Thread: Mexican Truck Pilot Program – Fast Pass to Disease and Dru

Mexican Truck Pilot Program – Fast Pass to Disease and Drugs
Mark Taylor

The most recent outbreak of salmonella poisoning of produce caused much alarm across the country and cost American tomato growers millions in lost revenue. As of this writing, over 900 salmonella cases have been diagnosed in 40 states.

While American farmers struggled as the CDC did their best to pin the tainted tomatoes on them, their crops rotted on docks and in warehouses as consumers refused to buy potentially contaminated goods. For those of us in Arkansas, it was a relief when our famous Bradley County pink tomatoes were cleared; harvesting had not begun when the outbreak occurred.

It came as no surprise when the CDC finally had to admit, rather reluctantly it seemed, that the contaminated goods were not only tomatoes but possibly jalapeños and bulb onions as well - all imported from Mexico. I had that suspicion long before the CDC's findings became public over the Fourth of July holiday week when many citizens were too busy preparing for their festivities to pay attention to the news.

First and foremost, however, I must remind readers that the best way to protect themselves from contaminates on fresh fruits and vegetables is to wash them before eating or cooking them. This tidbit of common sense has been passed down from our parents and grandparents and, at least theoretically, been taught in home economics classes in government-funded schools across the country for decades. Contaminates can be passed from the field, in transport and via other shoppers handling the product. Remember, the person who picked up that tomato before you did may not have washed her hands, and whatever her prior activities were, they now would be sitting on your tomato.

When Department of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters began pushing the program to allow Mexican trucks access to American highways and offered the "fast pass" through Customs, it became an open door for drug and human smuggling. Ignoring opposition from the Teamsters Union, the Owner/Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) and individual truckers nationwide, President Bush and Ms. Peters continued to pander to the Mexican government while pushing their spin on how "safe" it is to allow trucks from a country rife with drug lord crime and corruption to have free access into the United States.

What failed to inspire Ms. Peters, beyond this short-sighted decision, were the legions of weary American travelers from Mexico - all of whom were warned prior to entering that country not to eat the food or drink the water due to unsanitary handling practices - but managed to get very sick anyway. Somehow this simple fact seemed overlooked as Peters cleared the way to allow produce, swarming with dangerous and even deadly bacteria, into America only to harm American farmers and consumers in the process.

It matters not what the processing procedures of fresh fruits and vegetables imported from Mexico are, as long as the trucks that carry them into America get a "fast pass". Meanwhile, Americans of all stripes get the shaft.

On June 13, 2008, SignOnSanDiego.com reported finding 805 packages of marijuana weighing more than 5,500 pounds and with a street value of over $2.2 million dollars, hidden among jalapeños, cucumbers and husk tomatoes. The driver of the truck was a Mexican national with cargo originating in Mexico.

On June 27, 2008, the Missouri State Highway patrol busted truck driver Marcos J. Tirjerina of McAllen, Texas, in New Madrid, Missouri. Tirjerina's cargo? Assorted produce, including 1538 pounds of marijuana.

Then there is Manuel Zuniga of Weslaco, Texas. Zuniga's tractor trailer was searched after being stopped for speeding through Indianapolis' east side, on June 16, 2008. Among his cargo of assorted produce were 500 pounds of marijuana.

Over the Fourth of July weekend - again as consumers were busily celebrating our nation's birthday - CNN reported that the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson, announced routine inspections of produce trucks attempting to enter the United States from Mexico. The inspections include taking samples to test for E.coli and salmonella. This is causing outrage from those who wish to protect their contraband cargo not listed on the trucker's manifest - the drugs being shipped across the Mexican border in those shipments of peppers, tomatoes and onions. I would also suggest an English lesson to Mexican produce haulers attempting to enter the United States - "marijuana" does not translate into "produce" in English.

The possibility of bio-terror cannot be ruled out as America continues to fight the War on Terror. It takes only one spraying of contaminated water at any point in time during growth and transport, and even on a produce stand display, to create economic distress to American farmers and spread illness and disease among unsuspecting consumers.

It is well past time for the United States government to put the safety and security of the American people above the desires of a corrupt Mexican government. Trucks must be inspected at the border. Not just randomly, but each and every truck attempting access to the United States. The continued complacency and appeasement to the Mexican government as they peddle contaminated food products and drugs into the United States, sickening our citizens and strengthening the illegal drug trade within our borders, is inexcusable.

Americans must insist upon American-grown produce, strict compliance within our food processing plants with regard to sanitation and most importantly, a government of the American people, by the American people and in the best interests in the health and security of the American people.


FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Mark R. Taylor served in Iraq from January 2004 to May 2005 as a civilian convoy commander, and his website is American Truckers at War.
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/pu ... detail.asp

I still cannot believe we would allow mexico a "fast pass" (or any pass) to cross our borders with trucks and not expect them to begin smuggling drugs and human cargo across that border.

Mexico is engaged in a drug war in which this o****ry wants to give them 1.5 billion to combat, and yet Mary Peters wants to allow mexico to drive trucks into this country. How long do you think it was going to take before the mexicans soon disclverd they could make three times as much smuggling drugs and illegal invaders into this country as they could hauling produce. I'm not even going to get into the numerous safety issues that allowing mexican trucks to operate on our highways will present.

Trans Sec. Mary Peters should be removed from office for incompetence and for directly putting this country in grave danger through her moronic trucking pilot program.