B
B1ackwater
Guest
CNN
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A 28-mile "virtual fence" that will use radars and
surveillance cameras to try to catch people entering the country
illegally has gotten final government approval.
A mobile observation tower is part of a "virtual fence" along the
U.S.-Mexico border.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced approval of the
fence on Friday. The fence, built by the Boeing Co., uses technology
the government plans to extend to other areas of the Arizona border,
as well as to sections of Texas.
The projects could get under way as early as this summer, said
department spokeswoman Laura Keehner.
The virtual fence is part of a national plan to secure the southwest
border with physical barriers and high-tech detection capabilities
intended to stop illegal immigrants on foot and drug smugglers in
vehicles. As of Thursday, 302 miles of fencing had been constructed.
Chertoff said the virtual fence already is working.
On February 13, an officer in a Tucson command center -- 70 miles from
the border -- noticed a group of about 100 people gathered at the
border. The officer notified agents on the ground and in the air.
Border Patrol caught 38 of the 100 people who tried to cross
illegally, and the others went back into Mexico, said a Homeland
Security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he isn't
authorized to speak publicly.
The virtual fence system includes 98-foot unmanned surveillance towers
that are equipped with an array of sophisticated technology including
radar, sensors and cameras capable of distinguishing people from
cattle at a distance of about 10 miles. The cameras are powerful
enough to tell group sizes and whether people are carrying backpacks
that may contain weapons or drugs.
- - - - -
Ooooh ... 28 whole miles !
How long is the US/Mexican border ... 1200 miles or
thereabouts ?
So why only 28 miles ? Easy. No matter HOW much technology
you put on the border, you've gotta have the MANPOWER to
do something ABOUT whatever the technology reveals.
They don't have it. They WON'T have it. Behind the rhetoric
the politicians and especially their big-money patrons WANT
a free flow of cheap exploitable labor streaming over the
border. All this "We'll get control" talk is just CRAP and
everyone knows it.
This is why the Feds were so upset when the "Minute-Men" came
on the scene. Enough of them might have actually put a big
hurt on the flow of aliens. So, they made sure the press
painted the "Minute-Men" as evil murderous KKK types eager
to shoot 'Mexicans' like they were rabid prairie dogs -
suckin' down a Budweiser every time they scored a 'point'.
The "Minute-Men" threatened to be EFFECTIVE ... and the
Feds and their money men were worried.
Oh, and then a few states threatened to arrest/fine business
people who HIRED illegals. But how much of THAT have we heard
about ? One or two "example" cases ... then nothing. No
enforcement = no law.
Well, there's always the ultra-expensive "fence" ... which
news cameras show 'Mexicans' scaling with ease - and nobody
enforcing the laws there either.
Now you'd think I hate "Mexicans", wouldn't you ? In truth,
I don't. I actually kinda like them. Indeed they seem to
have a far better work ethic than our domestic labor force,
put 'em to shame. What I hate is government BS ... most
especially when it costs me a lot of TAX MONEY.
These 'fences' - virtual or tangible - who's getting OVERPAID
to install all this crap ? How much do they kick-back to their
congressmens re-election campaigns ? We're paying to build
an 'iron curtain' all for NOTHING - the powers that be won't
actually USE it, won't put a tenth of the necessary manpower
on the job to make such barriers effective. Just a big
expensive joke.
Love or hate "W", but he DID have the right take on the
whole 'Mexican' issue - a decent 'guest worker' program.
Keeps us informed about who's here and what they're doing,
keeps the 'Mexicans' safer from exploitation too.
But I guess there wasn't enough kickback money in "guest
workers" to satisfy the congress ...
Hmmm ... and I wonder if the technology they're testing
along the 'virtual fence' will be used to spy on American
Citizens next ?
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A 28-mile "virtual fence" that will use radars and
surveillance cameras to try to catch people entering the country
illegally has gotten final government approval.
A mobile observation tower is part of a "virtual fence" along the
U.S.-Mexico border.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced approval of the
fence on Friday. The fence, built by the Boeing Co., uses technology
the government plans to extend to other areas of the Arizona border,
as well as to sections of Texas.
The projects could get under way as early as this summer, said
department spokeswoman Laura Keehner.
The virtual fence is part of a national plan to secure the southwest
border with physical barriers and high-tech detection capabilities
intended to stop illegal immigrants on foot and drug smugglers in
vehicles. As of Thursday, 302 miles of fencing had been constructed.
Chertoff said the virtual fence already is working.
On February 13, an officer in a Tucson command center -- 70 miles from
the border -- noticed a group of about 100 people gathered at the
border. The officer notified agents on the ground and in the air.
Border Patrol caught 38 of the 100 people who tried to cross
illegally, and the others went back into Mexico, said a Homeland
Security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he isn't
authorized to speak publicly.
The virtual fence system includes 98-foot unmanned surveillance towers
that are equipped with an array of sophisticated technology including
radar, sensors and cameras capable of distinguishing people from
cattle at a distance of about 10 miles. The cameras are powerful
enough to tell group sizes and whether people are carrying backpacks
that may contain weapons or drugs.
- - - - -
Ooooh ... 28 whole miles !
How long is the US/Mexican border ... 1200 miles or
thereabouts ?
So why only 28 miles ? Easy. No matter HOW much technology
you put on the border, you've gotta have the MANPOWER to
do something ABOUT whatever the technology reveals.
They don't have it. They WON'T have it. Behind the rhetoric
the politicians and especially their big-money patrons WANT
a free flow of cheap exploitable labor streaming over the
border. All this "We'll get control" talk is just CRAP and
everyone knows it.
This is why the Feds were so upset when the "Minute-Men" came
on the scene. Enough of them might have actually put a big
hurt on the flow of aliens. So, they made sure the press
painted the "Minute-Men" as evil murderous KKK types eager
to shoot 'Mexicans' like they were rabid prairie dogs -
suckin' down a Budweiser every time they scored a 'point'.
The "Minute-Men" threatened to be EFFECTIVE ... and the
Feds and their money men were worried.
Oh, and then a few states threatened to arrest/fine business
people who HIRED illegals. But how much of THAT have we heard
about ? One or two "example" cases ... then nothing. No
enforcement = no law.
Well, there's always the ultra-expensive "fence" ... which
news cameras show 'Mexicans' scaling with ease - and nobody
enforcing the laws there either.
Now you'd think I hate "Mexicans", wouldn't you ? In truth,
I don't. I actually kinda like them. Indeed they seem to
have a far better work ethic than our domestic labor force,
put 'em to shame. What I hate is government BS ... most
especially when it costs me a lot of TAX MONEY.
These 'fences' - virtual or tangible - who's getting OVERPAID
to install all this crap ? How much do they kick-back to their
congressmens re-election campaigns ? We're paying to build
an 'iron curtain' all for NOTHING - the powers that be won't
actually USE it, won't put a tenth of the necessary manpower
on the job to make such barriers effective. Just a big
expensive joke.
Love or hate "W", but he DID have the right take on the
whole 'Mexican' issue - a decent 'guest worker' program.
Keeps us informed about who's here and what they're doing,
keeps the 'Mexicans' safer from exploitation too.
But I guess there wasn't enough kickback money in "guest
workers" to satisfy the congress ...
Hmmm ... and I wonder if the technology they're testing
along the 'virtual fence' will be used to spy on American
Citizens next ?
