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from the if-you-build-it-they-will-come...and-cut-through-it dept.
Smugglers have found an easy way to get through the vertical steel tube Mexican border wall. From https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/smugglers-are-sawing-through-new-sections-of-trumps-border-wall/2019/11/01/25bf8ce0-fa72-11e9-ac8c-8eced29ca6ef_story.html
The breaches have been made using a popular cordless household tool known as a reciprocating saw that retails at hardware stores for as little as $100. When fitted with specialized blades, the saws can slice through one of the barrier's steel-and-concrete bollards in minutes, according to the agents, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the barrier-defeating techniques.
After cutting through the base of a single bollard, smugglers can push the steel out of the way, creating an adult-size gap. Because the bollards are so tall — and are attached only to a panel at the top — their length makes them easier to push aside once they have been cut and are left dangling, according to engineers consulted by The Washington Post.
The taxpayer-funded barrier — so far coming with a $10 billion price tag — was a central theme of Trump's 2016 campaign, and he has made the project a physical symbol of his presidency, touting its construction progress in speeches, ads and tweets. Trump has increasingly boasted to crowds in recent weeks about the superlative properties of the barrier, calling it "virtually impenetrable" and likening the structure to a "Rolls-Royce" that border crossers cannot get over, under or through.
In other words, no one did any serious pen testing on the wall design, or it would have been obvious that with all that leverage, the top tie-in was easy to flex.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 08 2019, @01:10AM (2 children)
Your AC submitter here -- this story continues to generate comments on Thursday evening, long after being posted Monday noon-ish and falling off the front page. There have been other stories with more, but from memory they were highly polarizing politically (perhaps tied to an election result?) I just scanned all 200+ and note that many of the recent comments are Buzzy looking for the last word in a number of different topics...MAS anyone?
Is there a list of the stories with over 200 comments? 100 comments??
My guess -- the combination of power tools and immigration is just about a sure hit with the SN audience. But either topic alone hasn't shown this kind of staying power. I think I did pretty good with the headline, short and descriptive (not always easy to write).
I was slightly miffed that my "parting shot" comment at the end of my sub was cut off by the editors, but others had similar ideas, so that one came out in the wash.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday November 08 2019, @11:56PM
I didn't have the time or desire to respond for a few days, this was just me catching up on unread messages.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday November 08 2019, @11:57PM
Oh, as for comment counts... check the Hall of Fame [soylentnews.org] link in the left sidebar.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.