Posted on 05/23/2008 1:03:39 PM PDT by XHogPilot
COLUMBUS, N.M. – Talking with officials in this high-desert town, it doesn't take long to understand just how concerned they are over the widespread violence south of the border, which they can't control.
From the American side of the U.S. Port of Entry in Columbus you can actually look down the streets of Palomas, Mexico – the town is that close. The problem is that Palomas, along with other Mexican cities, has fallen victim to a vicious turf war between rival Mexican drug cartels that has claimed about 4,000 lives since the start of last year. Among those assassinated are high-ranking Mexican police officials.
In tiny Palomas, some 40 people have died in drug shootouts so far this year. The residents live in fear of getting caught in the crossfire and spend much of their time indoors. Recently, all of the town's police officers resigned and the police chief sought political asylum in the United States, claiming his life was in danger. Victims shot up in Palomas are often brought to the border in the hope they'll be treated in American hospitals.
Watching all this from Columbus, Luna County Sheriff Raymond Cobos told us he is worried the Mexican drug war could spread. "My big concern, and the concern of most officials here, is that it's going to spill over into the United States, into this community," he said.
The mayor of Columbus, Eddie Espinoza, fears that, in retaliation for recent killings there, even more gunfire could erupt, perhaps on his side of the border.
"I believe it will get much worse than it is now," he said. "I think we haven't seen the boiling point. I think we're still waiting for that to come."
(Excerpt) Read more at fieldnotes.msnbc.msn.com ...
Armed citizens would do a better job.
Adding weed???
Where have you been for the last 40 years. Weed is already everywhere.
Ask your kids which would be harder to get: a bag of weed or a twelve pack of beer?
Just legalize it and tax it. It’s demographically inevitable anyhow.
Wishing and hoping won't make it so. Caving in to the madness does not make a society civilized or safe.
IN any case, Marijuana use has declined among the young and the substance is increasingly seen as a dangerous drug which of course it is except in the foggy heads of some of their elders.
I don't know what it will take to get it sealed. Back in 2003 it was known that there are terrorist cells in Venezuela:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/031006/6venezuela.htm
Chavez is even less friendly towards us now, and we still don't try to protect our border. Who knows how many Muslims have already sneaked across our border and are coordinating one huge series of attacks.
Scary thought but a real possibility.
We don’t need a fence - we need minefields, guard-towers and attack helicopters.
One defensive rifle and handgun for each family member, and a spare and a defensive shotgun for each pair. Anything less than 6 magazines per gun is sheer folly. Oh, did I mention major caliber only?
And the Conneticut- born US Presidente, George W. Bush, has no comment.
ONE? I ain't planning on giving up any of my rifles, handguns or shotguns for anybody!
BUMP
“Perhaps we should get our media to tell them they are in a “Quagmire” and they should withdraw their troops immediately...”
Get the Mexican Army out of Mexico, NOW! ;)
Booze is one thing; humanity has 4000 years of experience with it. Grass is a new entry in the street pharmacy by comparison (yes, yes, I know Herodotus had heard of marijuana-using steppe peoples and their "smoker tents"), and its effects are much less well-known. It's certainly not as "user-friendly" as booze, and has more, and more socially problematic, lingering side effects. We're not talking munchies and giggles here.
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