Wall Nuts

It’s a simple strategy. Pick a slogan that’s popular with your constituency – like that 2016 Trump campaign “I’ll build a wall, and Mexico will pay for it” promise – use executive orders to change immigration policies and really create (force) the problem that your policy is directed to “fix,” double down if the crisis is not bad enough, and make sure your constituency knows: (i) only you can solve the problem and (ii) the problem is getting so much worse. When roadblocks appear, like Mexico’s not paying for the wall or Democrat resistance to authorize any federal budget allocations for that “vanity wall” built to solve a “manufactured crisis,” use the courts, emergency declarations and executive orders to reallocate budgetary funding from other earlier authorizations. Like the military budget. Shut down the government if necessary. Divide the country! Left vs right. Choose your side!

You will be a hero to your constituency even as the harm to the rest of the country escalates. Even as our global image collapses in the harsh visuals of detention centers, border children separated from their parents and hordes of those waiting at the border who face robbers, kidnappers, rapists (the real kind), food shortages and horrible living conditions.

Hey, at least we have a new and “improved” corporate-driven Washington swamp that is expanding almost as fast as the corporate benefits have grown, from financial and environmental regulatory exemptions to a tax cut that did almost nothing but increase our deficit to staggering proportions. Even as Hurricane Dorian provides a harsh example of what policies built around ignoring or denying climate change cause, Trump does not care. He prefers to double down and focus on getting that wall built. On September 3^rd, the Department of Defense issued a report outlining exactly what reallocating approved defense appropriations into wall construction will do to our military.

Writing for Reuters (September 4^th), Idrees Ali summarizes: “More than 120 U.S. military construction projects will be adversely affected as the Pentagon prepares to use $3.6 billion to help build or enhance 175 miles (282 km) of the border wall with Mexico, U.S. officials said on Tuesday [9/3].

“Earlier this year, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency in a bid to fund his promised wall at the U.S.-Mexico border… The emergency declaration allows the Trump administration to use money from the military construction budget and the Pentagon has said it could use $3.6 billion from the budget…

“Pentagon officials said 127 [military projects] would be affected and the first $1.8 billion would come from deferred military construction projects outside the United States. The second tranche would come from deferred military projects inside the United States, the officials said… Elaine McCusker, the deputy under secretary of defence comptroller, said construction could begin as early as within 100 days on land owned by the Defense Department, such as the Barry Goldwater Air Force Range in Arizona.”

The reaction from Congressional Democrats comes as no surprise: “In a conference call with U.S. House of Representatives Democrats, Speaker Nancy Pelosi discussed her phone conversation with Defense Secretary Mark Esper about the decision earlier in the day… ‘My view of it is that stealing money from military construction, at home and abroad, will undermine our national security, quality of life and morale of our troops, and that indeed makes America less safe,’ Pelosi said, according to an aide.

“She said she told Esper that Trump was negating the constitutional principle of separation of powers, the aide said… ‘This decision will harm already planned, important projects intended to support our service members at military installations in New York, across the United States, and around the world,’ Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.” Reuters.

Since most of the illicit drugs that cross our border into the United States come through normal ports of entry or via boats and planes, it’s pretty clear that all a wall does for these criminals is increase the price of their product. Bribes and complicity of travelers is more than enough “leakage” to keep that drug flow going through traditional gates… not to mention the flow of easily purchased assault weapons (in the United States), smuggled south to the cartels. And don’t forget that MS 13 is a gang that began in the United States, spread their toxins through US prisons, moved south and established their criminal hold on El Salvador. It’s a story that has been repeated too many times south of our border.

So, do we need that wall? Aren’t we getting our money’s worth? Are those serious questions?

            I’m Peter Dekom, and if you strongly object to Donald Trump’s style and personality, that’s nothing compared to the longer-term substantive damage he has done to this nation.