FINO alert: Virtual border fence blocked
It’s your Fence In Name Only alert. Remember all that talk of how the Secure Fence Act allowed DHS to speed up construction with a special waiver process? Well, the waiver process — like the non-existence fence — is full of holes. And it’s another Bush administration agency that’s standing in the way:
Work on “virtual fences” planned for Arizona’s stretch of the U.S.-Mexican border has been brought to a halt.
The Interior Department has not granted the Homeland Security Department permission to use the land for constructing the surveillance towers that form the backbone of the virtual fences, said Barry Morrissey, spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Washington, D.C.
Without authorization to use the land, no work could begin, which prompted agency officials to instruct the lead contractor on the project, Boeing Co., to suspend activities until further notice, Morrissey said.No date has been set to resume work.
The suspension of work has forced at least one subcontractor, EOD Technology Inc., to lay off 40 security guards who already had been hired and trained, EOD spokesman Bill Pearse said. The company, based in Lenoir City, Tenn., with a small office in Tucson, had plans to hire a total of 100 security guards for the project, Pearse said. The guards were protecting Boeing personnel who were constructing equipment for the virtual fence as part of the SBInet project, he said.
“If Boeing doesn’t have a project, we don’t have a project either,” Pearse said.
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Categories: Southern Border
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So the people who talk about the North American Union are conspiracy nuts right? right?
…hello?
I am not one who likes the idea of a “virtual fence” anyway; however, I would rather have the virtual fence than no fence.
This whole ILLEGAL (last I knew, that means against the law) immigrant farce that has been supported by President Bush and Senator McCain is a real sore spot for me. Judging by the way folks spouted off during the Shamnesty bill, I am not the only one.
If the MSM were on the same page as most of us here ( and our gracious hostess ) instead of being in the tank for liberal ideals, they would never get away with pulling this crap.
The majority of Americans want secured borders FIRST.
As Andrew Jackson once challenged the Supreme Court “Enforce your ruling, if you can”, build the damn thing… Interior Department…. stop them, if you can.
Doesn’t matter much now. Neither Obama or McCain will do much to make sure that fence is completed. They’ll be transfering the funds to a great big “Welcome” sign.
Yes, they are. They’re the same kind of people who observe bureaucratic turf wars and left-hand-unaware-of-what-the-right-hand-is-doing bungling and imply it’s some kind of conspiracy.
Yep, these are the people I want running my healthcare!
H*ll, we all knew the physical fence farce they passed just before the 2006 elections was about re-election and selling us amnesty. “See we really will secure the border this time if you give us amnesty and re-elect me”. It proves they know what Americans want done about this issue, but they don’t care. So, here we are 2 years later and what has been built of that physical fence to date? Last I heard something like 18 miles. My opinion, from a Texan, ICE is intentionally choosing areas to build they know will be contentious then wait for the lawsuits to block construction. They are stalling till they get amensty then can stop the whole thing. If mcamensty was serious about securing the border, he would be demanding ICE finish it. It would be boost to his image. Anyone beleiving he will truly secure the border before seeking amensty is a fool.
Can we have a virtual congress instead of a virtual fence?
There, that’s better.
On August 20th, 2008 at 12:06 pm, Ralph Gizzip said:
Yep, these are the people I want running my healthcare!
Gives you that Chris Matthews kind of tingly feeling clear up your leg doesn’t it? These people are so inept.
*Exasperated Sigh*
Not surprised. Look who our Republican nominee for President is. Someone who said he “got the message” in 2006.
This makes me hopping mad!!!! All the garbage that politicians spew about how difficult, or impossible it will be to construct this fence. BUT!!! the Army Corps of Engineers are building one for Egypt for their border with Gaza. It will be able to detect if someone is tampering with or trying to harm the fence and also will somehow be able to detect tunnels. So why can’t they do that here?!?!?
It is time to admit that our government has surrendered and the United States of America has ceased to exist, we shal now be called Los Estados Unitos de Mexico Norte.
I’m with MNUSMCDavid — build the fence, any fence. How would the Inferior Department stop Homeland Security, send in an army of bureaucrats? National security issues should outweigh anything, particularly inept agencies like the Inferior Department.
I am convinced, that either the mexican Gov’t or drug cartel big wigs have promised Bush a big donation to his presidential Library, if he will ensure the free flow of people and contriban across the southern border remains open.
