The incoming Democratic chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee says his top priorities would be ensuring that all cargo containers are scanned before arriving at U.S. seaports, increasing funding and security for rail and mass transit systems, passing an authorization bill for the Homeland Security Department, and possibly reversing legislation that calls for building a 700-mile fence along the border with Mexico.
"It's a good time to be a Democrat," said Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the ranking member of the committee who is poised to take over the helm when the new Congress convenes in January.
Bennie wants to shaft the American people and he's obviously happy that the Iraq debacle has given him the opportunity to do this.
The cause of immigration restriction has just gotten a lot tougher.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, Mississippi Democrat, told reporters this week that he expected to "revisit" the issue when he becomes chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee in the 110th Congress.
Mr. Thompson said the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) new border enforcement program, known as the Secure Border Initiative or SBI Net -- which includes monitors, cameras and other integrated surveillance systems -- is a viable alternative to fencing.
"We might do away with it, or look at [integrating it into] SBI Net," he said. "A virtual fence rather than a real one."
A physical barrier of multiple layers combined with electronic sensors would combine the strengths of both approaches and work better. But most Democats in the House Of Representatives do not want effective border control.
By Randall Parker at 2006 November 14 10:40 PM Immigration Border Barrier | TrackBackThe house republicans got pushed towards voting for the fence, but possibly against their preference. Many democrats joined them, perhaps in most cases just because it was winning and popular with the electorate, and they could advertise such a vote.
Maybe then, similar factors will operate next year and so on.
To get the powerful not to put a welfare project in your neighborhood, may entail lots of lobbying.
This is what immigration restrictionism has become by now, I estimate:
an effort rather like a neighborhood being considered for a monster welfare project,
but maybe a 100,000 times larger in the scale covered.
This analogy has some dissonant aspects, no doubt,
but it could be reasoned upon as if, how you would analyze one,
may be highly transferable to the other.
What is it with Democrats and RINOs and their fetish for bringing in tens of millions of indigents? I guess these loonies won't be happy until America is just one big Death Camp of Tolerance.
Posted by: birch barlow on November 15, 2006 03:22 PMSo the b!tch from Mis'sippi want the scan cargo containers from overseas? What the h@ll does he plan to do with the tens of thousands of uninspected uncontrolled rail cars flowing over our border with Mexico? An what is he going to do wheen he manages to get rid of all the America longshoremen and trucker jobs and move all US shipping down to Mexico for delivery to Kansas City over the new Wetback Express Tollway being built by a Spanish road company across the State of Texas?
Posted by: Big bill on November 15, 2006 06:15 PM)bleep( the border wall.
We need LANDMINES.
And I'm only partially joking.
Posted by: Glaivester on November 16, 2006 07:39 PM