Border wall symbolizes security, not racism
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The first job is look after your own personal safety. This is true of nations as well as individuals.
Somehow a Grinch always manages to show up to ruffle our Christmas spirit.
This year, the Grinch is the form of the Democratic leadership that is blocking the Christmas present that President Donald Trump wants to deliver to the nation in the form a wall to defend our southwestern border.
Trump wants $5 billion for the wall as part of a bill to continue funding the federal government. The Democrats say, "No," so now we're in another of the all too familiar standoffs, producing a government shutdown.
Why is this wall, which was a key component of the platform on which Trump ran and was elected, so important?
I spend a lot of time on airplanes. It has always struck me that when the flight crew delivers the message before takeoff about the possibility of using an oxygen mask, they note that adults traveling with children should don their mask, before helping the child.
It's counter to the instincts of most adults to do this. Which is why the instructions are explicitly given. You can't help your child, your neighbor or anybody else if you are not around to perform the task.
The first job is look after your own personal safety. This is true of nations as well as individuals.
Is building this wall on our southwestern border contrary to the message of the Statue of Liberty, which stands in New York harbor, inviting to our shores the world's "tired... poor... huddled masses, yearning to be free"
Certainly not. The wall is about protecting our nation and making sure that it continues, strong and free, so that the distressed of the world can continue to see America as a light, a refuge and a bastion of the world's greatest ideals.
It just so happens that there are those around the world who are not huddled masses, but terrorists, drug dealers and others who want to undermine our national safety and integrity.
Let us recall that those who piloted the planes on that horrible day, Sept.11, 2001, leading to the deaths of more than 3,000 Americans, trained in our country during the presidency of Bill Clinton.
Latin America is a hotbed of unstable, despotic regimes that produce the horrible conditions causing so many to want to leave. Despotism produces dangerous bedfellows, and pernicious regimes around the world see these despotic regimes in Latin America as an opportunity for adventurism in our back yard.
The Wall Street Journal's Americas columnist Mary O'Grady has been regularly documenting this.
Just last week, she wrote about Russia's penetration in Latin America, quoting head of U.S. Southern Command, Adm. Kurt W. Tidd, that "Russia's increased role in our hemisphere is particularly concerning... could eventually transition from a regional spoiler to a critical threat to the U.S. homeland."
O'Grady also has written about the penetration of Iran into Latin America. "Iran has targeted Latin America since the mid-1980s by establishing mosques and cultural centers to spread the revolution," she writes.
The point is there are real threats. Would anyone have opposed spending $50 billion or $100 billion if it could have stopped 9/11?
The federal budget is now more than $4 trillion. We are talking here about $5 billion, one-tenth of 1 percent.
For perspective, in 1958, 60 percent of our federal budget went to defense and 25 percent went to social spending. Now 70 percent goes to social spending and less than 20 percent to defense.
Some very confused people want to claim this wall is about racism. That conclusion is only possible if you think defending our nation and the core principles that make it free is racist.
The American formula for diversity is "E Pluribus Unum." Out of many, one. Defending this is what this wall is about.
Let's hope President Trump prevails over the Democratic Grinch and succeeds in delivering this important Christmas present to the American people.
Star Parker is an author and president of CURE, Center for Urban Renewal and Education. Contact her at www.urbancure.org .
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Businesses use the concept defense-in-depth for their own security, and I am not just talking about network security here. They have fences, security guards, mantraps, id badges, smart cards, biometric readers, etc. to use to defend their corporate secrets and protect their personnel. So, what any opponent to the border wall is saying is that businesses need to tear down all of their fences, even if some of those fences are there to protect people from injury. Construction sites should no longer be fenced in. Weyerhaeuser should tear down the fences surrounding their Santiam Mill (aka Lebanon Lumber Mill). All, because fences and walls are racist and are useless, which are the arguments against Trump's wall.
No Tom they use those defense, which btw, is an off topic to the topic. Most of those corporate defenses are not designed to keep out harden criminals but the good guys and the idiots that don't know what they are doing.
Don,
I am point out the analogous real-world equivalents. Physical barriers are the front line of defense against intruders, which is what illegal immigrants are. They are not authorized to be in the country and did not follow the law to get here. A border wall is the first step to stopping such intrusions, just as a fence is the first step to stop someone from accessing the property of say Hewlett-Packard's facilities in Corvallis, Or off of Circle Boulevard and US 20. Do you think they are trying to keep the good guys out of there? Or, how about Selmet, Inc. which makes Aircraft parts for the military, should they tear down their fences which are there to help guide intruders to where their guards are? I was in Selmet's factory a few months ago for a job interview. Didn't get the job, though. But, the point is that some of these companies have corporate secrets/proprietary information that they cannot afford a competitor or another country to get hold of. Physical access to data is the most dangerous access any company can have used against them. It's how Bradley (Chelsea) Manning was able to leak stuff to Wikileaks about Iraq and Afghanistan:
While a fence would not have stopped Bradley Manning's actions, due to him being a "malicious insider"; it does prevent outsiders gaining access to a location. And, I know Selmet has a security guard at the access point (parking lot) to their fenced-in facilities.
