Fencing out the laws
The battle for the border fence just got a little tougher as Department of Homeland Security head Michael Chertoff said that his department will bypass environmental and land management laws to complete a border fence project by year’s end.
The move is touching some hearts in the Sierra Club, an environmental group, whose executive director claims the fence will threaten the environment of the region.
Carl Pope, the executive director, believes waiving these environmental laws is unconstiutional and he is calling for the Supreme Court to look into the issue.
The border fence will be equipped with towers, sensors, cameras along a 470-mile stretch that spans from California into Texas. This fence will cut through many areas of federally protected lands including national parks, wildlife refugees, forests, and wilderness areas.
Apparently, this is the fourth time the Department has issued waivers and this is the first time somebody has said something about it.
Now, my only question to Mr. Pope is…do you think the waivers are unconstitutional or is this just a desperate attempt to stop the fence? My money is on the latter. However, I’m not liking the notion of waiving laws - that just doesn’t seem like the spirit of democracy.
Tags: border fence, chertoff, environment, homeland security, immigration, IRS, money, Sierra Club, tution
