"During a call this weekend with members of the House Republican Conference, Johnson said Congress will not be able to address the border issue until his party retakes the White House. That means this “crisis”—the preferred framing of Republicans in campaign mode and conservative media looking to lend them a helping hand—will have to wai…
"During a call this weekend with members of the House Republican Conference, Johnson said Congress will not be able to address the border issue until his party retakes the White House. That means this “crisis”—the preferred framing of Republicans in campaign mode and conservative media looking to lend them a helping hand—will have to wait at least another year. (Johnson’s position also implicitly requires Republicans to achieve a trifecta by gaining control of both chambers of Congress in addition to the White House, further narrowing the conditions of action that are acceptable to him.)"
-----
Another example of a "crisis" that the members of the New GOP are using to whip up their base without offering *anything* of substance to fix the problem. To them, this isn't an immigration problem (even though both sides of the aisle agree that the southern border is broken), it's strictly a political expediency that they think they can ride to uniparty control of the federal government. To the Psychiatric Facility Escapee Caucus, immigration is a cudgel to be wielded against the Dems, not a problem to be solved.
The Tangerine Troglodyte and his sycophants, minions, toadies and turd polishers will continue to scare the crap out of the MAGAverse with unmitigated promotion of the Great Replacement Theory. The Dems, and some secret cabal of pedophile elitists, will give every immigrant, documented or undocumented, the right to vote so the New GOP agenda gets aborted before birth (an intentional metaphor).
It's just too easy to sway any MAGA knuckle dragger who drank too much from the Kool-Aid punchbowl with a yuge orange turd floating in it. The more fear that is stoked by the MAGA leadership the more likely that the base will do whatever it takes -- including another, possibly successful, insurrection -- to put the Marigold Malignancy back in the Oval Office [turns head and spits three times between index and middle fingers]. Only then will the invading hordes be stopped in their tracks, and America made safe from all of the terrorists, gangbangers and other drug smugglers crossing our porous southern border.
(If I were a terrorist, or anyone else with criminal intent, I'd cross through the northern border with Canada. This border is much longer and much less protected, but this doesn't matter to the MAGAdroids, POC are entering America along the southern border, not the northern.)
It also has mountains, forests, wild predators, winter and polar vortexes. Crossing the Canadian border outside of actual crossings is more challenging. Plus, you have to have money to get to Canada so why not just stay there?
(I assume you are referring to my closing parenthetical)
Everything you say is true, with one exception written below, but in some ways that reinforces my point. If I were a terrorist (lone wolves -- no predator pun intended -- aren't included here) I'd have likely received some training, including on how to move through difficult terrain to avoid detection. And even if I hadn't I'd still likely give this way to cross the border some serious consideration in my planning. It's these features that make being discovered all the harder.
There are predators to contend with along the northern border, but there are along the southern border too. The first that sprang into my head were coyotes: both the four legged and the two. The four legged are out looking for dinner; the two are out there to make a buck. They have no ideological skin in the game so they'll throw you under the bus if it means saving themselves. There is other wildlife out there that are much harder to see and aren't predators but are still deadly, rattlesnakes and scorpions for example.
It's true that the winters, that starts in mid Fall and ends mid Spring, is anything but conducive for infiltration, especially given the climate change that has allowed those polar vortices to dip farther and farther south. OTOH, I used to live near the Canadian border and late Spring through early Fall the weather could be glorious.
The exception I take is your ending question; it begs two key points. It takes money to get to either of our borders. A team coming from overseas can fly to Canada, Mexico or have the group split between the two. Even without counting the money needed for the logistics and training of even a small team of five, the amount needed for travel would be high just in tickets and the cost of fake passports. The second part is "why not just stay there?" The beginning of the parenthetical stipulates that we're talking about terrorists and people with a criminal intent, not immigrants or asylum seekers. They wouldn't be able to achieve their objective by staying in Canada if they're supposed to be in the US, and I don't think their handlers (terrorist) would be ok with that decision.
(Wow, I really do suffer from chronic diarrhea of the fingers and an inability to self-edit. Sorry.)
As to your last two sentences, I know the feeling. I wasn't actually thinking terrorists so much as asylum seekers, but as to your points about terrorists, I think our home grown ones are the much bigger threat. Islamic terrorists would see the terrain as not in their bailiwick (Afghanistan terrorists would be different) which is why the only time we know of that they tried it, they went through an actual vehicle crossing at the Washington border. For me the Southern border is the bigger issue and not just because of asylum seekers, but because the cartels are now making seriously big money in human trafficking. I don't think building a wall is going to change that, nor do I think increasing the Border Patrol is the answer. We need to form a dedicated alliance with Mexico and Central American countries to end the human trafficking component. Need to hit them at the beginning and the end instead of pretending just hitting them at the end is sufficient.
