Do good fences make good neighbors?

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February 11, 2005

The Atlantic Monthly’s Abigail Cutter lists the ten most notable security barriers of the post-WWII era. Surrounded by less-than-friendly neighbors, there’s no way India is staying of this list:

5. India/Bangladesh: Aiming to curb infiltration from its neighbor, India in 1986 sanctioned what will ultimately be a 2,043-mile barbed-wire barrier. It’s expected to cost $1 billion by the time it is completed, next year.

6. India/Pakistan: In 1989 India began erecting a fence to stem the flow of arms from Pakistan. So far it has installed more than 700 miles of fencing, much of which is electrified and stands in the disputed Kashmir region. The anti-terrorist barriers will eventually run the entire 1,800-mile border with Pakistan.

Of more relevancy was number eight on the list — a fourteen-mile fence separating San Diego from Tijuana — which has made it a real pain for me, er, I mean, my friend Lupa Letap, to score cheap prescription meds.

The Atlantic Monthly: Security fences (subscription required)

Politics

POSTED BY apul @ 2:29 PM

10 comments

1 · Anonymous Cow on February 11, 2005 2:53 PM · Direct link

The fence is electrified now?

I remember hearing of a primitive system of soda bottles attached to wire being used along the LoC. Whenever someone disturbed the line, the vibrations would cause the soda bottles to make noise, thereby alerting soldiers to enemy infiltrators. Apparently it worked well.

Leave it to Indians to make an alarm system out of used soda bottles... :-)

2 · Mike on February 11, 2005 3:07 PM · Direct link

It goes to my theory that MacGuyver was Indian.

3 · Manish Vij on February 11, 2005 3:09 PM · Direct link

It goes to my theory that MacGuyver was Indian.

Well, they do play the bagpipes at some Indian weddings.

4 · abomb on February 11, 2005 3:50 PM · Direct link

you know there might be something to the macguyver being indain thing. Mac alwasy made something out of the tools he had in front of him, like a bomb out of tampon or something. Some woudl call this genius I say maybe he was just cheap. Kind of like how my paretns never spent money on halloween costumes I had to just duct tape shit together that we already had at home. Tupperware man in 1988 was my fave.
bastards.

5 · Blank on February 11, 2005 3:59 PM · Direct link

"Well, they do play the bagpipes at some Indian weddings"

Fat, ladoo eating, pakora inhaling, jalebee sniffing musicians wearing a baggy kurta and playing the Shehnai are NOT called bagpipes.

6 · Saurav on February 11, 2005 5:46 PM · Direct link

There's a one mile gap in the San Diego-Tijuana fence that they're trying to fill in with...more fence. (a bill just passed in the House). Get your meds while you can! Don't get shot either.

7 · Manish Vij on February 11, 2005 10:18 PM · Direct link

Fat, ladoo eating, pakora inhaling, jalebee sniffing musicians wearing a baggy kurta and playing the Shehnai are NOT called bagpipes.

Naw, man. Actual bagpipes. Brown men in tartan kilts in Chandigarh. It was a hoot. Must be some colonial remnant.

8 · TEM on February 11, 2005 11:59 PM · Direct link

I hate to be a stickler, but there is a mistake in the post: "no way India is staying of this list" should be "off the list". ;P

But I do think that we should be asking for Israeli "advisors" to help us out with anti-infiltration techniques. I know that the motion detectors and anti-tunneling equipment they gave us is already doing a lot of good.

We could especially use the Israeli help now, to keep the Nepal border region secure. Hell, with Israeli help, one day, we might even be able to take back the little chunk of Kashmir from the HATED ChiComs, while killing a whole lot of them in the process.

But alas, I am sure, none of this will transpire, as our gvmt, whether BJP or Congress, will just spout some self-sufficiency BS. Quell Dommage!

9 · Santhosh Daniel on February 12, 2005 12:13 AM · Direct link

"... pakora inhaling, jalebee sniffing..."

Is the conversation about fences or junkies? Or, junkies playing bagpipes with MacGyver? Or, MacGyver using a tampon to build a fence?

Speaking of fences, why is it that no one has brought up the fences we construct around our heart, the ones that stop us from loving... Our neighbor used to have a fence, it kept everyone out and the dog in, which was sad for the dog who had to sit in his beautiful, fenced-in shityard.

Anyway, the article is worth reading in exception of the poorly appropriated and now coined, "Tortilla Curtain" for the U.S./Mexico border fence. So, go to bed thinking about fences, tampons and junkies and I shall go talk to Mummy about sniffing a jaleebi.

10 · TEM on February 12, 2005 1:12 PM · Direct link

Santosh,

HAHA!!

Comments closed.