Mexican Violence Spills Over...

Mexican drug cartels put more notches in their belts in early 2009 as violence from the border spilled over to Binghamton, NY, Pittsburgh, PA, Pinelake, NC, Santa Clara, CA, and Geneva, AL. (I actually think I missed a couple.)

Conservatives have resolved to remedy the problem of violence in the United States by building a wall across private land in Texas and raiding the Home Depot parking lot in San Gabriel, California.

Guns don't kill people, a psychic link to violent Mexican culture kills people.

Having had to cancel a course that would travel to Mexico because parents have panicked about "violent" Mexicans, I was struck by the absurdity of two people being gunned down last week in our small town. The news has been dripping with mass killings and here in Texas local legislators are introducing a bill to allow university and college students (STUDENTS!!!) to carry weapons in the class room. Violent society? This is surreal ... an exploration of the absurd.

For conservatives ready to go after Mexico on "violence" in society, pick up your own "guiding set of principles" and read St. John 8:1-9.

Kidnap victims held for 350 big ones. Ack!

With an economy based on consumerism and Americans’ insatiable appetite for debt, it’s only natural that Treasury secretary Henry Paulson’s TARP gifts would exceed the actual amount in his $350 billion coin purse. The only question now is, by how much? And where did all those funds go? (Read More)

Great. Everyday I take a few minutes to browse the news in Mexico and the US, and the US papers are obsessed with the idea of kidnapping in Mexico (if Mexico gets a mention). Express kidnapping, the kidnapping of an anti-kidnapping consultant, kidnapping US citizens...and then I go a few pages down, and I see business extorting Americans (and the world, really) for huge amounts of cash. If I threatened to destroy a segment of the economy I'd be a radical terrorist. If I held people hostage for cash I'd be a kidnapper. Here we call it business men.

When I graduated from college with my BA in history, the commencement speaker stood up and said he only wanted to speak to tech and business graduates, because they were the only groups that mattered for the future of this country. He was trying to be prophetic, but it turns out he was a freakin' prophet of doom. They matter, all right, like Israel matters to Gaza, like Gaza matters to Israel, like the KKK matters to African Americans, like China matters to Tibet.

Help, help, I've been kidnapped. Ack, as Bill the Cat used to say.