Message To George W. Bush: Don't Build This Wall
Robert Paul Reyes
October 01, 2006
When I drive by a gated community, I don't feel jealous of the affluent who reside on the other side, but I'm certainly not inclined to shout "Howdy neighbor" as the luxury cars enter the compound.
A fenced-in community is an odious symbol of privilege and contempt for the great unwashed. Fences don't make good neighbors, they proclaim: I don't consider you part of my community, you are not my neighbor.
The U.S. Senate gave final approval last week to legislation authorizing the construction of 700 miles of double-layered fencing on the U.S.-Mexico border. This legislation is an affront to the Mexican people; we are telling our southern neighbors that we fear them and will go to any extent to keep them out of our country.
President Bush's grand vision of a comprehensive overhaul of U.S. immigration laws has been replaced by a myopic and ineffectual solution to the immigration problem. This wretched bill passed easily 80-19, with 26 Democrats joining 54 Republicans in support. President Bush has indicated that he will sign it.
President Vicente Fox has harshly condemned the proposed wall, calling it "shameful'' and comparing it to the Berlin Wall, which divided postwar Germans. President-elect Felipe Calderon, who takes office on Dec. 1, has also critiqued the measure.
The Mexican people are our friends and trading partners, this wall is an insult and an impediment to good relations between the two neighbors.
The $1.2 billion boondoggle doesn't address the underlying economic, social and law enforcement problems, or prevent hard-working Mexicans from finding a way to cross the border.
President Bush, stick to your guns, don't sign this bill, insist on a comprehensive approach to immigration.
A fenced-in community is an odious symbol of privilege and contempt for the great unwashed. Fences don't make good neighbors, they proclaim: I don't consider you part of my community, you are not my neighbor.
The U.S. Senate gave final approval last week to legislation authorizing the construction of 700 miles of double-layered fencing on the U.S.-Mexico border. This legislation is an affront to the Mexican people; we are telling our southern neighbors that we fear them and will go to any extent to keep them out of our country.
President Bush's grand vision of a comprehensive overhaul of U.S. immigration laws has been replaced by a myopic and ineffectual solution to the immigration problem. This wretched bill passed easily 80-19, with 26 Democrats joining 54 Republicans in support. President Bush has indicated that he will sign it.
President Vicente Fox has harshly condemned the proposed wall, calling it "shameful'' and comparing it to the Berlin Wall, which divided postwar Germans. President-elect Felipe Calderon, who takes office on Dec. 1, has also critiqued the measure.
The Mexican people are our friends and trading partners, this wall is an insult and an impediment to good relations between the two neighbors.
The $1.2 billion boondoggle doesn't address the underlying economic, social and law enforcement problems, or prevent hard-working Mexicans from finding a way to cross the border.
President Bush, stick to your guns, don't sign this bill, insist on a comprehensive approach to immigration.
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