The Tale of the Invisible Seven-Hundred-Mile Fence

self | 6 January, 2007 | joanie-f

[Minuteman23]

Yes, Joanie has a link to the same story right in this essay. We station our soldiers on the border, tell them that all they're there for is "administrative duties," and then expect them to face armed criminals who wouldn't think twice about offing them. Disgusting doesn't begin to describe this situation.

[azhenfud]

"The $1.2 billion for the Fence is in the Homeland Security budget signed Oct 6th 2006."

LOL! Well, it's certainly apparent you missed the other wasteful opportunities "Homeland Security" has in which to allocate that $1.2 billion fund besides physical fencing.

You apparently also missed the part that exempts any grade of one foot rise to ten foot run from the actual construction of any fencing structure at all, a greater grade often traversed by DC elite around Washington every day. Don't think for a second DC Stooges won't exercise that option fairly often to refuse building any barrier at all.

To re-quote; " Try actually finding out the facts next time before posting."

joanie-f,
Nice essay.

[Minuteman23]

How many feet of fence have been built?

No feet. None has been. None will.

People who point to the money allocation in the budget are living in a dream world. When money is allocated for a reasonable project that is constitutional, that protects the citizenry, and that does nothing for the politician, most of the time it either goes unspent or gets allocated elsewhere, thanks to convenient codicils in the law.

[archy]

I just read 'Requiem' in its entirety. That someone so far removed, by geographic distance and time, from our current desperate situation could manage to describe it so well is evidence, I guess, of the 'eternal-ness' of the degradation of the human condition.

Kipling's description is even more apt when applied to his Great Britain [or that of Post-WWI of T.E. Lawrence.] But even Churchill had it right:

How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property - either as a child, a wife, or a concubine - must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.

"Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities. Thousands become the brave and loyal soldiers of the Queen: all know how to die. But the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytising faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science - the science against which it had vainly struggled - the civilisation of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilisation of ancient Rome."

--Winston S. Churchill

[ckilmer]

Six gang rapes by illegal aliens,
Smugglers of Illegal Aliens Cause Rising Violence in Arizona
America as Predators Paradise
More illegal aliens tried in gang rapes

Man (illegal alien), 19, accused of lewd and lascivious acts with girl, 13
Illegal aliens linked to gang-rape wave

14 farm workers arrested in kidnap, rape
Sting rounds up 25 foreigners for sex crimes
Illegal alien rapes puppy
Study: 1 million sex crimes by illegals - 100 offenders crossing border daily
Charge is sex with 13 year old
Border Sex Slave Ring Defendant Gets 10 Years

Jeffersonville suspect caught in Louisville (molested 8 year old girl)
Court dates loom in taxi, school rapes
Man sentenced to 20 years under new sex offender law (raped 8 year old)
Illegal immigrant rapes one woman and assaults another
4 illegal aliens gang-rape woman in NYC,

Another Child and drug Smuggling Arrest at Hidalgo Port
16 Year Old Illegal Immigrant sentenced to 33 years for rape and burglary
Feds Bust 25 Illegal Alien Sexual Predators in L.A.
Illegal alien suspect in newlywed's rape arrested in Texas
Calif. fugitive wanted on sex charges arrested at Canadian border
Man, 19, accused of lewd and lascivious acts with girl, 13

Illegal Immigrant Arrested for Rape of Newlywed
Jamaican Immigrant Sentenced for Rape of 13-Year-Old
Fugitive Sexual Predators Wanted by Interpol Nabbed in New Jersey
Illegal immigrant denied bail reduction (for trying to abduct 11 year old girl)
Child-rape suspect tells police he has HIV (raped 5 year old and knew he had HIV)
Man pleads guilty in Frame Park rape
Illegal immigrant pleads guilty to assaulting 6-year-old girl

Illegal Immigrant Suspected in Rapes and Dozens of Sexual Assaults,
More Details on Illegal Immigrant Accused of Raping Children,
Illegal aliens linked to gang-rape wave - The crime epidemic no one will talk about?,
Outrage as 'rapist' vanishes,
Illegal immigrants charged with sexual assault on two 13 year old girls,
Illegal immigrant is given 10 years in gross sexual imposition case,

Theories swirl around Friday's kidnapping, rape,
Illegal immigrant accused of impregnating 10-year-old girl
“Worst of the worst” arrested during Special Operation
, Illegal alien kidnaps and rapes 9 year old girl,
Immigrant Suspected in 7 Sexual Assaults,
Police Looking For Illegal Immigrant Suspected Of Raping A Child,
Illegal Immigrant Charged with Sodomizing Young Boy,
Members of Mexican Sex Slave Ring Sentenced,
Illegal alien jailed for sexual assault of girl, 14

Man dies in shootout with Calif. cops (illegal immigrant)

,
16-year-old illegal immigrant sentenced for brutal knifepoint rape
, Naked illegal alien In Mask Attacks Babysitter,
36 Immigrant Sex Offenders Arrested In Orange County
, Illegal immigrant is given 10 years in gross sexual imposition case,

[ckilmer]

The press secretary for the California Republican Party is the son of illegal aliens who came the USA 35 years ago. In this article he chronicles how in recent years there has been a massive change in the number and kind of illegals coming north. Including a crimnal element that is causing a deterioration in the quality of life of Americans. Consider this article Illegal aliens murder 12 Americans daily Death toll in 2006 far overshadows total U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq, Afghanistan

People have been referring to the Captains Quarters as a rebuke to the assertions of the article. The Captain's Quarters makes the assertion that -- for the numbers to be true -- it would have to be the case that a small number of people were committing a lot of crimes. That is to say far outside the statistical norm for the USA. The problem is that he didn't actually check the federal stats. As it happens it is the case that illegals tend to be very repeat offenders.