trumps wall symbolizes stupidity and xenophobia. a 4th century BC solution to a 21st century problem. steep fines and jail time for anyone that has ever hired an undocumented worker since the reagan amnesty will fix the problem, put cash in the treasury, and white collar criminals in jail. harshly punish the employers that game the system by paying immigrants substandard wages cheating Americans out of jobs, making taxpayers subsidize the wage shortfall with entitlements, and the undocumented workers will have 1 less reason to come here illegally.
Symbolizes
That's all it is. A symbol.
And you KNOW trump would have a picture of himself every 10 feet for the length of the bloody thing.
Almost 23 trillion in debt and trump wants to spend 25 billion on something we don't even need. What an idiot.
We can easily take 25 billion from the unconstitutional Department of Education
take the 39 billion balance of dept of education funds and use it for ICE to ramp up deportations
then lets repeals Medicaid and it’s monstrous budget 581 billion and rapidly growing and use that money to pay down the debt
[Removed]
That way we can look at the youth of America and say "Well, they might be dumber than a ton of bricks, but at least they're all white and can sort of speak English. Sure, they can't spell, believe science is a forbidden art like alchemy and believe "Al Gebra" must be an Islamic terrorist, but at least they're not Mexican..."...
Like most on the left you resort to Strawman arguments. I said nothing about no education. Education falls under state, local governments and families. There is no authority for federal involvement in education in our Constitution
Sadly education back then had a hard time reaching all kids in America equally. Sure, in some instances it worked out great, usually for the middle to upper income whites living in the new white neighborhoods they fled to after the 1960's endemic of "white flight". As old white neighborhoods were opened up to minorities looking for a better life, it prompted the white families living there already, distraught at the thought of living in an integrated neighborhood, to sell and move to new more expensive neighborhoods that virtually no blacks could afford. A phenomenon known as financial segregation which is still alive and well today.
The fact is the department of education has done some great things for students and opened up opportunities for millions of children, but it did attempt to level the playing field which of course doesn't feel good for those who had already been experiencing a privileged status. "When You’re Accustomed to Privilege, Equality Feels Like Oppression".
Of course as anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of statistics can tell you-- correlation does not necessarily imply causation.
(No, I'm not goinng to explain that to you-- if you don't understand that,-- and how it applies here-- google it!
And of course that will be so easy!
Guess where he has to go to move that money?
Can't just flip that switch.....Wonder what sort of mood Pelosi is in?
Almost 23 trillion in debt and trump wants to spend 25 billion on something we don't even need. What an idiot.
And I wouldn't be at all surprised if the next thing you know Trump might start cutting federal salaries-- yup, government workers! What the heck, many aren't working anyway-- thanks to Trump's gov't shut down.
Heck, he even admitted it-- in fact he's proud of it:
Saw a meme on twitter...
"Never take a Mike Pence to a gun fight..."
Nope, Trump's shut down and he's proud of it.
"Never take a Mike Pence to a gun fight..."
LOL!
Actually the video I posted is only part of the entire meeting. If anyone is interested, you can watch the longer version on YouTube.
The first thing that's obvious is how Pelosi really embarressed Trump. But the second thing that I found blatantly obvious-- dueing the entuire thing Pence didn't say a word-- gave me a few good laughs!
And I’m proud that he is standing up to Schumer and Pelosi on our behalf. The Schumer shutdown continues....
Based on your comment, its obvious you saw only the brief segment aired on Fox. (While watching on Fox it I wasn't surprised at how tFox slanted it-- both by editing out important parts as well as their absurd commentary).
Basically it was a big win for Pelosi & Schumer..
Why?
Because not only did they get Trump to say that he is willing to take responsibility for the shut-down, but that he acually wants to do that!
(And perhaps the high point: when he says that in addition taking total responsibility for the shut-down, he's not going to blame the Democrats!!!
Nope, Trump's shut down and he's proud of it.
Well, unlike some people here who are shooting off their mouths inaccurately (because they only watch the short highly edited version shown on Fox).. its obvious that you saw the video with the more relevant parts.
At first I was surprised that he admitted he was responsible-- and even went to great lengths to say he wasn't going to blame the Democrats! Certainly that seemed to be politically self-defeating with the majority of voters.
But I am starting to realize that Trump actually doesn't care-- all he really cares about is pleasing his base (which of course is a minority of the population-- they seem to be about 35% of the voters-- occasionally coming close to 40%).
It would be interesting to speculate as to why he only tries to curry favour with only his base-- and doesn't try to win over the majority of voters. (I have a theory but I could be wrong, so I'm curious as to what others here think about why de does this...).
