The problem in Mexico just seems to get worse by the day - we would never know this unless there are people keeping an eye on the problem to let others know what is actually happening south of the border. People that live in our southern states and care about this country, but certainly not those in Washington.
The people in the know, of course, are not those responsibility to do something about it - the congress and the president have chosen to turn a blind eye to what is becoming a national treat to the Sourthen border of the United States.
If we don't move to build the wall as fast as we can, a few cameras and the border patrol will not have a chance to stop tens of thousands of Mexicans from fleeing across the border to safety. They will over run our southern states and then flee further north as fast and far as they can.
How do you think our medical system will handle this? How many terrorists will come across at the same time? What about housing? Food - the real reason why they are here in the first place.
Who will we blame? We are always ready to point the finger at someone. Who dropped the ball? Who didn't care one spit to build the fence when we had the chance?
Read this and remember those in the seats of power that did nothing.
Stay alert and keep the faith, the battle is joined!
*Crisis in Mexico Is Headed North
*By Brig. Gen. Greg Zanetti <http://www.abqjournal.com/cgi-bin/email_reporter.pl>
New Mexico National Guard
The perfect storm for social upheaval is now brewing in Mexico— and in particular Mexico's northern states along the U.S. border.
The first storm front is to the east at a place called Cantarell. Long a blessing, Cantarell is Mexico's largest oil field— and largest source of government funds. Output from Cantarell is down more than 15 percent from last year and many believe the field is now in irreversible decline. Thus, government budgets are being strained.
The second front is to the north. As the U.S. economy has slowed so have remittances from the United States to Mexico. The housing crunch has disproportionately affected Mexican labor (both legal and > illegal). As U.S. construction, landscaping, remodeling, and other housing-related jobs have evaporated so has a vital source of income to Mexico.
The third storm front is food. America's well-intentioned but misguided emphasis on ethanol has caused food prices to rise beyond the poor's income. Corn prices have tripled and tortilla prices have soared. Food riots and protests are now common throughout Mexico and confidence in the government is eroding.
The result is this: income flows to Mexico are falling while social unrest is rising. Predictably, this storm is now manifesting in violence in Mexico's northern states and it is becoming apparent that Mexico is having difficulties maintaining stability. Meanwhile, drug cartels are having no such monetary problems.
Well-financed and well-armed drug cartels effectively compete with Mexican police and army units for control of large sections of the border. Open shoot-outs between government forces and drug gangs are becoming more common. When the power shifts enough, the drug cartel effectively becomes the ruling government. When the government gets the upper hand, however, it is not uncommon for the drug lords to flee across the border to sanctuary in the United States, where they rearm, re-equip and reorganize. Some Texas towns are now warning their citizens to stay away from the border because the lawlessness is out of control.
Meanwhile, south of the border, Mexico's honest citizens are faced with one of three choices: hide, fight or flee. Most are currently choosing to hide with the hope that the violence will subside. If, however, the violence escalates and conditions continue to deteriorate, history is clear— flight becomes the next best option. More than likely they will flee north to safety. Thus, while the debate rages in America over illegal immigration, events on the ground are evolving in an entirely different direction. America's next border issue may not involve people crossing to improve their lives, but rather people crossing to save their lives.
Zanetti, along with 80 other members of the N.M. National Guard, is serving a year-long tour at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he is second in command. *All content copyright © ABQJournal.com *
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment