Clarification/Follow-up by tomder55 on 07/22/05 12:19 pm:
You argue that "you can't stop them 100% of the time so why try ?". I say we can reduce the odds quite a bit .No we cannot completely secure the borders . That doesn't mean a reasonable attempt should not be tried.

In an asymetrical war you look for your opponents weaknesses and exploit them. Clearly our borders and our attitude about them is a major one.

Clarification/Follow-up by excon on 07/23/05 10:02 am:

Hello again, tom:

Actually, I'm arguing that we can't stop them with 6,000 miles of open space. Trying to do that is mental masturbation. It makes some people feel good.

I do believe that we have a much better shot at stopping incursions by guarding our coasts. We can't do that without guarding the Mexican and Canadian coasts too.

Ok, so what is stopping us from doing that? Frankly, I believe that answer is racist and has nothing to do with security. If we continue on this blind course letting our prejudices run our security, then we're gonna get bombed and bombed again.

We CAN stop incursions from the sea and air.

excon

Clarification/Follow-up by tomder55 on 07/24/05 2:52 am:
Last year a key al-Qaeda operative Adnan G. El Shukrijumah;who the U.S. government has offered a $5 million reward, was spotted in Honduras meeting with leaders of the MS-13 ,Mara Salvatrucha gang.MS-13 runs a coyote operation .They have smuggled in thousands of their own gang members into the United States .In the Los Angeles area, there are at least 10,000 MS13 members with 95 percent of the homicide arrest warrants against them still outstanding. In Northern Virginia there are 3,500 MS13 members , with 1,500 in Fairfax County alone. There are large MS13 gang concentrations in 15 states and some Canadian cities. All of them have crossed the Mexican border to get here.

Now if the reports about cooperation with them and al-Qaeda are credible. That would mean that your coastal patrol would have to extend at least into Central America also. We would have to have interdiction rights to intercept air and sea traffic into Canada;Mexico;Belize;Costa Rica;El Salvador;Guatemala;Honduras;Nicaragua;Panama;and most likely Venezuela. These countries of course would be more than willing to cooperate.