually frustrated psychopathic women in positions of leadership, only their attitudes match the ugliness of their personalities. ICE HQ is nasty, don’t go there! Run Forrest Run!

code7 on May 22, 2007 at 6:13 pm

More madness. More lies.

steve ventry on May 22, 2007 at 6:28 pm

I forgot to mention that DC has the largest group of gays outside of San Francisco or an FBI clam bake.

code7 on May 22, 2007 at 7:30 pm

[Taslima, a teen Muslim who was born abroad but raised here, reads an essay in class, asking us to see the architects of 9/11 as human beings.]
I found this aspect to be appalling. I wish Hollywood would be less sympathetic to Islamic fascism. I miss the good old days with Arnie and ‘True Lies’.

Norman Blitzer on May 22, 2007 at 7:38 pm

I don’t know Kevin Jeffrey either, I DO know that the standard MO is to label anyone who does not tow the line in ICE nowadays as a ‘disgruntled’ employee or he/she has an axe to grind etcetera…Puttin’ it simply,ICE sucks and the morale continues to decline by the minute. HQ is a horrible place to work in and ALL my counterparts that work up there hate it. They wear a happy face to placate the idiot Marcy Foreskin. There’s no secret to keep with this agency – other than the fact that it’s completely dysfuntional and inept. Cronyism has never been worse, inexperienced managers with only a COUPLE of years on the job – What gives? Anyways, I won’t see the movie, can’t stand either actor, all are hacks nowadays that hate the USA. Good for you Kevin!

StapleGUn on May 22, 2007 at 7:59 pm

Yet another cancer from legacy INS come to bear on legacy Customs, now part of this debacle called ICE.
Hollywood ALWAYS had it in for legacy INS – it viewed the mission, the agency and its managers as bungling idiots worthy of nothing better than being fodder for liberal movie going crowds always up for a laugh at the G’s expense. Legacy Customs NEVER got treated so bad at the movies (or on T.V. or in books, for that matter); we had a mission that EVERYONE would have DIED to be a part of, and the swagger to match.
Now, all we’ve got is a big tumor, and the clock ticking towards our demise. Somebody please pass the balaclavas – I wouldn’t want our neighbors or friends to see us at such a low point in our existence.

4EVERCUSTOMS on May 22, 2007 at 8:11 pm

ICE got burned in “Lord of War” with Nick Cage, too. DHS had a Hollywood liason position but it canceled it because they were idiots. The FeeBees have ten or so full time agents who look out for the Bureau’s image and cooperate with the Hollwood crowd.
Bottom line: you help them write it or they will make it up. Technical advisors are lower that whale pooh, it is too late at that point to really impact the show unless you start by punching the director in the balls the first sign he isn’t going to pay attention.

code7 on May 22, 2007 at 8:36 pm

“I … feel sorry … only for our country which stupidly grants instant citizenship to kids of parents who cheat.”
I agree, but this is a difficult one to fix. It’s in the first clause of the 14th Amendment, which not only conferred this instant citizenship, but eliminated states’ rights.

lreznick on May 22, 2007 at 9:54 pm

Yep, my good ol SAC LA’s DSAC that replaced Jeffrey is a 30-something Nancy Drew. But whaddya expect? The SAC is a 30 something Hardy boy. Neither has very much street experience or time in a AUSA’s office on a criminal case. They both got GS 13 promotions to HQ and then got their 14s there, too. Then when the SAC got his SES SAC position, he brought his good friend Nancy Drew to LA, up from San Diego. If you are not a 15 by now in SAC LA, your career is over. This is why morale sucks as it does. Experienced agents are placed at the whim of management without any input. Decisions are made on 14s without any consideration to merit. The sooner I get my 20, the better. I feel sorry for both Customs and INS agents that will have live through this crap for the rest of their careers.

