Are We Building a Fence on the Wrong Border?

Blog of the Week TigerHawk makes a long and pretty persuasive argument that the unmasking of would-be terrorists in Toronto is just another reminder that the threat of terrorist infiltration from the north is likely greater than from the south and that, therefore, we may be considering building a fence on the wrong border.

There is no doubt about the fact that Canada is a sieve when it comes to allowing terrorists into that country, and that there is a considerable history of terrorist threats originating there, most famously the Millenium bomber. I actually think that it is hard to connect control over our borders with security against terrorist attacks. This is why, no doubt, we are suddenly hearing about “border security” more than four years after 9/11. If sealing the borders actually were a realistic way of securing ourselves against terrorism, it would have been done before now.

I think that stanching the flow of illegal immigrants from Mexico is desirable on its own terms for many reasons, but I suspect that keeping terrorists out is rather low on the list.

Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.

Responses