Below is an open email I’ve written to Rep. Joaquin Castro [TX-20] in response to his open email about Gov. Perry proposing to send National Guard troops to the Texas border with Mexico. His is letter is below my response.

________________________________________________

Dear Joaquin,

I agree that we should not be putting National Guard troops on the border with Mexico, but partly for different reasons.

Perhaps first and foremost, National Guard troops are not military personnel who sometimes live as civilians. They are civilians who sometimes live as military personnel. As such, calling them up for what is really police work is a frivolous, politically-inspired upheaval of their lives. It also constitutes an abuse of these warriors who have volunteered to disrupt their lives and the lives of their families, and risk their lives for their country, when the safety and security of the citizens of the United States are at stake. This humanitarian refugee emergency on our border does not rise to that standard.

Second, Continue reading →