This talking point needs to die: 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday that putting up walls will not solve problems caused by immigration, challenging one of U.S. President Donald Trump’s core principles, during her visit to Mexico.

Speaking in Mexico City, Merkel, who grew up in Communist East Germany behind the Iron Curtain, said that history showed that only when empires have got on well with their neighbours have migration pressures been resolved successfully.

“Obviously the main reason for people leaving must be addressed on site first, which means putting up walls and cutting oneself off will not solve the problem,” said Merkel, who has come under political pressure at home for opening German borders to more than one million refugees since 2015.

“It’s an issue you can study well in the history of China with the (Great) Wall of China, you can study it in the history of the Roman Empire. Essentially, only when great empires have managed to forge sensible relationships with their neighbours and to manage migration has it been a success,” she added. (?????????????????)

“I don’t think that by simply improving the border facilities you can solve the problem,” she told a panel discussion alongside Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

Let me caveat this a bit. This is NOT an argument that less immigration is better than more immigration, or that immigration depresses wages or not, or any other argument. To be sure, those are all valuable arguments that nations can and do have. That is a discussion for another article, or, if you like, go listen to the podcast as I patiently go through pertinent facts and details that take a while to get through. For this argument, we are just examining the most basic premise of all, which is whether border barriers are effective or not. 

I feel that this line, often used as a throwaway in describing one’s pro-immigration bona fides, is used WAY too much not to not be addressed. It’s actually absurd that I even need to spell this out, but such is the time we live in now, where even the most basic, simplistic realities of life are twisted into word pretzels for political reasons. From the mouth of every pro-illegal-immigration advocate comes some form of this ridiculous premise, often delivered with a sneering, derisive chortle, as if to imply that only some sort of special olympian could possibly think walls are effective. Then they quickly move on to the subject of the poor immigrant grandmother who is afraid of ICE while ignoring the thousands of MS-13 and Mexican Mafia guys are causing mayhem all over the place. The usual schtick.

Which is greatly amusing to me. OF COURSE WALLS WORK. Again, this is not an endorsement for or against a border wall. We are merely asking in this argument “Do walls work?” since this talking point has become endemic in the left-wing loon-iverse. Let us examine the evidence that is in front of our eyes every single day to see whether walls work or not.

The evidence goes back to primitive times, because it seemed that the first thing involving basic security throughout history was to get a goddamn wall up. Guy building a castle in England back in the day? First thing he wants is a wall. Mounted Calvary fighting the Natives in the untamed American west, far out in literally, “Indian Country?” Get a fort up and running, with a big-ass wall. Around every modern American military base? WALL. Or fence, as situation dictates. The point being, a physical barrier has, for millennia, been generally accepted as the most basic aspect of any kind of security or survival.

Angela Merkel is talking out her ass, because she personally knows better. She grew up in East Germany, for Chrissakes. Remember how they had the big freaking wall running through Germany for about 45 years? Turned out that concrete wall was pretty damn effective. From the Wikipedia about Berlin wall escapes:

After the border was fortified and the Berlin Wall was constructed, the number of illegal border crossings fell drastically.The numbers fell further as the border defenses were improved over the subsequent decades. In 1961, 8,507 people fled across the border, most of them through West Berlin. The construction of the Berlin Wall that year reduced the number of escapees by 75% to around 2,300 per annum for the rest of the decade. The Wall changed Berlin from being one of the easiest places to cross the border, from the East, to being one of the most difficult.^[1] The number of escapees fell further to 868 per annum during the 1970s and to only 334 per annum between 1980 and 1988.”

Go figure, a giant wall had a tremendous impact on people’s ability to travel through it. WEIRD. And once again for the Snowflake crowd, this isn’t an endorsement on the Berlin Wall being moral or correct or anything else, merely whether it was effective in reducing travel or not. However, we don’t even need to go far back into the hazy mists of the the late 20th century to look. Hungary decided to build a fence as a bulwark against the hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant migrants that Angela Merkel invited in, with all the accompanying accusations that they were Nazis, how dare they think this could possible be effective, and all the rest. The thing was… it worked!:

The sudden cut-off for migrants entering Hungary, going from 6,353 to 29 a day in just a week after completing the fence may offer some cheer to conservatives in other European nations who now have a stark example of how effective actually policing national borders can be.

