NYT: House Republicans Will Push for 700 Miles of Fencing on Mexico Border

[DeepModem Mom]

House Republicans Will Push for 700 Miles of Fencing on Mexico Border
By RACHEL L. SWARNS
Published: September 14, 2006

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 — House Republicans announced Wednesday that they would move swiftly to pass legislation requiring the Bush administration to build 700 miles of fencing along the Mexican border to help stem the flow of illegal immigrants and drugs into the United States.

The legislation, which is expected to go to the House floor for a vote on Thursday, would require construction of two layers of reinforced fencing along stretches of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas that are considered among the most porous parts of the border.

It would also require officials of the Department of Homeland Security to establish “operational control” over all American land and sea borders by using Border Patrol agents, fencing, satellites, cameras and unmanned aerial vehicles.

The bill is the first in a series of border security measures House Republicans have promised to pass before the midterm elections in November....

***

Democrats promptly criticized the plan as political grandstanding intended to energize conservative voters before the elections....Michael Chertoff, the homeland security secretary, has publicly raised doubt about the effectiveness of border fencing, particularly in remote desert areas....

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/14/washington/14immig.html

[madeline_con]

1. So, they go around.

Are these people even aware of how dumb they sound?

[eccles12]

23. Remember. i warned Dems that this is the stealth issue that will win

for the Republicans come November.

[Botany]

2. Those brown people have never heard of

And thanks to NAFTA cargo is not checked and goes right through.

[MadMaddie]

3. Ummm....where are they going to get the money?

They can't seem to pay for our injured soldiars...but they can come up with money for a fence????? All of them are idiots....Wedge issue...

[0007]

10. I hope its as beautiful as the one the Israelis put up!

[HuffleClaw]

4. this constant pandering to racism IS a republican hallmark

i wonder what their next trick will be.

[MadMaddie]

8. Let's look in their bag of racism....hmmmm

gays, blacks, muslims, working women, birth control, end of life,???

[babylonsister]

5. Oooh, goody! They have a 'mission' to fool some people! nt

[2Design]

6. we must need reagan to tear down the wall - this is stupid -

they are stupid - it is too late -
Change the policies - stop the corporations - help everyone have a living wage where they live - stop wasting money on bombs and bullets and give it to the people -

I am so polarized to these people - they are so UNCHRISTIAN - it is appalling

[Dogmudgeon]

7. They don't want the wall - they want the controversy

The bill authorizing and funding the Wall will never pass. When it is finally killed (in the second or third week of October), they will accuse the Democrats of wanting to let all those bad Mexicans and A-Rabbs into the country and give them welfare, Cadillacs, and all of our women.

Such is the mind of the Conservative. I can't say "such is the soul of the Conservative" since none of them seem to have a soul.

--p!

[MadMaddie]

9. Other than Padilla (a wanna be) me thinks that all of the

terrorist were...gasp Suadi...:sarcasm:

[maseman]

11. THE GREAT WALL OF MEXICO

Just doesn't sound as good as CHINA.

[truth2power]

20. BINGO!! Thank you, Pigwidgeon...

"They don't want the wall-they want the controversy." Pepugs are ALL about keeping things stirred up and distracting the American bovines while they destroy our country.

[sofa king]

12. When wire cutters are outlawed, only outlaws will have wire cutters.

Were these people never children? There wasn't a fence I couldn't climb, dig under, or squeeze through, if I couldn't find the hole that someone had already cut.

For the love of Elvis, why not just take the billions of dollars we're going to waste on that stupid idea and give it to Mexico for economic development? That way, in ten years, Americans can sneak over the border to someplace less fucking insane than here.

[truth2power]

22. Excellent post! Has it all..

Biting humor and fundamental (sorry!) truths.

If it hadn't been for friggin NAFTA, maybe the Mexican economy would be in better shape. And, hey...I'll go with that; find somewhere less fucking insane than here. :mad:

[w4rma]

13. Fine with me. Wont do very much at all, but its fine with me anyway.

Maybe if they get this fence up, many conservatives will notice that it didn't change hardly anything and we can have a conversation with many of those conservatives about the *real* reasons they are coming over and what we can do to get rid of the incentives and what we can do to help their economy so they don't feel the need to leave their country.

[and-justice-for-all]

14. So how does the fence effect the NAU?

Isnt that counter productive when your they are planning to form the North American Union (Canada, US and Mexico)?

[Scurrilous]

15. Molly Ivins: Immigration 101 (March 30, 2006)

Immigration 101 for beginners and non-Texans.

<snip>

"In 1983, I was a judge at the Terlingua Chili Cookoff, and my memory of the events may not be perfect -- for example, for years I've been claiming Jimmy Carter was president at the time, but that's the kind of detail one often loses track of in Terlingua.

Anyway, it was '83 or some year right around there when we held The Fence climbing contest. See, people talked about building The Fence back then, too. The Fence along the Mexican border. To keep Them out.

At the time, the proposal was quite specific -- a 17-foot cyclone fence with bob wire at the top. So a test fence was built at Terlingua, and the First-Ever Terlingua Memorial Over, Under or Through Mexican Fence Climbing Contest took place. Prize: a case of Lone Star beer. Winning time: 30 seconds.

I tell this story to make the one single point about the border and immigration we know to be true: The Fence will not work. No fence will work. The Great darn Wall of China will not work. Do not build a fence. It will not work. They will come anyway. Over, under or through."

more

[Knurled99]

16. Hmm.. dual use fences?

Could be part of a grand scheme to keep us all in eh? You haf ze papaz comrade!?!?

[truthisfreedom]

17. Democrats to build 700 miles of fencing around Rethuglicans

and this is not yet enough. we need 7 million miles of fence around them. they should roam free in their own environment! 8^)

[Peace Patriot]

18. Got to keep those Mexicans out! They believe in counting every vote!

And, boy, do they put on big, well-organized protests! Something stirring in Latin America, you know--vast, peaceful, leftist (majorityist) revolution. Huge, unstoppable. Better build that fence quick.

[brooklynite]

19. As Governor Napolitano of Arizona once said...

You show me a 50-foot wall and I'll show you a 51-foot ladder at the border

[Vidar]

21. Call out the minutemaen & their chaise lounges.