rivfedup on May 22, 2007 at 11:03 pm

I know Kevin Jeffrey and I was able to get the story from someone close him regarding his departure from ICE.
Kevin was given a 3 R letter (Relocate-Resign-Retire), which by the way were sent out to 10 or 15 people a year ago, another brain child of legacy customs management of ICE. Kevin made several attempts to discuss this with you know who and was basically told to pack his bags.
It’s important to note; Kevin was one of the most professional, experienced and articulate legacy INS upper management personnel the agency had, which they chose to toss away. His skills and experience were exactly what LA needed.
Once he was informed that he would have to re-locate to HQ, eventhough he had some seriuos family concerns, he attempted to take a down grade to DRO to stay in LA. Once again you know who (PP)got involved…it seems that Kevin was out on extended sick leave, when the head personnel lady (SANDS another legacy customs person) changed his leave status to AWOL, so he was exculded from the DRO job, which BTW delayed his retirement.
Bottom line, they kept Frankie “Fingers” Figueroa (legacy customs), who pled NOLO to exposing himslef to a minor, on the books on sick leave until he was able to retire and they forced an experienced professional out the door who was legacy INS, by putting him on AWOL.
Disgruntled maybe!!! DISRESPECTED you bet…
Another legacy of our legacy customs management, so called ICE…something to be proud of right 4evercustoms?
ICE should really be investigated, if for nothing else, their illegal personnel practices…allowing people to perform in an acting role for several years until they are qualified for the position they are promoted into.

Viva La Migra on May 23, 2007 at 6:09 am

Viva la Migra – your comment, “ICE should really be investigated, if for nothing else, their illegal personnel practices…allowing people to perform in an acting role for several years until they are qualified for the position they are promoted into.” is RIGHT ON THE MONEY!!! The ICE Academy now has an Assist. Director than has been on the job as an SA when in the field only a couple of years – it’s insane and unfortunately it’s pervasive in this outfit. Albence has been detrimental to the Academy and just places (promotes) his cronies versus promoting anybody at the Academy.

StapleGUn on May 23, 2007 at 6:28 am

La Migra …
Today, the devil gets his pound of flesh !!!
You are absolutely right. If that is what happened to Kevin Jeffrey and Figgie was given a “free pass”, then it was outright wrong.
You will get no argument from me on that here, my friend !!!
Tio “4EVER”

4EVERCUSTOMS on May 23, 2007 at 7:53 am

Wait, lets set the record straight. First off many agents are happier that Kevin left, and Nancy Drew took over. Yes, she is young, but just as professional and articulate, withouot the baggage that Kevin had. Kevin promoted many within the ranks of INS/ICE to supervisors and above and these people lacked education, criminal experience, managing people skills and/or all of the above. These same agents are now leaving to go to DRO or other agencies, because Kevin no longer can protect them. Their true incompetence as a Special Agent being seen by everyone. Agents in LA will testify to that. Kevin was vindictive, no doubt about that. Kevin also was very protective of a certain female manager, which he promoted, and they were “together” all the time personal vacations, details, golfing etc. She was in his chain of command, and they carried on in a relationship, regardless of her being his is chain of command. She, as everyone will attest, is the worst manager ever. So yes, Kevin was articulate and experienced, looked good in front of the camera, but professional? I don’t think so. No way. Kevin had many managerial issues that only those who worked in his office knew about. ICE is better off without Kevin, he was less than a stellar manager. Plus now he makes more working for Hollywood.

ICE4EVER on May 23, 2007 at 10:50 am

Anchor Babies are NOT Americans.

