"...with a little path running down the middle, for that 'layered' effect..."
Posted on 05/28/2006 2:27:17 PM PDT by TSchmereL
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico - Several volunteers of a new organization named Border Gardeners for Hedging Against Illegal Immigration announced they will gather at a remote shallow section of the Rio Grande on the first Monday of this coming September to plant the first bush in what they hope to be a giant hedge that will extend the entire length of our Nation's border with Mexico. The Border Gardeners call their proposed barrier the National Hedge.
Retired landscape architect John Holly and his son, Brad, are hopeful that their proposed giant hedge will end illegal immigration from Mexico.
"Actually, it will be a series of several hedges which will connect to form a very long hedge row. This will be much less expensive than other types of barriers, which most Americans don't like because they ruin the natural beauty of our border with Mexico."
"It will also be a more compassionate kind of barrier and it will protect and conserve our national resources." Brad added.
Unlike the the more well-known plans of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps whose proposed fence includes a combination of barbed wire, razor wire, and in some spots, steel rail barriers, the Border Gardeners plan requires only a very bushy and dense barrier against the problem of undocumented migrants.
The Border Gardeners say that most of the expense will be for the irrigation required. "But, since we will have to pipe in plenty of fresh water for our National Hedge, I think we could have some drinking fountains and public restrooms at various locations along the hedge without much additional taxpayer expense." promised John Holly.
They hope their efforts prompt the federal government to follow their lead and support their proposed hedge along the entire border.
President Bush has pledged to deploy as many as 6,000 National Guard troops to strengthen enforcement at the border. But the Border Gardeners have said it is not the right kind of force. The group's founder, Billy Underwood, said they want twice that number of experienced planters and landscapers by the end of this summer.
"We've been fighting for this hedge for 8 years, but nobody seems to be listening." John Holly said.
Most of the first day of planting this September will be dedicated to speeches by Senators and Border Gardeners celebrating large donations which the group hopes to receive. As of midweek, the group had raised about $50 and a bag of mulch, organizers said.
"We're ready to start digging and planting." said Michelle Fern of Springville, Arizona, who was among at least a dozen of the volunteers who gathered for the group's first press release. She said she wants a hedge from California to Texas.
Jose J. Herrera of Albuquerque, New Mexico, a retired diplomatic consular officer, stopped en route to a family gathering nearby and happened to witness the groups first public announcement.
He said he's convinced the Border Gardeners are not anti-immigrant. "They're just anti-illegal," said Jose. "The Border Gardeners go the extra mile to avoid being anti-immigrant and that's what I find refreshing about this organization."
Sounds like Monty Python
Why? If it is made from thorny bushes, poison ivy, Venus flytraps and the like [and liberally infested with poisonous snakes and spiders], it might work.
Hope they're planting Bois de Arc. That's also known as osage orange. Pioneers used to plant it on the prairies instead of fencing. It's almost too tough to cut and covered with thorns. It kept cattle in for generations.
But can it keep out a Chevy Suburban?
thanks for the best laugh I've had in days.
"...with a little path running down the middle, for that 'layered' effect..."
Pretty green leaves aren't gonig to keep illegals out.
Guns + fences + resolve - Hispanic vote pandering is what will keep illegals out.
The hedge rows of France did a good job of stopping American Tanks.
Do you realize how easy it will be to pour a few gallons of herbicide on these plants? They will die overnight from just one dose.
Osage Orange seedlings used to be sold from ads in farm magazines. It was claimed to be "horse high, bull strong, and goat tight". (Coyotes driving trucks were not foreseen back then).
How many hundreds of years of growth were in them?
Its entirely in keeping with Mexican historical data. Historically in Mexico and the southwest, it was common practice to plant hedges of prickly pear cactus around wheat fields, gardens and ranchos too keep out animal and human marauders.
My first thought was "who are they gonna get to trim the hedges?"
Before the invention of barbed wire in the 1880's, many thousands of miles of hedge were constructed by planting young Osage Orange trees closely together in a line. The saplings were aggressively pruned to promote bushy growth. "Horse high, bull strong and hog tight." Those were the criteria for a good hedge made with Osage Orange. Tall enough that a horse would not jump it, stout enough that a bull would not push through it and woven so tightly that even a hog could not find its way through! After barbed wire made hedge fences obsolete, the trees still found use as a source of unbeatable fence posts. The wood is strong and so dense that it will neither rot nor succumb to the attacks of termites or other insects for decades. The trees also found use as an effective component of windbreaks and shelterbelts.
I am considering a trip to the border to hang the first pair of pink underpants on the Border Laundry Clothesline. I will bring my own high-security clothespins....
Hedges of prickly pear cactus takes years and years to grow to any size at all, and that is assuming a lot of water is available. I can drive my Jeep easily through most desert prickly pear cactus groves.
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