http://www.postchronicle.com/commentary ... 1411.shtml

Drug War: The Real Dopes Are In Washington
By Alan Burkhart
Jan 29, 2007

As most Americans are aware, a huge percentage of the illegal drugs consumed in this country come from or through Mexico. With that in mind, consider that two of our Border Patrol agents, Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean, are about to serve a decade in prison for pursuing and shooting a Mexican drug dealer on United States soil. A huge grassroots effort is underway to obtain a Presidential pardon for these two brave men.

While Ramos and Compean did engage in activities that undermined their credibility - they disposed of spent shell casings after the incident - our justice system is failing to look at the larger picture. Our country is being poisoned by illegal drugs coursing across the southern border. The Mexican drug cartels have hired corrupt members of the Mexican military to protect their drug runners on US soil. There have been multiple armed confrontations between Border Patrol officers and these hired mercenaries. Our Border Patrol officers are outgunned, and on occasion outnumbered, in these incidents.

Why is it difficult to simply do the right thing? Why were Ramos and Compean brought up on charges instead of being congratulated for a job well done? Why was the drug dealer, Osvaldo Aldrete Davila, set free instead of being sent to prison where he belongs?

These are questions that must be answered, and those answers must come from one George W. Bush. The President has repeatedly shown an unwillingness to take a strong stand against any illegal activity that involves our border with Mexico. Illegal aliens continue to flow across the border, and with them come crime, disease, poverty and ignorance. Every single illegal alien who sets up housekeeping on American soil serves to drag down our quality of life by yet another fraction. All the while, the Bush Administration sits on its hands and does nothing.

A presidential pardon for Ramos and Compean would go a long ways towards bolstering the flagging morale of our Border Patrol, and it would send a strong message to Mexico. It is unfortunate that the Bush Administration is more interested in having jolly relations with the Mexican government than in securing an area where not only criminals but also Muslim terrorists enter our country.

Consider this tidbit from a World Net Daily article in 2001:

As one (Border Patrol) agent who spoke anonymously said, "Look, I can tell you a lot of stories, but I have to remain unnamed or I will be blackballed and might lose my job." Then, worriedly, he added, "I have a family depending on me."

Perhaps Ramos and Compean disposed of those shell casings in a misguided attempt to conceal the incident - because they feared they'd not have the support of the government that has charged them with the task of securing our border. If that is the case, then we do indeed have a sorry state of affairs within the halls of government.

Shouldn't the security of our borders be at least as important as securing Iraq? If we're fighting a war against Islamic terror, why are we not taking definitive steps to stop terrorists from crossing into the US via Mexico? If we're fighting a war against illegal drugs, why are we not blocking a major entry point for those drugs? If we're concerned about national sovereignty and the effect of illegal immigration on the US job market, why are we not taking action to stop the flow of illegals into our nation?

Is George Bush so enamored with the idea of a North American Union that he's willing to ignore these problems? Are American lawmakers on both sides of the aisle so dependent upon the Hispanic vote that they'd endanger the rest of us to get it?

In 2006, more Americans were killed by illegal aliens than were killed in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. And these are deaths on American soil. And violence by illegals isn't our only concern: Illegal aliens account for sixty-five percent of communicable diseases in the United States (2004 numbers). If our government, be it Republican or Democrat, means to keep this country safe, why does it turn a blind eye to the dangers of our southern border?

Mister President, the American people are demanding answers. It's high time you provided them.
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