Below are some government stats to back up the article's assertioms

From the FBI crime statistics * An estimated 16,692 persons were murdered nationwide in 2005, an increase of 3.4 percent from the 2004 figure. * Murder comprised 1.2 percent of the overall estimated number of violent crimes in 2005. (Based on Table 1.) * There were an estimated 5.6 murders per 100,000 inhabitants.

Illegal Alien Crime Wave

On April 7, 2005, the US Justice Department issued a report on criminal aliens that were incarcerated in federal and state prisons and local jails. In the population study of 55,322 illegal aliens, researchers found that they were arrested at least a total of 459,614 times, averaging about 8 arrests per illegal alien. Nearly all had more than 1 arrest. Thirty-eight percent (about 21,000) had between 2 and 5 arrests, 32 percent (about 18,000) had between 6 and 10 arrests, and 26 percent (about 15,000) had 11 or more arrests. Most of the arrests occurred after 1990. They were arrested for a total of about 700,000 criminal offenses, averaging about 13 offenses per illegal alien. One arrest incident may include multiple offenses, a fact that explains why there are nearly one and half times more offenses than arrests. Almost all of these illegal aliens were arrested for more than 1 offense. Slightly more than half of the 55,322 illegal aliens had between 2 and 10 offenses.

CRIMINAL HISTORY

More than two-thirds of the defendants charged with an immigration offense were identified as having been previously arrested. Thirty-six percent had been arrested on at least 5 prior occasions; 22%, 2 to 4 times; and 12%,1 time. Sixty-one percent of those defendants had been convicted at least once; 18%, 5 or more times; 26%, 2 to 4 times; and 17%, 1 time. Of those charged, 49% had previously been convicted of a felony: 20% of a drug offense; 18%, a violent offense; and 11%, other felony offenses. Twelve percent had previously been convicted of a misdemeanor. Defendants charged with unlawful reentry had the most extensive criminal histories. Nine in ten had been previously arrested. Of those with a prior arrest, half had been arrested on at least 5 prior occasions. Fifty-six percent of those charged with a reentry offense had previously been convicted of a violent or drug-related felony. By contrast, under half of those charged with alien smuggling, a third of those charged with unlawful entry, and just over a quarter those charged with misuse of visas and other charges had previously been arrested. The criminal histories of these defendants were generally less extensive: more than 70% had been previously arrested fewer than 5 times. Sources: US Department of Homeland Security, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, National Security Institute, National Association of Chiefs of Police, US Department of Justice

[zeugma]

It's already too late

Too late to work within the system.

Is it too soon to start shooting the bastards? 

[joanie-f]

Excellent response.

I'd like anyone who finds comfort in this law, and the funding allocation, to read both in their entirety and then get back to us regarding the odds that a fence will ever be built.

It's so obvious that our 'leadership' has artfully inserted so many post scripts to this legislation that the money, if spent at all, will be spent on 'virtual wall' concepts (which are generally hollow efforts aimed at keeping us all quiet), simply because all of the stipulations regarding an actual physical wall cannot possibly be met.

The schemers are hard at work, and the majority of the citizenry hasn't a clue.

[archy]

I just read 'Requiem' in its entirety. That someone so far removed, by geographic distance and time, from our current desperate situation could manage to describe it so well is evidence, I guess, of the 'eternal-ness' of the degradation of the human condition.

Just so. Now try some Don Marquis

In particular, this one:

A Politician

Leader no more, be judged of us!
  Hailed Chief, and loved, of yore—
Youth, and the faith of youth, cry out:
  Leader and Chief no more!

We dreamed a Prophet, flushed with faith,
  Content to toil in pain
If that his sacrifice might be,
  Somehow, his people’s gain.

We saw a vision, and our blood
  Beat red and hot and strong:
“Lead us (we cried) to war against
  Some foul, embattled wrong!”

We dreamed a Warrior whose sword
  Was edged for sham and shame;
We dreamed a Statesman far above
  The vulgar lust for fame.

We were not cynics, and we dreamed
  A Man who made no truce
With lies nor ancient privilege
  Nor old, entrenched abuse.

We dreamed . . . we dreamed . . .  Youth dreamed
      a dream!
  And even you forgot
Yourself, one moment, and dreamed, too—
  Struck, while your mood was hot!

Struck three or four good blows . . . and then
  Turned back to easier things:
The cheap applause, the blatant mob,
  The praise of underlings!

