Border Fence

[executioner]

In the last year or so the border fence issue has come to a head and being from Texas I for one do not want a border fence. When speaking with friends and family it seems that most Texans feel the same way. I'm like Perry and Paul and feel boots on the ground and technology will actually do a better job.
Another issue with the border fence here is unlike California, Arizona, and New Mexico the Texas border consist mostly of private landowners and most if not all are not willing to give up their property and rights for this fence, and also Big Bend National Park lies on the border and the only way to get anything built on their territories has to be approve by the National Parks & Wildlife Commission and they have already said it will not pass.

Your thoughts.

[gman]

I'd like to see the Great wall of China on the border. And actually, a combination of all things. As many layers of security against penetration as possible. But, I agree that getting a fence actually built might be tough sledding.

[executioner]

Yeah there IMO too many factors here in Texas to get it done. Plus these candiates like Bachmann, Santorum, Cain, and others don't have a clue what red tape they will have to go through in order to get it up here in Texas.

[knotodiswrld]

I used to be a big fan of the border fence/wall idea. The problem is that a wall, by itself, won't actually STOP anyone. It can only slow people down for a few minutes Something as simple as a ladder can defeat the mightiest wall unless that wall is defended by armed personnel.

The great walled cities of the past did not rely on the wall alone to protect them. Those walls were manned by soldiers ever alert and ready to respond to attempts to breach the wall. Had not the walls of Jericho been defended by soldiers, no miracle would have been needed to take the city. The Hebrews could have brought ladders or battering rams and defeated the walls at their leisure.

The border fence is the same way. As this article shows: http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas ... 691764.php

Had not the border agents just happened to be there, the fence would have proved little more than an inconvenience to the smugglers.

Thus, in order for the fence to be of any use, it would have to be defended ... and that's an awful lot of fence to defend. It would take a force much larger than the border patrol could currently put in place.

Cain's idea of electrifying the fence would make bypassing the fence more difficult, but not impossible. Those wishing to cross it would merely have to use insulated ladders and mats laid over the fence to climb across. I wonder just how much electricity it would take and whether it the added deterrent would be worth the cost.

I would prefer to use the border fence as training for new Predator drone pilots. The pilots' first few missions would be flying predator drones up and down the fence line, and either reporting or shooting (depending on the threat posed) anything trying to cross the fence. I don't mind shooting drug smugglers, but I'd rather not shoot kids being taken across by their parents. That would seem rather cruel.

In this way, we could turn the border fence into a DEFENDED wall, and it would thus serve some purpose.

Of course the drug smugglers also use tunnels, which would be impervious to Predator drone patrols.

As far as the Northern border goes:

Yes, those pesky Canadians. They must be stopped from bringing in their socialistic health care and their weird money.

[brent]

Reagan and his admin were key to getting walls down, and now Repubs want a wall to go up. I know, I know....two different circumstances.

We should just buy Mexico. or invade it and take it over. There is too much corruption and too little money to go around. Heck, since Obama is willing to print up money out of this air, you would think that he would just drop it out of the black hawks down there. Drop so much of it that the drug business would be meaningless.

We are doing Mexico a huge favor by allowing people to defect to this county, get their health care for free, get their children educated for free, and fed for free. My wife teaches at a school where the largest segment of the population are Mexicans, who do not speak English, do not eat at home, hardly see their parents because they are working multiple jobs, and the kids LOVE IT. They have a better life at school than they do at home. What is ironic is these kids get Americanized and then kind of look down their noses at the other illegal new arrivals when they show up. At some point, Mexico needs to be cutting us a big fat check for all of the people we pick up, incarcerate and educate. If they can't write the check, then they do as the Jews and work as slaves until their debt is paid. Oh wait....some are doing that now

[gman]

President O is too busy giving stimulus cash to Car companies in Finland, Oil companies in Brazil, and solar panel companies already predicted to go belly up with or without federal help.

[brent]

Green jobs....shovel ready jobs....all a pile of dookie. There are none. Nobody cares. You can get off of the grid by yourself. There are tons of books, magazines, websites, etc. I have musician friends that I used to tour with who are off of the grid, out in the middle of nowhere. They did it with recycled materials for the most part. But, they also live where there is sunshine and wind most of the time too.

We need to quit supporting enemies and support friends. We need to show that we have not be neutered and that we stand for what is right, not what is beneficial. It is time to take big business out of government, and take government out of the small business.

[executioner]

Green jobs....shovel ready jobs....all a pile of dookie. There are none. Nobody cares. You can get off of the grid by yourself. There are tons of books, magazines, websites, etc. I have musician friends that I used to tour with who are off of the grid, out in the middle of nowhere. They did it with recycled materials for the most part. But, they also live where there is sunshine and wind most of the time too.

We need to quit supporting enemies and support friends. We need to show that we have not be neutered and that we stand for what is right, not what is beneficial. It is time to take big business out of government, and take government out of the small business.

Agreed.