Donald Trump says bad Mexicans are crossing the border, but he fails to mention the really bad ones who are staying behind and are indeed responsible for many, maybe most of those who are crossing; namely, the drug cartels, unmentionables in our media where Trump no doubt gets his misinformation.
Drug Cartels and an Absent Media
Even by drug cartel standards, the eruption of violence south of the Arizona border was unprecedented. For a few days in May, dozens of people were killed or missing in the state of Sonora, hundreds fled their homes, and the mayor of near paralyzed Sonoyta would not give any interviews because his life was threatened if he did. Once again, the cartels were fighting over lucrative drug routes to the US and, frankly, just for the hell of it. Let the bullets land where they may. And there was no stopping them until they tired of it.
Beheadings in Mexico
A widely circulated video conveys the beheading in Syria of James Foley, an American who had undergone harsh imprisonment and torture. The grim picture repulsed the media and US Government, leading, among other things, to yet another war in the Middle East. Without questioning the horror involved, why not look across our southern border into Mexico to see many more such videos, courtesy of the drug cartels.
Drug Cartels on the Move
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, reputed to be the most powerful drug trafficker in the world, was recently arrested after a long manhunt. His capture fixes attention once again on the extremely wealthy, utterly brutal drug cartels that have plundered Mexico and are increasingly active in the United States, where they earn as much as sixty billion dollars a year from American consumers who keep them in business as long as there’s a black market for drugs. Where cartels go, crime and corruption are sure to follow. Chicago is a current example.
Battle of Columbus
“Where are my guns?” demanded Pancho Villa, flamboyant bandit-warrior of the Mexican revolution. Though he had paid for them, the store across the U.S. border in the town of Columbus, New Mexico hadn’t delivered. He had other grievances as well. So in the early morning of March 9, 1916, Villa led some 500 troops in an attack on Columbus that lasted until dawn, without doing too much damage. Next day, General John J. Pershing, of World War I fame, accompanied by George Patton, hero of World War II, arrived to drive out the Villistas and pursue their leader into Mexico. They didn’t catch him. He was eventually assassinated by other Mexicans in some kind of political intrigue.
Border Battleground
Mexico’s drug violence is state-sponsored—by the U.S.
Arizona rancher Jim Chilton spots a lone intruder near his barn. He grabs his rifle and rushes out, prepared for whatever may come. No threat. The man drops to his knees, hands in prayer, and offers Chilton his rosary. Chilton declines and instead gives him water. As he gulps it down, he asks, “Which way to St. Louis?”
Bleeding Arizona
The state’s crackdown on illegals is as much about drugs as immigration.
Rob Krentz was emblematic of Arizona. He ran a cattle ranch in the southeastern part of the state that had been in his family for four generations. But he was concerned for more than just his herd; he was in the habit of giving food and water to illegal immigrants who came though his land on their way north. They were usually headed for farm work. He was a farmer. Ron was “an old school cowboy with no known enemies and a big heart,” writes Paul Rubin in the Phoenix New Times.