steve ventry on May 23, 2007 at 4:44 pm

Dear Debbie:
Just couldnít stand it any longer, and decided that I needed to weigh in on the mess that is ICE.
First though, I must tell you that you and your Blog have really become a ìmust readî for employees of ICE. I feel confident that you have our interests and our nationís interests foremost in your heart. Most of the time I stand firmly with you and am cheering for you and your message. You call it like you see it, and NEVER sugar coat anything. I commend you!
My one big bitch with your site is that it appears you rely too heavily on that vast army of disgruntled, disheartened, and disillusioned legacy Customs and I &NS agents. I too, am a legacy USCS agent and former USCS Inspector (now called CBP officer). For nearly thirteen years, I LOVED my job so much that I almost would have done it for free.
With the legacy USCS, I worked on/along both the Northern and Southern Borders, boarded vessels and aircraft at our seaports and airports, traveled foreign in support of the USCS mission, chased (and caught) smugglers aboard USCS go-fast vessels that were supported by USCS air assets, and worked full-time undercover for years.
I used to believe that not only were we the oldest federal law enforcement agency, but also the best. The Customs Service paid for this nation until the institution of the Federal Income Tax. U.S. Customs spawned nearly all of the other federal law enforcement agencies. The FBI, DEA, TREASURY, the COAST GUARD, the FAMS, all sprang from Customs.
Legacy USCS agents have so much for which to be proud. Their successes and those of the Customs Service are manifold and steeped in the history of our country. The legacy USCS at the time of itsí death was bringing in approximately $24.00 for every $1.00 it spent. By any objective standard, thatís a bargain. So, when I say that your support of the legacy Customs Service is to be lauded; I mean it.
Over the last four years, I have mourned the loss of the Customs Service and especially itsí mission. I too, am disgruntled, disheartened and disillusioned. I feel the pain deeply and I understand from whence the pain comes. That said, THE BITCHING, INFIGHTING and CANNIBALIZING have got to stop! We are eating our own, and are dying the death of a thousand cuts, and most of them are self-inflicted!
The Department of Homeland Security was created as a Democrat led, knee-jerk reaction to the horrible events of September 11, 2001. The President didnít want it, Governor Tom Ridge wasnít looking for a new job, and the country didnít need it. One could argue that the formation of DHS has in fact made the country less safe than before itsí creation. Clearly, Immigration needed to be, and continues to require a major over-hauling. Dismantling the Customs Service wasnít needed or intended, but the end result is still the same.
Legacy Customs agents actually believed that they were performing a valuable and vital service to our nation. We actually believed that we were fighting crime, thwarting evildoers and protecting our sovereignty by policing our borders. Our I &NS brethren are not the cause of Customs downfall. They are not the cancer within. They are not lazy, ignorant or uncaring. The vast majority are earnest, hardworking and well-intentioned men and women. I worked with them pre-9/11 and have become one post 9/11 with the creation of ICE. They perform a vital service to our country while blindfolded, hand- tied, under-staffed and under-funded.
Contrary to most legacy Customs agents belief, ICE does not stand for Immigration Confuses Everything, or Incompetent, Corrupt Enterprise. Legacy I&NS agents always understood one essential fact: Their mission and day-to-day existence was entirely dependent on the direction of the political winds. Of course they were thrilled to be combined with the Customs agents. They got journeyman GS-13s, they got a chance to do more varied and complex investigations and they got more bodies to share the pain.
If the legacy Customs agents could quit bitching long enough to think clearly, they would realize that itís not the I&NS agents that are the enemy and the legacy I&NS agents are not a threat to their jobs. It is not the former Customs management that is corrupt or incompetent. Marcy Forman is not the enemy. John Clark is not the enemy. I know them. Both were good agents and able administrators.
The threat to Customs and the legacy mission and role was the ill-advised, ill-conceived, and illogical formation of DHS. If you are really securing the Homeland; shouldnít the FBI and CIA be a part of it? There is no justice at Justice! DHS/ICE will serve as the fall guy when we are struck again on U.S. soil. The CIA and FBI will point at us and say, ìitís their responsibilityî. They still are not talking to each other, and certainly not to us. There is no sharing. We only give, and they only take.
