Crystal Balling the Border

Edgardo's Report from Along The Rio May 30, 2011

"Crystal Balling The Border"

I've been looking down the road and its taking some crazy turns. And when the fog clears in the crystal ball, then I wish it would roll back in. I don't like what I see
There are many wonderful people here on the border; Very courageous and compassionate people. They do what they feel they need to do in spite of the risk. The Third World begins at the Rio Grande, or thereabouts, and people are in desperate need. Especially the children, who often work to keep the family alive, who can't afford to go to school, yet are hungry to learn and full of life and innocence. They need books, money, materials, attention, and food. Of course there are the Evangelicals as well, who believe the people need a religion other than Catholicism; they are still crossing over to Mexico.. Religious beliefs aside, I believe for the most part they are caring people as well. Of course, many no longer are crossing over.
Others refuse to surrender to terror. They go over to Matamoros like they were going to the corner store of long ago. The encircling terror and uncertainty are filed under fatalism, que sera, sera. Or I'm prettydamn old anyway. Too old toworry now. They refuse to be a party to the encroaching larger prison that is taking over more and more territory not just here, but all over the world as well. Well, good luck to them.
And then some have to cross over; for family and relatives and business. The Maquiladores still have their commuter managers crossing every day, but security measures are taken, and official figures on mayhem are hard to come by.
Charity workers, reporters, free spirits and whatever special oddball it takes, still they go.. Crossing over for a night of fun and frolic, or in any way dealing with the underworld in even the most casual fashion is not advisable. Could be just plain dumb.
Retail business is down in the Rio Grande Valley and on up the river. Well over half the economy here is tied to Mexico in one way or another, and if you include the underground trade in contraband that goes up into the 90 percentile. No way to say exactly how high. Well the underground economy is down as well. Unsanctioned immigration has become more and more a nightmare, starting as soon as the immigrants leave home. Between governments and organized crime and common criminals, huge numbers of immigrants never reach the US border. At the least they do as good a job as the US Border Patrol. And what the Border Patrol is doing is very much up for debate. Some say they are doing great, others say it's all an act. The one thing I know is that it's always been a two sided game. Also the fact is that large areas along the border are essentially lawless, including Falcon Lake in the Rio Grande Valley, and large areas of Arizona along the border. Some parts of National Parks have closed.
This being said: Under the Obama Administration, deportations have never been higher! He certainly has put George Bush, "The Younger" to shame! Over 400,000 last year. The Pro-Immigrationist won't publicize this, it doesn't fit into their agenda. And the draconian right wing anti-immigrationist doesn't mention it either. They don't want to give Obama any credit whats-so-ever. But, you did hear it here! We're here to tell it like it is. And the way it was, and is, and most likely will be when it comes to border enforcement is a combination of dog and pony show, smoke and mirrors, political pandering, ulterior motives serving secretive and powerful forces, and other things too dark and shadowy to mention only in passing.
What happens here on the north shores of the Rio Grande depends very much on what is going on to the south. While Mexico is its own world, it still is a satellite revolving around a much larger world, namely the U.S.A. The real analysts know that the Mexican Drug War was lost at the minute of its inception in 2006.It couldn't be any other way. There might be some gung-ho idealistic drug warriors to the north, but in Mexico pragmatist rule the day. Being noble and all may be good, but it doesn't pay the bills.
In Mexico, its' certainly not the way to get ahead.
So now the question is how to stop an endless, un-winnable war that is becoming more and more politically unsustainable. In reaction to the government offensive, the cartels have become wilier and more violent, and increased their guerilla forces. When you add up all the members and associates and allied gangs and assorted criminals, they number into the hundreds of thousands. Almost reaching the level of the police and military that are arrayed against them. Who, of course, many times are traffickers themselves. The now expanded and diversified gangsters are involved in extortions, kidnapping, car theft, robbery, oil and gas diversion, product and media piracy, and many other activities, such as immigrant smuggling which rings the registers to the tune of many billions of dollars a year. Now these formerly small time rackets are organized and controlled with corporate-like efficiency and management. They've become like cancerous tumors that are so wrapped around the vital organs of their host that removing them entirely would certainly kill the patient; so instead they are treated with chemo and radiation that bring the patient/victim almost to the brink of death. And there he lingers.
What Mexico probably will try to do is ameliorate the casualty count so that the profits and untracked cash can keep flowing. Much as the US learned to do in its military adventures around the world. If a certain quota of flag draped-coffins returns each month, no one pays much attention. If there are any above a certain amount, the civilians start to ask embarrassing questions. But this narco-civil war doesn't lend itself to that. Then again there are predator drones flying in Mexico as we speak and they can all be fitted with hell-fire missiles. Anything can happen.

Legalizing drugs would totally de-fund and defeat the Gangs of Mexico. Just taking away the profits from marijuana would wound them severely to the tune of 60 percent or more of their profits. There is a problem with this, a big one:
The United States.
Epilogue:
The Military-Industrial-Security-Banker Complex.

Some will argue its construction, history, how it operates, who heads what, and any number of innumerable details. But other than main-stream media types, fools and dis-information agents none can argue its existence. This Leviathan has invaded many countries, engaged in regime change on a mass scale, and now recently will invade whatever country in the world it cares too, without even the flimsiest of excuse. Mexico has every right to be extremely wary and worried.
So this is the bottom line here. For the Mexican People to shake off the chains of their own government, the American Government, and the World Government it will take a bold people indeed. Their Northern Neighbor remains clueless as well. It suffers, or should I say, its people suffer mightily from the drug war. But tsunamis of blood are not running in the street. And the celebrities and the media don't mention it, so it can't be very important, can it?
We will see. I have a it will be soone than later feeling, sooner than later.