The Terrorists Have Won
Security wall going up around the Eiffel Tower
The city of Paris is planning to build a permanent barrier around the Eiffel Tower and its two adjacent ponds in order to beef up security, replacing temporary protective structures that had been up as a result of recent terror attacks. It’s estimated that the structure, which will be bulletproof and able to stop vehicles, will cost the city 20 million euros (about $22 million). ...
Work on the perimeter is scheduled to start this fall, although plans are subject to approval. Once the project is complete, you’ll no longer be able to stroll leisurely under the massive steel tower, as you’ll first have to pass through a security checkpoint involving a metal detector and ID check before you can get up close to the base.
Nothing more romantic than a moonlight stroll under the Eiffel tower... and getting frisked by the French equivalent of the TSA.
By the way, if the Conservatives in this country need a better euphemism for their Mexican wall, here is a suggestion from the French:
While reports have said the wall be made of glass, Paris‘ deputy mayor Jean-François Martins wouldn’t confirm that to be true in a press conference last week — however, Martins did say, “It’s not a wall, it’s an aesthetic perimeter,”
If only the East Germans had been so clever with words, they might have won the Cold War.
Milo Minderbinder:
Interesting that Coyote who is an advocate for Open Borders fails to see that the French instituted these security measures precisely because Europe has opened its doors to "refugees" and "asylum seekers" from the Third World.
As Mark Steyn observed:
"I listen to people say 'oh, we're now going to have to have metal detectors in night clubs, security in nightclubs.' Ok, so what happens next? They blow up a bakery, they blow up a little pastry shop, so then you're gonna have to have metal detectors to get into the pastry shop?
"Instead of having all these individual perimeters around every Dunkin Donuts franchise or every gas station, or every J.C. Penny, why not have just one big perimeter around the country?" Steyn concluded. "We could call it a border! And we could have, like, a border security!"
February 17, 2017, 10:46 amLoneSnark:
Or, just be proportional. If something is very unlikely to harm you, then spend very little money trying to prevent it. If we used this standard, we would be spending lavishly on securing road barriers and intersections against car accidents, and absolutely nothing on border security...and we'd be saving lives in the long run.
February 17, 2017, 2:27 pmTitan28:
Exactly, Milo Minderbinder. Does Coyote, Mr. Open Borders, not see the irony?
February 17, 2017, 3:17 pmErikTheRed:
Yes, because passing a law always produces the intended result.
The reason that these issues exist is because so-called conservatives are really just socialists that can't bring themselves to admit that they're socialists. For example, the GOP has consistently expanded the welfare state (attracting the wrong kinds of immigrants) rather than fighting to shrink it. They talk a lot about shrinking it, but talk doesn't actually do anything. The GOP sheep keep voting for their masters because they think that it will be worse if the other party expands the welfare state instead of their party.
And then there's the regulatory system that pushes low-wage jobs out of the US and into Asia and Latin America. One of the few good things Trump has done is actually give this slightly more than lip service. We'll see if anything actually results. I'm not holding my breath. The last administration to take a serious whack at overregulation was ... Jimmy Carter. Spearheaded in congress by Teddy Kennedy. Yes, seriously (I love how this makes progressives' heads explode).
Never mind the GOP's full-on embrace of the extremely progressive War on Drugs, that is literally what funds the overwhelming majority of gang violence - and that's according to that known pinko... no wait, conservative hero Milton Friedman.
So the GOP goes around doing everything that creates pressure for illegal activities on the border, and then complains that the border is a mess. Granted, the GOP didn't start many of these things - the Dems did. But the GOP got on board and stayed on board. Because otherwise progressives would be implementing their progressive ideas instead of so-called conservatives implementing their progressive ideas. Which makes it all better in their weird definition of reality, but whatever.
But yeah, embrace more progressive big government ideas and build a wall and hire a million more border patrol or whatever. If it works, you'll get crazy inflation hitting the poor and middle-class, along with the massive overhead. If it fails (which is will), you'll have the massive overhead and nothing to show for it.
February 17, 2017, 4:13 pmRay:
If the terrorists were rational, they might see this as a winning. Unfortunately, their goal is to completely Islamicize the West or else to destroy it.
I don't think you can negotiate with that kind of attitude, and leaving it alone won't do any good. It must be confronted.
February 17, 2017, 4:50 pmmlhouse:
The East German wall was the opposite. It was designed to keep people in, not people out.
February 17, 2017, 5:16 pmmesaeconoguy:
There’s nothing comforting watching hundreds of Clouseaus running about trying to catch perps.
February 17, 2017, 5:25 pmToddF:
When a society chooses importing Islam over romantic walks, this is what you get.
February 17, 2017, 10:29 pmmesaeconoguy:
The Berlin Wall was an unbelievably shitty answer to a much larger problem for the Soviets: segregating anyone outside the Soviet sphere of influence immediately after VE Day.
The Soviets blocked direct airport service from multiple Western airports.
That airflight restriction still held true when I flew into Templehof in 1988. You had to fly thru Brussels or another transitory airport first.
February 17, 2017, 11:05 pmmarque2:
Interesting non-sequitur. Did you mean to answer some other question?
February 18, 2017, 4:14 pmThe small relevant part is in the realm of fake news.
The GOP has always been for open borders, at least for thirty years.
The complaining is not by the GOP but by sensible citizens who know they don't want to import welfare cases and crime from a poor nation. This is why the sensible citizens went out of the sphere of the GOP to elect an outsider to be president.
marque2:
Dubious.
February 18, 2017, 4:14 pmmarque2:
Interesting that you don't complain about Target and several other stores that have installed barriers. Those red balls in front of the store aren't for decoration, they are to prevent terrorists and maniacs from driving a car full speed into the front door. I guess it is a private entity,
February 18, 2017, 4:16 pmmarque2:
If I buy a gun to protect my property, the burglars have won?
If I keep my wallet in the front pocket to keep it safer, the pickpockets have won?
If we have store security tags on clothes, and store security, the shoplifters have won?
So if I tell my daughter to be careful and avoid dark allies, skanky clothes and getting drunk to avoid rape, the rapists have won?
I guess we should go into the world completely unprotected and oblivious to danger, or else those that cause danger will win. Seems to me this philosophy is opposite of reality, those that don't protect themselves get preyed on for being weak. Let the French build the barrier, unless you would rather they do the logical border control instead.
February 18, 2017, 4:21 pm