U.S. Senate Turns Back On Border Fence

[82Marine89]

In a quiet act of defiance, the Senate approved a $555 billion omnibus spending bill that removed legal requirements mandating the federal government fund 854 miles of a double layer border fence spanning America's southwestern border.

The funding requirement was codified into law when Congress passed, and President George W. Bush signed, the Secure Fence Act (SFA) in 2006.

When the spending bill, which combines appropriations for a number of federal agencies, reached the Senate, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.) attached S.Amdt. 2466 to the measure in order to silently gut the SFA's spending requirement.

The Hutchison amendment reads, "Nothing in this paragraph shall require the secretary of homeland security to install fencing, physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras and sensors in a particular location along an international border of the United States, if the secretary determines that the use or placement of such resources is not the most appropriate means to achieve and maintain operational control over the international border at such location." Thus, critics argue the amendment results in a de facto repeal of the SFA.

"The Hutchison amendment gives DHS virtually total discretion over how and where the fence is built," commented Steve Elliott, president of Grassfire.org. "In fact, DHS would not be required to build fencing in any particular location - and the double-layer mandate is totally gone."

The double-layer border fence, which was premised on the fence erected outside San Diego, consists of two layers of fencing with a border patrol access road separating the fencing. California Congressman Duncan Hunter, who is also running for the Republican nomination, was instrumental in building the fence in San Diego and boasts the fence reduced the smuggling of drugs and people into San Diego by 90 percent. Mr. Hunter further contends his fence is virtually impenetrable.

"If you get over my fence, we sign you up for the Olympics immediately," Mr. Hunter repeatedly jokes on the campaign trail. The success of the San Diego fence was so great that Mr. Hunter wrote the SFA to extend it all the way across the southwest border.

Click for full text... (http://www.thebulletin.us/site/news.cfm?newsid=19161424&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=618959&rfi=6)

[Gunny]

In a quiet act of defiance, the Senate approved a $555 billion omnibus spending bill that removed legal requirements mandating the federal government fund 854 miles of a double layer border fence spanning America's southwestern border.

The funding requirement was codified into law when Congress passed, and President George W. Bush signed, the Secure Fence Act (SFA) in 2006.

When the spending bill, which combines appropriations for a number of federal agencies, reached the Senate, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.) attached S.Amdt. 2466 to the measure in order to silently gut the SFA's spending requirement.

The Hutchison amendment reads, "Nothing in this paragraph shall require the secretary of homeland security to install fencing, physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras and sensors in a particular location along an international border of the United States, if the secretary determines that the use or placement of such resources is not the most appropriate means to achieve and maintain operational control over the international border at such location." Thus, critics argue the amendment results in a de facto repeal of the SFA.

"The Hutchison amendment gives DHS virtually total discretion over how and where the fence is built," commented Steve Elliott, president of Grassfire.org. "In fact, DHS would not be required to build fencing in any particular location - and the double-layer mandate is totally gone."

The double-layer border fence, which was premised on the fence erected outside San Diego, consists of two layers of fencing with a border patrol access road separating the fencing. California Congressman Duncan Hunter, who is also running for the Republican nomination, was instrumental in building the fence in San Diego and boasts the fence reduced the smuggling of drugs and people into San Diego by 90 percent. Mr. Hunter further contends his fence is virtually impenetrable.

"If you get over my fence, we sign you up for the Olympics immediately," Mr. Hunter repeatedly jokes on the campaign trail. The success of the San Diego fence was so great that Mr. Hunter wrote the SFA to extend it all the way across the southwest border.

Click for full text... (http://www.thebulletin.us/site/news.cfm?newsid=19161424&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=618959&rfi=6)

You didn't REALLY think anyone was going to do anything, did you?

[Kathianne]

Not to be cynical, but I'm unsurprised. The federal government cannot pass amnesty, but their will to close borders is zip. It will take 'the people' to make the states follow through.

[82Marine89]

You didn't REALLY think anyone was going to do anything, did you?

Not at all, but I didn't expect this from a pubbie.

[gabosaurus]

A border fence is unworkable and would be a huge waste of money.
Why not just bring our troops home and use them to patrol the border? Not to mention turning up the heat on those who hire illegal aliens.
A couple of Arizona towns also had a radical idea. Which, unfortunately, didn't hold up: They started requiring ID to wire money out of the country. Which the vast majority of illegals don't have.
There are a lot of immigration reforms that would work. A fence is not once of them.

