What ya ma call it

Today's lesson is about permanent tactical infrastructure.

Let's see if you can guess what it is. Here are some examples of the phrase in context.

"When we got our swimming pool, the city required us to put up a permanent tactical infrastructure."

"I despise politicians who always sit on the permanent tactical infrastructure."

"We all cheered when Jim hit the baseball over the permanent tactical infrastructure."

Ah yes, the border fence.

Before we talk about the progress of it, we ought to define it a little better. There are your traditional double and triple layer fences and pedestrian fences. They all "count" towards the miles completed.

But "all weather roads" and "lighting" also count for miles completed on the project. One is left to wonder what 64.7 miles of lighting looks like. One also wonders how intimidating the lighting can be, especially on a Sunday morning.

In fact, we were supposed to have 700 miles completed before Bush left office. But no matter how many roads and lights and pedestrian fences you throw in there to make the government look good, we still only have 600 miles of fence.

So....we are a year late and 100 miles short. (At the end of FY2008, the official report listed only 203.7 miles of "primary fence.")


Care to talk about the virtual fence project? Not much good news there either.

Gosh, one would think the government really doesn't want to secure the border after all. They are always fighting over funding. And the priority Homeland Security allegedly secured has faded as the EPA and National Parks are increasingly getting their way when it comes to fence.

There is an interesting alternative here. A private group claims they can do 2,000 miles for approximately $50 MILLION.
http://www.borderfenceproject.com/
I'm not fool enough to think the approach is Nirvana, but I'd rather believe in them than the goofs in Washington who can't even deliver on their promises.