Let me start by offering a couple of things about myself. My father immigrated illegally in the 70's. He was caught near the TX border and INS turned him over to a farmer/rancher into essentially slave labor. He was in the Mexican military before though and luckily was able to leave at night. As a 2nd generation Hispanic, I take the plight of immigration very personally and have a lot of insight due to family dealing with this issue so often.
More below the fold:
Cartels Stoking the Flames in AZ?
I hate the new AZ law as much as the next person. But when I see Kos post on the front page his outrage about confusing the immigration issue with the cartels, I have to tell you that's a bit short-sighted...
I have family who very recently has come to this country illegally. I know how the system works. Intimately. How many of you people do?
Have you had close family extorted by cartel-aligned coyotes who gradually ask for more money along the way? Who don't specifically threaten anyone with violence, but then again...they don't have to?
"Securing the borders" is a nebulous term and I don't really like it. But I think I have have a better, more personal perspective on this issue than most of the people here, and with that I support the National Guard at the borders. Not because everyone who comes here is a criminal, but because virtually everyone who comes here did so with the aid of a criminal organization. Period.
I realize what Kos and others are trying to do because the racists are too dumb to see the true nuances between drug wars and immigration. However, at the heart of the matter they are currently institutionally intertwined whether we like it or not.
This is why I want immigration reform so bad, because the plight of people currently forces them to make a deal with the devil. That HAS to stop and I hate to say it but even the most earnest person trying to make a living is somewhat culpable when they hand over their money to a coyote, even if they don't know the full details of the game they all understand how the system works...
Robert Krentz, 58, was a third generation rancher who was inducted into the Arizona Farming and Ranching Hall of Fame one year ago. He has served as president of the Cochise-Graham Cattlegrowers Association.
"We know this," Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever said at an afternoon news briefing. "Robert was shot. His dog was shot. He was in an all-terrain vehicle and he never got out of the vehicle."
"He's always been a humanitarian," Chris Simcox said. "He always gives water and food to the people he finds in distress which seems to be the case last night and he called his wife and said he was giving some water to illegals and said to call Border Patrol."
More than one helicopter came under fire as officers rescued Deputy Louie Puroll, who was shot with an AK-47-type weapon around 4 p.m. MST, according to the sheriff’s office.
The area where the shooting took place is considered a high-traffic drug- and human-smuggling corridor.
Sonora which borders Arizona is Sinaloa Cartel territory. Along with the Zetas these 2 groups are the largest and many times the most ruthless of the associations.
Fight or Flight?
If Cartels see their U.S. based operations threatened in Arizona, they may be saying bring it on. Or it could be a false flag by the rival Zetas who don't operate there and want to screw over Sinaloa.
I absolutely decry Arizona's law but I have a bad feeling there may be more attacks like this in the future but we shouldn't be afraid to call out the thugs when necessary.