Wall money would be better spent elsewhere

By Letter to the Editor on February 21, 2019.

Canada being the neighbour of the U.S. has often been referred as the “mouse having to exist next door to an elephant.” But as we all know, where ever that elephant goes, that mouse will sooner or later also have to go, perhaps falling into those giant elephant footprints. Therefore it behoves us to pay close attention to whatever that elephant is up to.

Mr. Trump, occupant of the Oval Office’s big chair, keeps harping about the necessity of a giant wall – tall, thick, steel reinforced concrete wall preferably – all the way from one end of the border between the good ol’ U.S.A, the “good guys,” and Mexico, which, together with that vast hinterland of “undesirables,” is threatening to over run all of the U.S. and, be warned, also the Great White North. “National emergency,” The Donald says.

Hasn’t Mr. Trump learned yet that physical walls are not exactly guarantees of no one getting through, over, under or around? “Tear down that Wall'” President Reagan shouted. Hundreds, if not thousands of desperate men, women and children found ways, had the courage and the derring-do, to tunnel under, fly over, even try to climb over, and often succeeded. Not always, of course. The East German border guards were authorized to shoot to kill anyone attempting to flee to the West, and often succeeded. What about that mighty wall between the Gaza Strip and Israel? Israel has had to bulldoze and destroy many sophisticated tunnels, some kilometres in length, electrically lit, obviously professionally built, over and over.

Just recently, Mexican federal police discovered the entrance to a 10-mile tunnel, from Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, exiting in Nogales, Ariz. It is believed to have been used to smuggle drugs into the U.S.

I would submit that a tunnel – no matter how thick or how high or how deep down, would aggravate the “national emergency” situation that Trump is threatening to declare. It would now allow the real “bad guys” to forget about getting through legitimate crossings. They would instead use tunnels..

One would think that the billions Trump is asking Congress for to build his wall would be far better spent on alleviating the poverty of the many, on health care for those without, their education, on trying to not prop up any regime just because they declare they love the U.S. and would promise to never, never elect anything even faintly resembling some socially responsible government.

It just occurred to me that many of those poor and struggling and without proper health care reside in Trump’s own back yard.