Texas and the nation needed a waker- upper. The pathetic case of former Cameron County Sheriff Conrado Cantu fits the bill.
His sentencing to 24 years in a federal penitentiary this week is a strong antidote for anyone starting to feel superior after months of dire reports of Mexican corruption and chaos.
Those problems clearly don't stop at the border.
Awash in money from the illegal drug trade, our southern neighbor shows signs of accelerating social and institutional decay, most prominently near the Rio Grande. It's been an alarmingly bloody year, with more than 1,100 drug-related slayings. Federal troops moved into Nuevo Laredo after the entire police force was suspended on suspicion of corruption.
Now a prominent lawman on the U.S. side stands in court and apologizes for his own sickening level of corruption – drug trafficking, extorting money from drug dealers, bribery, etc.
The saving grace was the ongoing federal anti-corruption effort, now responsible for sending a string of four Texas sheriffs, including the brazen Cantu, to prison in recent years.
This fall, top U.S. and Mexican officials announced cooperative efforts against drug lords, whose open warfare has claimed casualties in both countries. We would still like to see the FBI list top traffickers on its Most Wanted list, a tactic that has previously delivered key Mexicans into federal custody and prisons.
The harder task for Americans is recognizing the real enemy – this country's insatiable need for a high, the source of the corrupting money.
State Rep. Aaron Peña, of Edinburg, took up the fight against drugs after his 16-year-old son's drug-related death. He told this newspaper recently: "It's a problem we can't blame on the Mexicans. At its root, it's our problem. It is the demand for drugs that causes this to happen."
5 comments:
Legalize marijuana and you'll see a lot of the problems go away. That is the best and most sensible thing to do at this time regarding this problem. Legalize marijuana. Things will get much better once that has been done.
its simple minded people that must think this way.
What do you say Rep.?
Do you think only simple minded idiots would consider legalizing Marijuana?
Or do you think that those who choose to chase peaceful farmers down with dogs and guns and chains and put them in cement cages are correct?
Maybe you think that we should go after Bill Coors and Jack Daniels and cut off their heads?
Legalize marijuana and you'll see a lot of the problems go away.
http://www.saferchoice.org
.
There has been a gradual trend toward decriminalization in the states on limited fronts. One addresses the prison over-population problem another deals with the possible medicinal benefits of marijuana. I do not see a wider expansion in the near future.
Policy in a democracy generally reflects the will of the majority and a full decriminalization will not likely occur soon. Taking note of that fact, it is important that policy-makers address the concerns of the majority (or the minority if they wish). At the present time the dominant view is to minimize the presence of the drug in our society.
If you hold contrary views and wish a change, policy can be affected through legal action, persuasion of the majority and/or our elected representatives, on the state and national levels.
I sit on the Texas Criminal Jurisprudence Committee and have listened intently to arguments regarding this subject. I respect but do not agree with every position presented. I would hope that people respect mine.
Some of the arguments are persuasive and I continue to work with an open mind.
The debate is healthy. Because of strong passions on both sides, I dare say this debate is likely to continue.
Thank you very much Sir. Spoken like a true politician, and a true statesman.
The future great leaders of this world will be great bloggers. And you are one of "The Best".
Keep on bloggin'.
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