[Marxism] Pepperball Launch System; It's Really Kind of a Game

["Tony Abdo" <gojack10@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Mexico, U.S. Hold Talks Over Agents' Guns
By MARK STEVENSON, Associated Press Writer

MEXICO CITY - Mexican and U.S. diplomats held high-level meetings Friday
over the use of so-called "pepper-ball" guns by U.S. Border Patrol agents,
after an apparent linguistic confusion over the projectiles helped fuel
tensions with Mexico.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Roger Noriega met with Mexican Ambassador
Carlos de Icaza in Washington on Friday, after Mexico demanded high-level
diplomatic consultations on the issue, an official at the U.S. Embassy in
Mexico confirmed.

The Mexican government has faced severe criticism from local media and
rights groups for not opposing more strongly the use of "balas de goma" ?
literally, rubber bullets ? against undocumented migrants.

"They are using our Mexican countrymen as targets in a modern, almost
festive hunt with rubber bullets," Mexican lawmaker Cesar Camacho told local
media.

In fact, the round plastic projectiles are fired with compressed gas and are
basically paintball pellets filled with pepper powder, an irritant intended
to immobilize.

The U.S. Border Patrol fired the pepper-balls in 81 instances during
2002-2003, and reported no deaths or severe injuries.

Rubber bullets, on the other hand, are rubber-coated steel pellets usually
fired with gunpowder, which can be lethal if fired from a short distance or
if they hit soft body tissue. The Border Patrol does not use rubber bullets
as part of its normal equipment, said agency spokeswoman Gloria Chavez.

But the paintball term is hard to describe in Mexico, where the sport has
yet to catch on widely.

"Pelotas de pimienta," offered one U.S. official, speaking on condition of
anonymity, as the best way to describe the pepper-balls, while conceding the
United States had not come up with any official translation.

Most Mexican TV anchors and newspaper writers have now taken a hybrid
approach, referring to the projectiles as "rubber bullets filled with
pepper," something which apparently does not exist.

Chavez called the whole misunderstanding a case of "mass confusion."

"This was always intended only to be used when there was a situation of
danger, exclusively to prevent violent harm to the officer or others,"
Chavez said. "It would seem that some people have assumed it would be used
to stop people coming into the country."

The controversy arose earlier this month after Border Patrol stations in
Texas began acquiring what is formally known as the "pepperball launch
system," another linguistic rarity.

But the guns already have been used on a trial basis since 2001 in
California and Arizona.

What enraged Mexicans more was the idea their government had somehow
approved the use of the weapons, because it joined the United States in a
joint effort to reduce the use of lethal weapons in border control. Border
Patrol agents carry pistols with live ammunition.

The Border Patrol has long relied on pepper spray and steel batons for
short-range, non-lethal deterrence. However, neither is effective against
people throwing rocks from 20 feet to 100 feet away, one of the more common
forms of aggression suffered by agents.

The pepper balls contain a chile pepper-derived powder that irritates the
eyes and nose for about 10 seconds to 15 seconds, and which can be treated
by flushing the irritated areas with water. The balls' impact may also cause
bruising, and most paintball players wear helmets and face masks to prevent
a direct hit to the head or eyes.

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