[Yurt]

A border fence is unworkable and would be a huge waste of money.
Why not just bring our troops home and use them to patrol the border? Not to mention turning up the heat on those who hire illegal aliens.
A couple of Arizona towns also had a radical idea. Which, unfortunately, didn't hold up: They started requiring ID to wire money out of the country. Which the vast majority of illegals don't have.
There are a lot of immigration reforms that would work. A fence is not once of them.

sure it will. the great wall worked for china and if we are just trying to stop people illegally crossing, the great wall would work.

[red states rule]

We also need to stop changing our country to appease the illegals. Here is one example on how the liberal media thinks we should

A New Jersey op-ed columnist asks 'What's the Problem' With Spanish in the Workplace?


Have no fear, America: English still spoken here
Home News Tribune Online 12/24/07

ROGER
HERNANDEZ
From small time to over the hill, the conservative punditocracy is worried, very worried, that Spanish is taking over. Pretty mad about it, too.



"I don't know about you, but I do a slow burn when I get a recorded telephone message telling me to "Press 1 for English,' " writes Dot Ward of Madison, Miss., in her local newspaper's reader blog.

It also bothers one Michael M. Bates, columnist for a weekly newspaper in suburban Chicago. "I find it annoying to call a telephone number and have to press 1 to proceed in English," he rants.

And Reagan-era activist Phyllis Schlafly asks, "Are you tired of anonymous voices on the phone telling you to "Press 1 (or sometimes 2) for English?' "

Well, yeah, I'm a little tired of that. When you are on the phone and want to talk to a human being, you don't want to be kept waiting talking to a machine.

But that's not what this is all about, is it?

"The ability to speak and communicate in English is the litmus test of whether immigrants are assimilating into U.S. culture," Schlafly continues. "The Pew Hispanic Center just reported that only 52 percent of Hispanic naturalized citizens speak English well or pretty well. Pew also reported that 28 percent of Latino immigrants speak only Spanish on the job."

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., is acting to stop some of that Spanish speakin' with his introduction of the "Protecting English in the Workplace Act of 2007." A press release from his office explains that the bill "would clarify that it's not against the law to prohibit foreign languages from being spoken while engaged in work."

for the complete article
http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071224/COLUMNISTS/712240446

[Gunny]

Not at all, but I didn't expect this from a pubbie.

Republicans are as complicit in the plan to continually sweep this under the rug as any Democrats. Whichever side actually does something will be political fodder for the other, and neither will risk losing the Hispanic vote.

And I can tell you firsthand from living in South Texas, there is no rhyme nor reason to Hispanics on the topic. Very few can see past "us racists don't want poor tia Maria to have a better life" to the part where they, as taxpayers are footing the bill.

[Yurt]

Republicans are as complicit in the plan to continually sweep this under the rug as any Democrats. Whichever side actually does something will be political fodder for the other, and neither will risk losing the Hispanic vote.

And I can tell you firsthand from living in South Texas, there is no rhyme nor reason to Hispanics on the topic. Very few can see past "us racists don't want poor tia Maria to have a better life" to the part where they, as taxpayers are footing the bill.

all hispanics? my wife's girlyfriend is mexican and the first thing she asked her future husband was:

are you a citizen or where is your green card

She and many other hispanics do not approve and do not support these illegal job stealers. You see, the racist dems want us all to think it is the evil "white" republican who "hates" these illegals. Wrong, plain wrong, but of course no effing "poll" is conducted in this demographic or "hood." Its not just Americans they are stealing jobs from, but from those immigrants who fought hard to get here legally. The only reason hispanics by and large support the dems is because they have bought into the bullshit message that the dems care about them and will make their lives easier. It is true, even those here legally are mostly not well educated, thus, the dems lies easily pass through their ignorance. It is the hispanics with education and more importantly, $$ (my wifes friend and others) that see through the lies.

I will say this though, it is not always easy to speak up against your "neighbor." Especially when so many are here illegally and would not blink at doing something more illegal......

[Psychoblues]

They build impenetrable fences around prisons and still can't hold them in or out.

Just what exactly are you concerned about?

[Yurt]

They build impenetrable fences around prisons and still can't hold them in or out.

Just what exactly are you concerned about?

what is the percentage of inmates that get out? you just proved my point for me....thank you.