It may have already triggered jealousy in some neighbouring nations. Austria, which until very recently was criticising Hungary’s approach to the migrant crisis in the strongest possible terms, with chancellor Werner Faymann making comparisons to the Nazis. Now, just weeks after Hungary’s fence investment started paying dividends, they have announced plans to build their own against Slovenia.

Let the activists shout and carry on, and go on about common-sense initiatives. Note that, of course, no wall is 100% effective, which the pro-illegal immigrant advocates will beat into the ground. This is the only time that this argument is used in Federal Government decisions. In any other area, a high effectiveness rate of a particular program, say 70%, is cause for celebration and congratulations on a well-managed outcome which is beneficial to the taxpayers. But not when it comes to illegal migration, which, mysteriously, demands that the perfect be the enemy of the very, very good.

They say a bunch of stupid shit, like “See???? Some DID get through!” and other stupid shit, like, “They’ll just dig under it!” Yeah, no kidding. You’re a real genius. Yes, some will always get through. Some will always tunnel under and go over. Do you know how long it takes to dig a tunnel, you imbeciles? Go ahead, grab a shovel and start digging in the hard, rock-filled California dirt and lemme see how long you make it before you give up. It’s ridiculous. Yes, all of those 10-year-olds are going to build a tunnel. YOU ARE SO SMART.

Or, the anti-wall people will cry, “They’ll just go over it!” Again, yes:  Some will get over it. Some dipshit Mexican politician tried to make that point by pulling this stunt:

A Mexican congressman went to great lengths — and heights — Wednesday to illustrate why he believes that President Trump’s controversial U.S.-Mexico border wall is “unnecessary” and “totally absurd.”

Braulio Guerra, a congressman from the state of Queretaro, tweeted photos and a video of himself perched atop a 30-foot tall fence that separates the Mexican border city of Tijuana from the U.S.

“I was able to scale it, climb it, and sit myself right here,” Guerra said in the video. “It would be simple for me to jump into the United States, which shows that it is unnecessary and totally absurd to build a wall.”

He adds, “It’s easy, and it shows how unnecessary this project, this political rhetoric from Donald Trump, is.”

Wow, amazing that a chubby, fifty-ish man could scale that fence, isn’t it?! I mean, I can do 10 solid body-weight pull-ups and deadlift almost 400 pounds, and I’d be leery of climbing that thing. This freaking guy Guerra is a goddamn BEAST in the gym, apparently! Alas, even the open-borders crowd at the network media had to note this at the very bottom of their article:

It is worth noting, though, that Guerra did not post any photos or video footage of himself climbing the wall, so some in the Twittersphere questioned how he reached the top and how easy such a feat really is.

Yeah, I wanna see that. I want to stand there and watch him or any other dude climb it. Especially from the fat fucks and linguini-armed “men” in the Social Justice Warrior crowd. In fact, here’s a standing offer right now: I’ll gladly go down to Tijuana with some pale thin guy who wears black spectacles and earnestly believes walls don’t work and challenge him to get up and over the Very Extremely Effective wall here in San Diego. Take a long look at that wall in the picture above this article. Lemme see the pajama boy of the modern American left get over that thing.  If he does, I’ll pay him 100 bucks on the spot and pay for his entire afternoon at the Hong Kong club in TJ, which, if you know the HK, is a hell of an offer. And since the long tentacle arms of SOFREP exert influence deep within the bowels of the Border Patrol, I’ll even pre-clear it with them.