GJCorby
As a member of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps here in MN….. I can attest that some will not let that happen if they can.
The drug / gang activity in Juarez, Mexico–just across the border from El Paso, Tx.–is going wild now. It may “spill over” into my city soon. Over 700 people have been murdered in Juarez this year, and our local trauma hospital (Thomason) is caring for many victims of this war–at our cost. The Mexican / Chihuahua / Juarez police agencies seem unable (or unwilling?) to shut this activity down–it reads like Al Capone in Chicago in the late 1920’s and 1930’s.
My wife had a distant nephew kidnapped for ransom a few months ago. This young Juarez man was rescued by his family in both Juarez and El Paso. They sold their cars and used all their savings to come up with $50000. to get him back.
Failure to build the real border fence, the virtual border fence, and to get real immigrant / visitor controls in place will bring these problems to all the U.S.A. soon. We don’t visit family members is Juarez any more.
Read Michelle Malkin’s excellent book INVASION U.S.A. for a very good picture of the problems and the solutions to these problems.
Rocketman
How ridiculous is it that they need to hire security guards to protect the fence builders?
How about the National Guard?
Why not use the challenge to “Virtual Fence” supporters to safeguard all their personal wealth in a “Virtual Safe”.
In Times Square.
With police response the same relationship to escape of immediate containment (if it would take 15 minutes to reach points where it is significantly harder to catch, on a response time of 2 hours, then police must remain 8x time interval for intermingling into Times Square crowd)
Hola amigo! Where have you been? We here in Los Angeles have been just that for at least the past decade. You’re next. Gracias!
Left hand, meet right hand.
[Shaking head.]
We’re screwed, aaa-gain!
Bush gets all this credit for securing America against another terrorist attack…does one really believe that crap with open boarders. One has to remember these terrorists have 1 attribute in common with the Chinese…PAITIENCE . Now consider over 9,000 American citizens are killed every year by illegals aliens…where’s the security ? I call BS to Bush and I voted for him twice…lesser of 2 evils again.
Illegal immigration is a huge problem for America, as well as for the immigrants themselves. They may be bringing the very same problems to the U.S. that they are fleeing from at home. They are also abandoning their home country, leaving it to decay. Illegal immigration is a lose-lose situation.
Illegal immigration is harmful on the following levels:
it leads to anarchy and corruption
it promotes a “two class” system in America
it keeps a downward pressure on wages
it puts a strain on limited US services
it gives criminals from foreign countries a safe haven in the US
it allows disease to go unchecked
it dilutes and changes American language and culture
I swear, on my copy of ‘Power to the People’, I’d vote for the first candidate who starts to erect a border fence and punishes companies that hire illegals.
(I did support Duncan Hunter in the Primary until he got the boot, and he was the only candidate I gave money to.)
How about we just have an open season instead. I’d have my cooler, lawnchair and rifle down there in a minute. That border could easily be sealed if anyone really wanted it to be. There’s more ways than one to skin a rabbit.
.
Boy, today’s just not my day here in SoCal concerning illegals.
My young co-worker took a vacation day today to help her just-turned-16-year-old-cousin with the labor & delivery of America’s newest anchor baby being born at a local hospital.
But, wait, it gets better: The pregnant girl and her mother live in TJ, but the mother paid $5,000.00 in cash to an OB doctor in our area a couple of months ago because, as we all know, pre-natal & delivery won’t be covered by Medi-Cal. So, they had blatantly planned this out even to the point of strategically placing her in the car a certain way so that when they came across the border the Border Patrol wouldn’t see that she was pregnant.
From here, they’re going to Missouri to join her dad & brother. I told my co-worker several weeks ago that her aunt may not be finding Missouri all that welcoming considering the new laws recently signed by their governor.
So that’s the scoop from SoCal, folks. Get out yer wallets.
Here’s an interesting experiment I’d love to see some intrepid reporter or blogger undertake.
1) Make a list of the 50 most prominent opponents of a border fence.
2) Go to their homes. Make note of whether or not their own property is surrounded by a fence. I suspect the vast majority of them will be.
3) Ask them to explain, specifically, why it’s a good idea to fence in their own property. Then ask them to explain how those same reasons don’t apply to the country as a whole.
I don’t think anyone will do it, but it’d sure be interesting.
Right now I’d settle for a virtual line of Grandmas with 22 pistols, as long as this infestation is stopped!
