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« Today's Reading List | Main | How the Dodo Became Extinct » December 20, 2005Invasion?Arnold Garcia Jr., the editorial page editor of the Austin, Texas, American-Statesman, criticizes proposals for building a wall along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border to stop illegal immigration, in a column in which he, probably unintentionally, likens illegal immigration to a hostile invasion. Pardon my skepticism that a scheme to build a fence along the border will be a great Christmas gift for citizens. You can ask the Chinese how well their Great Wall worked. You can ask the French about the efficacy of the Maginot Line. And you might even ask the Germans about the Atlantic Wall and the Siegfried Line.The Great Wall of China, the Maginot Line, the Atlantic Wall and the Siegfried Line all were attempts to stop invasion by hostile foreigners, though I suspect Garcia didn't mean to describe illegals crossing the Rio Grande in quite those terms. Posted in Immigration
Comments
Can't believe that they left out that other golden, oldie defensive wall, Hadrian's Wall. It's certainly more aesthetically pleasing than its WWII era walls. It's really silly to think that a big fence does anything. If there was some REAL incentive for Mexico to stop the illegal immigration, they'd do it. Right now, they have no reason to do so. Posted by: DrawingDead at December 20, 2005 3:33 PMIt's more than a fence. Some technology is included or proposed. And in the Sensenbrenner bill just passed by the U.S. House, a barrier would be constructed only along some high-traffic parts of the southern border. We need barriers along the entire border there and to the north. Posted by: Donna Locke at December 20, 2005 4:13 PMMany liken the hoards of illegals to an invading army. Maybe the writer really did intend the allusion. Posted by: "John Galt" at December 20, 2005 4:32 PMBeing an eternal cynic...HR 4437 will have the spunk of a neutered tomcat. The Senate will butcher it and Bush is counting on Frist to supply the sword. A VDARE.com reader sent this "gloomy forecast" via e-mail to Juan Mann. "[T]he final straw that broke the camel's back may emerge from...ready...the White House. Two weeks ago, representatives from the White House and the Republican National Committee met with the chiefs of staff of all Republican House members. The staffers were told that the Sensenbrenner bill, which has 35 co-sponsors, will not pass muster in the Senate, which comes as no surprise. Indeed, Rep. Virgil Goode (R-Va.) told me that the Hunter/Goode bill, which would build a fence along the Mexican border, "has no support in the Senate." The Sensenbrenner bill will probably be emasculated in the upper chamber and, in all likelihood, die in the Conference Committee. At that point probably, in late winter of 2006, the White House, claiming that they "tried" to get the Sensenbrenner bill passed, will introduce its own guest worker/amnesty bill. I can say that this information was passed on by a Republican staffer whose trustworthiness is beyond cavil. As I write this (Dec. 16) the House is considering scores of amendments to strengthen or debilitate Sensenbrenner's well-intentioned, but incomplete effort. But for those who think we have reached the Promised Land, I offer two words of advice: think again." Posted by: Rick Forman at December 21, 2005 10:21 AMI have no illusions, Rick. And the Sensenbrenner bill is not the toughest bill, though it's one worth fighting for. If our newspapers did the jobs they are supposed to be doing, the American people would know the details about federal legislation like this and how and when they can affect the process. As it is, we have propaganda machines that slid into irrelevance some time ago. Most of the big papers are simply irrelevant in this battle now. The smaller papers are still useful. The massive immigration-control movement/network exists because of the Internet. Posted by: Donna Locke at December 21, 2005 1:29 PMWell, if you want to get technical, the Maginot Line worked. Its just that France was counting on Belgium, and had never built up the border with their ally. Posted by: B. Minich, PI at December 22, 2005 10:08 AMPost a comment
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