Congressman calls for Mexican border to be closed

The Hill ^

[IDRATHERNOT]

The "swine flu" that has infected more than 1,000 people in Mexico has led a lawmaker on the House Homeland Security Committee to call on U.S. officials to close the southern border.

Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) said the border should be closed until the threat is resolved.

"The public needs to be aware of the serious threat of swine flu, and we need to close our borders to Mexico immediately and completely until this is resolved," Massa said in a statement.

"I am making this announcement because I see this as a serious threat to the health of the American public and I do not believe this issue is receiving the attention it needs to have in the news," Massa said.

[SkyPilot]

[Future Snake Eater]

Jeez...talk about shutting the barn door after the horse has left...

When Congress springs into action--WATCH OUT!

[Madame Dufarge]

Massa may be a Dem that actually has some brains.

He's pretty much a Certified Idiot, but even a broken clock....

Congressional PR Stunt Falls a Few Miles Short

January 9, 2009

Rep. Eric Massa, the newest elected member from NY, decided to play Leo DiCaprio for a day and insist he drive a hydrogen fuel cell car from NY to DC before his congressional swearing in. One problem: The trip to DC is just under 300 miles and the fuel cell car he had hoped to drive could only guarantee him 175-200 miles.

Not to fret. Massa crunched the numbers before he left and decided he’d have a second hydrogen car towed to a halfway point, in which he would then swap cars and continue his journey. At the end of each leg, the cars were then towed back to to their respective homes in New York.

Are you as baffled about this as we are?

Here’s how it went down. Massa drove one fuel cell car while a hybrid SUV towing an additional SUV followed along. Once he got half way, he switched to new fuel cell car. The empty fuel cell was then towed back by the first SUV. As he continued on his journey, the second SUV followed. Once Massa arrived in DC, the second SUV then towed the second fuel cell car back to NY.

We’re too tired to do the math, but even Al Gore might agree that the emissions released into the air for this stunt were far more than they would’ve been had he strapped on a hard hat and drove a bulldozer to DC.

Eric Massa

[LibertyRocks]

Now that’s the question, isn’t it? I remember all sorts of excuses about how sealing the border was “impossible” — despite all the evidence of not only illegal Mexican/South American aliens crossing, but of evidence that Radical Muslim Terrorists are using their dark complexions to enter the U.S. under the ruse of being Mexican/Latino ‘immigrants’ and/or illegal immigrants.

NOW, since there is a health threat they say “close the borders”? Honestly, even if there were an all-out effort to seal the border between Mexico and the U.S. by the time they could effectively accomplish this it would be WAY too little too late to control any “pandemic”. It’s not like just closing the “official” border crossings will prevent spread of this disease either...

Don’t get me wrong, if this is what it take for them to actually seal our borders (using fences, and barricades that actually WORK and aren’t a few pieces of barbed wire held up by decaying wooden posts) I’ll support the effort!

The only thing that REALLY makes me angry is that this effort should have been started on 9/12/2001 - and again NOT just because of the massive problem of illegal immigration, but because we were (and are still) AT WAR!

******************
God have mercy on us, and May God work through the hearts and minds of these politicians in Washington and around the country, and open their eyes to see the best path to combat this! May God also be with all the immunologists, infectious disease researchers, the bureaucrats at the CDC and WHO, as well as all first-responders, nurses and doctors who will undoubtedly be at greatest risk for multiple exposures...

[LibertyRocks]

Good point, but on 9/11 many of us who didn’t realize, understand, or in some cases even believe the vastness of the problems caused by illegal immigrants and who believed in the idealistic idea of “open borders for peaceful people” had our eyes opened in a very stark manner, really. I can only speak for myself, but it made no sense whatsoever that when Bush declared we were in a “War on Terror” and that the threats were very real (like a Middle-Eastern terrorist using a coyote to come into the US undetected, and using fake Mexican consulate documents and such to stay here) that there was not a HUGE push to close our borders then...

Personally, after I lived in West Denver for a few years, ANY ‘holdover’ thoughts I had about the ‘Open Borders’ philosophy was completely “destroyed”. Living within an area rife with illegal immigrants and personally being affected by some of the problems that comes with it, gives one a completely different perspective on illegal immigration than most Americans have who don’t live in areas where illegal immigration isn’t as readily visible...

