26 May, 2007
Wild life or illegal immigrants?
Posted by: Katie Kish In: Current Affairs| Environment| Politics| geography
Maybe if caging Mexicans out isn’t enough to change some minds, animals will be… hrm.
The Rio Grande Valley thrives with wildlife and interesting plant life. Bearded moss, ebony tress, kiskadee, chachalaca, bobcats, lizards, tortise, ocelots and jaguarundi (2 endangered species of cat)… As if the border that the U.S government plants to erect wasn’t inhumane enough it now threatens the very life and existance of these natural wonders.
A treaty made in the 1970’s declared that the international boundary to be at the middle of the river and that no construction of any kind could deflect or obstruct the flow of the river harming the other side. The fence could, and probably would, cause flooding thus being in direct violation of the 1970’s treaty.
THe quick solution to this was the use of solid steel landing mats that would be impermeable to water. Obviously, environmental issues were not a part in the decision making. But hey - keeping those damn Mexicans away from unplugging our dying Grandmothers is much more important than preserving land. Secure the frikkin’ borders at all cost!! Woo!
“If you have a fence that runs several miles long, if you are a tortoise or any animal that can’t fly over or go through it, then you have a pretty long distance that you have to go to get water,” said Brown, an outreach manager at the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, 225 miles south of San Antonio. Also, “any destruction of any brush is very damaging.”
Screw ‘em, right? Oh but wait - the tourist industry! Money!
In addition, some worry that the barrier — described in some plans as triple-layer metal fencing — will damage the tourism industry along the Rio Grande.
The wild cats, reptiles and at least 500 species of birds attract visitors from around the world who bring the impoverished region $150 million a year. Depending on how far inland the fence is built, it could create a no man’s land north of the river, hurting tourism.
If they’re not going to reconsider the fence for the fact that it’s hideously inhumane, or that it has the potential to destruct and screw up 14 unique ecosystems at LEAST reconsider it for the tourism!!! …[roll eyes]
(Cross posted at appletree)