Well, the reason seems apparent. The Secretary of the Interior was one appointed to the Homeland Security Task Force by Tom Ridge — as pro amnesty as McCain ever was.
rocketman
Fewer American soldiers died in Iraq this year.
I lived in the El Paso area in the ’70’s and the illegal immigration problem there is like my current home of VA’s problem now. I don’t live that far from DC, either, so I know that they’re quite aware.
I can’t imagine how bad it is in the border towns now.
One should read once.
Just dang.
So is bush the right hand or left hand? A more apt comparison is that there’s a brain, and a mouth. The brain knows what it wants to do, and the mouth tells you it’s not thinking anything at all.
Inept, my hind leg. I expected this garbage the moment I heard it was a definite go. They never INTENDED to go ahead with this; we were just getting the “shuck and jive” from Uncle Sugar, to keep us happy and quiet.
Inept. Fooey.
Try corrupt as he**.
They never had any intention of building this fence, just a ploy to keep the plebes quiet. Buy some time, and allow the colonization of our country by a foreign power to continue. Benedict Arnold at least betrayed the country to its legal government.
Why don’t we plant some trees on the border, call them endangered and get some CA tree dwellers to sit there and observe the border?
Bush and McCain will build the least amount of any type of barrier on the border that they think they can get away with.
They, the whole federal government, democrat and republican, have refused to secure the borders since 1986 when we granted the first amnesty.
Don’t give me garbage about being in favor of national security if you refuse to secure the borders.
“Build it or they will continue to come!”
LOL. The tree dwellers wouldn’t last one night as they would themselves become endangered or extinct. Not that there is anything wrong with that. : )
I still want to know the reasoning and justification of the open borders pols and advocates. Is there a practical reason in their minds? Replenishing a population decimated by abortion? Hatred for a perceived dominating Anglo Saxon America and a desire to permanently change the demographic? Hatred of “capitalist” America? Some combination? And why no open debate about these gripes? Why is it always done via a unilateral disregard for law and political process? And why is the Left always leading the stampede?
Despite their perceived moral right and authority, they do need to remember that the worm will turn one day.
That kind of stuff just makes my blood boil. We are being taken advantage of and laughed at to boot, and we sit idly by and do nothing aobut it. If I had to pick the #1 problem I wanted resolved, it would be this anchor baby nonsense. It is SOOOOO abused. I met a young lady from armenia once on a flight to europe who got a vistors visa, came here in her 8th month, and delivered here for an anchor baby. SHe readliy admitted it. This policy is contributing to the ruination of this country.
I am NOT a conspiracy nut..
but I wonder in that is true as well..
handing over the country to a ‘North American Union’..
explain why there is not even a fence in name only..
BTW.. even FINO’s don’t work sometimes..
ask anyone who has had an ‘Invisible Fence’ and a dog who outran the range on the collar..
Bushs’ plans right on schedule…laughing all the way to the bank…those that are left anyway….
It ain’t your country anymore..if it ever was. The elitist corporations are running the show….and the eradication of the middle class is chugging along as planned. Always thought Alex Jones was a nutcake…Don’t think so anymore…..
Why am I not surprised that this Virtual Fence was stopped?
USMCDavid… sounds like I need to do a tour with the Minutemen down south. Anyone else have a vacations coming up?
Oh.. David.. and if you serve(d).. thank you for your service.
And our politicians don’t, or won’t, get this. Too many of them are naive or bought and paid for by elitists who DO want to destroy the USA they hate, and as we have known it.
Uncontained illegal immingration and associated criminal gangs run amok, anchor babies, increases in Hb-1 Work Visas, overstayed visitor visas, waves of refugees brought in and settled in small mid-america towns, massive, more than we can absorb, LEGAL immigration, ALL are the means being used to ruin this nation.
MNUSMCDavid
Keep fighting the good fight, I might just have a country to return to when I get back from Korea.
Does anyone here honestly believe that our open borders and immigration policy are due to simple government incompetence?
I wonder are the small sections of fence in fact the welcome signs.
Someone should go look on the other side and check.
Amen to everything you said (legal immigraiton levels, refugees in small town America, etc). 100% correct. I have always said that immigration, legal or illegal, at such unsustainable levels of people from cultures that are not compatible to that of America is a huge mistake that will eventually tear this country apart. Of course, I will get chastised by those who “love all legal immigrants” with the tired cliche of ‘nation of immigrants’ etc. But, IMHO, the time for debating this issue as a whole is way past due. We need an immigration moratorium followed by drastically reduced levels that is based on the immigrants potential to benefit all Americans (ie the best and brightest with no communicable diseases).
