REJECT PUTTING TROOPS ON OUR BORDER

Over the last couple of years, our community has engaged in an
intriguing debate as to how El Paso should be branded.

Some thought that curiosity should be piqued with "El Paso -- You
Have No Idea."

Others sought to capitalize on our location and culture with "El Paso
- -- Capital of the Border."

Some loyalists remained committed to the nostalgic "Sun City" designation.

Undoubtedly, El Paso holds many assets deserving of promotion and
celebration. While the branding debate is fun, telling, and at times
touchy, there is one brand that wields tremendous danger, damage and
is injurious to this city: "El Paso -- Militarized Zone."

Ironically, in the midst of these trying economic times, El Paso
continues to see significant successes. Many assert that El Paso is
in the midst of municipal renaissance.

While there is still much work to be done, El Paso's unemployment
rate is lower than the national average for the first time since
1972; unparalleled expansion at Fort Bliss has sustained the
construction industry; the opening of the medical school will be
complemented by new investments at Thomason Hospital and will have a
multi-billion-dollar effect on the local economy; UTEP and El Paso
Community College are experiencing record enrollments; the property
tax base is being dramatically augmented by the unprecedented
investment taking place Downtown; the recently passed Comprehensive
Mobility Plan will result in over $1 billion of
transportation-related investment; and several months ago, The Wall
Street Journal profiled El Paso's strides and labeled us a "success story."

Just as El Paso is undergoing resurgence, Juarez is spiraling into
the epicenter of narco-related violence. While most analysts feel
that Mexican President Felipe Calderon is putting forth a bona fide
and noble effort in combating the drug cartels, the facts remain that
in Juarez, few of the thousands of murders and kidnappings that have
taken place have been resolved.

Cartels now dictate who is not acceptable to lead the municipal
police force. And, members of the Juarez government are not living in
the city that they govern.

The No. 1 function of municipal government is protection of public
safety. To that end, the law-enforcement sector in El Paso is
world-class as this community is consistently rated one of the safest
in the nation. Case in point: in 2008, there were 18 murders in El
Paso and over 1,600 in Juarez.

Currently, this community's No. 1 priority is ensuring that the
violent crimes taking place across the border do not spill over here.
High-profile spillover would kill the progress and momentum that El
Paso is currently experiencing and will invite reactionary and
short-sighted proposals -- such as the militarization statement made
Tuesday by Gov. Rick Perry.

Protection of the public safety is paramount and therefore, federal
and state government must provide additional law-enforcement
resources. Additionally, federal assistance is needed to assist local
government in defraying the costs of protecting the community from
narco-violence.

But, we must remember that it is the function and training of law
enforcement -- and not the military -- to protect and enforce local
laws. A military response should only be entertained when local,
state, and federal law enforcement have been exhausted and failed --
and we are not there and hopefully never will be.

Finally, sincere American policy proposals for dealing with the
Mexican cartel-related violence must confront the fact that there is
a reason that the destination of many of these drugs is the United States.

Simply put, Americans have an insatiable appetite for drug
consumption. As long as that market is lucrative, its needs will be
met. Enforcement-centric proposals that ignore demand issues are
doomed for continued failure because they ignore core issues.

El Paso's leadership must summarily reject militarization proposals
and should actively shape the border violence dialogue in a way that
addresses law-enforcement solutions and honestly confronts demand realities.

Whatever El Paso's long-term brand turns out to be, it should embrace
this region's qualities and aspirations while encouraging community
investment, growth and prosperity -- "El Paso - Militarized Zone"
does none of the above.