UGH, I guess I could go on and on, but wanted to address your comment. It’s one thing to not realize the threat plain old “illegal immigrants’ posed, but IMHO anyone who didn’t recognize the true threat that open borders would cause ANY nation in a state of war is either naive, or in denial...

[ichabod1]

Alogore sayth the manbirdpig dividened could be used to lower the planets temperature.

[pleikumud]

The next 9/11, which is inevitable with Obama in office, is very likely to be caused by terrorists (note the use of the real word, “terrorists”) who enter the U.S. from Mexico. So right after that, the United States might get smart enough to find a way to close the border with Mexico.

So why not practice closing it now, with the useful reason of not allowing the disease to spread. YES, LET’S CLOSE THE BORDER WITH MEXICO NOW.

Of course Congress is too busy blaming Bush for the fact that we haven’t had another terrorist attack here since 9/11/01 to be bothered with current defense issues. And Obama and his dim wit Napolitano are too busy labeling our veterans as national security risks.

QUESTION: What exactly is Obama doing to ensure we don’t have another 9/11? Is he consulting with Bush, who actually prevented another attack? Or is Obama consulting with Bill Ayers, Reverend Wright, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran — to receive their valuable guidance?

[LibertyRocks]

Hmmm... I’m not understanding your post at all. Could you post a link or something that can explain what you are referring to? Maybe it’s because I’m a homeschooler, but I don’t remember anything like a ‘blue card’, and I’m assuming that by “immigrant” children you are talking about illegal immigrants right? Is this like a “special pass” where “Natural Born”, or Naturalized American citizen children are under extra “laws” in comparison to illegal immigrants, or immigrants here on a “green card” for example?

Thanks in advance if you can supply some more information on this! :)

[KayEyeDoubleDee]

Wouldn't it be better to just let Americans die from this stuff instead of running the risk of America being branded as "racist" for closing the borders? extreme sarc/off

You know, in all seriousness, I can guaranteee you that a substantial portion of all the people on The Left would believe in precisely what you just said.

[Raycpa]

This is grandstanding. Closing the borders would devastate both economies, cause goods and people to reroute through other countries and in the end at best delay the spread by a few days at severe economic cost which could cause related deaths in itself.

[LibertyRocks]

My personal opinion as an answer to your question: Appeasing our enemies, and making “friendly” with them. I hate to be so pessimistic, but I really do think that Obama is just WAITING for something like another 9/11 to happen in order to advance his fascist plans. I’ve got a lot of theories on this subject, but it’s all speculation, of course. I don’t think it’s too far “off the mark” to believe that even if Obama is honestly working to prevent terror attacks here in the U.S. that he and Rahm wouldn’t let a “crisis go to waste” and even without a terrorist attack we may see this possible pandemic as the catalyst for overreaching government power - even before a 9/11 type event takes place.

[Raycpa]

Sure, lets close the border and cut off the oil:

The top sources of US crude oil imports for February were Canada (1.913 million barrels per day), Mexico (1.219 million barrels per day), Saudi Arabia (1.135 million barrels per day), Venezuela (.962 million barrels per day), and Angola (0.671 million barrels per day). The rest of the top ten sources, in order, were Iraq (0.519 million barrels per day), Nigeria (0.457 million barrels per day), Brazil (0.365 million barrels per day), Kuwait (0.251 million barrels per day), and Ecuador (0.243 million barrels per day). Total crude oil imports averaged 9.203 million barrels per day in February, which is a decrease of (0.649) million barrels per day from January 2009.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/current/import.html

[Raycpa]

Of the $198.3 billion in American imports from Mexico in 2006, the following product categories had the highest values.

