"Perhaps Janet Napolitano should visit the Peck Canyon Corridor outside of Nogales—with an armed escort".
"From the idyllic shelter of Peck Canyon outside of Nogales, Edith Lowell reflects on what it's like to share her beloved ranch with violent drug-smugglers, illegal aliens and automatic-weapon-toting bandits".
I visited the Pajarito area this year and never saw any sign of trouble except for the BP driving lickity split through one lane mountain roads.
I talked at length with the local game ranger and he didn't think I'd have any problems....
"Illegals don't want anything to do with me."
I had a great time, and aside from the occasional water bottle beside the road, the litter was scarce. Oh there was also some vigilantes looking all bada$$ along the roadside but the BP rousted them out of there.
My wife and I drove down to Oro Blanco and Ruby southeast of Arivaca last month. We didn't see any illegals or drugs smugglers. As a matter of fact it was quiet most of the way. The people we saw where at least fifty border patrol vehicles all over the place. We stopped about a half mile from a check point to take photo and give our Yellow Lab a potty break. We just got out of the vehicle and we were surrounded by Border Patrol agents with cars and trucks with flashing lights. I jokingly offered my dog for tracking if they were looking for illegals. They didn't take to that very well. However, they never checked our vehicle or anything and sent us happily on our way. I am sure there are illegals crossing the border at night and I am sure their is drug smuggling going on, but most of the smuggling is through tunnels and on ships. Tunnels can handle forty tons of drugs a day and ships a lot more. Yes, peons can carry it on their backs, but that is minor compared the real thing crossing from warehouse to warehouse along the border. Believe me that is what the fight is all about. I crossed the Cabeza Prieta Game Refuge a few years ago and we ran into illegals hiking through the desert, but they weren't packing any drugs. They wanted us to call the border patrol and take them home. We gave them water and contacted the Border Patrol.
So far that has been our experience. We were down on the Papago Reservation and didn't see much activity, but really didn't look for it. Nobody bother us and we enjoyed our tour down near the border. We drove down to the village of San Miguel which is south of Sells near the border. There was one Border Patrol in Sells. We talked to him and continued on our journey. I sincerely believe politicians are making to much out of this border thing. They are trying to get votes off of the backs of those that really have nothing and at the same time scaring the tourist business to death. There is a far greater danger from home-grown terrorism then there is from terrorism outside of the country.
I am sure there are those who disagree, but we all have our right to express our opinion. That is why I served six years in the military to protect those rights. By the way some News stations are just about as radical as the extremist politicians are. We are going to continue visiting what ever part of this state we want to see from the Mexican border to the Utah border with little or no concern about illegals.
I sincerely believe politicians are making to much out of this border thing. They are trying to get votes off of the backs of those that really have nothing and at the same time scaring the tourist business to death.
I agree with you!
I personally believe it's a shame that we have a third world country for a neighbor. I feel that we should have been building bridges, not walls. The day may come when Mexico finally has it's own communist revolution and then all us Americans will be asking ourselves what happened??? Well, we can just look to ourselves for refusing to help. In ten years we can be fighting the communist "have nots" or we can send in the troops right now and start straightening out the mess before hand. And the first thing to do is to stop the drug prohibition.
The day may come when Mexico finally has it's own communist revolution
Reptilist, Mexico already had its "communist revolution" from 1910 to 1920. They finally got agrarian reform under Cardenas in the 1930s, but after that the "revolution" became "institutionalized" (the name of the ruling party was the "institutionalized revolutionary party" [oxymoron]). The only way Mexicans could get the entrenched corrupt elites out of power was by electing a right-winger, Fox, in 2000. The people finally had a chance when populist democrat Lopez-Obrador was elected in 2006. However, a crooked vote count was upheld and they got another right-wing "pro-business" president in Calderon whose main goal is to continue the charade of stopping the drug trade.
Mexico's biggest problem? NAFTA, which allows corporations based in the US to have duty-free access to the Mexican consumer, essentially killing local (non drug trafficking) enterprise.
I realize there are political and economic realities that play a part in making bold decisions like securing our southern border, but the leaders of the U.S.A. have been hired by US to make those bold decisions.
It's high time we spend a decade or so taking care of OURSELVES for a change! How much money do we give to foreign countries to take care of their problems? I don't know the answer but I know it's A LOT!!
The "war on drugs" is failing for many many reasons, and it's going to take a VERY BOLD MAN OR WOMAN to have a REAL affect on that issue as well as our southern border. I don't have the answers, but I can tell you that what we're doing so far isn't enough and isn't working.
We've been living in a ghost town in the Patagonia Mountains for almost a year. We're leasing a place that was built by a Nogales bar owner in the early 70s. Our first inkling of trouble was when we met the current owner to look at the place and discuss leasing options. He is the most obnoxious, rude, insulting, arrogant person we have ever met. Long story short: My father-in-law was born here and wanted to live here part time. Beautiful mile high scenery, winding one lane dirt roads, streams that run nearly year round, dozens of natural caves and abandoned mines and a small local population mostly made up of angry, suspicious, rude, arrogant jerkwads.
At first we waved at neighbors and the BP that drive by the place. After meeting a few neighbors from nearby Duquesne we have now resolved to not speak to, wave at or ever help any of these jerks.
There's a reason some of these retirees from Michigan or whatever move here. They don't like people and will angrily confront anyone that dares to tread upon their sacred ground. Historical importance be damned- just get out and don't come back. Someone in Duquesne has the arrogance to post a sign, duplicating the color and font of a Forest Service type sign that reads: " NO STOPPING" along a public taxpayer funded road. It's amazing how rude these people are, considering they often bully visitors-strangers out here where there are no witnesses or lawmen to back them up. Suicidal comes to mind. We will vacate this place soon and we will not miss anything but the scenery. Personally I'm hoping for a range fire to take out the entire ghost town of Duquesne. Good riddance.
Edit: Don't dare stop at the old timbers that comprise the Kansas Mine on Duquesne Road, near the junction with Harshaw Road, after 8 months of living next to a neighbor, he chose to make enemies with some rude insulting comments on my first walk around the unfenced, unmarked, unsigned timbers and chutes. Had I been a bad guy he would have had his brain splattered inside of his white Jeep Wagoneer and no one would know any different. It was his lucky day.
