The Morning Rant: Minimalist Edition

It is tempting to assume that every technological answer is the best answer, but there are tried and true methods of doing some things that resist all attempts at modernizing them.

Voting is one of those. It's hard to beat a simple paper ballot for robustness and imperviousness to cheating. Does anyone think that they make cheating easier?

And physical barriers against most things...work! Lock the doors and shoplifters can't get out or burglars in. That moat surrounding a medieval castle worked very well for several hundred years. Sure, there are high-tech ways to defeat them, but when your enemies are low-tech, what's the point of worrying?

Homeland Security watchdog concludes barriers most effective at curbing illegal immigration: FOIA

Potential responses to illegal immigration studied in the report included sensors, cameras, mobile surveillance radars, a pedestrian fence with anti-climb capability, a vehicle fence and the deployment of additional agents.

Much of the 225-page report is redacted, but in every single area studied, a pedestrian fence was seen as the "most cost-effective." In several areas, the inspector general recommended a combination of sensors, cameras and radar alongside a pedestrian fence or to have a pedestrian fence with vehicle impediments incorporated, but overall, the most frequent recommendation is simply a pedestrian fence.

"The main takeaway from the audit is this: Physical barriers work. They successfully impede illegal traffic into the U.S. and do so at a cost-effective rate. Ultimately, the old adage that 'good fences make good neighbors' holds true," the institute said after publishing the report. "And, the only safe, humane and reasonable approach to deterring unlawful migration across the southern border of the United States is to construct a 'border wall.'"

A significant number of the illegal aliens pouring into America simply walk or drive in. No stealthy flights to remote airports, no miles-long tunnels..nothing but feet!

So a nice thick and tall wall or fence, designed intelligently to prevent scaling over or digging under will prevent the invasion. Sure...some will get in, but this is a perfect example of the perfect being the enemy of the good. Let's keep 95% of the law-breaking wetbacks out of our country with the simple, inexpensive, and well-understood wall, and then we can concentrate our technological prowess on the remaining 5%.

Hell, I'll bet that most of them don't even climb anything...they simply walk past our border guards who have undoubtedly been ordered to stand down.

I love this country, but I am outright hostile to the ruling class that seems to think it is theirs to do with what they wish. I hope and pray for a sea change in America's attitude toward them!

And if that means lamp posts and lots and lots of rope...so be it.

posted by CBD at 11:35 AM

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