Praise . . . praise . . . was ever man so filled,
  So avid still, of praise?
So hungry for the crowd’s acclaim,
  The sycophantic phrase?

O you whom Greatness beckoned to . . .
  O swollen Littleness
Who turned from Immortality
  To fawn upon Success!

O blind with love of self, who led
  Youth’s vision to defeat,
Bawling and brawling for rewards,
  Loud, in the common street!

O you who were so quick to judge—
  Leader, and loved, of yore—
Hear now the judgment of our youth:
  Leader and Chief no more!

[azhenfud]

"I'm not preaching the idea of taking over our government, but I am saying that our people can shut them down if we really want to."

You want to control DC's money? they'll either print more and borrow or confiscate what you have shorted them along with severe penalty and interest. To shut them down merely means those with "entitlements" and living off taxpayer aide will be the first to suffer the ill effects, not the Stiff Suit politician of DC who has feathered his own nest well. Since they hold the resource strings - it's probable their hold-out would endure far longer than the common person engaging in revolt.

[joanie-f]

Is it too soon to start shooting the bastards?

I believe Claire's answer would now be 'no,' but you'd have to ask her. :)

[joanie-f]

Thanks for the excellent recent responses.

Am on my way out the door for the afternoon, but will digest them, and respond, later today.

[jpsb]

bump

[jpsb]

hey put me on your ping list I love reading your posts.

[azhenfud]

You can also mark this down: a physical barrier cannot simply be turned off when the public isn't looking - it will still perform the task of making it difficult to cross, buying time for offenders to be observed. OTOH, a barrier of the virtual type can be "turned off", ordered unmonitored, or simply abandoned as political pressure subsides.

The virtual fence is the US government's fence of choice.

[B4Ranch]

please reconsider..its the islamic facists not poor mexicans. These people pick our fruit and clean our toilets they wish us no harm.

Would you please explain to us all why 30% of our prison beds is taken by these *poor mexicans* who wish us no harm?

I know these *poor mexicans* are supposed to have wonderful family values and all that would make them great citizens.

Would you please explain to us all why so many of them refuse to cross at a Port of Entry and why they refuse to assimilate themselves to us?

Would you please explain to us all why so many of them were carrying the Mexican flag during their marches last fall?

Would you please explain to us all why so many of them refuse to learn the English language?

While you are at it, please explain why our President appears more interested in preserving the Mexican culture than he is the American culture.

Just a few more simple questions, are you Hispanic? If you are not, why are you so interested in helping the *poor mexicans*? Have you adopted any of these *poor mexicans* yet?

________________________________________________________

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...

There can be NO divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all.

We have room for but ONE flag, the American flag...

We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...

and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt 1907

[EveningStar]

Well-written and provocative.

Misc ping list
SoCal ping list

[archy]

I'd like anyone who finds comfort in this law, and the funding allocation, to read both in their entirety and then get back to us regarding the odds that a fence will ever be built.

Well, I do, in a sort of back-handed way. No fence or wall, left unguarded, is going to accomplish anything by its existance alone. It'll have to be backed up, whether by the Border Patrol or a military force dedicated to the task, like Germany's Bundesgrenzeschutze, technically a police organization with arrest powers, but armed and equipped in military fashion, to include armoured vehicles.

Among our southern border there are 24 U.S. counties contiguous with Mexican territory, spread along four states. I'd suggest that the posting of a battalion of troops [circa 750 personnel] in each county, with each state providing a brigade headquarters and support elements, would be a good initial start; from there it can be determined where more troops are needed, or less. Similarly, major Army posts are available in Texas [Ft Hood, Ft Bliss, Ft Sam Houston] and Arizona [Fort Huachuca and the Yuma Proving Ground] and Marine installations in California, [MCAS Miramar/and MCRD San Diego, Camp Pendleton, 29 Palms and the Marine Coirps Logistics Base at Barstow] so those services might be better suited to operations in those states.

The required force would thereby be around 17,700 troops, about divisional strength, in normal practice run by a Major [2 stars] General. With or without a fence/wall, such a force would require only a Presidential Finding that the incursions from Mexico represent a clear and present danger to the stability and authority of the United States; US troops have been so tasked before.

ICE/Homeland Security/Customs/Immigration personnel thereby freed up could then be set to the task of internal security efforts in cleaning house of the 20-million illegal invaders now present.

In short: we need troops along our southern border as much or more than we need a fence, and we REALLY need a President capable of taking that kind of leadership action.

[Basheva]

I place the blame for the lack of security of the border squarely at the hands of the do-nothing Republicans.

They had 12 years - TWELVE YEARS - literally owning the government - all three houses. A president who as a former governor of a border state was/is well aware of the problems and only offers an amnesty program.

We only got the border fence as a desperate attempt to keep the base for this past election cycle.

There are only a handful of Republicans who are truly interested in securing the borders: Tancredo, Hunter and a couple of others.

The rest voted for it knowing it wouldn't be funded.

It just sickens me.

[EveningStar]

It's not a good idea to post this. Not even in jest.