The Fence and the Ladder

Sometimes I think that those that occupy the left of our political spectrum are even tougher on border enforcement than we on the right. We are willing to try something even if it only reduces illegal immigration by 50, 60, or even 90%, whereas the left will only implement something if it stops it cold. That is the only way to explain the left's refusal to get behind the idea of a border fence.

Most have heard Democratic Governor Napolitano's response to the border fence, ""You show me a 50-foot wall and I'll show you a 51-foot ladder at the border. That's the way the border works". My response is that someone is going to look awfully suspicious walking around the Mexican desert holding onto a fifty one foot ladder. There is no full proof method to stopping illegal immigration entirely, and the governor is right. The fence will not deter someone if they are motivated enough. The reality is nothing will.

We could put together a human wall that stretches the entire border with Mexico and someone would bring a tank and run through our human wall. Nothing is full proof. That is the reality with illegal immigration and with homeland security for that matter.

While there will be those that go over and under any fence, the reality is that most will look at the fence and walk back home. That isn't good enough for the Governor or any of those on the left. I attended a debate on illegal immigration between Jim Oberweis and Susan Gzesh. Gzesh quoted the Governor in response to a question about the fence.

The reality in my opinion is the Ms. Gzesh doesn't think that the fence won't work, but that it will. Most of those that condemn the fence as flawed and "easily" penetrable, really just want open borders. What they won't say is that is that it isn't that the fence won't work, but that it will.

I am Jewish and I know something about fences. Israel has a fence on the border with the West Bank and none on the border with Gaza. Three guesses where the overwhelming majority of terrorism comes from. People like Ms. Gzesh and the Governor would have us believe that migrants would be willing to find a ladder to come here for work, but terrorists aren't willing to do the same thing in order to kill their enemy.

The arguement that we need not build a fence because people will bring a ladder is the definition of a straw man arguement. What most that are against the fence really want is an open border. The fence destroys that goal and so while they claim that the fence won't work at all, what they are really worried about is that it will.