American Southern border needs a fence

Warning sign... illegal families entering the US... please Yield

Currently the Tea Party and some republicans are calling for the redeployment of US soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan to the borders of the US and Mexico.  

These soldiers some with up to 5 deployments (remember they stay in theatre for a year) will be asked to live along the desolate border of Mexico and the US.  They will have to fall under martial law as indicated by the President to be able to make arrests and shoot at civilians in the goal of peace and order.

This is what you get when the Army protects the border

The problem is what would the rules of engagement be?

Is American ready for a soldier killing an entire Guatemalan family that are simply coming here to do work most Americans think is beneath them?

Men, women and children shot.... for what?

To follow the dream inscribed on the statue of liberty......

""Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, 

With conquering limbs astride from land to land; 

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand 

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame 

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name 

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand 

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command 

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. 

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she 

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, 

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, 

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. 

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, 

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Inscription on the Statue of Liberty by Emma Lazarus

So the question is how do you stop illegal immigration and drug and gun smuggling?

The drug smuggling from Mexico and the weapons smuggling from the US is causing misery and heart ache to all the poor civilians that are crossed in the cross fire of the drug war in Mexico. 

I think the answer lies in a fence... but the type of slapped together weak fence that a dinky could walk through.... a real fence that allows for real protection.
By stopping illegal immigration in large masses then the border patrol can work on the gates... the actual customs locations and really put a bite into the criminal activities.

Mexico and US Border fence

Construction of the weak fence in place in some areas
 (how hard would it be to dig through the sand under this fence?)

The obvious border

The US Mexican border is 3,169 km and the length and mountainous terrain makes for a border wall to be a bit of a huge challenge.  I am all for legal immigration as many people wait years just to have access to American schools or for employment.

What kind of protection is this?

Car barriers in the desert....... (where is the protection against people crossing?)

Gun smugglers are sneaking high powered assault rifles to the Mexican cartels and then use them in crimes here in the US and in Mexico.


A border wall could be built along the border to help protect American lives and even to help protect the lives of immigrants and illegals attempting to enter the US.



This wall would be modelled after the Israeli wall and built to similar standards.  Made of concrete and well constructed it would employ thousands of people in the construction and the construction would take many years to build.

Israeli West Bank barrier "Israeli West Bank barrier constructed by the State of Israel along and within the West Bank. The barrier’s total length will be approximately 760 Km and  is a fence with vehicle-barrier trenches surrounded by an on average 60 meter wide exclusion area (90% of its length), and an 8 meter tall concrete wall."

The Israeli wall has even led to political statements and some great art (this one done by Banksy)

The concrete industry, wood framers, heavy equipment operators, full time, day labourers and others would all be employed in this massive infrastructure project that would signal America is serious about protecting its southern border.   This kind of border actually helps the illegal immigrants as they will not be exploited by mules or others trying to make money off their sorrow.    Sure the bad guys will find new ways but once the project is complete then one can worry about the other areas.

In areas where a concrete wall is impractical or unable to be built then the wall can be a simple but well built security system.