"When I become the President of the United States we will have our military, our National Guard, our Border Patrol . . . enough boots on the ground to secure that border. We will have aviation assets being flown up and down that border. We will sit and talk with the new Mexican President in 2013, they're electing a new president in 2012, and together in a spirit of cooperation, because frankly if they don't work with us, Mexico has the potential to be a very very big problem."
Sounds to me like the governor, a consummate politician who would make a disastrous president, is outright threatening Mexico. "Do it our way or hit the highway," tough guy Perry appears to say.
But what is his plan for quenching the thirst for drugs of millions of his fellow Americans on the north side of the border? And what about those military assault weapons every self-respecting Texan likes to carry around in the gun rack in the back of his pickup? What's Perry's plan for shutting down the endless stream of weapons of war south, where they're used to murder thousands of innocent Mexicans every year?
The good news is the Rick Perry will never spend one day in the White House -- unless he takes the Grey Line visitor's tour.
What about this, Governor? http://mexicogulfreporter-supplement.blogspot.com/2011/11/mexicos-continuing-agony.html.
If the flow of drugs to the north is a problem for the US to solve (I agree, it is), then by the same token should not the flow of weapons south be a problem for Mexico to solve? Drugs flow north because there is a market for them. Guns flow south for the same reason. As far as the firearms privately owned by people in Texas - they're in Texas - they have nothing to do with Mexico. I live in both countries, and I believe we can't blame all of the problems on one or the other. There is no "our way or the highway" in the quote above. He says he will vigorously secure the border. He says it will be easier to do if the two countries cooperate. Sorry, but I don't see any threat there.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and for your comment. I agree with you that the problem is indeed a two-way street. But my point is that Rick Perry omits any reference in his campaigning to the voracious U.S. drug demand that largely fuels the tragedy being experienced here in Mexico. As for your statement that "guns flow south because there is a market for them [too]", you're right -- if by "market" you mean the assassins who work for the drug cartels. Without guns from the U.S. it would be impossible for them to carry out their activities. For that matter, military assault weapons (and grenades) made in the U.S.A. are all over Latin America.
ReplyDeletehaving lived in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, it is easy for me to see it is impossible to keep the flow of illegal firearms from
ReplyDelete"overflowing" into bordering countries, who share similar and rational views on keeping strict limits on the availability of deadly weapons. in addition to a perverse relationship with guns, and an extremely loose gun sale control system, the U.S. markets the glamour and excitement of automatic weapon shoot-outs
continuously on tv and the big screen. if you have ever gone to a gun "show" in the U.S. you know how easy it is to buy any kind
of weapon for a relatively modest amount of cash, often with "no questions asked". one table will feature a semi-automatic weapon, and the seller will refer you to another vendor for the "full-auto" conversion kit. how they get away with this, amazes me, but it certainly should not surprise anyone, that you
can be a victim of cross-fire from one of these weapons now, any-
where in Mexico or Canada.
i have listened to the arguments for the "right to bear arms" by more than a hand-full of Amercian Constitutional loyalists, none of whom i have met, have ever had to use one of their weapons to defend themselves, in their upscale suburban, secured communities.
they are far removed from the chaos that results from easy gun laws, uncontrolled distribution, and highly profitable weapons traficking.
hell, most of these zetas and cartel killers are little guys,
and would not be much of a threat, devoid of high tech, military class firepower.
the same can be said for the majority of shooters on American campus and postal facilities.
its just to easy to get a gun, and then it is equally easy to do something really stupid with it.
illegal drugs and legal guns are a recipe for disaster. if you have an appetite for one, and easy access to the other, you will sooner or later be touched by the kind of violence we are seeing in Mexico.
I agree with every last word of your comment, my friend. America adores it guns, no matter who ends up getting killed by them. The U.S. constitution speaks only of the necessity for a "well-armed MILITIA," not the necessity for well-armed, cowboy-boot wearing, beer-drinking Jim-Bobs driving around out in the desert in Dodge Ram 4x4s with Texas or Arizona tags, hunting for a few undocumented Mexicans to place under "citizen's arrest" with their AR-15s.
ReplyDeleteI'll probably here from the Mariciopa County Republican Party Central Committee now, or maybe the American Barbecue Society.
I would like to say i like your blog, I have found it by searching about #YoSoy132 movement. Here in Mexico, the citizens have the right to have weapons, to protect themselves. But the law limits that right, for example, we can´t have high power weapons, or any considered as exclusive of the army. We only can keep a gun inside our house, and if we take to other place you need a permision for hunt or deportive activities. As U.S. citizens i think you are, i would like to know your opinion about having high power weapons, besides your Constitution says. I mean social reasons.Why you love your guns if they are usefull just to kill? Maybe it's not ok to say this, but i won't like this person to be the President of your country. I think he will make worse the bilateral relationship. Sorry about my english, and thank you for your time
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your thoughts with us, Gabriel. Your English is just fine, and we understand your points. I happen to agree with you on your observations about U.S. guns laws. Regrettably, many of my fellow Americans don't agree, and believe that anyone should be able to own any type of weapon they want, without governmental interference. Although there are a few limitations, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that firearm ownership is a constitutional right under the Second Amendment which belongs to every individual.
ReplyDelete