Border blunders



Posted: March 09, 2009
1:00 am Eastern



The land of mañana, Mexico, especially along the U.S. border, has turned into a virtual shooting gallery because of drug and weapons trafficking.

But pay attention: It could be used as a pretense to reinstitute the U.S. ban on the sale of assault rifles.

In Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, the murder count so far this year exceeds 300. Last year, more than 1,650 were killed in that city alone. People have been beaten, shot and even burned to death.

The victims range from innocent bystanders, drug cartel members, journalists, police, military and elected officials. Across Mexico, there were more than 6,000 drug-related murders last year; more than 1,000 so far this year.

The tally of injured and dead, including the number of beheadings a la Islamic terrorists has resulted in police and government officials resigning from their jobs. They get the message when associates and family members are kidnapped and murdered.

Dead bodies are left in piles, their heads in bags. Often heads are delivered to officials as a clear warning they're being targeted.

In towns across Mexico, the violence is so great that citizens are demanding the army replace the police. But even that doesn't stop the cartels; they attack the soldiers too.

In at least one case, a police chief moved to El Paso for safety. Requests for asylum, in this country, by Mexican citizens totaled more than 2,200 last year.

As the mayhem grew and spread over the months, it has resulted in likely the strongest warning ever for travelers. Be careful. Stay home.

In fact, the kibosh is being put on student plans for spring vacation on sand and surf – and margueritas and cerveza.

The advice: Make other plans.

The State Department warning is unusual because the aim has always been to emphasize the open relationship between the two countries, especially in terms of tourism and of course, commerce.

Spring break is good for business on the Mexican side of the border, but it's not as attractive when bullets – real ones – may be flying.

Times have changed; it's become a crisis.

All the while, illegal immigration into the United States remains a huge issue. Thousands of Mexicans and other nationalities cross the border every month and disappear into this country to bide their time until the Obama administration makes the move to make them all legal.

Have no doubt, that is the plan; amnesty is the goal.

The president said in an interview with a Spanish-language radio program recently that plans are now underway for "comprehensive immigration reform."

As reported by WorldNetDaily's Jerome Corsi on Feb. 19, the program transcript shows that Obama said he is "… very committed to making it happen." He also said legislation would be " … drawn up over the next several months."

Obama wants illegals made legal.

But now things are more complicated and much more dangerous involving authorities, police and the military on both sides of the border, all because of drugs.

That isn't new; drugs have always been trafficked across the border – Colombians supply them, Mexicans transport and sell them and Americans buy them, use them, get hooked and buy more. We're talking marijuana, heroin, meth and cocaine.

It's a good business, it's big business, the price is right, competition is hot and, because of the corruption of Mexican officials, police and others involved, its wide open and violence reigns.

But because business is so good and so much money is involved, the organized crime syndicates have taken charge with a vengeance and openly battle each other as well as fighting authorities, even though President Calderon ordered a crackdown. Rather than stopping the violence, the mayhem is worse and more vicious.

What was an unguarded, safe border between this country and Mexico is now a highway for illegals and a pathway for drug warfare.

Unbelievably, last year, Phoenix was named second in the world for ransom kidnapping. Mexico was first. There are reports of contract killings, and there've been open shootouts in Tucson and other cities on our side of the border. A family of four, husband and wife and two children, were gunned down on the Florida turnpike.

Officials believe the killings were the result of drug deals gone bad. The two men charged in the killings were, according to AP, found in possession of "a huge amount of drugs" and an "arsenal of weapons."

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is so concerned that he's asked for another $135 million for border security and wants 1,000 troops stationed at the border – military troops, not Border Patrol. It's that serious.

Just last week, a crackdown by federal agents rounded up more than 750 suspects believed to be involved in the Sinaloa drug cartel responsible for much of the drug violence. It was a 21-month long investigation, and the arrests took place in such widely separated states as California, Maryland, Minnesota and Iowa.

An ominous drumbeat behind this is that Mexican President Calderon has been complaining that thousands of assault and other weapons are smuggled into Mexico every week and that's contributing to the violence.

So what does the Obama administration do?

Attorney General Eric Holder suggests that the U.S. ban on the sale of assault rifles be reinstituted.

He says it would help cut the bloodshed in Mexico.

Sure it would, Eric.

Watch out, America, we already know Obama doesn't like guns.



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