Border Fence Moves Forward

I love this. WorldNetDaily reported today that citizens' groups are planning to quit waiting for the Feds to get their act together, and they're going to build the border fence themselves on private land.

Taking matters into their own hands, some activists are working to build a fence along the nearly 2,000-mile U.S. southern border – with or without government participation.

Using the slogan "American Citizens Securing the Borders Themselves," The Border Fence Project hopes to raise enough money to build a fence along 90 percent of the U.S.-Mexico border that currently has no physical barrier.

According to the effort's website, the "fencing solution" will include the use of near-wholesale raw materials and use volunteer labor to build the structure.

Fact check question for WND: I thought the southern border was 700 miles and the northern border was 2000 miles. No matter, though.

The article has a terrific drawing of what the fence would look like. It looks perfect.

States the Border Fence Project website: "Because Washington officials have consistently shown apprehension and outright consternation of the idea of a complete fence, it is unlikely they will ever cooperate, assuming the public continues to vote for special-interest candidates. Furthermore, most estimates show that because of the inefficiency of government labor and high markup on raw materials, the cost is likely to run $9 billion, only 23 percent of the Department of Homeland Security annual budget, but enough to receive grief from the open-borders lobby.

"We know we the civilian volunteers, in cooperation with Minuteman-like groups already on the border, can do the job for 1/400 of that cost!"

Meanwhile, an Arizona state lawmaker is proposing legislation to allow ranchers who lease state land along the border to build fencing on government property.

State Rep. Russell Pearce told KVOA-TV the bill is still being drafted.

"I'm interested in helping to do that," Pearce said. "We don't have authority over federal land but we do over state land."

The Border Fence Project people estimate that it will cost $1.50 to $4.00 per linear foot to build the fence, but I think that must be a typo, because later in the article, Chris Simcox of the Minutemen, estimates $150 per foot. So let's be pessimistic and say it'll be $400 a foot. For 700 miles, that's only $280,000 to put up some effective barriers.

Ranchers with property along the border are supportive of letting their property have fences. My guess is that any ranchers who oppose the fence will change their minds, once their neighbors have the fence up and all the illegals start funneling through the fence-opposers' property.

This is great. Donate $150 to build a foot of the fence.