The FBI does four things better than anyone: First, when they lack jurisdiction or expertise (and that is most of the time!), they get it through the formation of task forces or through one-way Memorandums of Understanding where they get EVERYTHING. They took advantage of 9/11 to wrest ATF&E away from Treasury so as to gain that expertise and associated authorities. Of course, they left the regulatory guys. They can throw the all-encompassing ìterror blanketî over legacy Customs money-laundering investigations. Wave bye-bye to Marcy Formanís very successful GREENQUEST. They are taking control of the Arms Export Control Act and technology transfer cases. They are gaining greater access to our airports and seaports and subsequent Border Authority through control of passenger information systems and abuse of Joint Terrorism Task Forces;
Second, they take credit for anything good that happens. Again, this is almost always as a direct result of having incorporated other Federal and State and local law enforcement expertise/authorities into a Task FARCE;
Third, when something bad happens (think 9/11,Waco, Ruby Ridge, the FBI Crime lab) they distance themselves and cast blame better than any other agency out there.
Fourth, when they truly screw up, Congress gives them money (again think crime lab-$100 million) to fix the problem, or greater authorities over domestic law enforcement functions. No coincidence that they have a force of 100 agents full-time on the Hill to lobby Congress. (ICE-how many do we have?).
To this day, an FBI agent cannot open a case unilaterally. They must seek permission through their management chain. So, if an agent finds that Arab Visa Over-stays are learning to fly commercial airliners, but not to land themÖÖshe must still seek approval to exploit that lead.
One other thing the FBI does very well, is to not publicly disparage their agency. Whether that is out of loyalty, culture or fear; it is admirable. ICE could take a lesson there.
Debbie, the management of ICE, either legacy USCS or I&NS are by and large good people and civil servants. No offense, but there are too many lawyers and political appointees making operational decisions without any knowledge of the mission, how it is accomplished, or itsí impact on the field. They are the threat, they are the enemy.
There is a tremendous brain-drain going on within legacy Customs right now. Seasoned agents and inspectors with a broad-based knowledge of trade, fraud, smuggling and strategic investigations are leaving in droves to retirement if eligible or other agencies if possible. This leaves America very vulnerable. Why would any police force (CBP) separate from their detectives (ICE)? Agents and inspectors with more than ten years of legacy experience know about Countervailing Duties, Anti-Dumping, Drawback, Bonded warehouses, assists, substantial transformation, visa quota (hint-nothing to do with foreign visitors) and myriad other trade related issues. A lack of understanding of such leaves America very vulnerable to acts of terrorism, terror funding and economic collapse.
If ICE is going to be broken up, so be it. Call your congressman. Every legacy Customs agent (with or without a degree) should go back to CBP. Every legacy I&NS agent should stay with ICE. Those hired as ICE agents should stay there. New hires should go to their respective agencies after fully staffing ICE. Congress also has to decide what is more importantÖa 50 cent tomato or a secure border. Tell them! Stop beating up on your brother and sister agents. Legacy Customs agents got some nice new tools to go after bad guys, like Title 8 USC and fellow agents who know how to exploit it and navigate through archaic and inefficient computer systems. The legacy I&NS agents are your friends if you will stop MF-ing them all the time.
Be the Sheep Dog my brothers. We donít have enough of them and we donít need to be nipping at each otherís heels. The enemy should not be us! Please read what follows, you might recognize yourself.
“This letter was written by Charles Grennel and his comrades who are veterans of the Global War On Terror. Grennel is an Army Reservist who spent two years in Iraq and was a principal in putting together the first Iraq elections, January of 2005.
It was written to Jill Edwards, a student at the University of Washington who did not want to honor Medal of Honor winner USMC Colonel Greg Boyington. Ms. Edwards and other students (and faculty) do not think those who serve in the U.S. Armed Services are good role models.
To: Edwards, Jill (student, UW)
Subject: Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs
Miss Edwards, I read of your “student activity” regarding the proposed memorial to Col. Greg Boyington, USMC and a Medal of Honor winner. I suspect you will receive a bellyful of angry e-mails from conservative folks like me.
You may be too young to appreciate fully the sacrifices of generations of servicemen and servicewomen on whose shoulders you and your fellow students stand. I forgive you for the untutored ways of youth and your naivetÈ. It may be that you are, simply, a sheep. There’s no dishonor in being a sheep – – as long as you know and accept what you are.
