GOVERNOR PERRY PART II on the border, drug cartels, Arizona Immigration Law and how these affect TEXAS - PREDICTS COTTON BOWL

“To sum the matter up, the authorities are afraid, men with property and families are afraid, employees and decent workmen are afraid, and the only people who have nothing to fear at present are the criminals”. - Hans L Heldt, Mining Engineer during the Mexican Revolution, July 29, 1911

Governor Rick Perry

History is repeating itself. Let’s face it, Mexico is in the middle of a war with the drug cartels and regardless of how the MSM want to sugar coat the situation, the war in Mexico is getting worse. We all know that the drug cartels have literally taken over the Mexico side of the Texas and Arizona border and safety of the Mexican people is nil. This Christmas season Mexicans were warned by their own government to not cross at night and to cross with others and to travel if they must in convoys. The situation on the Mexican side is out of control. It has been 100 years since the Mexican Revolution when Mexicans fled to America and Texas for safety and I do believe that that situation prevails today. Illegal immigration may not be escalating as the MSM reports but the illegals are not going to return to their Mexico in this warring environment. The situation has certainly soared in the last ten years since I last travelled by bus into Mexico. We all know that the Obama Administration has chosen to do as little as possible about this war. Representative Ted Poe has introduced a bill - H.R. 6253, the National Guard Border Enforcement Act in the House which should be supported. The bill is in committee which means it may or may not be addressed. Hopefully with a Republican majority in 2011, some action can be taken on this bill.

Amazing what you can gather just from a person’s voice. Governor Rick Perry was rather easy to interview over the phone. His voice was an indicator of what he felt about the situations I asked about. He likes to laugh, and then he can suddenly get quiet as if to be searching for just the right word or words to describe his intended meaning.

My questions to Governor Perry concerning the Texas/Mexico border were:

With all the problems we are presently having on the Mexico/Texas border, the Third War, how do you plan on keeping us Safe? He quickly responded by enumerating the efforts that have already occurred. He said that we already have a track record of responding to the insecurity on the border and that in 2006 he gathered the border Sheriffs which were mostly Democrats and a couple of Republicans and took them to congress. Once there, he and the Texas border sheriffs laid out the substantial security issues on the Texas/Mexico border. The Governor went on to point out that, “we are yet to get a response from the Federal Government that I have been satisfied with.” He proceeded to tell me that in 2007 during the Texas legislature he asked for funds to secure our border using code names such as Operation Linebacker and Operation Border Star. In 2009 The Texas Ranger Recon team was created to assist local sheriffs and border police department efforts.

Then the tone of his voice changed to being irritated. He said, “230 million dollars has been appropriated and dispersed in a four year period since 2006 to help buy additional equipment and pay for overtime. Our National Guard has also been used in support roles in assisting in border security.” He seemed a little frustrated when he mentioned that Texas has 1200 miles along the Mexican border and that it is impossible to do it alone. He added, “Especially since the drug cartels are escalating their violence and escalating their equipment.” He continued to tell me that the drug cartels were a dangerous criminal element but that, “our calls for assistance from the federal government to increase the national guard and border patrol has basically fallen upon ‘deaf ears’.” In fact he said, “The response has been tepid at best, almost disregarding the southern border of the United States.” Governor Perry emphasized that he will continue to put pressure on Washington and the department of Homeland Security but, “frankly”, he said, “I don’t expect to see any substantial effort by Washington until we change administration.”

I took the opportunity to ask about Mexican President Felipe Calderon and his efforts in the drug war. Governor Perry stated that he thought that President Calderon was a very courageous man and that his efforts with the drug cartels were more than any other president in Mexico’s history. He quickly stated that the corruption in Mexico was rampant and that the police forces were also corrupt adding to the drug cartel violence and chaos. He is concerned about the security and safety of El Paso because it is across from Juarez, currently the most dangerous city in the world. His concern is understandable. With Juarez just next door how long before the violence spills over to El Paso? We did get a taste earlier this year when consulate employees were gunned down in Juarez in broad daylight during a chase leading to the international bridge. They were killed before reaching the bridge and safety of the United States.

Governor Perry said that it is possible to secure the border but this will require more troops and more assets like predator drones to fly up and down the border. He believes that the federal government must be more focused and dedicated in securing the border. In a stern and almost angry voice he said, “The idea that Texas is spending upwards towards 240 million dollars in the last four years of ‘our’ tax money is an absolute atrocity.”

Then I questioned him on his campaign statement that the Arizona Immigration Law is not right for Texas. I told him that with the upcoming legislative session a similar bill was certainly a possibility. His reply was that the Arizona Immigration Law was not suited to Texas because, “Arizona is a very different place than Texas. We have a totally different set of circumstances.” He continued to say that he had some hesitation because there were a number of things in the Arizona law that “I certainly supported but there was one aspect that I did not think was particularly healthy for Texas because it allowed for lawsuits to be filed against our law enforcement.” He supported his stance due to the many frivolous lawsuits that he has seen filed in Texas and he did not want to give the personal injury trial lawyers another cause of action. “So to answer your question, just let Texans and their elected officials come up with the law that is right for Texas and I suspect I will put my signature on a good piece of legislation that we had plenty of time to discuss and debate appropriately.”

My time with the Governor ran out so I posed my last question. Knowing that our Governor is an Aggie I asked if he had a prediction for the Cotton Bowl. His laugher almost drowned out his answer which came before I finished my sentence… “24 to 17… The Aggies will be victorious; you can put that in concrete”! He told me that he was going to wager Governor Bobby Jindal a big plate of oysters from the Acme Oyster Bar in the French Quarter because we were going to outscore LSU.

I enjoyed my interview with our Texas Governor and hope that you not only enjoy reading the interview but also become more informed as to some of the responsibilities our Governor has. We should pray that he continue to guide our great state in prosperity and safety for the coming year, 2011.

Congressman Ted Poe, District 2
http://poe.house.gov/news/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=210882
H.R. 6253, the National Guard Border Enforcement Act
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-6253
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-6253&tab=committees