Good Fences make good neighbors?

Late this afternoon I was reading The New York Times and found out about Vicente Fox's visit to the U.S. and his new stand on that border fence...

A metaphor comes to mind... When Brett visited Mexico for the first time, one of his observations was that all the houses had huge walls or fences between them. He commented on the fact that they all look like fortresses and that people were afraid of robbers. True that!!! Why cause Mexico keeps getting poorer and everyday its harder to find a job, many people are unemployed, and hungry, so out of desperation, some people steal. I never knew my neighbors, I don't remember any of them and have never felt a sense of neighborhood community.

Therefore, if fences don't make good neighbors in Mexico, why should they make good neighbors with the U.S.?



Nationalist outrage and accusations of hypocrisy over the prospect have filled airwaves and front pages in Mexico, as expected, fueled by presidential campaigns in which appeals to national pride are in no short supply. But, surprisingly, another view is gaining traction: that good fences can make good neighbors.

to read more
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/25/world/americas/25mexico.html?ex=1149220800&en=aff7cf3a0d573e98&ei=5070&emc=eta1