the chinese built a wall

from today's n y times: "he [ trumpie ] again mentioned 'other alternatives' that he could turn to if he did not secure wall funding from congress, presumably an emergency declaration that could allow him to shift funds from the military or the army corps of engineers...house democrats were circulating proposals for a 'smart wall' with drones, senors, and some additional fencing, but no edifice from the pacific to the gulf of mexico."___________________________________________the chinese built the great wall...presumably as a demarcation of where civilization ended...a point of exile...rather than something designed to keep "barbarians" out...if the latter were the purpose it failed miserably...doubtlessly the nativist, racist, yahoo base that der furhair enjoys considers the southern border the end of anything civilized ( which disturbs me because, for the most part, we are talking about texas ) and as a hard line to be defended against the hordes from the south whose main aim is something of a better life that they now enjoy and demographic relocation would only coincidentally match the lost northwestern provinces of old mexico annexed in 1845 in, i believe, the treaty of guadalupe-hidalgo...a wall serves no real purpose...human migration has a long history and is relentless...if it were not we would not be here...at least not in our present forms...i am a second-generation scion of immigrants...i knew the "old country" people and i liked them...it was their kids that were fucked up...but that is another rant and best left alone...there is a need here to recognize human universals which is, lamentably, being submerged in a bath of politically expedient fear and hate by a seriously ignorant and self-absorbed faction of the population to the benefit of an arrogant specimen of what wealth is really like at home when the guests have gone...emergency declaration...emergency decree...close...so let's float the idea that "the wall" is the reichstag fire and that the 2020 elections will be suspended and trumpie crowned "president for life"..this would effectively neutralize congress and, at the same time, quash any meuller indictments of der furhair and his miserable family...implausible? probably...his approval rating in the military is slipping and military support would have to be the basis for anything of the sort...we aren't dealing with any sort of "normalcy" here however...we have an ego big enough to block out anything resembling reality in terms of what may or may not be done...the odds are stacked against success...that doesn't mean the attempt isn't an option on the table...and while we are talking tables benjamin cardin, a democratic senator from maryland has hilariously stated that congress has put their "reputations as legislators" "on the table" with a stopgap proposal to fund the government for three weeks while members of congress "come up with a successful conclusion on the border security issue"...letting the whole "reputation" issue slide ( for now ) the only "successful conclusion" trumpie will accept is getting his way...congress can puke out all the verbiage it wants on "bi-partisan compromise" but the issue is not designed for compromise...it is designed to stroke egos and deliver political advantage...compromise is not "on the table".