Despite the idiocy of building a border wall to try to keep out illegal immigrants, the federal government is still going full speed ahead to get the wall built. DCBirdingBlog has a great piece on the environmental impact such a wall will have on the area, and you can always visit the No Border Wall blog for more updates and information on the unconstitutional tactics the Bush Administration is using to ram the project through.
I hope there will be some attention paid to this issue during the RGV birding festival in November.
11 comments:
I didn't know this was going on. Gah, it's so hard keeping up with all the evildoings of this crew.
You know what Carlos Mencia says about that wall?
"Who's gonna build it? That's right. Mexicans."
: )
That wall reminds me of a tee shirt I have:
"Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups."
Oh, deep deep sigh. This is so sad.
From the archives of FranIam comes reminder of added layers of idiocy.
Happy Earth Day. When will the Bushco want to build a fence so that there is no earth at all???
Earl--it's been a big issue for a while, but I only follow it because I'm from the Valley.
Susan--right on.
Fran--oy vey...
When I heard it would have a negative environmental impact I knew the bush administration would truly enjoy it and probably rush it along.
PoP--Chertoff's been skirting around existing legislation, constitutional processes, etc. just to hurry the wall up. It's so freaking ridiculous. Texas legend Molly Ivins wrote a great column on how stupid walls and fences are (people will just go over, under, or around). I'll have to find that and link to it. (*sniffle* I miss Molly!)
I am glad people are paying attention to this obscene border idea. As soon as it was originally announced, all I could think of was the impact on animal migration.
I hate the damn concrete dividers on our superhighways, that interrupt animal patterns--so what on the earth will a border wall do?
It is sad to see that stupidity has no limits..
Jeepers! Don't worry about the RGV birding festival! The birds can fly right over that nast old wall.
KGMom--you're exactly right. Not only does it interrupt the territories of animals, but it will also fence out some US land in our tax-funded sanctuaries and give that land to Mexico. WTF!?
Mel--the wall isn't even a solid barrier--there are gaps all over the place. More like a sieve.
Dr. Z--yes, but what about the land animals?
On April 28 a Congressional Field Hearing was held in Brownsville, Texas. Titled Walls and Waivers: Expedited Construction of the Southern Border Wall and the Collateral Impacts on Communities and the Environment, it was intended to investigate the impacts that the border wall will have on border communities if it is constructed. Brownsville Diocese Bishop Reymundo Pena, Eagle Pass Mayor Chad Foster, and many other border residents testified, explaining the damage that a border wall would cause to the assembled members of Congress. The committee will continue to accept written testimony until May 16th. This is an important opportunity to inform members of Congress, and to ensure that our voices become part of the official record. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff has announced that since he waived the National Environmental Policy Act there will be no Final Environmental Assessments or Environmental Impact Statements, and it is unclear what will happen to the hundreds of public comments that they received. That makes the comments submitted to members of Congress in connection to the field hearing even more important.
Here are the guidelines for written submissions to the U.S.Congressional field hearing record. They need to be in by Friday, May 16th.
1. Head your comments with the hearing name and date: Walls and Waivers: Expedited Construction of the Southern Border Wall and the Collateral Impacts on Communities and the Environment, April 28, 2008.
2. Do not exceed 10 pages.
3. No cover page is needed, although your name, title, and the organization that you represent (if you have one), should also be stated at the beginning of your testimony.
4. Please use typed single-space letter-size (8½ x 11) white paper.
5. Send via the postal service as they are not equipped to handle mass amounts of e-mail. The mailing address is:
Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans
Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands
1324 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
6. If you submit attachments or exhibits to your testimony please include them as separate items at the end of your testimony. If attachments are more than 10 pages (in addition to your original testimony) or on paper larger than 8½ x 11, we will not accept them for printing. Instead, you should paraphrase or quote as needed. If including charts, tables, maps, or photographs, they should be included on separate pages, not within the text of a page.
7. THINGS TO AVOID: Underlining, footnotes, capitalization of the whole document or solid blocks of text.
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