Senate rollcall vote on 700 mile border fence--passed 81-19 last night.

[flpoljunkie]

Bayh, Clinton and Obama voted for the 700 mile fence. Kerry and Feingold voted against it. It is estimated that the total would be around $6 billion--and that only $1.6 billion has been appropriated in the Homeland Security bill to build a border fence with Mexico. The mid-term elections are indeed approaching!

Excerpt from today's Washington post on the passage of the bill: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/29/AR2006092901912_pf.html

Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) taunted Bush for laying out an expansive vision of immigration reform, only to cave "to the radical anti-immigrant right wing of his party."

"It is a shame that after he went on national television to call for comprehensive reform, even after he went to Mexico this summer and said he was against fences, he is now willing to settle for this ineffective half-measure," Reid said.

Advocates and opponents of the measure said it is not clear that the fence can be built as the bill envisions. The Arizona branch would have to plunge down steep ravines and scale craggy mountain peaks. "This is not Iowa farmland," said Rep. Raul M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.). Construction is "going to be near impossible."

A vast stretch of the Arizona fence would traverse the lands of the Tohono O'odham Nation, which strongly opposes it and could bring suit, said Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.). Construction crews would have to deal with rivers and streams running north to south and wildlife migration routes that do not respect the U.S.-Mexico divide. And the Border Patrol does not have enough agents to stop smugglers from simply knocking holes in remote stretches.

"It's not feasible," said Kolbe, who is retiring from Congress at the end of the year. "It's a statement for the election. That's all."

________________________

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=2&vote=00262

Measure Number: H.R. 6061
Measure Title: A bill to establish operational control over the international land and maritime borders of the United States.
Vote Counts: YEAs 80
NAYs 19
Not Voting 1

Grouped By Vote Position
YEAs ---80
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Allen (R-VA)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bennett (R-UT)
Biden (D-DE)
Bond (R-MO)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burns (R-MT)
Burr (R-NC)
Byrd (D-WV)
Carper (D-DE)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Clinton (D-NY)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
Dayton (D-MN)
DeMint (R-SC)
DeWine (R-OH)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Frist (R-TN)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Harkin (D-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kohl (D-WI)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Obama (D-IL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Santorum (R-PA)
Schumer (D-NY)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH)
Talent (R-MO)
Thomas (R-WY)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)
Wyden (D-OR)

NAYs ---19
Akaka (D-HI)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Chafee (R-RI)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Kerry (D-MA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Murray (D-WA)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Sarbanes (D-MD)

Not Voting - 1
Kennedy (D-MA)

[Poiuyt]

1. If you build a 10' fence, the sales of 11' ladders will go up

[marmar]

2. Perhaps we can hire Stasi guards to patrol it....

Oh, I guess we already have the Minuteklan.

[Fovea]

3. Did they vote to name it

The Maginot Line V.2.0?

[asjr]

4. A 700 mile fence on the border is like

putting a bandaid on a broken leg. This was a "feel good" move because they can't come up with anything real.

[Double T]

5. The border fence needs to be along the entire 2000 mile distance.........

of our southern border and electrified if necessary!!! The USA needs to secure its borders from political and economic terrorists!!

[Jade Fox]

7. "Economic Terrorists"?

I'll be generous and assume you are being sarcastic.

Equating Terrorism with financial issues cheapens the real peoples lives lost to Terrorism around the world.

[Double T]

8. There are terrorists of ALL TYPES..............

one has NOTHING to do with the other except BOTH are continually attempting to destroy this Nation. A border fence inhibits at least two (2) types of terrorists.

[Jade Fox]

10. Like I said....

This notions cheapens the lives lost by Terrorism. You know, real people dying horribly.

People coming over our border are seeking better lives for themselves. We don't have to like it, but to say they are attempting to destroy this nation would be funny if it were not so paranoid and self-pitying. To equate their actions with political murder (Terrorism) is vile.

There are not "all kinds of terrorists". You are repeating a Right-wing talking point designed to turn anyone who doesn't do what the United States wants them to into a "terrorist". Notice who started this notion of "all kinds of terrorists". They are the people who want us to go along with anything the Bush Administrations says by scaring us into submission. What better way than to have us seeing terrorists everywhere?

[Double T]

13. The RW doesn't have a monopoly on border control ideas..........

or thoughts. The RW and their corporate backers would love to have a population of slaves working for slave wages within our own borders; amnesty will grant the RW and corporate america their wish. The RW only has political or religious terrorists they deal with, much like your own position. I guess you choose to overlook my comment that 'one has nothing to do with the other' as you are hell bent on adopting the idea that there is ONLY one type of terrorist destroying this Nation. NONE of this is funny!!!

[Jade Fox]

14. I agree completely.....

that the real reason the Republicans haven't done anything to stop illegal immigration is because they are not about to jeopardize a cheap labor source. The GOP's corporate backers love illegals. Also, I work with a lot of immigrants, and I can tell you that Conservative Christians are indoctrinating immigrants into their ranks as well.

