by Bob Cesca
WASHINGTON, DC – This is the most underreported story of the month so far. Many of us are unaware that Donald Trump is continuing to build his border wall, and no, Mexico still isn’t paying for it. You might recall that only 52 to 80 miles of new wall was built during his first term.
But while he’s wasting taxpayer money on his vanity fiascos: his ballroom, the Reflecting Pool, the new helipad, the triumphal arch, a golf course, and a bunch of what he calls “water falls” (fountains), he’s also building new sections of border wall.
Firstly, bulldozers have been spotted at Big Bend National Park in West Texas, decimating the pristine landscape that’s supposed to be set aside for the enjoyment of the people.
Congress last summer supercharged Trump’s efforts with $46.5 billion in funding, and federal officials in June waived dozens of environmental regulations to speed up wall construction in or near the national park.
Construction is expected to include blasting new roads through the area so Border Patrol personnel can better reach remote areas of the park…
The blasting will irreparably destroy the rock formations and canyon walls, some of the most gorgeous scenery of any national park. And migrants don’t often cross there anyway – frivolous decimation without any real benefit when it comes to border security.
Donald’s new Homeland Security secretary Markwayne Mullin waived 35 laws in order to launch the project, while conservation groups have filed lawsuits. But bulldozers have already created considerable damage.
Since the creation of the National Parks, history has recorded far too many villains like Mullin and Trump threatening the condition and existence of the parks. Far better people who respect the parks and cherish democracy have had to fight to preserve this land against greedy and nearsighted interests.
Donald doesn’t give a flying rip about the parks and why the exist in the first place. He thinks he’s synonymous with the country and believes it’s his to do with whatever he pleases.
Which is also why he’s using eminent domain to build his wall across private land owned by Texans – well on the American side of the border cutting off those land owners from 280,000 acres.
Some have reported that Donald is effectively giving American land to Mexico. This isn’t the case, though the wall will still cut off landowners from significant sections of their properties, while also blocking access to water resources from the Rio Grande.
Remember the rancher protests against the Bureau of Land Management during Obama’s second term? This is far, far worse than anything the Bundys and their gun-toting allies were freaking out about.
The Republican Party’s declining, fascistic leader is stealing private land. Worse he’s stealing public land from you and me – land we and our posterity are entitled to enjoy. More damage we’ll need to repair when he’s gone.
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