That Virtual Fence Is A Virtual Bust!
The Katrina of All Fences, is one way to describe this cluster&$#@! $85.5 million dollars wasted.
Just last week, Chertoff said “I have personally witnessed the value of this system, and I have spoken directly to the border patrol agents…who have seen it produce actual results, in terms of identifying and allowing the apprehension of people who were illegally smuggling across the border,”
Today, we learn the truth.:
The Bush administration has scaled back plans to quickly build a “virtual fence” along the U.S.-Mexico border, delaying completion of the first phase of the project by at least three years and shifting away from a network of tower-mounted sensors and surveillance gear, federal officials said yesterday.
Technical problems discovered in a 28-mile pilot project south of Tucson prompted the change in plans, Department of Homeland Security officials and congressional auditors told a House subcommittee.
Though the department took over that initial stretch Friday from Boeing, authorities confirmed that Project 28, the initial deployment of the Secure Border Initiative network, did not work as planned or meet the needs of the U.S. Border Patrol.
The announcement marked a major setback for what President Bush in May 2006 called “the most technologically advanced border security initiative in American history.” The virtual fence was to be a key component of his proposed overhaul of U.S. immigration policies, which died last year in the Senate.
Investigators for the Government Accountability Office had earlier warned that the effort was beset by both expected and unplanned difficulties. But yesterday, they disclosed new troubles that will require a redesign and said the first phase will not be completed until near the end of the next president’s first term.
Those problems included Boeing’s use of inappropriate commercial software, designed for use by police dispatchers, to integrate data related to illicit border-crossings. Boeing has already been paid $20.6 million for the pilot project, and in December, the DHS gave the firm another $65 million to replace the software with military-style, battle management software.
In other words, we’ve all just been taken for a ride, and for something we didn’t even accept as adequate in the first place. In order to do whatever possible to avoid building an actual physical fence and to get the amnesty bill passed, Bush, McCain and their amnesty cronies made sure a monumental amount of money was wasted on a fake, untested, unreal fence to placate conservatives who simply want to keep this nation safe from predators.
I am not so sure about all of that, what I am sure of is that Boeing is not having a good week.
Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Nuke Gingrich, Faultline USA, Allie is Wired, Right Truth, The World According to Carl, Shadowscope, Pirate’s Cove, Celebrity Smack, The Pink Flamingo, Oblogatory Anecdotes, Leaning Straight Up, Cao’s Blog, A Newt One, Conservative Cat, The Yankee Sailor, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
March 1, 2008 - 12:09 PM on March 1st, 2008
[...] Right Voices wrote an interesting post today on That Virtual Fence Is A Virtual Bust!Here’s a quick excerpt The Katrina of All Fences, is one way to describe this cluster&$#@! $85.5 million dollars wasted. Just last week, Chertoff said “I have personally witnessed the value of this system, and I have spoken directly to the border patrol agents:who have seen it produce actual results, in terms of identifying and allowing the apprehension of people who were illegally smuggling across the border,”Today, we learn the truth.: The Bush administration has scaled back plans to quickly build a “virtual [...]
March 1, 2008 - 07:47 PM on March 1st, 2008
If a virtual fence is so damn much better than a real one, why do they have that big ugly wrought iron thing blocking the view of the White House from Pennsylvania Blvd? It was a joke from the beginning. Cameras don’t stop bank robbers, why should anyone expect them to stop smugglers?
Build a REAL fence, or lay a minefield. The minefield would be a lot less expensive, more environmentally sound, and would DEFINITELY discourage illegal border crossings. Throw in a few sensors and the border patrol would know when to go clean up a body. The psychological effect alone would be so much more effective than a fence and it would save lives. You can guarantee that once a couple of dozen illegal aliens went boom, most of the rest would stop trying to sneak across. The net result would be that fewer would die from the land mines than die from dehydration in the desert every year.
