BREAKING NEWS: US Feds to Defoliate Rio Grande River Bank!

Is the justification for this action to kill the invasive plant carrizo? If so, isn't there a less toxic way to go about it?

It sure seems like "killing the village in order to save it" to me, at least based what I'm reading in this report.

Sure seems like overkill (literally!) to me, too. But, yes, that is the stated reason/justification. Castro's question in paragraph 3 invokes the question you pose, Punditty, so thanks for laying it out there. I'll attach another news article from 3/3/2009 showing students physically cutting the carrizo. Local residents are not opposed to eliminating it, but they are opposed to aerial spraying of toxic herbicide.

You gotta be shitting me? What they gonna doa "Rolling Thunder" with
B-52's spraying Agent Orange! How about Paraquot..that really fixed the pot crops years back..just got Hippies sick for a bit.

These Politicians have GOT to get their heads outa there collective
arses someday.

I heard a "novel" idea some time back. Move ALL the Military bases
in the South western and South eastern United states and park them
on the border...do the same with any overstretched or "New" prisons!
This will create sort of a barbed wire "no mans land" across the border
replete with fences, dogs ,towers etc. We can call Tijuana and Juarez
"Checkpoint Carlos" & the "Brownsville Gate"!

What nonsense! Decriminalize Cannabis & regulate it. Spend some
dough on maintaining and/or rehabilitating other drug users and
at least stop the smuggling of drugs..In canada all our high tech pot
goes South to you guys..gets exchanged for Guns and Cocaine..then comes back and bites us in the ass thru gangs and violence and
addiction.

As for illegal immigrants that are just seeking opportunity to
breath free and earn a better living...Use the IMF/World Bank and
UN (plus Aid Development monies) to enforce the poorer countries to
the South of us to invest in their people.their economy their education
system, decent housing and Healthcare. They won't be flooding up here if
things ain't all that bad at home!

Instead, there has been a Munroe Doctrine in place and a userous
exploiation of southeren resources that demamded we support corrupt
Dictatorships, Oligarchies and murderous Generals to protect Yankee
interests. (and sell them arms & choppers etc) These wasteful and
suspect policies have forced Central American people into a ditch that
demanded Revolutionary Change...and we all know where THAT ended up!
(You listening Ollie? Helms? Ex-Presidents?)

We need more places like Costa Rica that almost disbanded its army and went to work one eco-tourism and environmental responsibilty. THAT IS
the Model to follow and be encouraged. Otherwise Romeros, Ortegas and
Che Gueveras will be forever at your door!

They will spray the herbicide, ironically named "Habitat," from helicopters (not B-52's). But from the looks of the photo, an analogy to Vietnam and Agent Orange is entirely appropriate.

A Mexican news blog about this project states that killing carrizo is "a pretext." It is attached to this news report in the Blogs Posts tab.

This spraying must be stopped immediately, in addition to violating EPA guidelines, the Border Patrol is in violation of the La Paz Agreement. The spraying is scheduled to start this week! Contact Secretary Janet Napolitano http://action.sierraclub.org/borderwall and help get this stopped!

Thanks for the action suggestion. I will do it.

I already emailed this story to the US Dept of Justice: AskDOJ@usdoj.gov. Simple to do; just took seconds.

"a"

Thanks, CJ. I think this is an important story; I hope the professionals discover it soon. Time is running out.

Hey Billie...I gotta apoligize for my RANT above. Had I looked before
I leaped..I would've realized it was an environmental issue and not
a "defoiliation" for other reasons. Mind you..I'll stick by what I said in general terms AND add my support for hiring people and paying
wages to get rid of the "weeds" Now..if i can just dislodge this
foot outa my mouth..I'll be OK :)

slydog, that's nice of you, but I suspect that the real reason/hidden agenda is "securing the border." Why else would they spend over $2M to toxic spray ONE mile of weeds that have been there for over 400 years--in a highly populated area? It just doesn't make sense as a weed control program, as far as I'm concerned. But that's just my personal opinion.