Could The Mexican Drug Cartels "Red Dawn" The United States?

Many times in this blog we have talked about the exponentially growing threat and violence of the ever larger and richer Mexican drug cartels. Those times usually reviewed how the government of Mexico always seems to be fighting a losing battle against the cartels from a military and corruption perspective. We have pointed out numerous acts of violence and terror that the Mexican people are under from a cartel perspective.

And since our last such post, the situation has not gotten any better:

- According to an Associated Press report from March 31, 2011, Mexican drug cartels threatened to kill U.S. Border agents in March by firing AK-47 assault rifles across the border. Those targeted included members of the Texas Ranger and Customs Enforcement agents. Although this news was just made public by a U.S. Congressman, the article quotes law enforcement officials as saying this is nothing new, with one them saying: "We get almost periodic reports of some informant saying there is a bounty. We realize the potential is there, the threat is there." Since the drug cartels are directly or indirectly responsibile for over 35,000 Mexican deaths since late 2006, it should come as no surprise that the cartels might eventually take on cross border law enforcement officers.

- An April 3, 2011 Associate Press article reported that while Mexico City has been relatively free from drug cartel violence over the past few years, it appears that violent, cartel-like street gangs have become a significant problem within in the city as each gang fights for its share of the local Mexican drug market riches. Recently a spate of killings and decapitations have vividly illustrated how prevalent these new street gangs have become in the Mexico City area, adding just another level of violence and lawlessness to the Mexican people. Many of the gangs are either splinter groups off of the larger drug cartels or are just using the drug cartel business model to enlarge their turf war in the illegal Mexican drug market.

- The final Associated Press today was published on April 6, 2011 and addressed the two fold issue of 1) drug cartels recruiting common criminals (e.g. street drug dealers, robbers, etc.) and converting them into cartel hitmen and 2) the recruitment of former, highly trained Guatemalan soldiers into their ranks. The first issue strains the Mexican anti-drug law enforcement resources since rather than just having to go after the big drug cartel bosses, these resources now must also go after much lower ranking cartel employees to stifle the increased hitmen killing.

The second issue is even more distressing, professional soldiers being brought into the drug cartel fold. The article asserts that the cartels have even set up training camps inside of Guatemala. The Guatemalan government is currently investigating the possibility that these ex-soldiers somehow got their hands on official Guatemalan military weaponry and transferred it to the drug cartels. In 2009, the Guatemalan authorities confiscated 563 grenades and 3,800 rounds of ammunition from the cartels that were stolen from their military.

Nasty stuff, seems like the drug cartels are getting bigger and bigger by recruiting at the low end of lawlessness, street hoods and gangs, and the high end of lawlessness, professionally trained soldiers. The really scary thing is that the cartels have made so much money off of the illegal drug trade in the United States, there is probably very few weapons or government and police officials they cannot buy or take out with force.

Which brings us to the "Red Dawn" reference in the title. "Red Dawn" was a hokey, if entertaining movie from a few decades ago. The central premise is that the Soviet Union is able to invade and control the Rocky Mountains within the United States, effectively dividing the country into two non congruent parts. The Russians attack so quickly that they establish themselves before a counter attack can push them out, resulting in a military stalemate within our borders. The United States controls the coastal areas, the Soviet Union troops control a geographic strip through the center of the country.

"Red Dawn" did not receive any Oscars but it does bring up an interesting point. Given the wealth, violence, and ever growing reach of the drug cartels, their non-reluctance to shoot U.S. border agents, who is to say they would not come over the border in numbers at some point like the Soviets in "Red Dawn?" This strategy has a historical precedent when you consider the so-called Zimmerman Telegram from 1917 and the World War I era.

This telegram originated from the German government and was sent to the Mexican government. The telegram proposed that Mexico invade the United States from the south and take over lands that originally belonged to Mexico. In return, the Germans would provide logistical and military support to the effort. The deal never went down but it was proposed.

Now, there is no longer a Soviet Union. There is no longer a German Kaiser or German military threat to the United States. But who is to say that the cartels could not come over the border and drive up U.S. Interstate 25 and cause all sorts of violence and problems? If they moved quick enough they could cut off the main east/west  main arteries of Interstate 40, Interstate 70, Interstate 80 and Interstate 90. They could start further east and come up Interstate 83 and accomplish the same thing. They would not have the forces the Soviets had in "Red Dawn" to take and hold ground but a guerrilla warfare style attack would be a disaster.

With U.S. troops stationed all over the world, mostly serving no purpose at all, who is to say a rich, well armed force of drug cartel employees, which now include professional soldiers, could not at least cause a significant amount of havoc and mayhem? Let's throw an added wrinkle into the scenario. Given the chaos  being caused by the cartels in Mexico and Central America, I would think it would be quite easy for the cartels to import some of Bin Laden's boys and join up with them. The cartels and Bin Laden may have different goals but together, they would get a lot closer to attaining each of their goals.

Likely? Probable? Probably not. But was it probable the Middle East would be afire for freedom just six months ago? Was it probable that the igniter of this fire would be a single individual in Tunisia of all places? Five years ago how probable was it that the United States would collapse not from an outside conquest from the likes of Hitler, the Kaiser, Mussolini, etc. but from the simple fact that our political class cannot stop spending money it does not have? How probable was it two months ago that the third largest economy in the world would be so brutalized by Mother Nature? How probable was it eleven years ago that 19 people from halfway around the world would kill about 3,000 Americans on American soil on September 11, 2001? None of these were very remotely probable yet they happened.

One of my favorite sayings is "Never say never." "Red Dawn" and the Zimmerman Telegraph give the drug cartels the strategy, who is to say they cannot find any use for it. This threat and the related threats of the heavily armed cartels will remain in place until the Washington political class finally finds some courage to actually come up with sane, enforceable strategies and policies to deal with our drug addiction problem in the country and our leaky borders/illegal immigration problems. Until then, nothing is off the table as regarding how far the drug cartels will extend their reach, wealth, and violence.

If the political class is not up to the task of such endeavors, they should reviews Steps 26 and 29 in "Love My Country, Loathe My Government," to see what a possible process would look like to finally resolve these issues. Lord knows what ever processes they are using now are not working. Although "Red Dawn" was a pretty bad movie, it had much more value than the current paralysis that is Washington and our political class.


Our book, "Love My Country, Loathe My Government - Fifty First Steps To Restoring Our Freedom And Destroying The American Political Class" is now available at http://www.loathemygovernment.com/. It is also available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Please pass our message of freedom onward. Let your friends and family know about our websites and blogs, ask your library to carry the book, and respect freedom for both yourselves and others everyday.


Please visit the following sites for freedom:

http://www.cato.org/
http://www.robertringer.com
http://realpolichick.blogspot.com
http://www.flipcongress2010.com/
http://www.reason.com/
http://www.repealamendmen.com