Here you go: Trump proud to shut down the government. #trumpshutdownandproudofit
I’m proud of the shut down let it continue
I watched it live. Trump was simply outmatched. Pelosi even tried to save trump the embarrassment by taking it private but trump is too stupid to realize that he was getting owned..big time.
They owned the fat POS
Pelosi is an enemy of the US and I watched the whole thing. Trump owned both those anti American Demoncrats
Yea, it wasn't Pelosi that is putins puppet.
Explain this to me Larry, why is it that trump has insulted almost literally every world leader with one exception... Putin. Never EVER a bad word about Putin. Can you explain that? Trump is a russian puppet, but you want to call Pelosi anti-American? Fucking laughable.
I don't know what you were watching but Schumer and Pelosi owned the pos traitor in chief
You should pay for it then, since most Americans don't want one cent for the unnecessary wall. The shutdown takes from the economy and causes lost revenue and productivity. And harms contractors and some employees. Glad you are at least owning it, while Trump is once again lying and whining, blaming others like a baby. And America suffers.
Funny.
I remember the majority of Americans were against using Russia to win an election.
No, support of the wall is NOT growing, most of the population does NOT want to fund it, it's a waste of billions of dollars and won't deter shit, they can still go over it, under it or around it.
yea, but besides those paltry reasons,
do tell,
do Tell us Y Trump n cump,
should really not build the wall, please...
Even funnier.
I remember when Trump and his sycophants clearly said, over and over and over and over, MEXICO WILL PAY FOR THE WALL. I don't recall any republican saying it would fall to US taxpayers.
And catch up, more Americans support Obamacare now they know the gop lied about it all.
Why all the concern about funding ??? MEXICO IS GOING TO PAY FOR THE WALL. trump promised, over and over and over.
Why all the concern about funding ??? MEXICO IS GOING TO PAY FOR THE WALL. trump promised, over and over and over.
Correct!
Yet just another one of many cases of Trump's PROMISE MADE-- PROMISES KEPT!
In fact not only is Mexico going to pay for the The Wall--- but they're glass to do (they even said so).
i think former prezident FOX, said it Best
.
"Mexico ain't gonna pay for no FUCKEN WALL"!
The Best way to stop illegals is to send a strong message of deterrence
either post military or citizen militias at the border. Spray warning shots near these invaders. Word will spread and it will stop
We need to follow John F Kennedy’s call to arms
JFK Nation of Minutemen
January 29, 1961
“In my own native state of Massachusetts, the battle for American freedom was begun by the thousands of farmers and tradesmen who made up the Minute Men -- citizens who were ready to defend their liberty at a moment's notice. Today we need a nation of minute men; citizens who are not only prepared to take up arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as a basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom. The cause of liberty, the cause of America, cannot succeed with any lesser effort.”
Don't any of that applies to current trump repubs
The Best way to stop illegals is to send a strong message of deterrence
either post military or citizen militias at the border. Spray warning shots near these invaders. Word will spread and it will stop
Nope. Won't work.
In fact that was the original idea behind forceably separating kids from their parent and putting them in cages (that severely mistreating these peopel would stop the flow).
Government video released today shows the inside of a child detention center in Texas where hundreds of immigrant children have been locked inside cages like animals.
The hope was that "word would spread" and the flow of would-be immigrants would stop.
How's that been working out so far?
How is separation comparable to armed presence at the border and firing warning shots at these invaders.
do you really think they will continue if we start shooting?
Yes.
Look at it from their point of view-- we've already taken children away from mothers-- some can not be located to ever be returned to their mothers. Yet that doesn't stop them from entering the country. (Some mothers are like that-- their primarily goal is to protect their children-- even if it means putting their lives at risk).
Look at it from their point of view-- we've already taken children away from mothers-- some can not be located to ever be returned to their mothers. Yet that doesn't stop them from entering the country. (Some mothers are like that-- their primarily goal is to protect their children-- even if it means putting their lives at risk).
Why?
Because as they see it, the odds of entering the U.S. (whether legally or not) and surviving are better than the odds of surviving in their own countries. (If you are unaware of how bad it is there, google it).
This reminds me of Jewish refugees trying to escape Nazi Germany-- in many cases they also faced the prospect of getting murdered. Yet they still tried.
Because they felt that while both staying and attempting to escape were risking their lives, in many cases their chances for survival were greater if they attempted to escape.
You may not know much about that situation (if you want to know more there are several good books on the subject-- or you can google it. That is-- if you really want to know the facts...).
But that reminded me of another situation. Life if Communist East germany was a living hell for many Germans. Many in East Berlin tried to escape by getting over or otherwise getting through the Berlin Wall. Most of these were shot to death by the East german border guards.
But did that stop attempts? Nope.