I'm just asking you to look at where you are getting this "all kinds of terrorists" idea. Isn't it a useful idea if you want people thinking they are constantly under siege, and so must be afraid all the time? It is an idea that was started by the Bush Administration (or their mouthpieces) to get us doing just that--being afraid and trusting Bushco to route out all those many, many forms of "terrorism". If we respond by agreeing to call every problem this country has some form of terrorism, we are only doing their bidding.

[Double T]

16. Terrorists and terrorism do NOT make me fearful but instead........

make me want to fightback. Fighting back does NOT have to involve weapons of destruction which kill and destroy innocents and their property ultimately making THEM hate US also. Terrorists exist in Boardrooms of America, on Wall Street and within our own governments at every level. Decisions made by these terrorists are adversely affecting this Nations present and future existence as a world economic and peacekeeping power. Border fences are a non-destructive way to stop the influx of economic terrorists. If Vincente Fox can't get his act together to bring Mexico and its people out of poverty it is his own corrupt fault; it is NOT up to America, with its own share of serious economic problems, to save Mexico. Bushco has taken the FEAR of terrorists and terrorism to the ABSURD, which many believe IT has NOW become. The American people and American workers are under attack and it is up to THEM to fight back against All the terrorists; political, religious, economic, constitutional, etc. that are destroying this Nation. Have no fear.

[KamaAina]

32. That would make it second only to the Great Wall of China

which was built to repel military invasion -- and it failed. It is a nice tourist attraction, though. :-)

[Jade Fox]

6. Every time I hear this idea put forth.....

my brain explodes at the sheer stupidity of it. I can't believe Bayh, Clinton, and Obama voted for it.

Where to begin? How many bazillions will it end up costing, and how many full time border guards would that pay for? How long will it take (Haliburton) to build it? How long will it be before people figure out how to get over/under it?

This (surprise surprise) is a simplistic solution to a long standing and complex problem, and is an idea worthy only of Freeper idiots.

More and more I think our country is being run by the stupidest people in it.

[flpoljunkie]

27. Yes, Obama voted for the fence, and his fellow Senator Durbin voted No!

Obviously, it is not an issue in Illinois. Why would Obama vote for this bill?

[spanone]

9. Fuck this Congress. I'm voting. Til then Fuck 'em.

[OneBlueSky]

11. unbelievable . . . our country is being run by idiots . . . n/t

.

[Old and In the Way]

12. Political Theater

Too bad Republicans aren't interested in governing.

[Telly Savalas]

17. Last time I checked there weren't 80 Republicans in the Senate.

[flpoljunkie]

20. And too damn bad, we don't have enough Dems to call it such and vote NO!

[Old and In the Way]

25. yes, let's build a secure wall all around America!

We can call it a prison.

[Old and In the Way]

26. Sorry, this reply was meant for #25.....

[flpoljunkie]

28. Not to worry.

[liberaliraqvet26]

15. Am I crazy to believe that a country should have a fence on it's border?

I don't know why this is a big deal. We are a nation. A nation should have distinguishable borders and manned border crossings.

[KharmaTrain]

18. That's a Lot Of Leftover La-Z-Boys...

To quote George Carlin..."you build a better mousetrap, some schmuck will invent a better mouse". This was a feel-good bill that means zero as booosh has no interest in enforcing it and the party leadership wants to milk this issue for the 2008 election, not this one.

[flpoljunkie]

19. NO MONEY appropriate in this bill to actually build it. Homeland Security

bill included not $1.6 billion, as I typed in original post, but $1.2 billion to build a portion of the border fence--300 miles.

The "Secure Fence Act of 2006" is a political stunt of the worst kind!

[w4rma]

23. Repukes wrote the bill. They will take the flack for that "oversight".(nt)

[DancingBear]

21. Do us "dissenters" really have to say anything?

I mean, do we really?

This one speaks for itself.

None of us are surprised.

They're much more to come.

"Enablers" - yes, that's a good term I think.

Though I think many here have put it on the wrong foot.

Fascism -straight doen the hall and to the right.

Damn, the tour guides look familiar...

[w4rma]

22. Good. Maybe this will help in the debate about the real reasons they are

coming over here, illegally, when it doesn't work well.

I'm glad that Dems did the correct thing, politically, in this case. It would have been totally stupid to vote against the vast majority of Americans on something like this, which will not really hurt America but will help in all their elections.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

24. I applaud my 2 senators for voting against racism.

[KamaAina]

29. Mine too!

Hmmm... both are people of color... you don't suppose that might have factored into it, do you? Then again, it sure didn't with Obama :grr:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

31. Well, both of mine are white. But, both are women.

Not surprised by Murray, mildly surprised by Cantwell who usually votes DINO.

[KamaAina]

30. Lieberman NO!!!!

I guess he can allow himself an occasional (D) vote when there's absolutely no chance it'll affect the outcome... :eyes:

[Homer Wells]

33. I rather doubt you will ever see this fence erected

Politics is what is behind this. Let the voters see that we are all behind protecting the American workers from this "Brown Peril" invading us :sarcasm: and maybe they will vote for us. I figure this whole damn thing will die on Nov 8. Funding wont get approved or something else like that.

[earth mom]

34. Never gonna happen. Not with the North American Union on the

back burner.

Fear that, if you fear anything. :scared: