Most of the Great Wall has long since crumbled and was never much to look at in the first place. In many locations, it wasn't much more than berms, designed to give defenders a better position from which to fire at approaching enemies or to slow attackers.
In many areas, the original wall was undermined by water or seismic activity.
My point is that, even in a medieval or earlier setting, wall-builders knew the limits of the structures. They knew that "WALL," as our dear leader now calls them, are only as effective as topography and military needs allow. Donald Trump likes the image of one section of the Great Wall, but has no idea how China's emperor's and military commanders actually used it over the centuries.
Taxpayers--through their Congressional appropriators--should not permit such blatant ignorance to dictate how billions of their dollars are spent (or wasted). Do we need border security? Yes. But we need border security that works. It will and does include barriers where they make sense. It also includes technological solutions where barriers are problematic.
Border security also--importantly--includes trying to mitigate the causes of refugee flight from violent, strife-prone regions to our southern border. Finally, as far as drugs and trafficking, border security requires improving our ability to interdict at airports and seaports.
But, as far as relics of the past that were at best partially effective, let's just leave them in the 1300s.
Posts
