Posted on 08/31/2015 7:27:44 AM PDT by conservativejoy
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is doing his best Sheila Broflovski from South Park imitation by shouting “Blame Canada!” and suggesting a wall along the northern border is a “legitimate issue.” He told Chuck Todd on Meet the Press that people along the northern border are interested in a wall.
Is northern border security a lot different than the security on the southern border? Absolutely, but there are plenty of reasons for it. The U.S. has a much different relationship with Canada, than it does with Mexico. Canada has drug cartels, but they appear to be focused on distributing product in Canada, not in the U.S. National Post wrote earlier this year on what outlaw motorcycle gangs from the U.S. are doing in Canada.
In recent months alone, notorious biker clubs from Europe, the United States and Australia — all strong, international organizations with a history of violence and crime — have each established new chapters in Canada. Each region has its own story of acquiescence and acrimony…The Rebels Motorcycle Club, the largest club in Australia with chapters in Europe and the United States, formed three chapters in Canada last summer: in Stratford, Ont., the Vancouver area and Edmonton.
The Vagos Motorcycle Club — one of the fastest growing outlaw clubs south of the border — formed a chapter in Peterborough in 2012. In February there was a schism, with some members defecting to the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. The former Vagos may even have formed a new Outlaws chapter.
The Vancouver Sun also wrote that Mexican cartels trying to set up shop in Canada.
For years, local crime groups travelled south to the U.S. and Mexico to work with the cartels. Police now confirm that the Mexican crime groups have moved members north so they can be on the ground in B.C. and other parts of Canada. Calgary Police recently revealed that cartel members are also operating in that Alberta city.
Sure seems like Canada needs to have tougher border security with the U.S. than the U.S. does Canada (that’s a joke people). But a wall on the northern border wouldn’t work for the same reasons why the wall Donald Trump wants on the southern border wouldn’t work. Here’s how the U.S.-Canada border looks in most of New Hampshire, the place Walker said people were raising questions about a wall.
That’s mostly thick forest, with no real open space except for a couple places on the Canadian side. The forest is pretty thick even at US Border Inspection Station Pittsburg in New Hampshire.
Again, not a really easy place for people to sneak in. How does the border in Maine look? It’s a mix of forest and farmland.
So unless Walker wants to do a massive seizure of private property through eminent domain for the wall, it wouldn’t work. What about the border between Vermont and Canada? Well a “moat” technically already exists with the St. Lawrence River. Then there are the Great Lakes which do a pretty good job at imitating a moat too. So where would Walker put a wall? In the middle of the lakes? That’d seem a little ridiculous, if not expensive beyond belief. There also doesn’t seem to be a point in building a wall in Minnesota. The federal government would run into the same eminent domain problem it would run into in Maine (and parts of Texas along the Mexican border). Unless the government really wanted to seize a bunch of private property, it’s useless to put the wall up. There really doesn’t seem to be a point in building a wall in the Northeast and Great Lakes region.
Private property rears its “ugly head” again in North Dakota, where there are large tracts of land along the border.
A northern border wall runs into even more topography issues in Idaho and Washington where there are thick forests and mountains and later…more farmland!
So if all this is true, then why in the world would Walker bring up a northern border wall? A part of it has to do with the unfounded rumor September 11th terrorists sneaked into the U.S. through Canada, much of it thanks to a 2009 comment by then-Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. U.S. Senator John McCain also beat the “Blame Canada!” drum last year by calling the U.S.-Canada border “porous.”
“There is a great concern that our southern border, and our northern border, is porous and that they will be coming across…So is there a specific direct threat? No. But is there any doubt as to what their goal is? Mr. Baghdadi [ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi], the day he left our prison in Iraq, Camp Bucca, said ‘See you in New York.'”
If McCain and Walker had bothered actually looking at the northern border they would have realized why it’s so “porous.” There’s no way to build a wall unless the government is really willing to seize a ton of private land and turn it into federal land. And it shouldn’t do that at all. There’s nothing wrong with trying to protect the country, but there’s a delicate balance between security and running roughshod on the rights of private individuals, whether it’s on who they talk to or the land they own. Putting a wall on the northern border won’t solve anything, and increasing funding so more Border Patrol agents could patrol the region doesn’t seem like a real wise financial decision either. Walker’s comments might get the attention of some Trump supporters, but it’s going to do nothing to help those who aren’t. If anything, it’s going to earn him scorn and derision, and maybe a cameo the next time South Park decides to do an episode making fun of Canada.
From reading the article, the problems on our northern border could best be solved by addressing our southern border. Some of the same bad elements are going into Canada from Mexico via the U.S.
I guess this is a desperate attempt to garner some attention, but a boneheaded idea.
Then how will I escape if I need to?
No, we're not.
In fact it is a major annoyance to us to have the Border Patrol here at all in the numbers they are in the pursuit of "fairness".
Taylor here is missing the point. There is NO need at all to build a wall between the U.S. and Canada since hordes of Canadians are not trying to infiltrate the U.S., unlike Mexicans and Central Americans, and all that THAT implies. And despite the CoC mews, a wall is certainly feasible. Hungary just built one on its border, and so did the Egyptians a few years back (with U.S. taxpayer funds!).
There is no vast wasteland that nobody wants except scorpions, but lush forest and waterways
We'd have to clear-cut a swathe of land for any physical barrier and I would be totally against that
IF the Northern border is to be protected, we should do like the forestry service .... outposts every so far with massive electronic surveilance redudantly redundant for 3,000 mi
You never go full Scott Walker.
Scott Walker is an idiot 2016!!!
Because nothing says security like keeping the Hosers out. LOL!
Scott Walker is really pathetic at this point.
While Canada’s liberal immigration policies do allow it to be a possible entry point for terrorists, the completely open southern border is a far bigger problem... not really sure where Walker is going with this one.... I think it may be time to roll up the carpets and turn the lights out on this campaign.
I like the guy, but I don’t think he’s ready for prime time.
Who are the complete fools advising Walker ? Scott’s beginning to sound like Rubio .....
Did he?
Or did a 'reporter' badger him about it?
Hmmmmm?
Is Big Media lying to us again? (Is water wet? Does a bear defecate in the forest?)
Does anybody on FR even care?
Now if Linseed Graham would come out and support a massive wall along the the Atlantic coast, to protect us from hurricanes and U-boats, I might vote for him. Or not.
SAVE THE HATTERAS LIGHTHOUSE! SAVE THE LIGHTHOUSE!
Eh, hoser, a wall? Gonna build that out of ice to stop all those icebacks comin’ over?
If it would protect us from Grahamesty, it would be worth the investment.
LOL!
The thing that I find striking when reentering the U.S. from Canada is the marked difference in the towns and cities. Canada’s towns and cities are well kept, pristine even. When you cross the border into the U.S., neighborhoods are junkie and riddled with graffiti and trash, and the buildings are falling apart. I guess they don’t have the minority slum problems that we have.
There are some places where the border runs through the middle of a street. You live in the United States, but the people across the street live in Canada.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.