America's New War
America has found itself in the middle of another war. This one is not being fought in the Middle East like our two most recent. It's not being fought in Africa like we did in the '90s. No, it's not being fought in Europe or Asia like we did in World War II. We have found ourselves in a war right across the border in Mexico. Now granted, we are not directly involved like we are in Iraq or Afghanistan, but we are headed there.
Currently, the Mexican government finds itself on the brink of collapse. It is engaging in a civil war with drug cartels. Currently the drug cartels are winning in every aspect. They are outspending the government's efforts to thwart the violence, the latest poll shows that the Mexican people feel that the drug cartels are winning the war, and currently nearly all of the government's efforts have failed in containing the violence. You may ask why exactly this is "America's new war." It seems that this is Mexico's problem, and strictly Mexico's problem. The United States is already heavily involved with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it doesn't need to involve itself with a third war. Frighteningly, Mexico's drug cartel problem could be more devastating to the United States than the terrorists on 9/11 (the reason for the invasion of Afghanistan) and the weapons of mass destruction (the reason for the invasion of Iraq). A spill over from the drug war could be extremely costly for the United States, and this spill over has already begun.
A federal report in December said the cartels’ distribution network had reached 230 United States cities and towns, several far from the border. There is growing worry among border states that the bloodshed in Mexico, including beheadings and mutilations of drug war combatants and police and military officers, will cross into the United States. Officials in Arizona this week said a gun battle last November in Nogales, Sonora, just across the border in Mexico, left the police there running out of ammunition. A top police official was also killed there that month one day after attending a cross-border law enforcement conference in Tucson, while Ciudad Juárez, just across from El Paso, has emerged as one of that country’s bloodiest towns.
There are moves being made by the federal government to combat this growing issue. Attorney General Holder recently stated that he is going to petition congress to reinstate the ban on the sale of assault weapons to try and prevent the flow of these weapons across the border to Mexican drug cartels. Texas Governor Perry recently asked the federal government for 1000 additional troops to guard the Texas-Mexico border.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry said he wants 1,000 troops to help guard the Texas-Mexico border, and for the federal government to fund security issues closer to home than Iraq and Afghanistan, such as the menacing Mexican drug cartels and their collaborators. "We're asking the (state) Legislature for $135 million for border security - to go after transnational gangs, for technology and aviation assets, and for 1,000 troops" Perry said at a news conference Tuesday at the Chamizal National Memorial. "I don't care if they are military, National Guard or customs agents. We're very concerned that the federal government is not funding border security adequately. We must be ready for any contingency."
ALIPAC Forums-viewtopic-GOVERNOR PERRY WANTS 1,000 TROOPS TO GUARD TEXAS BORDER
In this case, the best policy for the United States to take is isolationism. The battle between drug cartels and the Mexican government is no business of the United States. However, America does need to remain vigilant and prepared. Because of congress's ineptitude to control the border issue the United States now has a serious problem resulting from it. We now need more troops stationed on the borders in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. The United States also needs to remain strong. If the Mexican government does fall there could be a huge amount of refugees trying to enter the United States. Unfortunately the United States can not allow this to happen. We are in a crisis of our own and we can not afford to take on the burden of Mexico's crisis.
There is no doubt that this is going to get much worse for the United States before it gets any better. Many arrests have been made and hopefully this continues to be the trend. If violence breaks out in the United States, like it has in Mexico, then America has a very serious issue on its hands. I fear that this very well could be the case. In the southern parts of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas I fear that violence is going to erupt in the streets. If this happens, the United States has found itself in a brand new war, this one more threatening than the others.
