Texas mayors want wider Rio Grande

[smoogatz]

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (Reuters) - Texan mayors opposed to a planned border fence with Mexico want to widen and deepen the Rio Grande river instead, and say it will be more effective in keeping out illegal immigrants.

The U.S. government aims to build 700 miles of new fencing along the frontier with Mexico to boost security and try to stem the tide of immigration from the south.

But the Texas stretch of the fence, which would be built on the Rio Grande's desert flood plain, would cut off some ranchers' access to the river, the main source of fresh water in the arid region. Mayors say it would also damage trade and centuries-old ties with Mexico.

Several mayors have also proposed stocking the river with crocodiles, and constructing viewing stations complete with coin-operated binoculars every half-mile or so along the American side of the river, so that tourists could enjoy the spectacle of illegal-immigrants being devoured. "We think it'll be a real crowd pleaser," said Jethro Pudwhacker, mayor of Poontang, TX, a small border town.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071113/pl_nm/usa_border_wall_dc

OKay, I wrote the last paragraph myself. But still...

[krispos42]

1. Not crocs, gators!

Make the Floridians happy and support the domestic alligator industry, instead of importing cheap, lead-contaminated foreign crocodiles!

Why do you hate America?




:rofl:

[Lone_Star_Dem]

10. That river is so polluted with chemicals and waste they could turn mutant

Then we'd have 20' mutant Gatormen on the loose seeking revenge for the wrongs done to them and the ecosystem.

:scared:

[Warpy]

2. Widen and deepen?

Folks, there is only so much water that comes down that river, described as too thick to sail and too thin to plow. Widening it will make it shallower and deepening the river bed will just make it silt up faster.

This is a plan only a Texan xenophobe could love.

[depakid]

4. "only a Texan xenophobe could love."

You sometimes have to wonder whether it's something in the water.

And I'm not thinking alligators....

[angstlessk]

3. I know my eyes opened wider when I read that last paragraph...

sorta bugged out of my face in fact...glad you cleared it up for me! nowdays, one never knows? :shrug:

[NYVet]

5. I heard that Jehro was planning on allowing you to adopt a croc

You could give it any name, as long as it was Jeb, or Dubya.

[Vincardog]

6. In a related note Arizona Sheriff propose web cam guns be mounted every 1/2 mile

and patriots pay to man the guns.

They estimate the sport of "hunting" illegals will be a big hit with the canned hunt crowd.

As an added benefit VP Darth could not shoot any innocent companions.


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OK OK it is a deplorable suggestion but just as likely sa a stupid fence or some damn mote.

[yella_dawg]

7. Damn!

I was born only a few miles from the Rio Grande. Lived in Texas all my life. I had no idea the river was adjustable. I know damn well they can't be talking about actually digging a deeper, wider river. Not even Republicans are that fucking stupid.

[Vincardog]

9. Not even Republicans are that fucking stupid, wanna bet? Some voted for GW TWICE

[Lone_Star_Dem]

12. Worse yet

South Texas is our Democratic part of the state. They could very well not be Republicans.

Either way, they have the stupid wrapped up.

[gollygee]

8. Yes, let's dig a big moat around our kingdom

:crazy:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

11. I almost missed your disclaimer.

Here I was about to google Poontang, TX, ya bastid.

[Javaman]

13. A fence is a relatively cheap idea. No one can make money off of it.

now widening the rio grande and making it deeper, now there is some serious pork to be had.

all bullshit folks.

[UTUSN]

14. The international boundary is at the middle of the river. A fence NORTH of the river

is de facto ceding the WHOLE river away, whether this is a technicality or not. What fools these mortals be!1

As for the post (above) saying there is nothing financial to gain from building a fence compared to the pork in widening/deepening the river--HAH!1 I say!1 Every little project the bureaucracy dips its toe in is big bucks. Already, there have been electronic visas that are NOT USED ($29 mil contract for General Dynamics), not to mention the boondoggle of everybody shelling out a hundred plus bucks for a passport, besides all the extra thousands of employees to handle the backlog of passport applications, plus cash cash CASH for the Border Patrol --- platial headquarters buildings, horses, riverboats, dune buggies, countless SUVs, laser cameras, tons of concrete pilings and barricades, and on and on.

********QUOTE********



A stack of U.S. visas, above, is sorted recently at the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana, Mexico.
Denis Poroy/The Associated Press


http://www.themonitor.com/news/border_2429___article.ht...

Costly visa technologies little used here

Area officials wonder: Is it needed or is it money wasted?
Kyle Arnold and Matt Whittaker
May 16, 2007 - 10:58PM

.... When Congress approved the laser visa system in 1996, proponents touted laser visas, which store so-called biometric information, as the next step in securing American borders from unwanted visitors like potential terrorists, drug smugglers and illegal immigrants. However, an AP article Tuesday said U.S. Customs and Border Protection only checks about 2 percent of all laser visa holders using the digital fingerprint and face matching technology. ....

A $28.6 million contract for laser visa technology was awarded to Virginia-based General Dynamics Corp., which has recently received another contract for $28.5 million, according to the AP article. ....

Inspecting laser visas without looking at the biometric information is no better than “looking at somebody’s driver’s license or library card,” she said. “The country invested a lot of money to bring the system up to date. It’s just amazing that they have gone to this expense … and made border crossers pay a lot of money for ... a card that we don’t even know how to use or don’t use,” she said. ....

In 2001, Mexicans who shopped in McAllen, Brownsville, Laredo and El Paso bought about $3.2 billion worth of goods — roughly 19 percent of all retail sales along the Texas border and 1.9 percent of the state’s retail sales, according to Dallas Fed data. ....

********UNQUOTE*******


http://notexasborderwall.com/