Bananny #26, hope this is not the person you posted about. What a sick, sick, sick person.
The virtual fence is and will be a disaster. Immigration will not stop until interior enforcement happens, and those laws were written for and by business interests with cheap labor needs. Even then, these laws largely are not enforced. Those business needs are driven by high taxes, and welfare that allows for enough people to not really need or want to work hard for cheap, at least in part.
Mexico is and should be considered an enemy, which implies more than just a diplomatic response regarding this issue. And immigration reform with the aim of making the process of legally permanent and temporary immigrant status something possible without sheer despair would have to be part of a solution.
No border has effectively been enforced without employing lethal means. The virtual fence concept is full of operational holes. Build a real, material border.
The “virtual fence” is a virtual boondoggle solely to fund Boeing with capital to supplement them until the air-bus contract can be awarded to them. The first fence of $20 mill w/ 28 towers was scrapped because it didn’t meet “standards”. This fence is 17 towers 20 miles from the border and includes “non-responsive” ground sensors for a mere $45 mill. This is in a area where the majority of the illegals are now coming thru. This kind of “infastructure” is NOT covered by the waver given to Chertoff for the border fence so the Interior Dept (I cannot find a NAME of who exactly it is that is stopping this) CAN require environmental impact statements, yada-yada. Backpacks, feces, plastic, clothes, dirty diapers, papers, shoes, food packaging, are OK but lets make sure that the jaguar isn’t intimidated by an unmanned structure–they’d probably enjoy the shade!!!
That love of legal immigration is usually predicated on the immigrant’s sincere desire to assimilate. The sort of immigration you allude to, where they set up microcosms of their old country and deliberately seperate themselves, I suspect most people on this site have no love for that.
To John Ansell: No, the girl of whom I spoke just turned 16 and has a brand-new baby girl born last nite.
But, you’re right; the woman in the story is beyond sick.
Ahh A Lion said:
then….
Any theories that are not reported on by the MSM are considered to be “conspiracy”, and a lot of good reporting by free-lance people goes pretty much unnoticed and is looked down upon. Folks we have a lot of enemies in our own government…I’m not afraid to say it. 3 of which are:
1. Chamber of Commerce
2. Council on Foreign Relations
3. (sadly) even the State Department…probably one of the worst enemies to America and it’s citizens.
I’m sure there are a lot of good patriotic folks working in these areas who want to do good by America….but…it seems most of their efforts are thwarted by bad intentioned higher ups. Bad policies? Sure…but these policies are planned out. How could they not know the consequences to America? They do…and it’s all planned.
Sad really.
I would like to think so, but have had huge arguments with others on this board on that topic. One was completely aghast that I had the nerve to say we should limit immigration to the best and brightest and stop importing uneducated and unskilled people who don’t speak english because they will most certainly be a drain on taxpayers. It was unbeleivable, but in the end i discovered she had absolutely no knowledge on the subject and argued purely on emotions (ie a liberal) wiht all the tired cliches of la raza and the other open borders groups. Fortunately, she disappeared and has not returned.
The American citizenry need a leader who can focus our energy on action at least comparable to the anti-shamnesty bill of McCain. Who will rise to the occasion and polarize the voters and activists who can no longer tolerate the arrogant disregard for law enforcement and construction of our fence? We need to bring the millions together at one time to deliver the message that we want the border secured, elimination of sanctuary cities and termination of entitlements for illegals. We are sick of it and can’t take it anymore. McCain and Obama won’t even talk about the crisis, pretending it doesn’t exist! What is going on??
Alas, we are NOT necesarily getting the best and brightest anymore, just the cheapest for labor, refugees to suck up more tax dollars and upset the way of life in American communities and potentially add to the Dems voting rolls, and does anyone actually check for communicable deseases anymore?
What we do not love is immigrant communities who refuse to assimilate and are abbeted by immigrant organizations who want to keep it that way to have power over them. It’s no good to have 2nd and 3rd generations who have little or no knowledge or use of the dominant language and culture of the nation in which they live. To deliberately prefer to live in the old country’s language and culture, especially those that are backwards and anti-western, is an insult to the nation they now call home.
