Guns, Guns, Guns (sung to the Motley Crue tune)

This from the Houston Chronicle about guns from Texas:

Agents inspected gun dealer records and knocked on doors to ask people what happened to guns they purchased that ended up in Mexico. Among the cases that have yet to be resolved are those involving a small-town Texas policeman who bought a few military-style rifles, left them in his car and — on the same night — forgot to lock a door. He couldn't explain why he had not filed a police report or why he visited Mexico the next day.

Sigh. And I have students that freak out about going to Mexico because they think all the cops are dirty... .

Saab in Venezuela - Saab GUNS, that is.

Jane's Intelligence Weekly reports today that Venezuela is expanding its ability to buy weapons from the Russians. This comes on the heels of the discovery of Swedish guns in FARC camps in Colombia that were purchased initially (allegedly) by Venezuela. (see the UPI report here).

The Russia deal has the Colombian's spooked. An increase in weapons to the FARC at a time when the Colombian right-wing has them on the run signals to the world that the imminent death of the FARC has been greatly over-stated.

US guns and Russian guns battling it out in a Latin American nation as neighboring exporters of revolution or democracy fuel the fire: I think we've danced this dance before, and all we end up with at the end of the day are a lot of dead Latin Americans. Several months ago I made a comment on a blog to which the administrator snarkily (is that a word) replied that "all the historical factors" regarding Venezuela are different and that we will repeat no history there. Really? A mono-commodity populist exporting revolution as part of a proxy battle for global resources not part of a repeated past? Things may not repeat themselves, but I agree with Mr. Twain: We have some serious rhyming going on.

Reach for the Sky, Balthasar, You Dirty Rat

With Little Christmas on the way, Mexican politicians have taken to the street in Mexico City to urge the Reyes Magos to not bring guns or war toys this year, according to Excelsior. The hope is to encourage a society with less violence in Mexico. Sounds good ... I have a request that the three kings bring health care, education, loving parents, extended families, and community involvement to the United States, lowering our narcotics consumption and making sure some kids in Mexico have a less violent year.

As an added bonus, the article mentions the Ley de Cultura Cívica of DF and how it prohibits pointing a toy gun at folks. For grins and giggles, the whole thing (passed in 2004) is available on line (here). It reminds me of the time a buddy of mine was detained (justly and reasonably so) in Switzerland for spitting on a train platform.

a) Establecer reglas mínimas de comportamiento cívico;
b) Garantizar el respeto a las personas, los bienes públicos y privados y regular el
funcionamiento de la Administración Pública del Distrito Federal en su
preservación, y
c) Determinar las acciones para su cumplimento.

This smells of the nineteenth century, and I am certainly going to have fun going over these rules in the next few days.