Posted on 11/25/2019 7:06:53 PM PST by BeauBo
“Interesting that Michelle Malkin is bashing this.”
Maybe she, or someone she is close to, has had a conflict or disagreement of some sort with Jared Kushner. Some Conservatives view him and Ivanka as too liberal on many issues. She might just have a poor opinion of his effectiveness, or his steadfastness on immigration issues - she certainly has been a strong proponent of border security and immigration control.
I hope that Michelle Malkin is not turning the way Ann Coulter did. I have not previously heard her make any of the kind of anti-Trump statements that Coulter has. It may just be a one off, that reflects something other than a turn away from President Trump.
And they're going to do a mile of that per day?
Well said - AND I feel exactly the same about the WAPO.
““86 miles completed!” New wall or replacement wall?”
So far, the great bulk has been in areas where some sort of barrier previously existed, but illegal flows were among the highest nonetheless (replacing ineffective barrier, in the most critical locations). The construction of totally “new” miles has just started (the first bollard panels are now standing). I estimate the first full mile will be up next month (Dec 19).
Because the areas with the highest flows have long been the same (border cities, the densely populated Rio Grande Valley (RGV), and where roads are close on both sides), most such areas have long had some sort of barrier.
The main exception is the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Sector, where extensive private ownership of the land, the shifting path of the river, the International treaty governing construction, and the potential for hurricanes from the Gulf of Mexico have previously made construction too difficult.
The Trump Administration has taken on the challenge of building barrier there. They have acquired funding, awarded contracts and issued environmental waivers for about 100 miles of brand new, comprehensive “Wall System”, where no barrier previously existed. These contracts have just started construction. They expect to complete the construction by the end of next year (2020).
So that is the great bulk of the so-called “new barrier that is already in the pipeline. There are some other smaller segments that are already planned out of this year’s $3.6 billion of Military construction funds, whose contracts have not yet been awarded (should be soon, barring a legal injunction), as well as a very big “new” 52 mile segment running North along the Rio Grande from the Northern Edge of the Laredo urban area (acquiring the land is a challenge in Texas).
Also, some secondary barrier is going in to places where there was no secondary barrier before, so that is another issue of splitting hairs over terminology, as to whether that is “new” or not. One and a half miles of the secondary barrier in critical San Diego, now under construction, will be through the rough terrain where only a single small barrier existed before. That is scheduled to complete in January, and some is already built. Not only is a formidable thirty foot secondary barrier going in there, but the area has been significantly cleared and graded, with a new concrete road running the length, and new lights, cameras, alarms and sensors being installed. That door will be closed tight.
Several other border cities (Yuma, Calexico, Tecate) with previously high rates of traffic have already had contracts awarded for more such “new”secondary barrier, and construction there will be starting soon (also scheduled to finish before the end of 2020).
So the bottom line is that of the 400-500 miles we are likely to see at the end of next year, a good 100 or more (RGV) will be where no previous barrier existed, and about another 50 will be secondary barrier, where no secondary previously existed.
Additionally, the 2020 funds will start going on contract next year. I expect that will include significant construction of new miles in Texas around Laredo, and possibly all the way up through Eagle Pass and Del Rio, to the Box Canyon/Amistad Reservoir. So maybe as much as 200 miles there, and possibly some new runs in rural New Mexico, Arizona or California as well. As they work down the priority list, the proportion of “new” as compared to “replacement” miles grows.
The comprehensive plan to achieve full operational control of the Southern Border, developed in response to the president’s Executive Order 13767 of 25 January, 2017 (first week in office), identified a requirement for about 1,100 total miles of barrier to be built, and carefully prioritized those miles in order of importance to the mission.
The more than 500 miles already funded, cover areas that account for the great bulk of current traffic. A few hundred more miles from 2020 funding will cut deeply into the areas available for alternate routes. Very significant technological detection and tracking technology is also rapidly deploying to both the areas with, and those without barrier.
The bulk of the infrastructure needed to control the Southern border will likely be in the pipeline before the end of President Trump’s first term. Just what is already funded and scheduled to complete by the end of 2020 is a dramatic improvement, effectively closing the areas where over 80% of illegal traffic has historically crossed.
