wtf is going on in mejico? The country is on the verge of collapse, again! It is sad to see a rich county, and by rich I mean culture and natural resources, go to waste.

A-K

what bridge accident?

and mexico has a bunch of silver not gold.

RAB

and oil.

RAB

The border towns are on the verge of civil war, declaring a war on drug cartels. It got so bad, the MEXICAN government shut down all bridges between the two countries.

since i am not home i did not know they closed down the bridges, but what i do know is that when the new mexican president took office he declared war on the drug cartels within his country.unlike previous mexican presidents he did not just say he was going to do something. he sent the mexican army to every border crossing, he is waiting for the fight.

RAB

and apparently they only close the bridges when there is a conflict, "shoot out" for a few hours. according to my mom who lives there.

according to the mexican news only 7 died last week in reynosa, some had reported it had been around 40. Its getting pretty bad, I am glad the mexican gov is finally putting its foot down, the downside is some people will die along the way.

if mexico can not handle it i give 3 months and US troops will be there.

RAB

We don't want our guys in Mexico. The Mexican government has always hated the U.S. and this would givem them a good excuse to cozy up further to the crazies in Venezula and Cuba.

From my reading of the paper, the only bridge that was closed was the one in Hidalgo across from Reynosa. I think that was the prudent thing to do. Gov. Perry has asked for addiional troops (1000, I think) to solidify security on the border. My guess is that, since this is a solidly Republican state, the request will be denied by our Democratic administration.

My feeling is that we need to keep ourselves and our soldiers on this side of the border. We can send aid to the Mexican government. This is an internal affair in Mexico and we need to stay out of it as much as possible. We should be glad that the border wall is well along...but it should have probably been 10 feet taller.

http://www.newspapertree.com/news/3498-perry-texas-is-the-anvil-mexico-the-hammer-now-send-troops



i have a book somewhere that is about a war between the us and mexico in modern times. it was started by mexican drug cartels attacks american troops with military grade weapons. I think the idea was to put the us and mexico t such odds with one another that they could operate with impunity. that being said, that wont happen anytime soon. it would come into being if they didnt lready operate with impunity.



o and the link doesnt have to do with what i said

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We don't want our guys in Mexico. The Mexican government has always hated the U.S. and this would givem them a good excuse to cozy up further to the crazies in Venezula and Cuba.

From my reading of the paper, the only bridge that was closed was the one in Hidalgo across from Reynosa. I think that was the prudent thing to do. Gov. Perry has asked for addiional troops (1000, I think) to solidify security on the border. My guess is that, since this is a solidly Republican state, the request will be denied by our Democratic administration.

My feeling is that we need to keep ourselves and our soldiers on this side of the border. We can send aid to the Mexican government. This is an internal affair in Mexico and we need to stay out of it as much as possible. We should be glad that the border wall is well along...but it should have probably been 10 feet taller.

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Not only should we not want troops in Mexico we should not want them anywhere near the border. The money that the cartels have corrupts without differentiating between race, religion, ethnicity, national origin or membership in whatever law enforcement organization.

Look at all the recent cases in the Valley of CBP officers being nailed. Check the link below and this is only one of many in the last few years:

http://www.redorbit.com/news/general/511390/us_military_pilot_pleads_guilty_to_drug_smuggling/index.html

The money that drug smuggling and drug sales create, the profit margins, allow this money to be distributed freely and easily and it WILL corrupt the hell out of a military that is mostly comprised of young men from lower economic backgrounds.

One of the best decisions or policies of our government, and Lord knows they don't have many to their credit, is to keep the military as far away from the drug trade and from border protection in general.

I have spent 31 years of my life either living in, working in, and or living and working in Mexico as well as over 20 along the border while working in Mexico. Save for 5 or so years at A&M, my life has been almost exclusively in Latin America, primarily in Mexico and to a lesser degree in time Central America. Thus I have some pretty good basis for my opinions. I also hold dual US/Mexican citizenship.

I can tell anyone and everyone that you could build a 20' wall topped with razor wire, put 50. Caliber laser guided machine guns at 50 yard intervals on that wall and then fill the Rio Grande with 15' vicious whale-a-gators and you will not stop illegal immigration or drug smuggling. Period. You might slow it down a little but it will divert to somewhere else and or other means will be used.

The only way to stop the drug cartels is take away their money. Without the money that backs them they are just another thug and society, in almost any country, can deal with poor thugs. Now, well financed, well armed, and well connected thugs are an entirely different matter and that is what the money in the drug trade has created.

You know, if I could make a decison for Mexico, I would legalize drugs in Mexico and figure out a way to regulate the drug exporters. I would also issue an ultimatum, albeit from a position of weakness, to the US to quell demand or no more cooperation in the sham that is the "War on Drugs". How? Either legalize them, make using them a capital offense punishable by death, or something.

