AZMEX REPORT April 2012
Disclaimer: The views are those of the author and not necessarily of the ASR&PA or anyone else.
As some or even many of you may remember, your ASR&PA has been raising the warning flags on the situation on our border for several years now. Well, we were right. Fortunately, we were more than correct in watching it closely. Back then, we told all who would listen and most who didn’t that what was happening in Mexico, on the border and here in the state, was a direct and growing threat to our Rights, Interests and our lives.
The drug and human smuggling, home invasions, drop houses, kidnappings and killings all kept ramping up at an alarming rate over the last few years. We started hearing whispers that things were not right and that a lot of guns were going “south”…about an “iron river” of guns going south. The fault, of course, was aimed at all those gun shops and gun shows in Arizona. So we started inviting the ATF to come visit us at our board meetings. We had a lot of questions for them, but we did not get too many answers. The revelations of the “Fast and Furious” fiasco alone have more than proven us right. As more and more details are pried from the BHO administration, we see that the drug war in Mexico was not a “crisis” they wanted to waste.
As we long suspected and now know, the goal of F&F was to facilitate attacking our 2nd Amendment Rights, especially the effective semi-automatic rifles which are at the heart of the 2nd Amendment. The stated goal of “getting the cartel heads” was simply BS, as even federal law enforcement knows the big guys never show up at the scene of the crime except in the movies. We have also now learned that many of the traffickers were federal “informants” for one federal agency or another. Play it smart, stay out of jail and keep making money…just for the occasional tidbit of dirt on the competition. Another red flag was the very light sentences given out to arms smugglers and straw purchasers. This continues. Again, “informants”?
Another very important point for all to keep in mind is that the U.S. government is behind, paid for or has permitted the export of tens of thousands of firearms to Mexico. If one can get to it, there is an extensive paper trail of all U.S. exports of arms, munitions and military equipment. Mexico has also imported thousands of firearms from Europe. Problem is that way too many of them go directly from the Mexican government to the drug cartels. In fact, it is difficult to go anywhere in Mexico and not see the AR15/M16/M4 platform in the hands of law enforcement and military. Now we also can see in Northern Mexico, G36’s and the newer Berettas.
Up to the time that news of Fast & Furious started leaking out, the Mexican government and media would routinely publish the information on firearms recovered, including make, model and serial numbers. When the latest batch of U.S. aid money started coming in, the info quickly started to disappear. It is strongly suspected that one of the “strings” to the renewed U.S. aid is to suppress that information. Cover up? On part of the Mexican government also? The embarrassment of so many firearms, many provided by way of the U.S. government through either aid programs or BATFE, finding their way to the cartels. This spring, in April, the Mexican government has imposed a de facto blackout on weapons-related reports.
As most of us also are aware, the BATFE F&F debacle has resulted in the deaths of at least two U.S. law enforcement agents. But that’s not all. It gets worse. So far, firearms provided by the ATF are linked to at least 200 people killed in Mexico. That statistic is from late 2011. Many more by now. No, not all of them were combatants in the drug cartels. There have been and still are many good, honest people in Mexican law enforcement and military. Real people. And all the innocents caught in the cross fire or victimized by the gangs. Fathers, sons, mothers, daughters, real people, real families. Real blood. In Dec. 2011, the U.S. Attorney General testified that the weapons from F&F will be out there for years to come. Didn't seem to bother him much. Have to wonder if those responsible for delivering the weapons to the cartels and gangs will ever face justice. Preferably in Mexico.
Secure the border.
We hear from people that a fence won’t work, this won’t work, that won’t work. It’s too much, it’s too hard. Waaaa. Especially if you don’t want to. Some claim that securing the border will change forever the communities on both sides. Doesn’t have to. Many of us remember when, a long time ago now, many areas were marked by an occasional pile of rocks and crossing either direction was no big deal. It was good and we can hope for those days again. But a lot has to be fixed before that can happen.
Militarizing the border, wow, is that bad! Why? If 45,000 to 60,000 dead doesn’t qualify as a war, can somebody tell us what does? Thousands of U.S. troops coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan. Is there any good reason, any reason at all, not to send them to our southern border? “Cost too much”? They’re already on the payroll.
Securing the border, won’t be cheap, won’t be easy, but it has to be done. But, actually securing the border would bring several big problems under control: drug and human smuggling coming north (the drug cartels, BTW, have taken over the human smuggling business after a series of “hostile takeovers”; a lot of bodies left around Nogales; cash and guns going south. Until something is done about the American doper who funds the cartels, securing the border is the only realistic option that will help. Blame? The “American” doper at the top of the list.
Mexico is the poster child for the failure of gun control. The classic bumper sticker slogan, “If guns are outlawed, only the outlaws will have guns”, came true beyond anyone’s wildest nightmare. Polls in the Mexican media have shown over 80% of the people want to be armed to be able to defend themselves, families, homes and businesses. They will fight back. But then if they somehow regain their RKBA and start fighting back against crime and the cartels, the fear of the ruling class is that they will go after corruption next. Can’t have that. Over the last three decades, the Mexican people gradually lost their rights to keep and bear arms to very corrupt PRI governments. Look what happened. Corruption and gun control: inseparable. The people of Mexico deserve better. A free, safe and prosperous Mexico is very much in our interest. One of our goals should be to help the people of Mexico regain their rights. Especially the RKBA.
Meanwhile, even though not usually covered by the media very much anymore, the drug and human smuggling, the killings, kidnappings, home invasions, extortion and drop houses go on. That’s just here in Arizona. We have seen the federal government literally cede the southern quarter of the state to the drug/human smuggling gangs.
Over the last few years, we have been steadily sending information back to our friends in the east and that has paid off as the 2nd Amendment community has been able to derail attacks on the 2nd Amendment by the BHO administration and the corrupt DOJ. Using the F&F scheme to attack our Rights.
We can really use some help with this. Do you speak Spanish? Why not help us with translating government and media reports from Mexico? As even at the very real risk of their lives, the media in Mexico do a much better job than the U.S. media. For example, just a few days ago, a group of illegals was ambushed by a rip crew just a few miles from Eloy. Two dead. Didn’t hear about it? No, very little government or media interest. That was over 100 miles NORTH of the border.
Have family and friends in Mexico? Ask them to send you related news, rumors, photos, etc. about arms used or recovered there. But they have to be very careful, as they know all too well that we and they have to deal with two corrupt governments. Just in the last few days, several sources have dried up as tech aid to Mexico has made use of e-mail even more dangerous. All too often, information sent to the Mexican government ends up in hands of the drug gangs. Sending important, sensitive information out to folks has become even more dangerous.
Protecting Arizona for when things get even worse? People like State Sen. Sylvia Allen are trying hard, but with very little support. SB 1083 was intended to start and maintain a State Guard, under the National Guard. But turf battles and other problems stopped it. We have to wonder if those people have a viable plan to protect Arizona if, or more likely when, things in Mexico fall apart. I haven’t seen any sign of one.
The situation on our border, and by extension from Mexico City and Washington DC, continues to be a clear and present danger to our Rights, Interests and our Lives. The battle is far from over.
More information can be found, including the AZMEX ARCHIVE LIST, by visiting the using the following links:
The following is a collection of the more recent AZMEX postings to date:
http://az-mex.blogspot.com/
The following is a collection of AZMEX posting from 2006 through April 2009:
http://azmex-asrpa.blogspot.com/
Additional information will be added as time permits. These should also include the original Spanish language sources.
