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Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Politics The Great Virtual Wall of America Loses Funding

Posted by Charles Mudede on Wed, Mar 17, 2010 at 8:04 AM

Citing a plague of “cost overruns and missed deadlines,” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Tuesday that she would cut millions of dollars intended for a high-tech “virtual fence” along the Mexican border that has produced little more than headaches for the federal government.

Ms. Napolitano said her department would divert about $50 million in federal stimulus money intended for the project to other technological needs on the border, including laptops, radios, thermal-imaging devices and cameras requested by border guards.

The contractor for this expensive work of fiction, the "virtual fence," is none other than our very own (or used to be our very own) Boeing. Secure Border Initiative is to the border what Strategic Defense Initiative is to the sky.

Comments (2) RSS

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If they were really serious about a wall, they'd build an actual wall of solid concrete with reinforcing steel laid throughout, with a height of 200 feet, an underground penetration of at least 55 feet, and a depth of at least 70 feet, and run it literally coast to coast. Wire it up, electrify the middle levels (for anyone trying to climb it), grease the uppermost levels (so people slide back down) and then have armed US military drive it 24x7 with jeeps. Shoot anyone who approaches the wall illegally. Silly conservatives, unwilling to do anything full-assed, rather than half-assed.

Posted by Joe Szilagyi

on March 17, 2010 at 9:02 AM

@1,

You're assuming that conservatives want to keep illegal immigrants out. That's bad for business, and not something they'll ever seriously pursue. The border fence is about shutting their constituents up.

Posted by keshmeshi on March 17, 2010 at 11:35 AM