Fence Follies

This article tells of how a section of the "virtual" fence being built on the U.S.-Mexico border by U.S. people as a part of their Good Neighbor Policy has been found to be lacking, despite its cost of 20 million dollars. Good. So it is to be replaced with what? A new section of "virtual" fence that sounds much like the old one, consisting of a series of towers spaced wide apart but packed with all sorts of electronic gear designed to detect Mexicans trying to cross over in pursuit of jobs and to zip border patrol cops thereto immediately.

Meanwhile we should note that not only is the same obscene business in store for the U.S.-Canadian border as well, but also at this very moment, the men calling the shots as the ostensible heads of all three countries in North America have been huddling r and congratulating themselves on how well, as conservatives, they've been working together. Of course they tried to lump their countries into that as well, but that perception is only for idiot consumption.

Despite my deep dislike for fences of any kind, including reading about them, I liked this article, for several reasons. One is that the scrapping of a fence is always good news. Secondly I was glad to hear that at least this part of the thing being strung along the Arizona and New Mexico borders with Mexico is not actually a physical barrier functioning as a constant insult to the free movoment of all living things, especially those on foot or on belly scales or whatever.

Also I thought of how lucky we are to be able to get regular reports of the troubles they're having with erecting and using this "fence," even if being reminded of it might offend our stomachs. Other groups being walled off haven't been so lucky.

For instance, during the second half of the century just passed, in East Germany, another attempt was made to cut through populations and seal off people from each other. Just as other German efforts made even before then are being used today as models for U.S. "Homeland Security," the Berlin Wall can't be far from the thinking while this "fence" is being built through the southern deserts. But at least we can be certain that the East German authorities didn't similarly keep their citizens informed of the various difficulties that were encountered during the erecting and then the patrolling of that total monstrosity.