Which Border Needs a Security Fence?

Looks like the terror threat lies due North. Besides, I have trouble understanding a Canadian accent.

Comments

[Jason Ligon]

Always has been true. If the concern is really about terrorism and not about brown babies, we are talking about creating a Northern Army and a Southern Army to 'close' our borders.

I'm not unsympathetic to the idea that there is a security hole associated with porous borders, or that there is a subset of people who are very difficult to locate by law enforcement types because they have no identification, but the cost of raising two additional armies and deploying them 24/7 is astronomical.

[methodman]

The cost is astronomical, and the return on investment is damn near zilch.

[APL]

As if it wasn't always obvious that "security" is just an excuse to keep America white.

[Larry Edelstein]

Yes, just like it is now.

[anon]

god damn furbacks and their terrorism...

[ed]

Seventeen Canadian residents were in custody Saturday on terrorism-related charges, including plots to use explosives in attacks on Canadian soil

On Canadian soil.

[Twba]

Why do they hate Canada?

[Ayn_Randian]

Completely and totally off topic, but I had been thinking for a while that we have quite a few Ohioans on this board; smacky, PL, Ruthless, etc (if there's anyone I missed, apologies) but we should look at having a Reason get-together in the area. Send me an e-mail if you're interested.

[76]

Why DO they hate Canada?

[Deus ex Machina]

Not to mention that the only major terrorist to attempt to cross the US-Canada border, Ahmed Ressam, was caught by Customs. The system worked but somehow, every border security hawk, seems to bring up his case to prove that the US needs a Berlin Wall around itself.

Did you know that the Minuteman also have patrols along the Canadian border?

[dimwit appeaser]

If Canada is a terrorist target then Canada must be doing something wrong. Canada ought to ask these freedom fighters what Canada is doing wrong so that they may stop such activities immediately.

[Holmwood]

As ed points out above, this actually is a weak example of needing more border security to the north. (Not saying that more security isn't needed, just that, given their desire to strike in Canada, the border issue is largely irrelevant).

Also, the sign of large numbers of arrests is good news; we know full well that Canada, Britain, and the US have significant numbers of terrorist-sympathizers (and potential terrorists) resident. To be apprehending them before they act is not news that these countries have terrorist cells; it's news that that (in this case) Canada has stopped a set of cells.

I think moving armies onto the northern border would gain one relatively little in terms of security (though it might shut down importation of BC marijuana).

Why do they hate Canada?

Could be because Canada was one of the five countries bin Laden called for attacks on in 2001 and again in 2004. The five 'Christian nations' were Australia, Britain, Canada, Spain, and of course the USA.

Could also be because Canada, despite not participating significantly on OIF, participated in Desert Shield/Storm, peacekeeping in the Golan Heights, and in Afghanistan.

Holmwood.

[Larry Anderson]

Jason Ligon,

I see you just couldn?t WAIT to roll out the racist allegation. Yes, it is always far easier to demonize those you disagree with rather than debate the issues. Brown babies indeed.

If Canada was sending an unending wave of illegals into the U.S. with Canadian Government encouragement, demanding protected class status for those illegals who then pillage American homes and businesses along the border, using the Canadian Military to escort drug shipments and fire on U.S. Law Enforcement when discovered, and enacted a Mexican style ?don?t ask, don?t tell? policy about travelers from known terrorist sponsoring nations, then you could bet there DAMN WELL would be calls for a Northern fence or whatever. But this is clearly not the case. Canada is a friendly nation who seems to be taking the threat of terrorism fairly seriously. Mexico historically has been neither of those things.

[joe]

Larry thinks that Mexican immigration is a greater threat to our security than terrorism.

Larry, I think you are soft on terrorism.

SOFT! SOFT!

[SR]

"I see you just couldn?t WAIT to roll out the racist allegation. Yes, it is always far easier to demonize those you disagree with rather than debate the issues. Brown babies indeed."

Why don't you scroll down to the John Gibson-related posts of the past two weeks and then check back on the racism thing?

[Jason Ligon]

Larry,

Did you make it past the first sentence in that post of mine? This was about the terrorism argument.

There are two, TWO extremely large unprotected borders to this country of ours. If the concern is terrorists sneaking across the border, a southern fence alone doesn't do much. It is for that reason I find any claim that this is about terrorism to be highly problematic.

