“Our end goal is to create more agents,” said April McKee, a senior Border Patrol agent and mentor at the session here.
IMPERIAL, Calif. — Ten minutes into arrant mayhem in this town near the Mexican border, and the gunman, a disgruntled Iraq war veteran, has already taken out two people, one slumped in his desk, the other covered in blood on the floor. The responding officers — eight teenage boys and girls, the youngest 14 — face tripwire, a thin cloud of poisonous gas and loud shots — BAM! BAM! — fired from behind a flimsy wall. They move quickly, pellet guns drawn and masks affixed.
“United States Border Patrol! Put your hands up!” screams one in a voice cracking with adolescent determination as the suspect is subdued.
It is all quite a step up from the square knot.
The Explorers program, a coeducational affiliate of the Boy Scouts of America that began 60 years ago, is training thousands of young people in skills used to confront terrorism, illegal immigration and escalating border violence — an intense ratcheting up of one of the group’s longtime missions to prepare youths for more traditional jobs as police officers and firefighters. The training, which leaders say is not intended to be applied outside the simulated Explorer setting, can involve chasing down illegal border crossers as well as more dangerous situations that include facing down terrorists and taking out “active shooters,” like those who bring gunfire and death to college campuses. In a simulation here of a raid on a marijuana field, several Explorers were instructed on how to quiet an obstreperous lookout.
“Put him on his face and put a knee in his back,” a Border Patrol agent explained. “I guarantee that he’ll shut up.” Cathy Noriego, also 16, said she was attracted by the guns. The group uses compressed-air guns — known as airsoft guns, which fire tiny plastic pellets — in the training exercises, and sometimes they shoot real guns on a closed range.
“I like shooting them,” Cathy said. “I like the sound they make. It gets me excited.”
Oh Brother…..does anyone else see a problem here? Here’s a hint…the terrorist in this scenario is a disgruntled Iraq War Vet.
It’s the new Obama Youth Movement.
The phrase “Hitler Youth” springs to mind…
The Bush generation…
That would be really cool…we used to do it for fun, why not with some real leaders?
These aren’t boy scouts, they’re Explorers. Its a separate program. It explains it right in the story.
Explorers is a program in which youth get to work with local law enforcement, emergency services, and people in other career fields. This is a case of an overzealous border patrol cop who needs to be removed and perhaps a journalist with a grudge.
I earned Eagle rank and I was involved in the venturing program when I was younger. The scouting program certainly has its problems, not the least of which are the bigoted religious nuts running it at the national level. Overall I thought it was a great program and I hope they get past this PR nightmare without too much trouble.
Children should not be trained to police. It is too easy for to indoctrinate them.
It is incorrect and misrepresentative to label the headline as Boy Scouts. The youth involved are Explorers, not Boy Scouts. Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Venturers represent over 90% of the BSA membership are not allowed in any activity where there is a “pointing any type of firearm or simulated firearm at any individual.” This includes, paintball and lasertag.
Exploring is a program related with career exploration and is the smallest of the programs run by the BSA. The Law Enforcement Exploring Program rule is specified here. http://tinyurl.com/pqqlnf.
#2 does that mean one of them could be pope one day?
This is absolutely vile! It has to break a whole load of child protection laws.
“Oh Brother…..does anyone else see a problem here? Here’s a hint…the terrorist in this scenario is a disgruntled Iraq War Vet.”
Just reflecting the views of today’s liberals as they prepare today’s youth for tomorrow’s conficts. It is interesting to see whom they expect to fight. It let’s you know who they think is public enemy #1: former military personel.
Boy Scouts & Explorers, generations of us are trained and ready. Just waiting for the flag to go up and then its show time. The Boy Scout motto is “Be Prepared.” We are.
Joe…it’s not the BSA brass that are religious nuts, it’s the fact that some 30% of all Boy Scouts are Mormons, and they have a lot to say about the program’s requirements. Unfortunately.
The BSA is on the left’s shit list, so claiming this is a liberal thing is an uninformed knee-jerk. The ACLU and left-wingers have made life very difficult for the BSA over the last ten years or so, forcing the end of generations-long relationships and programs. Republican politicians are the BSA’s friends. See this wiki article: http://tinyurl.com/r3npo
And to pile on…Explorers don’t do knots, camping, the traditional ranks.
As a boyscout from the 60’s, I must say I find this a repulsive abuse. By no means does this represent the values I was taught by this institution. I get the feeling that nothing is left of the america I grew up in.
Now I know what they remind me of the Nazi Hitler Youth…..
#11 “Joe…it’s not the BSA brass that are religious nuts, it’s the fact that some 30% of all Boy Scouts are Mormons, and they have a lot to say about the program’s requirements. Unfortunately.”
Yeah, they’ve been taking the place over since the mid 70’s.
The nice thing about scouting and the reason its been so successful is that its a very decentralized organization. Troops succeed and grow (or die off) because of the support (or lack of) local parents/youth and a good scoutmaster. Troops reflect their local community, not the opinions of the national level leadership or the Mormons.
The national level people don’t want gays and atheists in the program, but my local unit didn’t ask or care. Most other units seem to be the same way, the Mormons and other “strongly opinionated” groups tend to have their own troops based out of their churches.
So.. Gay kids are not allowed because it’s immoral yet teaching the (apparently) heterosexual kids how to hunt down and kill someone is okay? Hurray for double standards.
Joe, same here. It’s still the best thing going for boys. Nothing else like it, anywhere.
Btw, to whom do I send links like that armed boy scout one? I found it days ago and I have no idea how to post them here.
I see no problem with this.
#17. You can submit interesting stories directly to JCD.
john@dvorak.org
Uncle Sam want’s you-th.
Those shirts need to be a browner shade of blue.
Border Patrol taking out terrorists? Bah. If they want to explore their role in law enforcement, these Explorers should be pummeling peacefully protesting pastors (nice unintentional alliteration!) far from any international border.
There’s a difference between training kids to be prepared and having them take action.
Still something doesn’t smell right here. This is not training “to be prepared” it’s job training.
Surely its important for children to be taught to hate at an early age. Otherwise they might grow up with ‘liberal’ ideas like ‘killing is wrong’, ‘being gay is OK’ and ‘racism is bad’. When enough kids have developed enough hate, the pure Christian police state will be possible and a new dawn will emerge for America.
Why are non of those kids white? Also seems crazy like the people above mentioned.
# 26 Nathan said, “Why are non of those kids white?” Am I missing some point of humor? In the photograph, there are 6 children four of whom are undeniably white or Hispanic (which, taxonomically is still caucasian), one is probably Hispanic but may be Asian and one is clearly of doofus ethnicity. If you mean, why are they (almost) all Hispanic, RTFA – it’s the Imperial Valley in California!
The article also mentions: “Adult Explorer leaders are now required to take an online training program on sexual misconduct.” I’m unclear. Is that a “how to” course?
#15:
“So.. Gay kids are not allowed because it’s immoral yet teaching the (apparently) heterosexual kids how to hunt down and kill someone is okay? Hurray for double standards.”
This is not a ‘double standard.’
McCullough wrote:
Oh Brother…..does anyone else see a problem here? Here’s a hint…the terrorist in this scenario is a disgruntled Iraq War Vet.
The only problem I see is that these so called “Boy Scouts” should be called by their proper name… “Brown Shirts”.
As former scout and participant in the explorers this is very very very old news.
What they can’t find anything else to waggle in our faces to try and instill fear?
I am so sick of both sides using fear to try and motivate us to rally behind their pathetic useless causes.
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We never had anything as exciting as this when I was in the Scouts!