We live in a pop culture world, so maybe some television shows can illustrate. What’s the first thing you see when watching “Game of Thrones?” Big ass castles surrounded by walls. And then, when someone sieges the castle, they find it really goddamn difficult because of the molten tar being poured onto their faces. How about in “The Revenant,” where they build a big ass wooden Fort complete with walls and sentries out in the wilds so the Indians wouldn’t come swooping in the middle of the night hunting scalps. You get the idea.

But we don’t need to see it on television or in the history books. We can take a walk outside, and take a look at privileged people’s properties. (There’s the famous News Roundup Alliteration, right there.) Let’s take a look at the head Community Organizer himself, talking out of his ass this week:

About 70,000 people packed an avenue by Berlin’s landmark Brandenburg Gate on Thursday to hear the two leaders speak, with cheers and chants of “Barack, Barack!” breaking out when the former president took the stage.

Without mentioning Trump by name, Obama spoke of the need for universal healthcare and a nuanced approach to immigration in response to security threats.

“This is a new world we live in — we can’t isolate ourselves,” the former president declared, with Merkel looking on. “We can’t hide behind a wall.”

See what I mean? And note the derisive way of pointing out that people are “hiding.” Nobody is hiding, jerk.  There is plenty of traffic through barriers. It’s called security. Security, it should be noted that was literally the first thing Obama thought of when his ass finally left office and moved into DC so he could continue his #resistance against Trump:

And that was a RENTAL house. Dude didn’t even own it and he threw up a wall. I, for one, applaud the former President for the prescience he is showing by proactively taking measures to protect himself and his family. “Good fences make good neighbors” and all that. I only wish he was as protective for the rest of us. Remember when he was actually in favor of this stuff?

WASHINGTON — As a senator, Barack Obama once offered measured praise for the border control legislation that would become the basis for one of Donald Trump’s first acts as president.

“The bill before us will certainly do some good,” Obama said on the Senate floor in October 2006. He praised the legislation, saying it would provide “better fences and better security along our borders” and would “help stem some of the tide of illegal immigration in this country.”

Obama was talking about the Secure Fence Act of 2006, legislation authorizing a barrier along the southern border passed into law with the support of 26 Democratic senators including party leaders like Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Chuck Schumer.”

Good times, the mid-2000s. Those were innocent times, weren’t they? Before social media came along and revealed mankind to be more awful than anyone had previously imagined.

This is why it is very important to correct people even at the beginning. The activists are so used to a compliant media and sympathetic academic atmosphere that they breeze through basic premises without expecting argument or correction. They’ll casually say, “Anti-immigrant,” and should be immediately checked with, “No… Anti ILLEGAL immigrant.”  They say, “Nation of Immigrants,” and you have to patiently explain how Ellis Island worked, and legal documentation, and quarantines, and mandatory health screenings, and how it was a completely different time and there were not armies of government-funded activist groups ensuring that the new arrivals would never be forced to learn English or otherwise assimilate, etc.

There do exist arguments that are quite debatable against the border wall. Things like cost, issues of eminent domain, environmental concerns, and more are good points against the construction and should be hashed out.  They have validity, which the argument against the effectiveness of deterrence in the form of a  large, physical barrier does not. Again, it feels stupid that I actually have to explain this, But this is a stupid time, so I guess it makes sense.

Follow me on Twitter and listen to me yell about stuff on the podcast: 

https://twitter.com/BKactual/status/873381743520210944

Get that cheddar, son:

Struggling to expand its ranks, the Army will triple the amount of bonuses it’s paying this year to more than $380 million, including new incentives to woo reluctant soldiers to re-enlist, officials told The Associated Press.

Some soldiers could get $90,000 up front by committing to another four or more years, as the Army seeks to reverse some of the downsizing that occurred under the Obama administration after years of growth spurred by the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.”

The enlistment campaign was driven by Congress’ decision late last year to beef up the size of the Army, echoing the spirit if not quite the extent of President Donald Trump’s campaign promises to significantly increase military staffing and firepower.

 Last fall, Trump unveiled a plan that would enlarge the Army to 540,000 soldiers. Army leaders back the general idea, but say more men and women must be accompanied by funding for the equipment, training and support for them.

