The story mentions a number of endangered species along the border that wildlife researchers say will be imperiled by hundreds of miles of border fencing. Some of the wildlife mentioned includes the Sonoran pronghorns and long-nose bats in Arizona and the ocelots and jagurandi, (small cats), of deep South Texas.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is so concerned about all of this that one of its regional directors told customs and border protection officials that its scientists have concluded  some or all of these species may disappear over time with the construction of the border fence, The Post story reported.

Obviously, the fence builders of the political right will hardly be moved by such concerns. They even went after the Pope this week after he had the audacity to say a good word about immigrants in the U.S.  A leading member of that flock, the failed presidential candidate Tom Tancredo, accused the good Pope of “faith-based marketing,” saying Benedict was trying to draw more immigrants, (i.e. Mexicans), to the U.S. to increase the membership of his church in this country.

The endangered state of the Sonoran proghorn and the South Texas ocelot aren’t going to touch terrible Tom’s heart given the crusade on his part to protect American sovereignty and culture from excessive immigration.  The fence is going up. The always personable and affable secretary of homeland security, Michael Chertoff, announced recently that he was unilateraly waving more than 30 environmental and land management laws to meet the urgent deadline of building at least 360 miles of border fencing by year’s end.

Chertoff’s move has been roundly panned in the editorial pages of newspapers across the land - NY Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Houston Chronicle - as a power grab that Congress ought to rescind. The Sierra Club and some other enviromentalist groups are going to federal court to challenge the constitutionality of the authority that Congress gave the grumpy Chertoff to do as he pleases.

Not to worry, says one of Chertoff’s flacks at the department to protect America. A spokeswoman for homeland security tells The Post that “just because we’re using the waiver authority doesn’t mean we’ve not be mindful of our obligation to be stewards of the environment.”

No, of course not, that’s why the department to protect America is eager to stick metal, concrete and other obstructions in the midst of some of this country’s more endangered habitat in order to discourage all of those dry wallers, hotel cleaning ladies and landscapers from crossing over and working to make U.S. products and services cheaper for all of us hard-working Americans.

The Post story notes that “prized (and endangered) wildlife species are not respecters of international borders.” That’s just tough. One of the wildlife expert types called the belt of natural habitat along the Rio Grande in our neck of the woods as being one of national importance.

“The signficance of this (South Texas) area, biologically, is extraordinary,” said Evan Hirsche, president of the National Wildlife Refuge Association. Nor have the wildlife experts been impressed with the efforts of homeland security to build a nature-friendly fence, if there is such a thing.

“When you’ve got a wall 27 miles long and 16 feet high, that’s a tough one,” said Nancy Brown, a wildlife specialist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in The Post story. “Whether you’re an armadillo or an ocelot, when you bang into six miles of concrete wall, you’re in trouble.”

Sure enough, Nancy, but we need to protect America from excessive numbers of Mexicans. So, something has to give. Looks like the critters will have to take one for national security.

- Joaquin C. Tijerina, Official Chisme Blogger Y Columnista