I have some good news to report: Washington finally is getting serious about building a border fence.

Some $23 million has been allocated for engineering teams that will focus on smuggling tunnels and building a sturdier, impregnable border fence. The resources of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have been directed to help with the project. That's the good news.

The bad news is that the border fence is not between the U.S. and Mexico. It is the fence separating the "Hamas-cidal" maniacs in the Gaza Strip from their Arab neighbors in Egypt. That's right. It turns out that fences actually can be good investments for American taxpayers — as long as they are not along the Mexican border.

Now, why I am surprised about this? Haven't officials in Washington been telling the American people for the past two years that building border fences is a waste of time and money? Don't they claim that fences really don't keep undesirables out? Don't they tell us fences are inhumane and oppressive? Didn't they say you can't build a fence high enough to keep out bad guys?

So why is it that a border fence separating Arabs in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula from Arabs in Gaza is a good thing? Didn't Washington also tell Israelis they shouldn't build a fence to protect their civilian population from Arab terrorists on the West Bank? Why, I must ask, was it morally wrong for the Israelis to build a fence to protect their citizens from Arab terrorists, but it's the right thing for Egypt to do? In fact, it's so right for Egypt that American taxpayers have been volunteered to pick up the tab!

In case you haven't been following the news about Egypt's border problems, let me explain them to you. Way back in 1973, Israel captured the Gaza Strip from Egypt during a war Cairo started.

From 1973 through August 2005, Egypt never had any border security problems, as Israel occupied the Gaza Strip. Immediately after Israel unilaterally withdrew from the Gaza Strip, Egypt's border nightmare began. The Gaza Strip now is controlled by the murderous band of terrorists known as Hamas. Regularly the terrorists attempt to breach the Egyptian border for the purpose of smuggling weapons into their little-armed caliphate. So Egypt has been forced to build fences and walls to keep the infiltration to a minimum.

It's funny how you don't hear many complaints about this wall. You sure hear them every time an American insists one should be erected along the U.S.' southern border. You certainly heard them during Israel's construction of its own security barrier separating itself from the future Palestinian state next door.

Do you notice the double standard? It's as noticeable as the still-open border between the U.S. and Mexico.

Yes, U.S. officials are speaking out of both sides of their mouths, telling Americans it's just not practical to build barriers along its borders while using Americans' hard-earned tax dollars to build barriers along borders of foreign countries!

Does this make you angry? Why isn't anyone else pointing out the blatant duplicity at work here? Why am I the only observer noticing what is happening? Has it escaped your notice that none of the last three major presidential candidates standing wants to build our own security fence? But we'll build one for Egypt!

What is going on here? Why are my fellow Americans standing for this outrage? Why aren't you out in the streets? Why aren't you emulating your Founding Fathers? Why aren't you doing something to take America back?

Forget the 2008 elections. They are a lost cause as far as I am concerned. It's time to march on Washington. And just watch the rascals erect fences to keep you out of your own capital!

To find out more about Joseph Farah and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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