When asked how he planned to get his army of 38,000 men, 8,000 cavalry and 37 war elephants across the Alps, Hannibal was said to have replied……
” WE WILL FIND A WAY….OR MAKE ONE.”

Sure it’s a stunt…….But If I lived in Pennsylvania…………I’D VOTE FOR THIS GENTLEMAN….Is he serious about Border Control?……We’ll see……He’s new blood……Can’t be worse than what we’ve got!

Raj, of “Apprentice” fame, has effectively demonstrated the joke that our southern border has become.

He started in Texas, and was going South across the border, he didn't cross the border, they just splashed around. Granted, he could have easily done so, he demonstrated it took an hour or so before anyone showed up to deal with an Elephant and a band at the border, but the story is being sold that this guy crossed and immigration didn't catch him.

More to the point, though, was what Mr Bhakta was trying to illustrate, as it says on his site:

Both the Democrat and Republican parties are ignoring America’s border security crisis. Republicans don’t want to anger big business and stop the flow of cheap labor, while Democrats don’t want to turn away potential voters. Astoundingly, five years after 9/11, we do not have an immigration policy to meet our security needs.

And that's a serious problem. In the past, other stunts have been done to show the problems with border security, including where a fake "WMD" was smuggled across the border twice, although being clearly marked with biohazard and radioactive symbols. Something seriously needs to be done, and the first party to step up to the plate on this will hit a grand slam.

At almost any other time I would find this hillarious, but something tragic must have happened to my sense-of-humor because I don't find it the least bit amusing now. We have a real problem here in Texas and elsewhere. The Canadian border is a problem too, but are we hearing anything about it? If we are, please let me know because I'm not hearing anything about it. It's comparable to hearing from moderate Muslims; the silence is deafening! If only it were merely elephants who are illegally crossing our borders!

Please take note. It doesn't matter what or who crosses the border illegally, but when it's an enviornmental issue (elephants entering a quarantined area), the USDA was all over this incident.

If you think border security is a joke, you have got to see this. Raj is officially my new hero (even if his blog is doing better than mine for the time being). He's no stranger to Townhall and I highly encourage you all to learn more about him and do anything you can to help his campaign. Bloggers: that means you!

Raj is on Fox News talking about his Elephant ride across the Rio Grande!! You got to watch this!! Check out his blog right here on Townhall.com.

I encourage everyone to go to Raj Bhakta’s campaign homepage and view the video on the left side of the header. Mr. Bhakta has succeeded in combining humor with a sad reality. Not only does it include his crossing of the Rio Grande on the back of an elephant, accompanied by a six piece mariachi band, with nary a border guard in site, he also films an illegal intruder swimming across the river directly under the US border crossing.

Folks, the political debates in congress are simply smoke and mirrors, meant to passify public outcry without actually doing anything of real substance whatsoever. There simply is no border security.

I have to applaud the stunt as it did a good job of attracting attention to him and the Federal Government’s unwillingness to protect the American people. It is stunts like his which will keep as well as our vote against those willing to trade the security of the United States for one reason or another which can by grace of God win the issue for us.

I am not a strong supporter of Mr. Bhakta, but his courageous move gets my backing.

That is one of the great campaign stunts in modern politics! The end of the article allows Bhakta to make his point as well as an amusing sentence:

“If I can get an elephant led by a mariachi band into this country, I think Osama bin Laden could get across with all the weapons of mass destruction he could get into this country,” Bhakta said.

It seems easy to be outraged at politicians and the police for focusing on the wrong things (like smoking bans and leases for Boy Scouts) to avoid enforcing laws and allowing guns to be bought so easily, and at educators for not teaching children enough for them to succeed.

It's even easy to express disdain for those who won't come forward with information that could take drugs, guns and killers off the street.

But only "we" can stop the violence and create an atmosphere in which responsibility, accountability and success are equal parts of an equation aimed at eliminating violence, ignorance and poverty. Instead of placing blame and pointing fingers, how about we all take that on? We are all in this together - suburbs and city. This isn't "us vs. them" - we're all affected.

What that looks like is reaching out and getting personally involved in making a difference. In the spirit of "It takes a village," become that village. Non-parents, parents and grandparents can form alliances with business and law-enforcement to open a dialogue of change - not one of where to place blame, but of what can work.

For example, build and fund centers that provide safe places for children to play and have fun (maybe get a good meal). Perhaps we could create workshops aimed at a new model of communication - one that creates a dialogue about a future that people can and want to step into rather than the current model that seems shaped toward blame.

There are dozens of organizations and agencies dedicated to everything from peace in the world, to education, to health and wellness, and more. Many need money; more need volunteers. There may even be jobs to be created or filled. Everyone needs to shift the energy and focus from anger, self-right- eousness and blame, to putting forth the energy and effort that shifts attitudes from resignation and cynicism to "we can make this work."

No one of us is as smart or as strong as all of us. In addition to asking politicians, police and teachers what they are going to do about the situation, ask yourself: What are you willing to do to create a future that works for everyone?

Dana Wickes, Glen Mills