Federally proposed border fence conflicts with local interests
By Rachel Wright
Early last summer The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College (UTB/TSC) received word that the federal government had made plans to build a US-Mexican border fence through the school's campus. The positioning of the fence left a campus building, a national historical site and the school’s golf course on the Mexican side.
By October 2007 a letter arrived for UTB/TSC President Dr. Juliet V. Garcia requesting right of entry on university property so Department of Homeland Security officials could begin preparations for construction. The letter demanded 18 months of unrestricted access to campus grounds and declared that, upon completion of the initial survey, the University would be awarded just compensation for any property found fit to condemn. The letter also said the federal government would not be liable for any damages caused by DHS employees (the nincompoops who accidentally bought $68,000 worth of dog socks). Sounds trusty enough, right? ...more
"The basis of our government being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter."
President Thomas Jefferson 1787