“Let’s hope Pres. Trump puts the full package out there.”
He has tried that with his first Congress (Paul Ryan as Speaker), and with the Pelosi Congress (class of 2018). In a Presidential election year, such a big deal is very unlikely. Legislation is required for most of what you rightly propose.
I anticipate that there will be another push like you describe, when the next Congress is seated in January 2021, if/when the President is re-elected.
“And they’re going to do a mile of that per day?” (Comprehensive Wall System, with all the bells and whistles).
Yes Buddy!
The specs will vary a bit depending on local requirements/threat, but the essential package of 18-30 foot bollards, good road and technology is basically going in everywhere.
The mile per day rate is the total of all the crews working simultaneously. We are quickly ramping up to one or two dozen crews working concurrently. We recently (this month) exceeded the rate of two miles per week, whereas last year it was closer to two miles per month. We are entering full scale deployment, as $3.6 billion in additional contracts are nearing award, and billions in previous awards are just entering construction.
Erecting 660 eight foot bollard panels across all projects equal a mile, so when twenty crews are working, they would need to average about 33 panels (264 linear feet) per day each (about 4 panels an hour, for an eight hour day). Performance bonuses for early delivery are the norm on these contracts, which can profitably fund overtime pay. Those rated as good performers on early awards are better positioned for competing on the upcoming work, which is likely going to be many billions of dollars.
And do you really think they are not corrupted, with all that drug money going around, like most of our federal guv?
Kushner has indeed played some corrupt connections. E.g., he had the head of thr oil company with exclusive roghts to oil in the Golan Heights, a company with the likes of Rupert Murdoch, Dick Cheney, and the Rothschilds involved, as one of the top three guys on Trump’s transition team — and literally brought in to the WH staff. Kushner talks daily to his corrupt dad, who pulls these strings. Trump’s single blinders spot of course is anything to do with Ivanka.
Here you go, this is what you are describing:
Starts at about 5:50 mark
To equate the men and women of the Border Patrol with lawn mower operators is the height of ludicrousness.
In fact, it shows a total lack of respect usually displayed by Leftists.
The lead up to the selection of the various methods employed was reviewed by numerous groups including the Border Patrol, the Israeli company that designed the barriers in Israel, the Army Corp. of Engineers, The engineers from the various companies bidding on the projects, etc...
All those professionals do not need you to insult them from your keyboard simply because you disagree with one of the several designs ultimately selected.
There is no such thing as an impervious barrier. There are sensors employed to alert the BP if a section is under assault. There have been assaults on the barrier at various locations and they have managed to successfully saw away at a few bollards but, each was met by the BP as the sensors alerted them to the attempted breach.
The bollards are not hollow steel tubes. They are hardened steel filled with rebar and nuclear containment grade concrete. Getting through even one takes great effort and expensive blades.
But, if you believe you have a far better solution perhaps you should contact the companies doing the work and offer your expert service to them.
Thanks, I’ve seen this video. There are a few different accepted design depending upon terrain.
The bollards are employed in certain areas. Other areas employ this type of barrier. The bollards have been assaulted and a few have been cut through. But, the sensors employed in the bollard areas alerted BP to the assaults.
The media reports attempt to make it seem like the entire barrier is bollard and the bollards are so easy to cut through that a quick trip to Home Depot is all you need.
And, some of us here on FreeRepublic seem to have taken the media reports as Gospel. You’d think that Freepers would be better informed and far more suspicious of MSM reporting.
Do you believe they are all corrupt?
The various methods selected (it is NOT ALL bollard) were reviewed by the senior BP managers, the Israeli company that designed their border barriers, the Army Corp of Engineers, the engineers employed by the various companies that bid the jobs, etc...are they all corrupt and on the payroll of the cartels?
The Israeli company wasn’t approving anything that Israel itself used or would use to keep militant Palestinians at bay now, was it?
As I suggested earlier on this thread, we’d be much better off if we outsourced the design to Israel—for something Israel herself would use for her defense—than yes, going for something that BP management approved.
