Drawing borders, crossing borders
Increasingly it's borders in the spotlight.
In the United States
It’s easy to cross a state line in the U.S. and not think much of it. Ski the day in Nevada, drive 30 minutes to the cabin back in California.
But cross a state line with a pregnant minor to help her get an abortion, say in a state that doesn’t require parental consent, and it could soon be a crime. Just this week the Senate passed a bill aimed at making this a reality; the House passed a similar bill recently. Only 15 states don’t require parental permission.
Cross the border into Massachusetts and it’s still the only state where gay marriage is recognized. Washington State just became the latest to uphold a ban on gay unions. Comparatively, almost 25 countries recognize gay marriage.
Of course the real borderline fight in the U.S. is over illegal immigration, including the estimated 11 million who live here. More troops guard the Mexican border now and reports say arrests are down 45%.
In Iraq
There's a proposal to divide Iraq into three areas with lines to be drawn along religions beliefs -- Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish.
In Israel and Lebanon
Several weeks ago Hezbollah - based in Lebanon - snuck over the border into Israel and kidnapped two soldiers, tipping off the current crisis. Borders abound in this conflict, which is largely about control of the Holy Land, which Jews, Christians and Muslims all consider sacred land. Israel sits directly in the geographic area that all three of these religions hold dear and have at one point in history or another laid claim to.
The big picture
While actual borderlines may be invisible they can play a big role in power and control and who owns it, even here in the United States.
