Perhaps the Donald Should Read Up on the History of Walls

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So, I heard on the news that Donald Trump plans to go ahead with his wall (or fence in some places) between the US and Mexico. He stated that this was construction - which is a subject he is familiar with. I think he should read up on the history of walls though, such as Hadrian's, the Great Wall of China - and the Maginot Line. None were effective at stopping people from going past them, even with garrisons in the thousands or tens of thousands (technology will probably reduce that number, but not eliminate it). They weren't always intended to stop people though; I think Hadrian's Wall was intended to stop people coming back with stuff they'd stolen, and regulate trade through it. A modern wall won't be particularly effective either. Guards can be bribed or threatened to allow people to cross (and the drug cartels have a lot of money and are rather bloodthirsty). Also, there's this innovation that's really effective at getting past walls. It's called a tunnel. Perhaps Trump is simply saying this to keep his supporters happy at the moment, and plans to dump the idea later. I don't actually think he's stupid. Image: Severin.stalder [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons