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Bush Signs Mexican "Berlin Wall" Boondoggle
Posted by Pile
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 President Bush has signed into law a bill to build a $9 billion dollar wall between the United States and Mexico. Unfortunately, only a little over $1B has been allocated towards the building of the wall; it won't completely cover the border, and there's an addendum that says the money doesn't really have to be spent on a wall, so we're not really sure what this indicates except that the people and the mainstream media, once again, aren't paying attention. |
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President George Bush on Thursday signed legislation to build more than 1,100km of fencing along the United States-Mexican border to combat illegal immigration.
Mexico's president-elect, Felipe Calderon, complained that the United States was committing a "huge error" in choosing to build a barrier between itself and its southern neighbour.
He likened it to the Berlin Wall.
"The wall will not solve any problem. Humanity made a huge mistake by building the Berlin Wall, and I believe that today the United States is committing a grave error in building the wall on our border," he said.
In this election year, Republicans hope the legislation will give the party a boost as it tries to head off a strong Democratic attempt to take control of the US Congress in November.
"We have a responsibility to secure our borders. We take this responsibility seriously," Bush said in a signing ceremony at the White House.
But Calderon said the fence would cause more Mexican deaths on the border.
Democrats called the legislation a political stunt, saying it risked straining relations with Mexico--and accused Republicans of lax border enforcement.
"This bill to build a fence is a bumper-sticker solution that Republicans hope will provide cover for its stunning failure to produce comprehensive immigration reform," said Massachusetts Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy. The fencing would run along parts of four southwestern states: California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.
The legislation did not provide funding for the fencing, but simply authorized its construction. |
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Not the Berlin Wall
Posted by wizeGurl on 2006-10-27 17:35:34 | Although the proposed wall is both a stupid idea and a purely political stunt, I have to disagree with Mexican president-elect Calderon. This wall is nothing like the Berlin Wall, which was built with the purpose of keeping people IN the country which built it. A better comparison would be the Great Wall of China, built to keep invaders out.
I prefer to compare it to those railroad crossing gates that people routinely drive around. It is a barrier, but it only works very well on people who want to obey it. |
Great Wall of Stupidity
Posted by Pile on 2006-10-28 09:29:06 | | I see what you mean; I didn't make up the "Berlin Wall" reference though. But you could say that figuratively the wall has more significance than literally. To the United States, the Berlin Wall wasn't a physical barrior as much as it symbolized oppression. I think this current project is similar in nature. Then again, maybe it symbolizes apathy and ignorance of the populace more than oppression. Maybe it should be called, "The Great Wall of Stupidity?" |
The Wall
Posted by MS on 2006-10-29 14:31:21 | | Maybe its the "grand 'ol duke's wall?" When you're in your in, when your out your out and when you're only half way in, you're neither in or out! |
| Posted by Stan A on 2006-10-29 20:32:36 | | Who are they going to get to build the thing? |
| Posted by MoT on 2006-10-30 10:53:52 | | Probably folks that wouldn't be comfortable with having their documents checked. |
Can't get no satisfaction...
Posted by Joe Bleaux on 2006-10-31 10:43:32 | | Once again we see that it is impossible for Bush to please the closed-minded Dumbocrats that be. Had he not signed the bill, 'he's not doing anything'. Had the bill included the entire fence, 'he's an isolationist'. Had he appropriated enough money to cover the whole thing, 'he's spending too much and raising the national debt'. Wake up and smell your own excrement people. There's no way to please you because you've been hoodwinked into believing that the Democrats are a better alternative. They both suck royally. Sincerely, someone without his head up his posterior. |
| Posted by ueberbill on 2006-11-01 13:49:56 | | Actually, I think that Bush's ideas for immigration reform are actually quite good (and humane, to boot). He got wrangled into enforcement-only crap like this fence (which, by the way, hasn't been funded) by the hardliners in Congress who are under pressure by their constituents (who you can bet will bitch incessantly when they have to pay $9 for an orange) for "not doing anything." So instead they "do" something but it's an under-funded and poorly-conceived great wall that won't actually do much good. |
| Posted by Stan on 2006-11-03 10:26:44 | Bush doesn't give a shit about immigrants, but he does give a shit about big corporations, many of whom now rely on illegal immigrants as cheap labor. It's only a side-effect that the republicans or the democrats do anything in the interests of immigrants.
And Joe Bleaux, who seems to think that what? The republicans are the same as the democrats? Who's head is up their ass? Do you honestly think that if Al Gore had been elected in 2000 we'd have invaded Iraq? |
Heads up...
Posted by Joe Bleaux on 2006-11-13 09:52:53 | | You're right. Al gore probably wouldn't have 'invaded' Iraq. Of course, there's a greater probability that instead of having terrorists focus on Iraq, they would have been instead focusing on the US. You forget that Iraq was in direct violation of a cease-fire agreement with us. You also forget that the oil-for-bombs program was working wonderfully. This is why there is so much unexploded ordinance all over Iraq now. You forget that Iraq was a sworn enemy of the US and Israel, had attacked Kuwait, and Saddam had his eyes on making as much trouble for us as possible. No sir, YOU definitely have your head at least stuck in the sand if you don't realize that what Bush did, albeit risky and not a trip through the daisies, helped refocus and spread the resources of the terrorist network thin. I think it would be a good idea to go after Iran now. Then you would stop bitching about Iraq as you did with Afghanistan. There's no pleasing you whiny partisan bitches, is there? Terrorists and despots only understand one thing - overwhelming force. Just ask the Japanese. Your silly ass would be speaking German right now if you're not handicapped, Jewish, black, or... |
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