William J. Bennett, in a lecture to the United States Naval Academy November 24, 1997 said:
“Most of the people in our society are sheep.
They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident.” We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare.
This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.
Then there are the wolves and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy.
Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds.
The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep.
There is no safety in denial.
Then there are sheepdogs and I’m a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf. If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep.
If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf.
But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the uncharted path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.
We know that the sheep live in denial, that is what makes them sheep.
They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids’ schools. But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid’s school. Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep’s only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the path of denial.
The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf.
He has fangs and the capacity for violence.
The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, cannot, and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheep dog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours.
Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn’t tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports, in camouflage fatigues, holding an M-16.
The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, “Baa.” Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.
The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them.
This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door. Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be.
Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter:
He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed, right along with the young ones.
Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day.
After the attacks on September 11, 2001 , most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, “Thank God I wasn’t on one of those planes.”
The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, “Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference.” You want to be able to make a difference. There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population.
There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory crimes of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers.
The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body
language: slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself. Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I’m proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.
Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001 , Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury , New Jersey . Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When they learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd and the other passengers confronted the terrorist hijackers.
In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers – athletes, business people and parents — from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.
“There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men.” – Edmund Burke. Here is the point I like to emphasize, especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn’t have a choice.
But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision. If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you.
If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love.
But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior’s path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.
This business of being a sheep or a sheep dog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior.
Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between.
Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. Its ok to be a sheep, but do not kick the sheep dog.
Indeed, the sheep dog may just run a little harder, strive to protect a little better and be fully prepared to pay an ultimate price in battle and spirit with the sheep moving from “baa” to “thanks”.
We do not call for gifts or freedoms beyond our lot.
We just need a small pat on the head, a smile and a thank you to fill the emotional tank which is drained protecting the sheep. And when our number is called by “The Almighty”, and day retreats into night, a small prayer before the heavens just may be in order to say thanks for letting you continue to be a sheep
.
And be grateful for the thousands – – millions – – of American sheepdogs who permit you the freedom to express even bad ideas.