"During a call this weekend with members of the House Republican Conference, Johnson said Congress will not be able to address the border issue until his party retakes the White House. That means this “crisis”—the preferred framing of Republicans in campaign mode and conservative media looking to lend them a helping hand—will have to wait at least another year. (Johnson’s position also implicitly requires Republicans to achieve a trifecta by gaining control of both chambers of Congress in addition to the White House, further narrowing the conditions of action that are acceptable to him.)"
-----
Another example of a "crisis" that the members of the New GOP are using to whip up their base without offering *anything* of substance to fix the problem. To them, this isn't an immigration problem (even though both sides of the aisle agree that the southern border is broken), it's strictly a political expediency that they think they can ride to uniparty control of the federal government. To the Psychiatric Facility Escapee Caucus, immigration is a cudgel to be wielded against the Dems, not a problem to be solved.
The Tangerine Troglodyte and his sycophants, minions, toadies and turd polishers will continue to scare the crap out of the MAGAverse with unmitigated promotion of the Great Replacement Theory. The Dems, and some secret cabal of pedophile elitists, will give every immigrant, documented or undocumented, the right to vote so the New GOP agenda gets aborted before birth (an intentional metaphor).
It's just too easy to sway any MAGA knuckle dragger who drank too much from the Kool-Aid punchbowl with a yuge orange turd floating in it. The more fear that is stoked by the MAGA leadership the more likely that the base will do whatever it takes -- including another, possibly successful, insurrection -- to put the Marigold Malignancy back in the Oval Office [turns head and spits three times between index and middle fingers]. Only then will the invading hordes be stopped in their tracks, and America made safe from all of the terrorists, gangbangers and other drug smugglers crossing our porous southern border.
(If I were a terrorist, or anyone else with criminal intent, I'd cross through the northern border with Canada. This border is much longer and much less protected, but this doesn't matter to the MAGAdroids, POC are entering America along the southern border, not the northern.)
fnord
Do you have your own Substack yet? You should!
fnord
It also has mountains, forests, wild predators, winter and polar vortexes. Crossing the Canadian border outside of actual crossings is more challenging. Plus, you have to have money to get to Canada so why not just stay there?
Ms Kochivar-Baker,
(I assume you are referring to my closing parenthetical)
Everything you say is true, with one exception written below, but in some ways that reinforces my point. If I were a terrorist (lone wolves -- no predator pun intended -- aren't included here) I'd have likely received some training, including on how to move through difficult terrain to avoid detection. And even if I hadn't I'd still likely give this way to cross the border some serious consideration in my planning. It's these features that make being discovered all the harder.
There are predators to contend with along the northern border, but there are along the southern border too. The first that sprang into my head were coyotes: both the four legged and the two. The four legged are out looking for dinner; the two are out there to make a buck. They have no ideological skin in the game so they'll throw you under the bus if it means saving themselves. There is other wildlife out there that are much harder to see and aren't predators but are still deadly, rattlesnakes and scorpions for example.
It's true that the winters, that starts in mid Fall and ends mid Spring, is anything but conducive for infiltration, especially given the climate change that has allowed those polar vortices to dip farther and farther south. OTOH, I used to live near the Canadian border and late Spring through early Fall the weather could be glorious.
The exception I take is your ending question; it begs two key points. It takes money to get to either of our borders. A team coming from overseas can fly to Canada, Mexico or have the group split between the two. Even without counting the money needed for the logistics and training of even a small team of five, the amount needed for travel would be high just in tickets and the cost of fake passports. The second part is "why not just stay there?" The beginning of the parenthetical stipulates that we're talking about terrorists and people with a criminal intent, not immigrants or asylum seekers. They wouldn't be able to achieve their objective by staying in Canada if they're supposed to be in the US, and I don't think their handlers (terrorist) would be ok with that decision.
(Wow, I really do suffer from chronic diarrhea of the fingers and an inability to self-edit. Sorry.)
fnord
As to your last two sentences, I know the feeling. I wasn't actually thinking terrorists so much as asylum seekers, but as to your points about terrorists, I think our home grown ones are the much bigger threat. Islamic terrorists would see the terrain as not in their bailiwick (Afghanistan terrorists would be different) which is why the only time we know of that they tried it, they went through an actual vehicle crossing at the Washington border. For me the Southern border is the bigger issue and not just because of asylum seekers, but because the cartels are now making seriously big money in human trafficking. I don't think building a wall is going to change that, nor do I think increasing the Border Patrol is the answer. We need to form a dedicated alliance with Mexico and Central American countries to end the human trafficking component. Need to hit them at the beginning and the end instead of pretending just hitting them at the end is sufficient.