Posted on 06/18/2007 11:28:18 AM PDT by hardback
Why am I so suspicious about the fealty of the reformers to real border control? In part because of the ridiculous debate over the building of a fence.
Despite the success of the border barrier in the San Diego area, it appears to be very important that this success not be repeated. The current Senate bill provides for the fencing of no more than one-fifth of the border and the placing of vehicle barriers in no more than one-ninth.
Instead, we are promised all kinds of fancy, high-tech substitutes -- sensors, cameras, unmanned aerial vehicles -- and lots more armed chaps on the ground to go chasing those who get through.
Why? A barrier is a very simple thing to do. The technology is well tested. In our time, the barrier Israel has built has been so effective in keeping out intruders that suicide attacks are down more than 90 percent.
Fences work. That's why people have them around their houses -- not because homeowners are unwelcoming, but because they insist that those who wish to come into their domain knock at the front door.
Fences are simple. They don't require much upkeep. Two fences with a patrol road between them across the length of the U.S.-Mexico border would be relatively cheap, easy to build and simple to maintain.
Comprehensive immigration reform has simply too many contentious provisions to command a majority of Congress or the country. We all agree on enforcement, don't we? So let's do it. Make it simple. And do it now. Once our borders come visibly under control, everything else will become doable. Including amnesty.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
If a wall or fence is built then they will notice if the border moves a few miles into their territory. Without a wall or fence the border can move all the way to Chiapas before they wise up.
1) Grant amnesty now
2) Build the fence later.
OR
1) Build the fence now
2) Decide the amnesty issue later.
I think it just says so much about some people (including President Bush) that they want the amnesty granted upfront, and that they plan to get to that fence thing at some point in the future. Ye gods!
We all agree on enforcement, don’t we?”
That’s Krauthammer sarcasm, I take it....
IF this President agreed on enforcement, he could demand a fence NOW.
The D’s would refuse.
We would absolutely decimate them in the next election and the fence would get built.
Alas, the leader of our country and our party, is absolutely and viscerally committed to non-enforcement - and the result is and will be disastrous, unless our party can simply distance ourselves rather radically from this idiot.
If you build it they won’t come.
I agree...build the damn fence and come back to the people with your grand scheme when it’s finished. Then the people of this country can decide the next step. The fence will never be built if this idiot scheme is passed!
Some border patrol agents were on TV earlier, showing some fairly large rocks that were pelted at them by these illegals. I knew their jobs were dangerous, but not to this extent!
These guys are definitely in the line of fire, and since they apparently can’t defend themselves (see Ramos and Compean), the fence is more important than ever! If it succeeded in San Diego, it should do well for the rest of the border. Of course, the powers that be really don’t want it to succeed, and that’s the problem.
Krauthammer is 100% dead on, as usual, with this.
He was great on Fox News Sunday......the ONLY one there who gets it!
Yes, build the fence, but let me be honest here. I don't want many tens of millions 3rd world immigrants here legal or otherwise. We're not talking about just legalizing the current 12-20 million illegals, we're going to allow some form of familly reunification and the continued anchor baby policy. With all the millions this will bring, it wont matter whether we control the border or not.
All the San Diego fence did was reroute traffic to different areas. If a fence is built across the entire border the coyotes will revert to digging holes and tunnels, hence the need for electronic assistance.
!Si, se puede!
The `Hammer’ gets it.
This makes my day!
The reason fences are built around prison yards, is so the guards are not then required to stand arms linked, shoulder to shoulder, 24/7/365. First, because this solution is not practical, for any number of reasons, and secondly, because some very basic and simple technology does exist to serve the same purpose.
Fences work. Augmented with the spy-in-the-sky, sensors, and human patrols at spaced intervals, they become doubly effective in directing those who would wish to cross over to US soil to the AUTHORIZED crossing points.
Anything else is merely condoning the situation with the porous borders.
ping
good point. We would indeed win in a big way. A vast majority of American's, left and right, want the fence built. It's astounding how out of touch are our rulers.
The San Diego fence worked, as your own words prove. A fence works, it worked in East Berlin and it works in Israel and it will work here if we build it long enough. A fence that makes people travel another 700 miles to cross illegally is going to but down on crossings, if the fence is made the length of the border, and it could be, then they might dig, but digging is harder than simply driving across with a coyote and digging can be monitored easily with patrols and electonics, BUT patrols and electronics are not worth spit without the fence in place. Fence first and NEVER amnesty fence or not.
20+million brand new democrat voters is a joke on the republican party.. AND they are mostly oblivious.. tongue hanging out eye rolling oblivious(republicans)..
Amnesty equals democrat voters.. actually the illegals are probably voting democrat right now.. with fake I.D.'s especially in Mexifornia, Arizona and New Mexico.. maybe in Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington State.. and even Texas...
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