zambonifed on May 23, 2007 at 5:05 pm

Hey Zambonified,
Would you like a job? How about the ICE Assistant Secretary position? You have my vote!!!! As I said in a previous post.. anywhere & anytime, I’d work for you, someone took that as a challenge to fight it means… I’ll do my sworn duty anywhere & anytime regardless of the political wind and without regard of reprisal!!!!!!!!!!
La Migra Out….

Viva La Migra on May 23, 2007 at 8:31 pm

As a Legacy USCS SA who works with one of the nicest, hardest working agents (and who is a Legacy INSer) I have ever met…that post by zambonifed was excellent. Good lord, I wish everyone at ICE and DHS thought like you. The saddest part of the whole ICE thing is that if it would have been managed well and DEFENDED from the begining, including going on OFFENSE at the right times, the potential of ICE could have been limitless. Now…well it’s on life support.

ICEcube on May 23, 2007 at 8:46 pm

Viva La Migra and everyone else who has information about these personnel violations: Give me names of those wronged and I will send to the rightful authorities.

rivfedup on May 23, 2007 at 10:19 pm

Zamboni: Friggin awesome post.

CapitalistPig on May 23, 2007 at 10:24 pm

Zambonifed:
First of all, I was impressed by your post; I certainly do not disagree with a word in it. However, why did you wait so long to “weigh in” on this issue that I and dozens, if not hundreds, of your brethren have been speaking out on for the last 2 to 3 years? I don’t want to steal thunder here, but a lot of what you say in your post has been put forth by myself and others for some time now. You may have packaged white, sliced bread a little differently, but it’s still the same thing. Now, all of a sudden, we get a bunch of “Hallelujahs” and “Hosannas” from various quarters, all for the same basic premises that we have been putting out there for the longest time now – go figure!!!
That said, I wanted to shed some light on what you said about the FBI and ICE – very interesting stuff, but you need to view things in the context of history.
Sure, the FBI is a bureaucratic dinosaur, but is a very well oiled and fed dinosaur – it gets a lot of grease from within and outside, and fed billions by Congressmen too afraid to screw with them, lest they dig up the elected ones’ closets for old bones. Let’s face it – the FBI may need a supe’s permission to open a case, but they carry a VERY BIG STICK, my friend – they don’t need to throw their weight around, because their mere presence alone is enough to make Congressmen and the pblic soil themselves. What does ICE have, besides being drowned out in the homeland security debate? A TWIG, that’s what – a TWIG. NO BARK, AND NO BITE, BECAUSE WE GOT SOLD OUT AND THE RUG PULLED OUT FROM UNDER US IN THE CREATION OF THIS ABORTION.
I think it is fair to say that ICE agents tried to close ranks early, but the problem is that the missteps that management and Congress made in defining our mission made it too much to bear just sitting back and taking it BOHICA style. So, what did legacy USCS agents do? Exactly what you would have done – say how great it was in the old days, and why did anyone screw with us to begin with when we weren’t the ones that were screwed up. Now, what we have is style over substance, just like legacy INS – we have appearance standard memos, this memo, that memo and memos on how to write memos, but no real addressment of the REAL problems or issues in ICE – lack of leadership, lack of a defined mission and lack of respect for ICE OI staff as valued members of a team instead of being a warm body. I can tell you, my friend, that DRO staff get a heck of a lot more respect in DC than OI does, because we have been reduced from an entity conducting complex, long-term drug, money and weapons investigations to scooping up illegals who will be amnestied soon, anyway.
By the way, in a conversation I had with an “old timer” – 30 + years, including 10 with the Bureau before he became legacy Customs, he told me the following:
” From Day One at Quantico, the FBI brainwashed their incoming agents to believe they were the best thing since the invention of the wheel. They have put in place a juggernaut of agents and support staff exclusively dedicated to the creation and cultivation of an image that they guard fiercely. However, in exchange for the bureaucratic BS FBI agents have to put up in their careers (the required moves, the paramilitary way of doing things, etc.), the FBI REALLY does value their agents – Seniority counts for something in the way of end of career post assignments; extra effort is rewarded with choice duties (e.g. HRT, SWAT, LEGAT, etc) and they DO treat each other like family, instead of just a warm body.”
Sounds eerily familar to legacy Customs; none of this now exists in ICE.
And, before you bash legacy Customs managers like Marcy Forman, John Clark and others, let me remind you of something. Both Assistant Secretaries to date (Garcia and Myers) have legacy INS roots; Mike Doherty was Garcia’s henchman in the early days of the agency; you had clowns like Cerda and Torres running DRO, and OI has been relegated to the bottom of the barrel. Make no mistake – DRO and the immigration mission is Numero Uno for ICE OI right now, and no OI manager at HQ is going to buck Chertoff or Myers – not if they want to keep their jobs. Don’t worry, the legacy Customs senior managers are all slowly being forced out; in my office, which was once 80% legacy Customs senior managers, we will be at 50% soon, and probably less within 3-5 years. Who are we going to blame then? We will have become our own worse nightmare, and others expect people like myself to roll over and die silently while this abomination happens around me and the agency I sacrified almost 15 years of my life for.
It’s almost criminal, and people just stand around and watch it happen – pathetic, that’s what it is, pathetic.

