Trump’s political obsession over building the border wall has led to one government shutdown and threatens another. The wall idea itself, borne out of a memory trick to remind candidate Trump to incite his followers in a racist rallying cry, is an offensive waste of money and obviously ill-equipped and ineffective as a serious policy idea. Trump and the Republicans have declared a national emergency and challenged Congress’ fundamental power of the purse by redirecting money for FEMA, military schools and other military projects, all for the construction of easily thwarted physical barriers.
As a result, the news that the supposedly impenetrable wall is being cut through is a perfect development to encapsulate its sheer inanity and offensiveness.
In regards to Trump’s efforts to secure the border wall, Douglas Rivlin, Director of Communications for America’s Voice said, “Trump’s singular obsession of a border wall is apparently able to be defeated by a single trip to Home Depot to pick up a cheap saw. It’s a reminder of how wasteful, ineffective and just plain stupid the wall idea is, not to mention how offensive it remains that our national politics and government functioning is seemingly tied to this concept.”
See below for key excerpts from Nick Miroff in the Washington Post, “Smugglers are sawing through new sections of Trump’s border wall”:
…The breaches have been made using a popular cordless household tool known as a reciprocating saw that retails at hardware stores for as little as $100. When fitted with specialized blades, the saws can slice through one of the barrier’s steel-and-concrete bollards in minutes, according to the agents, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the barrier-defeating techniques.
After cutting through the base of a single bollard, smugglers can push the steel out of the way, creating an adult-size gap. Because the bollards are so tall — and are attached only to a panel at the top — their length makes them easier to push aside once they have been cut and are left dangling, according to engineers consulted by The Washington Post.
The taxpayer-funded barrier — so far coming with a $10 billion price tag — was a central theme of Trump’s 2016 campaign, and he has made the project a physical symbol of his presidency, touting its construction progress in speeches, ads and tweets. Trump has increasingly boasted to crowds in recent weeks about the superlative properties of the barrier, calling it “virtually impenetrable” and likening the structure to a “Rolls-Royce” that border crossers cannot get over, under or through.
The smuggling crews have been using other techniques, such as building makeshift ladders to scale the barriers, especially in the popular smuggling areas in the San Diego area, according to nearly a dozen U.S. agents and current and former administration officials.
Some of the damage has happened in areas where construction crews have yet to complete the installation of electronic sensors that, once operational, will more quickly detect the vibrations that sawing produces on the bollards, the officials said. They also said one of the main advantages of the steel bollard system — which stands between 18 and 30 feet tall — is that damaged panels can be repaired or replaced easily.