(And the ACoE and engineers for any private firms were not in the driver’s seat on basic specs.)
Michelle is going full Coulter.
First, she got fired from her YAF speaking gigs for supporting racist Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes, who used the metaphor of “baking cookies” to try to explain why the Holocaust couldn’t have happened. (He is so stupid he did not even understand the difference between gas chambers and cremation ovens). YAF warned her privately to either distance herself from Fuentes and the Proud Boys guy, or just shut up about them in her YAF speeches. She did neither.
Then she goes after Jared. This is the guy who singlehandedly directed the entire Trump victory on the financial side;who negotiated a (relatively) very small budget into a national victory; and who knows how to budget-—in other words, the perfect guy for allocating very tight Wall funds to get the maximum impact.
The problem with Malkin, as with Coulter, Broken Kristol, Goldburger, and Stephen Hayes before her, is that whether you agree with Trump or not, there are limited $$ and opportunities out there for pundits, podcasters, and speakers. To rise above the crowd you have to get attention. Believe me I know-—my “Reagan: the American President” has yet to get me a SINGLE interview on Fox or Levin. The book should be a natural, but I digress. It is the problem of our Trump age: how do you get noticed? The most common approach is to say something outrageous. But how do you say something outrageous if you are in Trump’s camp? Well, you either go full alt-right (Michelle’s direction) or you go anti-Trump (Coulter and Drudge’s direction).
I think it has far more to do with $$ and book sales than it does actual ideology.
I don’t know, but I could tell that right after her firing from YAF hit, she was active on Twit, having never once communicated with me there, suddenly she was all over me.
My complaint was that she sided and supported Nick Fuentes on the grounds of free speech. We’ve all been through the free speech thing a million times. You can say whatever you want-—but I as a sponsor or employer don’t have to pay for it. My position is that Fuentes is a racist Holocaust denier who compared putting Jews in “ovens” to “baking cookies.” (He didn’t even understand that Jews were not killed in “ovens” but in gas chambers then cremated.)
I don’t think any conservative should have anything to do with Fuentes or the Gavin guy . . . but you’re free to support them so long as I don’t have to sponsor you saying things I disagree with. Anyway, Malkin and Coulter and Drudge all have the same problem: with the explosion in pro-Trump sites (www.thelibertydaily.com, www.bigleaguepolitics.com, plus the dozens of still smaller sites) and the dozens of pro-Trump speakers out there, how do you get noticed and how do you promote your books? Stephen Hayes, Goldburger, Broken Kristol all, I’m convinced, IN PART bailed on Trump early for financial reasons and publicity. It got them on CNN, on Faux, etc.
As an aside, about five years ago I met with five of the biggest publishers in NY, in their offices, with the managing editors to discuss what they thought I could write that would be of interest. One (Threshhold, who does Glenn Beck and many other conservatives) said, “We don’t take any author any more who does not have his own platform, either TV show, radio, huge podcast, etc.”) So this is in part what Malkin is up against.
LS,
I am so jandice post PDJT with all our so called Conservative good guys, (Talkers, Big Money players aka Koch Bros, and Institutes/Think Tanks) that went Anti-Trump (including Rush and Levin who I have forgiven) is because he fixes things, and when things are fixed you are happy and not in a constant state of angst. I don't have to listen to the daily mutual bitch fest aka they are saying what I think when politicos screw it up, it becomes a vent valve and we go on, nothing got fixed. Who in their right minds would turn on these guys donate money to the XYZ institute etc if we could just go about our lives without Govt interference on a daily basis. We'd get along with our neighbors and go to baseball games more.
I swear both sides of the isle make money on the confrontational state, no different than Divorce Attornies except they didn't pass the Bar....
A great deal to this but I will go further. I don’t think many of these so called conservatives wanted things fixed in a conservative way at all. I think many were closet libs who adopted the conservative line thinking they could make money AND run no risk of ever seeing things dealt with by real conservatives.
This, in part; is why they always sabotaged conservative candates on primaries as unacceptable.
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