Under the current plan, the active duty Army will grow by 16,000 soldiers, taking it to 476,000 in total by October. The National Guard and the Army Reserve will see a smaller expansion.

 To meet the mandate, the Army must find 6,000 new soldiers, convince 9,000 current soldiers to stay on and add 1,000 officers.”

I wonder how much of this goes on that isn’t caught:

A U.S. Army colonel, along with his wife and a former defense contractor have been accused by a federal grand jury of a bribery scheme to defraud the government of more than $20 million.

Prosecutors allege Col. Anthony Roper and his wife began a “bribery and kickback scheme” in 2008 in which they would seek and accept bribes in exchange for more than $20 million in Army contracts to individuals and companies.

Roper, 55, and his wife, Audra, 49, have both been charged with conspiracy, obstruction and making false statements. Roper was also charged with bribery and faces up to 85 years in prison if convicted.

Former defense contractor Dwayne Oswald Fulton, 58, worked as an officer for “a large defense contracting company” and has been charged with conspiracy and obstruction for the schemes.

The indictment alleges that in trying to hide the schemes, the three accused attempted to obstruct an official investigation looking into their conduct.

Audra Roper operates Quadar Group, which prosecutors said was a shell company used to funnel bribe payments to her husband, according to the indictment. Prosecutors said the Group was one of multiple shell companies used to defraud the government.”

This sounds promising:

The Army may be one step closer to more effectively treating internal bleeding on the battlefield, according to an Army release.

The Army Medical Materiel Agency has announced it would be supporting a clinical trial to test a self-expanding foam device designed to stop internal abdominal bleeding.

The foam is injected into the patient with a device similar to a caulk gun. It then expands around the patient’s internal organs to stop bleeding, and can stay inside the patient for up to three hours, according to the release.

Leigh Anne Alexander, USAMMA product manager, says the device will not be able to repair injuries on the battlefield, however. It is designed to be a “potential stop-gap” for wounded soldiers before they can make it to surgery.

“It could be a ‘bridge to surgery,’ keeping the patient alive long enough to give them a fighting chance at survival,” said Alexander.

This sounds like a win-win program:

HULL — Larry Seaboyer would be the first to say the century-old officers’ quarters house at Fort Revere is in bad shape. When the property’s new curator moved into the state-owned house a couple of weeks ago, he and his son had to remove a raccoon family from the attic. They had to sweep years of dust from the rooms and off the unused furniture. He’s still fixing leaks in the out-of-date plumbing.

But Seaboyer, a National Park Service preservationist, sees the 1903 Army residence as it was when the first officers and their families moved in. He aims to have it fully restored to its original appearance – right down to architecturally accurate wallpaper, stairwell balusters and window frames – in a few years.”

It will look like it did on day one,” he said.

The state Department of Conservation and Recreation chose Seaboyer, a longtime Hull resident, earlier this year.

He is one of 24 curators statewide to have been granted leases for such projects. Most of the other leases are also for residences.

Seaboyer won’t get any state funding for his work, but he does have the lease, which runs for 25 years. He will live in the house for free.

The frequency is increasing:

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — For the second straight day Friday, a naked man had to be chased down by police in Hartford, Connecticut.

A car crashed near the 7-Eleven on Park Street, then caught on fire early Friday afternoon, witnesses said. A man — later identified as later identified as 33-year-old Najee M. Amatur-Rahim — started stripping and dancing on the roof of the car while smoke poured from underneath the hood, according to witnesses.”

He got out and he jumped on top of the truck and banged on it. [He] took his shoes off and then he took a shirt off. And then he took his pants off and then started dancing and screaming,” witness Bill Arena said.

Police said they believe the man was on PCP.

Hartford Police anticipate a warrant for his arrest for numerous motor vehicle and narcotics charges related to the traffic accident. Amatur-Rahim also had two narcotics warrants out for his arrest through New Britain Police Department.”

I dunno… PCP sounds kinda awesome. @BKactual