It is just a completely flawed strategy to think that eliminating the supply of drugs will end demand. It did not work during prohibition and it sure as hell is not going to work now. And it hasn't worked yet has it?

i do not think that eliminating the drug supply will stop the cartels, and i do not think that is what mexico is trying to do.

i think eliminating the cartels is the answer. of the 21 years i have spent growing up in a border town, my mother whos family WALKED across the border, my wife who is a spanish major and of the 7 years i have spent crossing back and forth ( for dinner and drinks of course) i can tell you right now that KILLING the cartels is exactly what mexico is trying to do and if they cannot we will. 3 years ago they tried to implement the "passport rule" and last week my mother just used her drivers license as usual. they have extended the dead line again for god knows how many times. BUT 3 years ago there were NOT Mexican soldiers with sub-machine guns actually walking on the bridge(that is why they close them now when a fire fight brakes out, the soldiers are actually on the bridge) it is some what intimidating to walk across now and see a bunker of sandbags with a .50 cal resting in between pointed directly at us. these of course are only my obeservatons

now for poitics. every new mexican president promises 2 things to the US. the water they owe us and to control the drug trade. but for the first time ever in mexican history and with this new president, whos name i do not even know nor care to look up, a change has been made. he sent the mexican army. he means buisness. if with the cartels advanced weaponary systems the mexican army can not handle it the US will. even in the valley there is so much corruption that treating this as a fedral matter is the only course. not to mention is do not think the DEA has .50 cals. but do not quote me on that.

RAB

with the money at stake, cutting off the heads off the cartels (or trying to squash them altogether) will just shatter the trade a bit, but it will reorganize.

i pretty much agree with RGV ag...with the dollars being sent in, there's no way the gangs and thugs will suddenly straighten up... and there are too many to fully eradicate

just an opinion

two and half months and troops will be there. i am still counting.

RAB

RGV Ag speaks the truth on this one.

I just read this thread, and although I don't have quite the resume of Latin American experience that he does, I am VERY familiar with the good, the bad, and the ugly of Mexico.

A simple reminder to everyone...the USA made alcohol illegal in this country for less than 10 years. In the interim, we established the Mafia. We dealt with that for more than 60 years before their power was effectively negated. We have now given the cartels a head start of over 60 years, and getting them to relinquish their money and power is going to be next to impossible. It is apparent that they are now able to challenge a sovereign government for supremacy as the law of the land.

The only way to reduce the power of the lawless is to reduce their money supply, and the only way to do that is to legalize and tax as income their product. There will still be drug cartels, but they will be crippled...common street gangs that could be dealt with by law enforcement, as opposed to what we have now. In the current form, our opposition is quite possibly more capable than the Veit Cong, the Taliban, and the Iraqi insurgents. All of which gave, have given, or are giving the combined might of the US military fits.

Thanks for the opportunity to rant. RGV Ag does get it, though.

Adios.

"Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress...But then I repeat myself."
-Mark Twain

Well said JH,

Hey, I sent you some messages recently and never heard back from you......

Get in touch with Brad and maybe you all can come down here and go surfing and fishing.

The Government of Mexico and Mexican patriots should be applauded for the life and death stand they are taking for their country. Mexican patriots are staking their lives on the redemption of their country; these are brave people. We, who languidly note the advancing carnage and between tokes drawl that something should be done, are not their equals.

jickyjack,

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The Government of Mexico and Mexican patriots should be applauded for the life and death stand they are taking for their country. Mexican patriots are staking their lives on the redemption of their country; these are brave people. We, who languidly note the advancing carnage and between tokes drawl that something should be done, are not their equals.

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I sympathize with your point of view but the facts are that the folks in Mexico that have the resources to help the country have aways looked the other way. They sit in their ivory tower and let the country slide into the mess that they are in. They complain that the problem is caused by the insatiable hunger for drugs in the US, but don't take the responsibility for the hunger for weapons in their own country.

For many years they have looked down their noses from Mexico City at the "frontier" along the border and only now are becoming concerned because violence is fouling their own homes. They have never cared about the common people in Mexico and because of that the common people have had to do what they could do to survive.

Incidentally, not all of us sit around shooting up and tokeing to the detriment of Mexico!

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I sympathize with your point of view but the facts are that the folks in Mexico that have the resources to help the country have aways looked the other way. They sit in their ivory tower and let the country slide into the mess that they are in.

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This is what happens when utter dysfunction meets rife corruption in a very poor system of government.

The problem in Mexico is the system of government, it is that simple. It is not the people but the system. The people are to blame for not recognizing that and changing it. Historically there is never revolution when mass immigration is possible. I wonder where all the Mexicans are going?

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They complain that the problem is caused by the insatiable hunger for drugs in the US, but don't take the responsibility for the hunger for weapons in their own country.

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The hunger for weapons in their own country is in order to safe guard and consolidate their business. The absurd prohibition of drugs in the US and guns in Mexico has created a near perfect shat storm. At the end of the day, as I often say on these matters, it is all about the money and it is a lot more profitable to be a drug supplier to Chicago than it is to Saltillo. Take the money out of it and it is game over.

quote:

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For many years they have looked down their noses from Mexico City at the "frontier" along the border and only now are becoming concerned because violence is fouling their own homes. They have never cared about the common people in Mexico and because of that the common people have had to do what they could do to survive.

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Yep, that is pretty much dead on. It is hell when a rich industrialist business magnate is pushed around by Pancho Villa wannabe drug delears, but that is the fact of the matter. The pitfalls of easy money. The very undesireable underclass of Mexico now has big bucks and the keepers of the status quo have Montezumas revenge in their britches.

[This message has been edited by RGV AG (edited 4/15/2009 4:22p).]

RGV AG,

How did you get so smart at such a young age!

I have written a certified letter to the Prez and asked him to withdraw the troops from Iraq and send them into to ol'Mejico. I expect that we could take the country in a matter of days and ensure our supply of oil,tequila,cheap labor and mota for some time to come.

A-K

ps: I'm juss kid'n about the mota

Valleyrat:

I think you may be joking right? I am no longer young and those that know me can attest to my lack of smarts.

I liked that you agreed with me and you have to be younger than I am!! :-)