March 1, 2008 - 09:21 PM on March 1st, 2008
Open Trackbacks, Linkfest, and You
There seems to be glitch in the system…In the meantime, please use the frontpage of Linkfest to locate the posts you want to link to today. You can get the name of the blog…title of…post…then go to the post for the trackback URL itself …
March 2, 2008 - 01:30 AM on March 2nd, 2008
Reflections on This Age of Terror
NEVER FORGETToday the USS New York was christened. Made from some of the precious treasure of the World Trade Center, the motto for the New York is “Never Forgetâ€. ”:When the attacks occurred, the ship was planned but had no name. Then-Ne…
March 2, 2008 - 10:33 AM on March 2nd, 2008
What’s the matter with kids today?
From a wide array of socially destructive interests affecting youth today, one stands out as the 500-pound gorilla: prisons for kids, AKA public schools.
…
March 2, 2008 - 12:22 PM on March 2nd, 2008
Independent Conservative Talk Radio
Tuesday Guest: John Bootie For President 2008
Mondays at 9pm eastern – The Halls of Valhalla – Conservative
Tuesday Through Thursday 11pm eastern- The Uncooperative Radio show -Conservative
Friday’s 8pm Eastern – The Patriot’s Pub! – U.S. history,…
March 2, 2008 - 02:06 PM on March 2nd, 2008
Taliban Tells Newsweek They Knew Prince Harry was
Newsweek is reporting that a Taliban commander gave them a call the other day to let them know that they knew Prince Harry was in Afghanistan all along. Naner- naner-naner!
March 2, 2008 - 02:47 PM on March 2nd, 2008
Michelle Obama to Poor Working Women: Don’t Cry Fo
Michelle Obama relates to the little people. No. Really. She does.
March 2, 2008 - 04:19 PM on March 2nd, 2008
20 year Anniversary
Twenty years ago I left New Jersey at the worldly age of 24 and headed for a new life in Orange, TX. I had no idea how different things would be in the swampy backwoods of Southeast Texas.
March 2, 2008 - 04:30 PM on March 2nd, 2008
[...] Blue Star Chronicles, Stuck On Stupid, Wolf Pangloss, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, , Stageleft, Right Voices, , and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe. Sphere: Related [...]
March 2, 2008 - 08:39 PM on March 2nd, 2008
The US Postal Service is Offering New Flat Rate Bo
It figures this would come out after my son is out of Baghdad, but he’s still in Germany so I’ll still take advantage of this!
The USPS is supporting the troops. They have put out a larger flat rate box and are offering it for shipment to military…
March 2, 2008 - 08:39 PM on March 2nd, 2008
Clinton Surrogate Denigrates McCain’s Service, POW Experience
She said WHAT? Un-FRIGGING-believable! Steinem raised McCain’s Vietnam imprisonment as she sought to highlight an alleged gender-based media bias against Clinton. “Suppose John McCain had been Joan McCain and Joan McCain had got captured, shot down and…
March 3, 2008 - 12:30 AM on March 3rd, 2008
The Coming War in Columbia?
ALL THE LITTLE MARXISTS?I’ve been out of touch these past two days, stuck with CNN, where Barack Obama is already POTUS, choosing his cabinet, ending global warming and cementing world peace. I have no earthly what he is going to do for an enco…
March 3, 2008 - 06:46 AM on March 3rd, 2008
[...] World, The World According to Carl, The Pink Flamingo, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, , , Right Voices, and Stageleft, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe. Sphere: Related [...]
March 3, 2008 - 01:44 PM on March 3rd, 2008
Yet another failure for the Bush Admin.
March 3, 2008 - 11:46 PM on March 3rd, 2008
Robert, it would be a failure if they had actually intended to build the thing. They have succeeded in doing exactly what they intended, waste millions of taxpayer dollars looking like they were doing something about the illegal alien problem while doing exactly nothing about it. The news does get worse.
Last month a military cooperation agreement between the US and Canada was made that will allow the deployment of Canadian Army units on US soil in the case of emergencies to include civil unrest. This would permit the White House to declare an emergency and deploy Canadian Army units without going to Congress for legislation suspending Posse Comitatus, something they are forbidden to do with US Army units. Imagine Hillary having the ability to declare an emergency somewhere and send in a battalion of armed Canadian troops to suppress any form of civil unrest. Think Waco or Ruby Ridge without having to worry about repercussions. Simply send the soldiers home before the smoke clears and nothing could be done about it.