2nd Mexican helicopter sighted in U.S. airspace

[Lone_Star_Dem]

Source: Houston Chronicle/SA Express-News

BROWNSVILLE — The U.S. Department of Defense said it was investigating the second sighting within three weeks of a Mexican military helicopter flying in U.S. airspace over rural Zapata County.

“The incident did occur and it's still under investigation,” department spokeswoman Maj. Tanya Bradsher said, confirming that the copter, believed to belong to the Mexican navy, was seen Sunday.

Rick Pauza, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman, earlier in March confirmed a Mexican military helicopter hovered as long as 20 minutes on March 9 over a residential area near Falcon Lake, a reservoir on the Rio Grande.

He said CBP officials who lived in the neighborhood were among those who saw it.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6939900.html

---

The previous incident on March 13th:

U.S. downplays Mexican chopper incursion

BROWNSVILLE — U.S. officials Friday downplayed the sighting of a Mexican military helicopter hovering as long as 20 minutes over a residential area on the Texas side of the border this week, saying the incursion didn't cause alarm even though it hadn't been cleared in advance.

U.S. agencies could offer no reports of a follow-up investigation and no indication whether a Mexican explanation had been asked for or given.

Gov. Rick Perry's office released a statement late Friday, however, saying the state was working with Customs and Border Protection to investigate.

U.S. officials familiar with the incident, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it wasn't a joint training exercise.

Read More: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/state/US_downplays_Mexican_chopper_incursion.html

[ixion]

1. Here's a great example of US hypocrisy

We freak out if another nation gets anywhere near our airspace, and yet we have no problem flying drones ANY DAMN PLACE WE PLEASE.

[gatorboy]

3. No kidding.

I was reading some of the comments on Yahoo (ugh). And a good size response was, "Shoot'em down!!"

[14thColony]

32. Yes, shows the wingers have no concept of "second order effects"

Student pilots flying out of Laughlin Air Force Base Texas (Del Rio) on occasion get lost and accidentally head off into Mexican airspace, since Laughlin is only minutes from the border by air. A friend of mine was intercepted by a pair of Mexican AF F-5 fighters, who pointed him back north and saw him off with a wave. We start shooting down their aircraft, and the next lost USAF student pilot's going to figure out his mistake when an air-to-air missile takes his wing off. Quid pro quo.

[Captain Hilts]

4. We have an agreement with Canada for cross border rights for our ground forces. It's a result of

the HUGE ice storm in Quebec x years ago when people went for weeks without power when the only folks with the equipment to solve the problem was the US Army at Fort Drum.

So, you now see the Canadian army driving around upper NY State.

[BurtWorm]

5. The US downplayed the incident. It's in the first line of the second story.

I have a feeling they don't care if Mexican military copters are in our space aiming to kill Mexicans.

[WolverineDG]

39. They're after the cartels

& quite frankly, if the only thing between me & the cartels is the Mexican Army, bring it. BTW, I live on the border.

dg

[Lone_Star_Dem]

6. Not really

Considering the drug wars taking place here between the Mexican Military and the cartels on the border this is relevant to the safety/well being of American citizens. If not for the active fighting taking place between those two groups no one would really care here.

[ixion]

8. The so-called 'drug war' is promoted by the US government

so that's not really a valid rationale.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

26. Who said the US government wasn't culpable in the drug wars?

Yet there's still rampant violence taking place here. Which is currently being ramped up between the cartels and the Mexican military.

Disregarding the violence on our southern border out of hand is as irresponsible as feeding the fear over illegal drug use in the US.

[damyank913]

11. That's what I think too.

It's a drug wars thing.

[AlphaCentauri]

15. Actually we don't know if there is any US official in the Mexican helicopters n/t

[Robb]

20. Hardly hypocrisy.

It is a double standard. :)

[hughee99]

22. Where's the "freak out"? I didn't see it in the article. n/t

[ronnie624]

44. Just read some of the comments following the article.

Yikes!

[hughee99]

45. I thought he was talking about the US government freaking out

about this. Shit, if he's going to take the comments of a few posters on a website to broad brush all Americans, perhaps even a place like DU isn't making Americans look very good.

[xocet]

31. Moreover....

I distinctly got the first-hand impression about 25 years ago that USAF jets regularly enter Mexican airspace. Either there is a standing agreement, or we just do not care.