Neither alternative was great (remaining under brutal Communist rule in East Germany or trying to escape and probably getting shot) many took their chances.
Why?
Again, life was so terrible they werwe willing to risk trying to cross the Wall and possibly getting shot. So that didn't stop them!!!
For us armchair quarterbacks here in present day U.S., it might be difficult to understand the dilemma facing these people from Central America-- or the dilemma facing Jews (and some other) in Nazi germany-- or more recently Germans living under Communist barbarism in East Berlin.
Comparing those murdered in the holocaust to people invading a nation for better jobs and free benefits paid for by others is an insult to both those who were murdered and survivors of the holocaust
[Deleted]
Are you serious? Do you actually believe none of those people are trying to escape widespread child rape, murder, extremely brutal attacks by drug gangs, etc, etc?Do you think mothers would risk having their kids forceably taken away from them just to get a better job?
[Deleted] (I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume its because you only get your news from an extremely biased source-- i.e. Fox News).
None of those are justifiable for legal refugee status. If we use that as the criteria we will be admitting 10s of millions from around the world every year.
and I mostly watch the commie MSNBC. It’s important to know what the enemy is thinking.
for news (not political commentary) I go to independent News reporting from both ends of the political spectrum
Nope. There isn't even a mass migration. Remember that huge caravan trump was screaming about and deployed the military to the border over? It was about 150 people. And those 150 or so people just walked almost 3,000 miles....do you REALLY think they would WALK that far to "invade" the USA? My god, you really need to get away from the fake news right wing media.
And you claim to be a pastor following the word of Jesus. If Jesus were to return today, do you see him taking up arms and firing warning shots at people just trying to make a better life for themselves? Unbelievable.
According to the bible, God commanded the Israelites to illegally immigrate to Egypt after they got hit by a famine
Yes. He did.
Actually, the Pharaoh gave Joseph power second only to his own. Joseph, after tricking his brothers, invited his family into Egypt. So, there was nothing illegal about it. They had the approval of the Egyptian government and therefore were LEGAL immigrants. Reread the Bible, please.
Just another day at the wall.
Car Jack used to Breach Border Fence
Just another day at the wall.
Thanks for posting that video-- it makes an excellent point: A Wall will not stop determined immigrants!
That is part of the wall that DHS wants to replace. Hmmm - wonder why?
That was the first tool I thought of when I saw this:
I wonder if oval wheels on Border Patrol vehicles is another genius Trump idea.
As you can see from my avatar, Trump's idea of a border wall looks like an upside down afro pick !
There must be 1,000 ways to breach that idiotic design. Trump clearly did not excel at STEM.
Trump has a weird idea of what "beautiful" is.. Maybe he should put that shit around his golf course.
What does it say that the moron in chief tweeted such a stupid rendering? Once again, you have unfailing defended the world’s biggest moron with knee jerk precision.
You know this how 1st? Where in Arizona was that video taken?
BTW, if it's all about drug trafficking, what would stop them from just passing packages THROUGH the pickets Trump is installing?
Yuma - by buddies of the jackers who were apprehended by one of my BP neighbors.
The spacing between the slats would "reduce" the flow. NOTHING will stop the Cartels from trying to find ways to transport.
So what gives you the idea that the Yuma FENCE is scheduled to be replaced by Trump's WALL? Link?
BTW, it doesn't look like that video was made in an urban area like Yuma.
Gee 1st, that sure looks like a fence to me...
BTW, I've always wanted one of those kind of jacks for my jeep but they are dangerous as hell. I'd probably poke my eye out.
Yeah I believe that .
One can argue whether or not tens of thousands of people trying to enter the US across the southern border represents " a lot" or "a small" amount of people, and it is relative, but what we do know is that border crossings have been down in the last 5 or 6 years from what they were previously. If it wasn't a hair on fire emergency in the Bush years when there were many more illegal immigrants entering, why the hell is it one now?
Because Trump wants it to be. It's just about that simple.
Ignorance and stupidity have gained a foothold , along with "fear of a brown planet" nationalism stoked by the "president*".
Say John - c'mon down here and visit us in the SW for 'bout a month - yeah, that's the ticket.
Illegals aren't my problem. I am way to the North, so it doesn't affect me and I don't want my tax dollars going to solve your problems. You want a wall, you pay for it..
(For similarities see: health care)
Have a super day!
So in essence, what you saying is, screw the U.S. citizens and legal residents on this side of the border that are victims of illegal immigration? I do not live down there so it is not my problem? Do not spend my tax dollars to keep illegals out? If so, that is pretty sad.
the federal govt has very few duties listed in the constitution. the security of our nation is one of them
once the feds forfeit those duties = we don't need them / and will remove them.
a federal govt that does not secure our border is like being married to a person who lets the house get robbed daily.
that relationship is not gonna last long
cheers