Virtual fence along Mexican border has turned ranchers' solitude into 'war zone'

Salt Lake Tribune ^ | 06/04/2007 | Arthur H. Rotstein

[Kellis91789]

Oh, so now you’re all high-tech all of a sudden ?

[Kellis91789]

I guess we disagree.

I think constantly roaming patrols and physically testing the integrity of the fence would be more expensive than sending agents out after people that have been spotted and you know exactly where they are. With 9 miles of view and people on foot, you’ve got 2 hours to see them coming and another two hours after they cross. That’s a lot of time to organize an interception.

[dennisw]

Tell the President to build a virtual fence around the White House and tear down the wrought iron one

[Travis McGee]

What we need is a REAL border fence. "Virtual fences" are designed to fool virtual idiots. Does anyone not notice that there is a REAL fence around the Casa Blanca?

"Border Reality 101"

This is what most of our southern border looks like: there is no government-built fence at all. There is often just whatever is left over from some forgotten cattle fence, built privately to keep U.S. cattle from wandering freely into Mexico. For hundreds of miles there is not even a broken cattle fence, there is nothing at all.

For comparison, below the broken cattle fence photo is a sample of an inexpensive but highly effective double border fence system, with a plowed strip to reveal footprints. This type of system is very cheap and can be built with great speed.

Here is what some of San Diego County has: a wall made of rusty Viet Nam-era runway mats. The corrugations are even horizontal, (to make climbing easier?)

Here is what the border looks like where the runway mat wall exists. Mexico begins on the other side of the ineffective rusty wall, which actually helps the smugglers, by hiding their movements until the occasional USBP vehicle has driven out of sight.

This is how "the game" is played. Smugglers hide on the other side of the wall with their dope and/or their illegals, out of sight of the USBP. They wait for the highly visible white BP vehicle to drive over the distant hills. Lookouts with cell phones and walkie-talkies report on the current locations of the BP units. They know with certainty that "the coast is clear" for an hour or two, and the smugglers and illegals hop the fence and run into the scrub only 50 yards away. From there, they are out of sight, and they walk 1-2 miles to holding houses. Then they wait for nightfall, and are picked up and driven in vans to LA or San Diego.

Next, we see the Duncan Hunter 15' fence, which is already being built along a few "showplace" miles of San Diego, mainly near the ports of entry, where panderng politicians can conveniently show it off to gullible reporters. As you can see, the rusty runway wall is seen at the left side, Mexico begins on the other side. In areas with the 15 foot fence, dope smugglers and illegals will have to cross the open sand ("the government road" as it is called) before starting to try to get over the 15 foot fence.

This new fence is extremely tough, and resists cutting. Attacking the fence would have to be done right out in the open, in full view of cameras. This type of fence, on the U.S. side of the government road, will give the USBP a barrier to patrol, instead of forcing them to chase illegals around 100,000 square miles of wide-open frontier land, which is a fool's errand. Everywhere this modern multiple fence system has been built, crossings by illegals drop to almost nil.

This ain't rocket science, folks. We're not talking about something like the Hoover Dam project, (which we managed to build 70 years ago). The world's last superpower, which put a man on the moon 35 years ago, can build a couple thousand miles of simple and effective fencing.

This is how it's being built in San Diego county, along the last 14 miles out to the ocean. The total cost of the entire fence from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific would be about 5 billion dollars, or what we spend medicating, hospitalizing, educating, and incarcerating illegal aliens just about every month. In other words, the fence would pay for itself immediately.

Or, we can continue our current policy.

[Travis McGee]

Exactly. It takes sensors, guards AND A FENCE for effective security. All three.

[Covenantor]

"Exactly. It takes sensors, guards AND A FENCE for effective security. All three."

And how about a new Chief of the Border Patrol? One that doesn't openly advocate amnest as Danny "the Eagle" Aguilar does. How about a Chief who suspects that his job just might be enforcing the law?

Welcome to Fantasy Island. [sarc off]

[dirtboy]

A fence only slows people down. Check the history of the fences between east and west Berlin.

About 5,000 people escaped to West Berlin while the wall was in existence. We have that many come over the border probably every night.

An nmanned fence system could be easily circumvented by bringing a large crane to the fence system and lifting people/drugs over.

Easily? That takes time. And is much more noticable than folks slipping over a three-strand barbed wire fence. So you're full of nonsense.

[Travis McGee]

It’s hard rowing, while the captain keeps drilling holes in the bottom.

[TheDon]

Great post! Thanks!

[Travis McGee]

Anytime.

[Ancesthntr]

So tell me, oh wise master of the universe, what would you do if you were threatened? Nothing? Wait for the cavalry to ride in, bugler leading the way?

You are welcome to do as you choose, in the event that you and yours are threatened. I have, very fortunately, never been in that situation. Given that, I cannot say with certainty what I will do; however, I will not go into the thing looking to be a victim. Yeah, it is a cliche - but I’d sure rather be tried by 12 than carried by 6 (along with the rest of my family).

You can call me all the names you want - I simply don’t care. I’m quite secure in who I am and in what I choose to do.

[dennisw]

Exactly. It takes sensors, guards AND A FENCE for effective security. All three.

That approach also cuts down on the number of Border Patrol agents you need once the fence is built.
So you need 

- A real physical fence
- Sensors and cameras which constitute the so called virtual fence
- Guards, meaning Border Patrol Agents

George Bush in his White House is protected by all three. When he retires I'm sure as a former president his Waco Ranch will use all three. Though not necessarily a physical fence around his entire propertry

[Travis McGee]

To me, there is no such thing as a virtual fence, that’s a chimera, meant to gull the rubes without closing the border.

The sensors and cameras are to make the physical fence more effective, period. They allow the Border Patrol Agents to surge to a breach before there is a breakthrough.

[Fawn]

They need to build a deep wide moat.....from the the Gulf to Pacific....and let the alligators breed in there. A thick wall with electric fence.

[Fawn]

OMG That wants me make to pull my hair out.....

[Fawn]

See...you got me so upset...I can't even make sense!!!

[Travis McGee]

Hey, it's not big deal, we're only watching our country sold out from under us by greedy traitors.

/ sarcasm

[Travis McGee]

Hey, it's not big deal, we're only watching our country sold out from under us by greedy traitors.

/ sarcasm

[Gideon Reader]

To date they have managed to interdict hundreds of thousands of virtual ILLEGAL ALIENS, who have been virtually detained on a series of portable media storage devices, where they are not fed or provided with non water at the appropriate virtual intervals.
Supporters of the Amnesty Bill are claiming savings of billions of taxpayer dollars not used on actual fencing or detention centers, that can be diverted towards the favorite entitlement programs of the various bi-partisan Senators who have banded together in what appears to be a Kakistocracy against the wishes of the people of the United States.

“We are quite proud of our success” said Senator McCain.”You havnt’ heard of any virtual “guest” creating a riot, have you. WELL ASSHOLE, HAVE YOU????? EFF you!. That’s what EFF you!!!!””

[Gideon Reader]

Bush:
“Youre’ doin a heck of a job Gonzo!”