Walled off 033017

The border wall is merely an administration PR ploy that serves limited political but no practical utility and becomes the ultimate government boondoggle.

Consider: the Great wall of China failed to stop the Mongols, Hadrian's wall in England, the walled city states of Europe and Asia, France's Maginot line even the more recent Berlin wall.  All failed to keep citizens in, enemies out or protect the state.  The walls were expensive to build and maintain while still requiring massive armies just to protect the wall itself.

Walled off south of the border will be thousands who would contribute to the culture and economy of the United States as has past generations of immigrants.  What won't be walled off are drugs, gang violence and criminal cartels willing to take the risk of "jumping" an artificial barrier.   The wall will delay future U.S. invasions into Mexico to seize more prime real estate. It will also delay the Manifest Destiny of a United States stretching from the North Pole to the Panama Canal, we might as well get that back.  Maybe the Mexicans would pay for a "Santa Anna" wall designed to protect their country from real estate developers north of the border.

It is probable that at least some piece of the wall will be built to demonstrate presidential power.  Designers of the wall should insure that it will last a thousand years and be unique enough to awe millennia tourist as the symbol of the decline and fall of another once great power.

Left v. Right 032617

Left-right, left-right is the first lesson a new military recruit learns.  The lesson is so important that farm boys drafted in WWI who didn't know their left from their right wore straw on one foot and  hay on the other shoe.  The left right cadence became hay foot-straw foot until the boys learned.  For militaries left-right lock steps soldiers into easily controlled masses able to respond to all commands.

The recent "Trumpdon'tcare" health debacle demonstrated a party's blatant attempts to lockstep representatives into support of very bad legislation, in the name of party loyalty.  The Left (Democrats) weren't really challenged on this issue. Despite the President's alternate reality, it was the Right (Republicans) that failed to lock step off a cliff like lemmings.  Maybe he needs to resort to hay foot-straw foot rather than threats and bullying.

The Left doesn't really get a walk on this vote since their was opposition along party lines rather than in the interest of better legislation.  An ideological battle over legislation ignores the "v." between left and right.  The majority of the people stand between the warring parties becoming  ignored as collateral damage to party line votes.

Contrary to shouted claims what's good for the party is not good for the country.  The people have every right to expect honest and open debate producing the best possible legislation.  They will accept minority descent that produced even better governance. Ideologues do not govern in the long term interest of the country or its people only in the narrow limits of party alternate realities.

The people want to see honor, integrity and an inclusive visions for the future from Washington.  Given the recent Russian examples the expectation is that we may soon see opposition  journalist and legislators disappear into never, never land.   There they will learn to march to straw foot, straw foot cadence responding to twitter commands until only one Voice is heard.