US BUNGLES ON FENCE. INEFFICIENCY—AGAIN

Grant Swank* | February 28, 2008

Filed Under Conservative Musings, General Politics

J. Grant Swank, Jr.

The “fence” went up for 28 miles.

No one set in motion a measuring devise as to what effectiveness it was having.

No one dialogued with field agents regarding the use of the fence, that is, its implementation and so forth.

Government bungles again—on the strategic issue of immigration, illegals, and protecting America’s civility.

Per The Washington Times’ Jerry Seper: “The Department of Homeland Security spent $20 million on a ‘virtual fence’ to better secure 28 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona but has no way to measure its effectiveness and never consulted with the field agents who will use the system before it was installed, two House subcommittees learned yesterday.”

All the while, the legislative and executive branches of government continue as if in comatose state while the nation cries out for capable leadership. The Republic is in deep trouble.

The fence. The fence. The fence.

We put humans on the moon but can’t put up a protective barrier to shield law-abiding citizens from lawbreaking mortals taking over our country. How odd.

“During a hearing at which some members angrily challenged department officials to say how much it will cost to secure the entire border and when that effort will be completed, U.S. Border Patrol Chief David V. Aguilar acknowledged the agency does not ‘have the means’ to measure how many people are crossing illegally into the United States under the new system at the project site, south of Tucson.

“The virtual fence, known as ‘Project 28,’ uses high-tech sensors, cameras and other technology along a 28-mile stretch of the border near Sasabe, Ariz. It has been highly touted by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

“Chief Aguilar also confirmed at a joint hearing of the House Homeland Security subcommittee on border, maritime and global counterterrorism and the subcommittee on management, investigations and oversight that the $20.6 million fixed-price contract given to Boeing Co. in September did not allow discussions with the field agents on how the system would best fit their needs — a ‘problem’ he said that needs to be fixed.”

Then one thinks back to Operation Iraqi Freedom. The “war” was won in three weeks. But the aftermath has left us with a major difficulty that will stretch into decades to come.

Why, oh, why is there not efficiency, particularly when so many so-called intelligent persons are at the helm? And yet America is consumed with political campaigns and issues dialogues while stark reality points to the follow through lack of such leadership.

Hope springs eternal.

Therefore, Americans continue to continue. I swear that America is at its present successful state because of grassroots personages showing up for work on time, doing their jobs, paying their bills and keeping the civility in their neighborhoods.

America is surely more than DC. America is more than its political leadership. America is where the little people live. What other nation has the little people performing so well in order to keep a nation together?

“Chief Aguilar said future projects in Yuma, Ariz., and El Paso, Texas, will include increased input from Border Patrol personnel. They are expected to be completed by the end of 2011.

“His admissions came after Richard Stana, director of homeland security and justice issues at the GovernmentAccountability Office, said that after visiting the site on three occasions, GAO investigators did not know what criteria the department used to accept the project and concluded that field agents were not consulted.

“He said not all of the Border Patrol agents in the Tucson sector, all part of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), have been trained on Project 28, although the system is expected to be replaced.

“Mr. Stana also said a task order for the project mandated that the system be able to detect 95 percent of people crossing the border illegally, which had not been met. He said the project did not meet expectations and was not “the ultimate system” that had been envisioned.

“He also said Homeland Security’s goal of building 370 miles of pedestrian fences and 300 miles of vehicle barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border by the end of this year as part of the multibillion-dollar Secure Border Initiative (SBI) may be more challenging and costly than planned.

“’Meeting deadlines has been difficult because of various factors including difficulties in acquiring rights to border lands,’ he said.

“’Moreover, CBP officials are unable to estimate the total cost of pedestrian and vehicle fencing because they do not yet know the type of terrain where the fencing is to be constructed, the materials to be used and the cost to acquire the land.’”

And yet we are presently living through political rhetoric that promises us the New Heaven and New Earth?

Read U.S. unable to judge ‘fence’ at http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080228/NATION/630188964/1001&template=printart

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