Michael - I agree with you 100%. You are spot on about all of this. No one should be permitted to whine unless they are willing to be part of the solution and not the problem. From discusssions must come solutions! The President of the U.S. and the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security have one obligation to the U.S. - protect us. They job is not to accept the "victimology" of other countries or cultures. They must protect the country! So how does checking on employers protect the U.S.? Please someone tell me how the recent announcement from Homeland Security and Secretary Clinton protects the U.S.?? How? The question is not difficult. I want my country protected before hand, not after the fact. This is not a civil rights question. We must be a nation of laws, obey the laws, and enforce the laws. If they are unconstitutional, they are, but the moral fabric of our institutions and country does not permit legal representatives of the government to instruct others to ignore enforcing the laws - especially related to safety and felonius crimes! Now yes, their are extenuating circumstances that can make a difference in given situations, but most of us recognize what they are when they happen. We just have the capacity for good judgement, but this stuff has to stop.

Lastly, it does not matter about the poor uses of statistical analysis, 1 gun across the border is too many. Get the wall up. Get the moats and fences, and claymore mines installed. How many folks have gotten across the border between North and South Korean in the last 58 years? I rest my case. And their is still traffic that goes back and forth without contraband. How many people got across the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain when they were there? People did it for freedom, but not for money!

None of this is news to people who live near the Mexico-US border. Much of Mexican military and police have long been in the employee of the drug cartels and even the smaller dealers. Farmers and ranchers along the border are plagued with drug dealers using their land for drops and distributions, with Mexican soldiers, in uniform, standing guard. Mexican military also help to smuggle Mexican citizens into the US. What makes me angry is that the federal government has given little attention to this and the major news media even less. Homeland Security very recently admitted that there was a serious problem with drug cartel violence in and around the major border cities. Nice of them to drop by - it's been a severe problem for years.

I'm sure that military pay is poor in Mexico, and that of police officers is likely not much better. Many in those positions take bribes or are in the pay of criminals to supplement their incomes. Sending more financial aid to Mexico will not alleviate that problem, as corruption at all levels of government is endemic there. Much of our aid just disappears into a few pockets. The money would be better spent on this side, strengthening our border, and, without compromising any US citizen's right to keep and bear arms, stopping the smuggling of weapons into Mexico.

Put troops/guard on the border and capture these people. GPS and camera's will verify where they are captured. Then will see this administration say it isn't serious. Living 70 miles north of the border I am becoming more and more concerned. We see many gang members in the malls and parks sporting their gang tatoo's. Soon it will be right here in our neighborhoods!!

WAKE UP AMERICA!!

Michael,

OK. What's to comment on? DHS under Bush/Chertoff and now under the ever-tough Janel were and still are obviously unwilling to uphold their oath of office for a federal officer. They are willing to countenance prosecutions of land owners in Arizona for not having a neuanced approach to self-protection. And they're willing to go after Sheriff Arpiao with intimadation tactics -- things that use The People's Authority -- to "send a message." They operate like Mafia thugs whose criteria for enforcing laws seems to be: Only if it's personally convenient to them. Only if it doesn't affect one of their friends or businnes interests; only if it interferes with their ability to legally steal from the taxpayers. I almost scream when I hear their posturing, vacuous, double-speak -- they manage to take words that have defined meaning and then assemble them into strings (sentences) that mean nothing. They wish to appear like heaven's light of pure reason itself, but it's all a smoke screen to disguise their incompetence and corruption.

I've slowly come to the conclusion that the entire top four layers of the entire federal bureauracy needs to be summarily fired. Why? They simply can't be trusted any more to tell the truth or to do what's right. They are beneath contempt -- Cabinet Secretaries, Senators, Representatives, Federal Judges -- the Ruling Elite. I spit on them all.

THIS administration does NOT care to do anything worthwhile about the border to the south. Unless it is to restrict law abiding citizens the right to own certain firearms. Using the excuse that most of the guns are coming from our side of the border. Never mind that the Mexican government uses the same types of weapons probably bought from us and then stolen south of the border. It is a sideshow to his agenda to redistribute wealth and get in his universal health care. He wants to fundamentally change the way this country operates. He wants to get rid of free enterprise and capitalism.

The Lou Dobbs piece is OLD news and only refers to 2006 or earlier and before change of presidency in Mexico.

Also keep in mind that the bad guys have uniforms and vehicles and some ex military with them who can appear official and not be. I have no doubt that there have been incidents by police and possibly some military unit with or without authorization to have entered at some point in cooperating with the mafia. The mafia will pay handsomely or threaten a family member to obtain compliance, by hook or crook as they say.

Things have improved since July 2006, however, I will not put my arms over their cook fires to prove just how much or little they might have improved.

Michael, if you don't speak Spanish extremely well as well as the double meanings and colloquialisms, you can easily misinterpret what you think you hear south of the border. You will not be checking with our military for backup of the "facts". Also, I recommend you keep a low profile on investigations. It could place you in more danger than Iraq/Afghanistan. It has been estimated and claimed that being a reporter in Mexico can be more dangerous than in Iraq.

The money involved in the drug trade is just too great. I have great fear for the life of president Calderon. Without legalization of some drugs in the U.S. there will be no end to the drug wars. I am nether in favor nor enemy of legalization as I think the key is how to do it, not whether to do it. There are too many interests in keeping it totally illegal from both sides of the isle.
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We appreciate so much your search for truth. Though may not agree with some of your conclusions it is rewarding to know you are reporting things as you see fit without the filter of opinionated bipartisonship.

Being from the Phoenix area we are so blessed to have our Sheriff Joe trying valiantly to enforce our laws regarding illegals draining our system. We see Americans waiting in line for health care while Mexicans, since they are always in line, get tended to first...and of course it is free. They chat of having more babies and how much they get every month as we sit and listen afraid we won't be able to pay the bill we are incurring. This is personal experience we're talking here. Now....we have Mexicans and druglords crossing our borders freely and we have people who are trying to protect us from these murderous, mostly drug related incursions jailed when they do their job?

Say what you will, Michael and report what is happening. Perhaps you can gain some insight as to how we can better this vile border issue. Sadly, I KNOW what is going on presently as our Federal Government blames us and harrasses those who try to protect us (i.e. Joe Arpaio).

I'm a former Arizona resident and we've all heard these stories for years. I've a friend, an MP at Ft. Huachuca in the 1970s, who says the Border Patrol asked for their assistance because the military had night vision equipment that the Border Patrol lacked. He witnessed Mexican military trucks in convoy crossing the Arizona desert in the 1970s! The Border Patrol lacks manpower and armament to handle this kind of threat. Our military apparently was limited by political will in Washington.

Mike, once again, thank you for the great reporting. I actually look unto you as a modern day "Joe Galloway."
Politicians. That's the real problem. For decades the US has had this problem with Mexico but those that we elect to represent us in Washington do NOTHING. This group that just got elected in Nov. 08' actually scares me.
Hey America, wake up and LOOK into the issues and vote the true issues and not your favorite political party's platform that's only a front for power brokerage.
Good luck in Laos Mike.