Leo Banks is getting closer to the truth about the border fires
by Hugh Holub on Jun. 29, 2011, under border issues, politicsFrom the Tucson Weekly June 29, 2011:
Arizona Burning
We know the Murphy Fire was likely set by an man in distress. What do we know about the border’s other fires?
by Leo W. Banks
The borderlands of Southern Arizona have burned, and the destruction is stunning.
Thousands of acres of land along the line blackened. The Chiricahua Mountains scorched, some areas so damaged that a return to pre-fire conditions will take hundreds of years. Homes in the Huachuca Mountains near Sierra Vista swept away in the flames and the wind.
No time to pack up! … It’s go now! … Now!
The evacuees show up at community meetings, their faces ghostly from the terror that has come to their lives, and now they’re left to grapple with important questions we can no longer ignore: Who did this? How have we come to this bad place? How do we keep it from happening over and over, assuming there is anything left to burn?
We know for certain that the three most-destructive border fires this year—the Horseshoe 2, Murphy Complex and Monument fires—all took place along major smuggling routes. In the case of the Murphy Fire, there’s strong evidence that it was started by a crosser in distress. (See the accompanying story on Page 18.)
What about the other two? The citizens impacted by these fires are demanding answers, but the federal government isn’t playing along. At these same community meetings, representatives of the U.S. Forest Service and Border Patrol offer their oft-repeated response—human-caused, under investigation—while declining to entertain the possibility that some of these fires might be set by smugglers.
June 29th, 2011 on 4:13 pm
Why has no one asked the question: in addition to the person or persons who struck the match and lighted the fire in the first place, do not the rest of us bear some responsibility for the carbon footprints we are all leaving on the earth that created the drought conditions in the first place????
June 29th, 2011 on 8:52 pm
Your kidding right??
June 29th, 2011 on 6:49 pm
For all you heroes advocating shooting brown folks near the border-I think we need to start shooting illegal employers-after all, an illegal immigrant only accounts for one illegal-himself. Employers create thousands. Lousy immigrants taking our jobs! I’d say we need to do whatever they’re doing in Georgia-got rid of so many there they can’t find anyone to pick their peanuts!
June 29th, 2011 on 6:57 pm
As I’ve said before, no one knows how the fires started. Even so, let’s suppose the fires were set by migrants. If you’re concerned about further fires erupting, I have an easy solution: stop funneling migrants into the desert!
June 29th, 2011 on 7:31 pm
Of course in the northern part of the state where the Wallow fire started, it was stupid white “LEGALS” who started that one. We’re bringing it on ourselves. The politicians all pass the buck and refuse to discuss sensible REAL immigration policy reforms, employers keep hiring these poor people; AND the ATF is helping by sending guns down to the real criminals down south. WE have some responsibility in the insanity.
June 29th, 2011 on 8:55 pm
So we put them in a bus at Nogales and drive them north??
July 4th, 2011 on 10:35 pm
I think illegals started the fire to get attention the same way they start trouble to get attention when they come to America. They steal,murder,use fake IDs,steal social securty numbers,hold people hostage,drop houses,car theft,high cost of medicare,police murders,wasting national guards time,murdering farmers,playing loud music,drug smuggling,deseases,language problems,customer service failure,broken border systemetc.