4EVERCUSTOMS on May 25, 2007 at 8:25 am

4EVERCUSTOMS:
First, thank you for the kind words relative my recent post. I find that you and I are in fact kindred spirits in our total shame and disgust at that which is ICE and in our concern and mourning for what we have lost. While I have not previously posted to this site, nor ìweighed inî in this anonymous forum; I have in fact been extremely vocal in other venues. I will not bore you with my personal tales of woe, nor engage in a one-upmanship by detailing what became of me after March 1, 2003, suffice to say that I became the one thing I promised myself I would never beÖa jaded, disgruntled, angry, acid-spewing, A..hole! I had the great misfortune to be working full-time undercover while this partial birth abortion was happening and remained without any regular contact with my fellow agents long after the merger.
When I was called home, my world had radically changed and there were twice as many agents as when I left, and I didnít know any of them. I was unceremoniously booted from that assignment because I had the temerity to question my supervisors as to why we were no longer pursuing cases that actually made a difference to the safety of our country in a post 9/11 world, and accused them of being cowards with gnat-sized testicles. Itís trite to say it, but I will anywayÖBig cases, Big problems, little cases, little problems, no cases, no problems! That had become the mantra under ICE. Chain them to their desk, donít let them travel, give your strategic cases away or let them die rather than have the FBI take them, and concern yourself with only administrative and reporting/records-keeping duties. Enough said about that my brother, but I promise you I was as bitter and angry as anyone in the service.
I would wager that you and I know each other 4EVERCUSTOMS. I am fairly certain of it, if not actually face to face, and I think so, then we know of each other or at least are singing out of the same hymnal. I did not mean to diminish your posts or your message, and certainly did not intend to co-opt them. My purpose was really to make myself feel better and to try to instill a little civility into the discourse.
The thin blue line has gotten very, very thin. Gone are the days where our word and work ethic were of a notch-higher than ordinary folks. I completely agree that we are adrift in a sea of mismanagement and misguided priorities. Our nation is not safer, we as agents are not safer, and as individual agents we are entirely expendable. ICE will not miss a beat with our departure, because there is no heart within that body. We have to matter to each other, legacy Customs, legacy I&NS and newbie ICE agents. A united front is a front that must be reckoned with and one that will matter to ICE.
I think I was just trying to say lets start by banding together. Letís bring back some of the ìgood old daysî by taking newbies under our wing and bringing them up the right way, not poisoning them with our invective and in-fighting. 4EVERCUSTOMS you have been around long enough to recall those days. You can still remember how proud you were to graduate from those academies you attended, to receive your badge and credentials and swear the same oath as does the President on Inauguration Day. You remember swearing to protect our nation from its enemies both foreign and domestic and to defend our Constitution. I know you do, and I know your heart swelled in your chest on those days. Our new agents in ICE need to be able to feel that, and deserve to be around guys who are upstanding and positive. They need to see that we have an allegiance to each other, to them and to doing the right thing because itís the right thing.
I know too, that I took some swipes at the FBI, and that is not in keeping with my thin blue line exhortation, but I still have to take some issue with them. They are stealing our mission (U.S. Customs) and traditional authorities, without a shot fired by ICE. Their stick is not that big, they donít even need to raise their voice. I trust you remember ABSCAM. Well my friend that is why they have to piggy-back on Customs authorizations in order to set up undercover businesses and to legally make money and re-utilize the proceeds in an undercover operation, They lost that. And they are prima-donnas. Ask any DEA agent who trained alongside them at Quantico. But they donít eat their young brother. I admire them for that.
What has to change is Immigration policy in this country. I propose we bombard all possible forms of media to include leaflets from the sky and then make all the illegals report for a new identity card and a surgically implanted microchip to track them. After we make it a felony to be present in the country if not lawfully admitted and if found to not be in possession of their cards. We tax them, their employers, and the money they send home. No more automatic citizenship for birth here. Harden the border with a repeal of posse comititus and put the National Guard along both borders. Then, Border Patrol, ICE anyone finds them in the countryÖthey are FELONS with no due process, no hearing and automatic deportation. Should make the employers happy, take the drain off social services and reward the immigrants waiting in their respective countries for doing it right. Anyone with a criminal history or felony in the first ten years as a ìdocumentedî chip-implanted guest worker gets an immediate boot.
And I did not bash Marcy Forman or John Clark. I have worked for them and know them. Re-read my post. Until then, I stand with you and hope we meet back at CBP as 1811ís together.

zambonifed on May 25, 2007 at 5:08 pm

I donít know if Kevin Jeffrey was vindictive, but I do know of another LINS ASAC that is very much vindictive. He works in the Long Beach office and goes as far as ordering people not to help those agents that he does not like for whatever sad, twisted reason he has in his big, empty piÒata head. Then again, all management is like this now. As far as GSs promoted to their current positions but not being qualified, now we have a new Program Manager in LA to nancy Drew whoís qualifications I have no clue about. Guess Nancy needed a BFF, too. Debbie, you could restrict your site to just ICE related horror stories and still have plenty of material to last years!

rivfedup on May 25, 2007 at 5:43 pm

Zambonifed,
I think you do know 4EVERCUSTOMS, didn’t you two date?
By the way, the micro-chip idea won’t work because we loose the signal when the illegal aliens report to work in the basement “bodega” at ICE Headquarters in the CAB building.
The signal doesn’t come in any better at the burned-out crack house next door either.

code7 on May 25, 2007 at 6:33 pm