Either... Or...
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The ink has barely dried on the bill that was to create a fence along 700 miles of the border between the United States and Mexico. Already the incoming Congressional leadership is apparently discussing the possibility of not constructing that fence that would impede the flow of potential terrorists across the land border that is often crossed by drug traffickers and illegal aliens. Rep. Bennie Thompson, currently ranking member on the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee, is seen as the probable new chairman of that critical committee, and this article claims to represent Representative Thompson's position on the fence. He is quoted as saying that perhaps we need to construct a "virtual fence" along the border with Mexico. I have also heard a number of leaders of the incoming Congress claim that they want to make the implementation of the recommendations of the 9-11 Commission their highest priority. Simply stated, you cannot have it both ways.
The ink has barely dried on the bill that was to create a fence along 700 miles of the border between the United States and Mexico. Already the incoming Congressional leadership is apparently discussing the possibility of not constructing that fence that would impede the flow of potential terrorists across the land border that is often crossed by drug traffickers and illegal aliens. Rep. Bennie Thompson, currently ranking member on the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee, is seen as the probable new chairman of that critical committee, and this article claims to represent Representative Thompson's position on the fence. He is quoted as saying that perhaps we need to construct a "virtual fence" along the border with Mexico. I have also heard a number of leaders of the incoming Congress claim that they want to make the implementation of the recommendations of the 9-11 Commission their highest priority. Simply stated, you cannot have it both ways.
A virtual fence will stop virtually no terrorists or criminals!
The Border Patrol is so understaffed and jail space is still not adequate, so even if sensor sound an alert and cameras record the images of illegal aliens running across the border, these devices cannot stop the illegal aliens and smugglers who are violating our nation's sovereign borders. Imagine if you lived in a town that had a shortage of fire engines, police cars and ambulances but spent their limited funds on putting in new call boxes for emergency services. You could go to the call box, pull the alarm and tell the operator who answered what the emergency was, only to be told that they would try to respond to the emergency within a couple of hours! You would think that the members of the local government who squandered precious funds on call boxes rather than hire enough firemen, police officers or emergency medical technicians and provide them with the vehicles and other essential equipment had lost their minds! That is what the use of sensors along the border amounts to when you do not have the required personnel and other resources to effectively deal with the alerts the sensors would be generating.
The most cost-effective way of blocking the flow of illegal traffic is a fence that is patrolled and augmented by sensors. This is not an either or proposition, not with our nation's security and the lives of our citizens handing in the balance.
The bottom line, as articulated by the 9-11 Commission, is that in order for the terrorists to attack our nation, they first needed to be able to enter our nation.
The first priority is to prevent that illegal entry in the first place, to prevent terrorists, criminals, gang members, drug traffickers and others who would do us harm from gaining access to our country. This is a basic, yet critical job that must be done effectively.
That is why there are members of the United States Border Patrol working in Iraq to help secure the Iraqi borders.
November 16, 2006 03:05 PM
November 16, 2006 03:05 PM
posted by jillosophy at 11/18/2006 07:10:00 PM
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