Mexican standoff? (securing our southern border)

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ^ | 07/22/05 | Dimitri Vassilaros

[smoothsailing]

Mexican standoff?

By Dimitri Vassilaros

TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Friday, July 22, 2005

The only thing more disturbing than Jorge Castaneda's testimony about illegal immigration was the lack of outrage from the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

Mr. Castaneda had been the Mexican foreign minister in the current Vicente Fox administration. He now is a New York University professor and independent candidate for president of Mexico.

Opponents of illegal immigration are incensed because Castaneda said the United States cannot secure its southern border without Mexico's blessing. And that it will not have Mexico's blessing until America agrees to a series of almost non-negotiable demands.

"Unless and until both governments bite the bullet and reach an understanding on an all-encompassing joint border security initiative, with adequate funding and infrastructure, the violence and criminal activity at the border will remain unabated," he told the senators. Unilateral measures relating to immigration that are adopted by the U.S. without consultation and agreement with Mexico are doomed to fail, he said.

"If there is no cooperation from the source country on either a guest worker program, or an earned regularization scheme, I cannot see how the U.S. on its own will be able to deal with the enormous operational complexities involved."

Castaneda's testimony of July 12 is available online at: http://foreign.senate.gov/

"They constantly talk of respect but they do not respect our borders at all," said Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform. "I am 100 percent certain he is articulating views publicly that Mexican officials hold privately.

"When will we wake up and smell the coffee? We are not obligated to absorb the people that they won't find jobs for in their own country."

Mr. Stein believes Mexico needs tough love for its own good.

Mexico's refusal to stop the stealth invasion..

[stylin19a]

Mr. Castaneda had been the Mexican foreign minister in the current Vicente Fox administration. He now is a New York University professor and independent candidate for president of Mexico.
Is he here legally ?

[afnamvet]

And as for those profiles in courage cowardice in the Senate, why didn't the senators speak up about Castaneda's outrageous comments?

There, that's better.

[afnamvet]

Ping

[stboz]

It's time to put a heavy-armored division or two on our southern border... and use it.

[conservativewasp]

Time to establish a 5 mile deep no-mans-land on THEIR side of the border. The Republicans better get on this hermetically sealed border soon.

[smoothsailing]

Good eye,good edit!

As an aside,have you been following the BRAC as it pertains to Oceana?

[ex-Texan]

Castaneda makes good sense but nobody in Congress is listening. They do not want to hear anything about it. As they say in Mexico, "Nada por nada." Or "nothing for nothing." It a phrase that explains how deep corruption runs in both nations. Basically it means "If you want something, you must to pay for it" or "If you want concessions you have to give me what I want." Right now the border is controlled by Mexican and Salvadoran drug gangs. They are known as the Zetas and they control all the smuggling on both sides of the border. The Zetas are Mexican commandos and operate covertly in the U.S. They were highly trained by the best people we have in the CIA and U.S. military. Want to learn more? Recently, reports were published in the Dallas Morning News about links between the Zetas and Arab terrorist groups. Oh, there are reports saying that they have even smuggled nukes into the U.S. But, "what the hey," as they say in Congress.

But nobody listens to me, anyway. Just a geezer living in the Peoples Republic of Oregon. Or, should I say, "Republica del Norte ?"

[afnamvet]

Not lately. Beale AFB was spared being my main concern. Having said that, I do not want to see any closures in this state.

Do you have any word/rumor on Oceana?

[afnamvet]

Well. I'm a geezer too and I think you are right in your assessment.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

The term "MEXICAN STANDOFF" has been misused again.
The term origionated in the SW US back in the 1800's.
When two cowboys got into a fist fight one would beat the other and walk away the winner.
The looser, not wanting to admit defeat refered to it as a "mexican stand off."
So the real term means HE GOT BEAT!

[smoothsailing]

Well,I'll listen to you.Thanks for the link.Yesterdays Trib had a brief reference to the Dallas paper and an article about Mexican trucking and criminal gangs.

I live in southwestern Pennsylvania and I think the Pittsburgh Tribune Review is one of America's best newspapers.I'm also a big Pirate's fan,so what do I know!:)

[smoothsailing]

That's good news about Beale.

Here's a link about Oceana:A crash landing for OceanaYour tagline got me thinking about it.I grew up near Oceana and will always remember "the sound of freedom".Even as a kid I understood how important that sound was and hoped it would never go away.Back then,only the stupid tourists complained.

[ex-Texan]

The real problems of illegal immigration are obvious to most Americans. Some problems are not so apparent. The adverse impact of "undocumented workers" is weighing more heavily on people who live in major cities. Problems with illegal immigration are compounded by the U.S. economy's dependency on consumer debt. These more complex impacts are explained in detail in this commentary. With some reservations, I agree with a lot of what the writer has to say.

But what do I know, anyway? Just an old geezer longing for the America I used to know.

[gubamyster]

ping

[DumpsterDiver]

Adding some links to this thread:

U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Senator Richard C. Luger, Chairman
http://foreign.senate.gov/

Committee Hearings Schedule - 109th Congress
First Session - 2005
http://foreign.senate.gov/hearing.html

North American Cooperation on the Border
HEARING before the COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS, UNITED STATES SENATE, ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Presiding: Senator Richard Lugar
http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2005/hrg050712a.html

The [not so] Honorable Jorge Castaneda
Distinguished Professor of Politics and Latin American and Caribbean Studies, New York University
Former Foreign Minister, Mexico City, Mexico
Testimony:
http://foreign.senate.gov/testimony/2005/CastanedaTestimony050712.pdf

[Joe Boucher]

Ah yes, Mexico, our great friend and neighbor to the south.
A third world crap hole that refuses to take care of its own people.
It is invading the United States with uneducated masses with little more then the ability to make babies and pick fruit.
And our govt and its officials refuse to do anything to protect our country.

[blackie]

Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!

Be Ever Vigilant!

Minutemen Patriots ~ Bump!

[swampfox98]

Mexico's refusal to stop the stealth invasion..

Why should they? Our stupid politicians have given them every thing but the kitchen sink. Mass insanity in DC.