U.S. SCOLDS MEXICO WHEN FAULT IS OURS

The United States is scolding Mexico. Again.

Washington officials are expressing alarm that Mexico's government is at
risk of a "rapid and sudden collapse" because it is losing control of its
territory to drug cartels, allowing drug-gang violence to spread out of
control.

The drug problem most certainly is real. Mexico's cartels are now the
number one suppliers of illegal drugs into our country, and the rising flow
of drug money into Mexico is already the fourth largest source of that
country's income. As assorted kingpins vie for control of the trade,
horrific violence has erupted, not only targeting rival gangs, but also top
government officials, the military, police, businesses, bystanders, and
others. More than 6,000 Mexicans were gunned down in these wars last year,
with many of them having been tortured, beheaded, and otherwise brutalized.

What a gruesome mess, you might say why don't the Mexicans clean up their
drug problem?

Start with this: It's not their problem. Americans not Mexicans are the
ones snorting the tons of narcotics being trafficked by the gangs. Our
demand drives the trade, finances the kingpins, and promotes the carnage.
Yet, rather than confronting our people's addiction for what it is a
health issue U.S. authorities continue to pretend they can stop the
supply, spending billions each year on failed police actions.

As for the hellish slaughter, where do you think the gangs get the guns?
Mexico has strict gun laws, prohibiting its citizens from buying the
high-powered assault weapons the cartels are using. So 90 percent of their
weaponry is coming from the U.S. gun dealers more than 6,000 of whom
operate just on our side of the line. With a wink and a nod, they brazenly
sell tens of thousands of these guns to be smuggled across the border.

Mexico supplies the drugs, but our country supplies the customers, the
money, and the guns. Their war is our war.

Jim Hightower, a native of Denison, is a fromer agriculture commissioner of
Texas, published author and nationally syndicated columnist. This column is
distributed by MinutemanMedia.org.