[Xenotime]

36. Reverse racism isn't so funny, right.

[Ozymanithrax]

2. Oh my God, Mexico is about to invade...

They will take ouir jobs and force us to move illegally across the border and work in their kitchens, their yards, and their fields for less than minimum wage.

[Stumbler]

7. And worse yet

they won't even give us the option to press '2' for English when using automated phone menus

[bemildred]

10. Don't worry, the Teabag Militias will meet the incoming Legions of Aztlan headon.

Saving us all and preserving the purity of our women.

[Ozymanithrax]

14. A hoard of ravening teabag Militias charging to protect the border...

The U.S. is lost, I tell you, lost.

[liberation]

23. But think of all the sorts of land speed recors which will be beaten....

... once those pasty chickenshits have to run for their dear lives up to the hills.

There is a potential Olympic gold mine right there... probably the first (and maybe last) time in their miserable lives these tea bagging idiots have been useful for anything.

[SidDithers]

9. It's Red Dawn all over again...

WOLVERINES!!

Sid

[liberation]

21. Dude... those were Cubans not Mexicans.

They have less spicy food and better music. Duh!

[SidDithers]

35. Bah. Teabaggers can't tell the difference...nt

Sid

[armodem08]

43. Well, they're doing a remake. Maybe they're trying to gin up interest... n/t.

[LiberalFighter]

12. Belong to the Mexican navy?

That appears to be a bit far inland for any navy.

[Bette Noir]

17. That's what I thought, when I drove by a submarine base in Nevada last week.

The military moves in mysterious ways.

[AlphaCentauri]

18. It means the Mexicans Marines n/t

[Lance_Boyle]

19. Does Yuma, AZ makes any better sense? It houses a US Naval base.

That's the thing about the Navy - they fly as well as sail.

[pundaint]

25. Well, the Colorado River Used to empty into the Sea of Cortez

[divideandconquer]

41. The Mexican navy is in the forefront fighting the cartels

Maybe the Navy is less corrupt or have different training or have more available helicopters.

[AlphaCentauri]

13. The loonies night mare, Pancho Villa is back

and flying helicopters

[defendandprotect]

16. And, US/CIA is never in anyone else's airspace . . . whar crap! End this drug war!!

[melm00se]

24. not so sure I would down play this too heavily

when you factor in stories like this:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/latinamerica/la-fg-mexico-gunbattles2-2010apr02,0,5886596.story?track=rss

if the drug cartels can lay their hands on "armored cars, grenade launchers, about 100 military-grade grenades, explosive devices and about 13,000 rounds of ammunition", it's not too much of a stretch to think that they might be able to lay their hands on military style helicopters.

One of the key roles of a government is to protect the integrity of the borders and regardless of the USA's actions our borders should and must be protected.

[Gman]

27. Texas is no longer a sovereign country

this is none of Perry's fucking business. ('scuse my French).

[FarCenter]

28. Hovering? Or making a drop?

[rcrush]

42. ++1

[no limit]

29. So wait. The US doesn't have a system in place to detect when another nation enters our airspace?

I though radar was invented many decades ago. We really just let a chopper for a foreign army chill in our airspace for 20 minutes?

[14thColony]

33. Not like this

NORAD operates a string of radars around the perimeter of the US, and also a band across northern Canada, but they're in place to detect the most serious threats to the US/Canada, which would be nuclear-armed Russian bombers, ICBMs coming from Russia or China, or submarine-launched nuclear missiles coming from the immediate coastal areas of the US. These radars mostly look at low-to-high altitude because that's where these threats operate. Helos usually operate at 'very low altitude' or 'nap of earth', places these radars simply can't see very well for a variety of reasons. On the grand scale of things, a helo doesn't even make the Top 100 list in terms of 'danger to the nation' and therefore the vast effort to provide comprehensive detection of helos or light aircraft is seen as pointless by most national air defense systems.

[pinboy3niner]

40. Very informative post--thanks. nt

[cascadiance]

30. Mad rush for wingnuts to buy these t-shirts...

[Blue_Tires]

34. Ross Perot tried to warn us!

[Wilms]

37. .

[pinniped]

38. The wingnuts always thought the UN was going to invade first.

.