While my ancestors kept a few customs (and food choices - except Norway - no way I eat lutefisk!)from their homelands, they made an effort to learn and use english in and out of the home (except for a few occasions where they lapsed back into in when they spoke among themselves and relatives or got mad at their kids) and adapt to the customs of their adopted land.
Bureaucrats standing the way of BUREAUCRATS….with the help of our ROYAL>>>elected officials….
WHAT’s new??
I’m surprised that anyone is surprised!!!
One thing that really opened my eyes recently (really made me see the future as I already saw the problem long ago), was at the Texas History Museum in austin (aka Bob Bullock museum). Mexico began to recognize the sheer number of white immigrants coming in fomr the US was shifting the balacne of power. Mexican citizens complained and the mexican gov’t issued a decree stating all further immigration was to be halted. It did not and soon after the Alamo took place and kicked off the Texas revolution. You know how the story ends. Well, history then provides a clue to the outcome of allowing unfettered immigration from a neighboring country. Eventually, the balance of power shifts and you can no longer control it. While i was reading the exhibit, an older lady was stnading next to me and said, “talk about irony”. The lesson was not lost on her. But is on our pandering greedy politicians.
Amen to that. As long as the politicians get their pockets lined, it’s a lesson they prefer to ignore.
Anther reason to vote ‘em out and often. There should be no such thing as a “career” politician.
On August 20th, 2008 at 2:24 pm, Ahh a Lion! said:
This is one of those very few times where I’m actually hoping for government incompetence, because if that’s not it we really are screwed.
I think the reality is less sinister, though: the whole thing probably started with a bunch of idiot liberals who discovered they could exploit loopholes to gain a wider voting base. I guess they somehow deluded themselves into thinking that it wouldn’t have any side-effects other than increasing their power — or they don’t really give a damn what happens to the country, as long as they get their power and money.
It can not be lost on our politicians. Bush was Gov of Texas.
Point taken. More of an “I don’t care as long as my pockets are full and my re-election is assured”. Bush though, just may be to dumb to realize the effects his “compassioante conservatism’ is casuing to the nation. I mena come on, giving $50B to africa for aids? Where in the world is that $ coming form when he is already running up enormous deficits. Frankly, if things don’t cahnge soon, i expect the nation to begin falling aprat in a couple of decades.
This says it all. Here
The Chinese were able to construct a working barrier centuries ago.
Yet today, our failure to do so is “Absolut”.
Since the government so cavalierly violates its own laws, I have no compunction whatsover about doing the same.
Any time I can get away with it.
Is the border being managed by Laura Richardson. It resembles her house. The lawn is dead and the gate is broken…
jtex said:
I would be right there with you!
EODT is mainly staffed by former military, lots of ex-SF types there as leadership and training. I worked with them in Iraq.
Top shelf military-type people.
No wonder they wanted to get rid of them - EODT would have been EFFECTIVE and shown up how bad the Govt really is in securing an area.
It’s almost over for the US.
Who was the only Presidential candidate to sign Senator Jeff Sessions’ Immigration plan?
Is this really a surprise? It is not uncommon when one government agency shoots another agency in the foot. The end result is that someone is crippled from completing their job. Israel built a very effective fence despite international opposition. Does anyone know what they had to par/mile to construct an effective fence? I’m sure it was much less expensive than a “virtual fence” that is next to useless.
Even if the Interior dept is screwing around at least it looks like TX may actually be on the verge of doing something.
see here
I heard that the other day. A great initiative. However, I won’t hold my breath. I am very skeptical it will pass b/c of the sheer numbers of hispanics in Texas now that are the direct beneficiaries of the open border policy (from the 1986 amensty and cahin migration relatives, anchor babies, and the large illegal population with relatives and anchor babies that are citizens). My guess is at least 80% of all hispanics in Texas know somebody who is here illegally or was illegal at some point. And there is no way lawmakers of any district with a large hispanic population will want to upset that contingency (which is virtually every district in Texas today). They spent to much time and $ pandering to them to take a chance now. I am afraid Texas has reached the tipping point where the hispanic vote is too strong to reverse the invasion trend. And once they reach that critical mass across the majority of states (and they will per the census Bureau projections), those supporting American borders/language/culture will lose every battle to turn the tide. I hope i am wrong but I fear demographics will win out eventually unless we stop all illegal imigration, anchor baby status, and reduce legal immigration levels in teh next 5 years.