Loving the Daddy State

by digby

This afternoon the House of Representatives is considering H.R. 2578, a package of public lands bills that contains a provision from Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT) giving U.S. Customs and Border Protection authority to shut down any economic or recreational activity within 100 miles of the northern and southern U.S. borders if deemed necessary for securing them.

The section also rolls back more than 30 environmental and public health laws within the 100-mile zone including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the National Park Service Organic Act that helps protect and preserve national parks (see full list here).

Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA) dubbed the provision a “drone zone” bill and explained at a press conference today that:

It essentially will be a national sacrifice zone where our rights, our liberties, and our environment can be sacrificed for the sake of an ideological anti-immigrant, anti-environment agenda. Make no mistake, this isn’t a bill that actually addresses immigration issues.

Uhm, have these people ever heard of places named Seattle, San Diego, El Paso, Laredo, Niagra Falls and hundreds of other towns and cities within a hundred miles of the border? WTF?

It’s always interesting to see these people who hate the federal “nanny” state forcing things like health care “down their throats” but then reveal themselves to be the “daddy” state which seeks to exert central control through police and military power.

But hey, I’m sure we don’t have to worry. As long as everyone within 100 miles of the US border behaves, they have nothing to worry about. They’re only after the bad people, not Real Americans. Nothing to see here …