1. Crude oil …US$30.3 billion (15.3% of Mexico to U.S. exports, up 31.8% from 2005)
2. Car parts & accessories … $21.8 billion (11%, up 5.7%)
3. Video equipment (e.g. DVD players) … $14.6 billion (7.4%, up 38.3%)
4. Passenger cars … $14.2 billion (7.2%, up 31.2%)
5. Other complete & assembled vehicles … $9.6 billion (4.8%, up 20.2%)
6. Electrical apparatus & parts … $8.5 billion (4.3%, up 15.1%)
7. Telecommunications equipment … $7.0 billion (3.5%, up 41.2%)
8. Engines & parts … $5.0 billion (2.5%, up 5.6%)
9. Computers … $4.3 billion (2.2%, up 3.7%)
10. Miscellaneous household goods (e.g. clocks) … $4.2 billion (2.1%, down 6%)

Fastest-Growing Mexican Exports to U.S.

Below are American imports from Mexico in 2006 with the highest percentage sales increases from 2005.

1. Tin … US$11.0 million (up 3535% from 2005)
2. Gold … $983.4 million (up 234%)
3. Sugar … $379 million (up 191.3%)
4. Natural gas … $84.3 million (up 93.8%)
5. Zinc … $470.6 million (up 87.3%)

Mexican Imports from U.S.

Of the $134.2 billion in American exports to Mexico in 2006, the following product categories had the highest values.

1. Electrical apparatus & parts … US$10 billion (7.4% of Mexico from U.S. imports, up 13.2% from 2005)
2. Vehicle parts & accessories … $9.4 billion (7%, up 14.2%)
3. Plastics … $6.6 billion (4.9%, up 12.9%)
4. Computer accessories … $6.2 billion (4.6%, down 1%)
5. Semi-conductors … $5.6 billion (4.1%, up 0.4%)
6. Other petroleum products … $4.8 billion (3.6%, up 9%)
7. Finished metal shapes … $4.75 billion (3.5%, up 28.2%)
8. Telecommunications equipment … $4.4 billion (3.3%, up 45.7%)
9. Industrial supplies … $4.2 billion (3.1%, up 13.3%)
10. Industrial machines … $3.9 billion (2.7%, up 5.4%)

Fastest-Growing Mexican Imports from U.S.

Below are American exports to Mexico in 2006 with the highest percentage sales increases from 2005.

1. Tobacco … US$13 million (up 6822% from 2005)
2. Numismatic coins … $39.6 million (up 5329%)
3. Nuclear fuel materials … $24.8 million (up 317.2%)
4. Other commercial vessels … $10.3 million (up 162%)
5. Engines for military aircraft … $139.6 million (up 102.6%

Read more: http://internationaltrade.suite101.com/article.cfm/mexicos_top_exports_imports#ixzz0DmiwLsJl&B

[Graybeard58]

This is grandstanding. Closing the borders would devastate both economies, cause goods and people to reroute through other countries and in the end at best delay the spread by a few days at severe economic cost which could cause related deaths in itself.

In 90 plus replies, you and I are the only ones who see it the way the rat congressman seems to mean it. He wants to close all border crossings, even the legal ones.

Those who think he only wants to keep out illegals are reading something into the article that simply isn't there. He says, plainly to close the entire border.

Do people think that illegal crossers are the only Mexicans who can have swine flu?

[Raycpa]

but I really do think that Obama is just WAITING for something like another 9/11 to happen

Releasing the terrorists, bowing to muslim kings. I don't know what more he can do to telegraph that there will not be any consequences to an attack.

[mkjessup]

[Hardastarboard]

Idiots — now, suddenly, the border should be closed. I truly loathe these people in Washington.

What I find infuriating is that there was an epidemic of whooping cough here in the US 3 or 4 years ago. People close to me had it. It NEVER got into the media, and I would bet my next paycheck I know where it came from. You do, too. And that tells you all you need to know about the CDC and our politicians. As long as they're in power, everything's alright, even if taxpayers are dying at their feet begging for relief.

[Raycpa]

Do people think that illegal crossers are the only Mexicans who can have swine flu?

My logic tells me I am less likely to get flu from an illegal than a legal border crosser.

[Kozak]

Right. close the border. No trucks? No cars? No trains? No planes?
Shut down commerce with our #2 trading partner? Can’t stop a million mexicans a year from crossing the border, but you’re going to stop a virus? Get real. Even if we had a real border (which I am 100% behind, a real physical barrier, not some high tech make believe virtual wall) it’s not going to stop an epidemic disease from spreading.

[halfright]

The ball brush smarts, too.