South of the border, down Mexico way, a new and savage revolution rages just beyond our inspection lanes. After less than five years of fighting, estimates of the dead have reached 22,000.
The rate of killing accelerates each month. And Washington covers its eyes like a kid at a scary movie. Well, the Mexican narco-insurgency, in which well-armed guerrilla forces confront the authority and presence of the state, is our No. 1 security challenge.
The chaos in northern Mexico has far deeper implications for our country than Islamist terror or even an Iranian nuclear capability (as grim as those threats are).
The rule of law has collapsed from Tijuana on the Pacific’s edge to Matamoros and the Gulf of Mexico. Major cities are now “ungoverned spaces,” as our diplomats refer tidily to distant trouble spots.
More people now die violently on our southern border than in Somalia, Yemen or even Afghanistan. But Washington doesn’t know what to do about Mexico. So Washington does nothing much.
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Related:
Mexico Cartels Escalate Attacks on Police, Officials
Notes:
I agree with Peters on this one. Mexico is an undeclared war with drug dealers and it’s far past time to label it that way because they are losing and need help.
I thank him for writing this column and I support the Governor of Arizona in creating the new law. The bullshit from Washington must stop and the only way that will happen is if US border states take matters into their own hands.
As they are doing with impressive results.
Right now I’m looking at the Posse Comitatus Act and wondering why it is not under attack. It should be for obvious reasons because times change and what worked a 100 years ago no longer applies.
My view — it should be repealed after much discussion because it weakens the US in the “here and now”.
It’s far past time to turn the troops loose on home ground and if Americans are wondering why their southern border is not yet secure they need look no further. It is because of a law that is far outdated and needs to be dispensed with.
It is also about politicians who can’t walk and chew bubble gum at the same time.
And THAT (not to put to big an exclamation mark on “Billary’s” comments) is exactly why the Obama administration are all looking like fools as they continue to march out of step.
Short point:
Obama reminds me of Paul Martin and he’s going to disappear in due course along with all his fellow clowns.
22,000! I had no idea the problem was that serious. thanks again for the heads up. You just don’t get this kind of news on CBC.
The problem is not the posse Comitatus act but the failure of the feds to do their duty to protect the boarder. There is nothing the army can do that Boarder Services can’t IF they are given the resources. Proper allocation of existing resources could solve the problem. If the Governor calls out the National Guard they are allowed to enforce civil law. If I remember correctly there was a very successful operation of this kind during Ws Presidency and the costs were shared between state and federal governments. No state can afford to call out the Guard for an extended period. When the feds stopped paying, the Guard went back to barracks. I am pretty sure this could be done again tomorrow given political will.
The bracketed words are the key.”The Act prohibits most members of the federal uniformed services today the Army, Navy, Air Force, and State National Guard forces (when such are called into federal service)”