What a bunch of barbarians at the gate BS that fills the rest of your post. I'll have to look up the elements of 'pillage' under Texas criminal law, I guess. Is that don't ask don't tell policy written down somewhere? Are the Mexicans protecting drug shipments from the DEA?

[wayne]

Jason,

I suppose the concern for the borders is partly about terrorists sneaking across, but that is a very small part. The main concern is about the flood of needy, illegal aliens.

Jason, you did make the "brown babies" statement. Maybe that race-baiting talk is just so much a part of your nature that you don't recognize it, but you need to accept responsibility for your own statements.

[wayne]

"As if it wasn't always obvious that "security" is just an excuse to keep America white."

Yes, of course, those who want the US to remain prosperous and to have a managable flow of immigrants who actually provide a benefit to the US are really just a bunch of Klansmen. America is so utterly white right now, and we must make it ever so.

[Ruthless]

My barber was so proud of himself today for reciting this, I'm sure you've heard:
1. Dig a moat all along the border betwixt the US and Mexico.
2. Deposit the dirt therefrom on New Orleans to bring it above sea level.
3. Transport those testy alligators from Florida to populate the moat.
4. Hire Mexicans to dig the moat.

Result: A win, win, win, win situation.

It's a barber shop world out there.
Be careful.
You may get barbers' itch.

[Jon H]

"To be apprehending them before they act is not news that these countries have terrorist cells; it's news that that (in this case) Canada has stopped a set of cells."

And they actually caught people with a more realistic plot than trying to bring down the Brooklyn bridge with blowtorches.

[wayne]

ruthless,

isn't there a version of that joke where all the mexicans end up eaten by the alligators... oh, and also where all the "less than white" LTW people of New Orleans are somehow killed also. Those small additions would make that joke much funnier, and more racist to boot.

[Dick]

Christ, that guy's picture looks evil. He must be a terrorist, he has red glowing eyes.

[MainstreamMan]

Somehow this

http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2006/06/altruistic-horizons-our-tribal-natures.html#comments

by David Brin seems on topic.

My favorite bit from it.

I have some accompanying charts, showing a set of nested CYLINDERS, each holding the same volume of worry and optimistic hope. But some are tall and slim, representing societies in which fear levels are very high? and the resulting radius of horizons (threat, time and inclusion) are therefore very short range. Other cylinders are low and fat, representing cultures wherein fear has been so low, for so long that the horizons of worry stretch very far from the individual worrier, who now obsesses over matters that lie years, or thousands of miles away, and matters of inclusion that involve people (even animals and ecosystems) that his or her ancestors would have simply considered prey.

[BornAgainIconoclast]

Completely and totally off topic, but I had been thinking for a while that we have quite a few Ohioans on this board; smacky, PL, Ruthless, etc (if there's anyone I missed, apologies) but we should look at having a Reason get-together in the area. Send me an e-mail if you're interested.

But we're lucky living in this godforsaken state, I suppose. Canadian terrorists would most likely have to either swim through Lake Erie or travel through Detroit to reach Ohio, both of which would take care of the terrorism problem (actually, they might find Kwame Kilpatrick's administration to their liking).

In other Ohio News, Obama, Biden and a whole gaggle of Nanny State Democrats were in Central Ohio about the same time that I saw X-Men 3. Where da hell is Magneto to wreak havoc when we really need him?!!

[Pro Libertate]

Ayn_Randian,

Do you mean the other "PL"? I lived in Columbus for a few years back in the mid 90s, but I live in Tampa now. I'm more or less from here, too.

[Jason Ligon]

Wayne:

The brown babies comment was inspired by the John Gibson suggestion that we need more white babies because we are being out bred.

It is also directed at the entire cultural argument, from 'we need to speak English only' to 'they're all law breakers from day 1'. Yes, there is a distinct racial undertone to at least half of the reasons for building a wall.

I agree that strain on southern welfare systems is a non race centric reason for spending a bazillion dollars to build a wall.

[Ruthless]

Jason Ligon,
You have caused me to wonder why, after being in the oven for nine months, all babies don't come out past golden brown.
Perhaps a uterus-owner can explain.

I own a uvula, but ...?

[R C Dean]

Why DO they hate Canada?

Because they're not in charge?

[Jason Ligon]

BTW: I'm just barely not an Ohioan right now in Northern KY. I'd be up for some kind of meeting at some point, except that I think most of the Ohioans are of the far frozen north variety ...