The electoral battle silly & dirty

International
The focus has not been the control of weapons and the violence
The electoral battle silly & dirty
By: Carlos Damián July 3, 2012
The battle is between the president and the republicans
México. - The operation Fast & Furious it is not only a scandal more, in which the American agents authorize the entrance from some two thousand weapons of high caliber to Mexico, now it is, amid an electoral year, and it has to do more with a political conflict among the Republican parties (conservative) and Democratic to which president Barak Obama belongs. In having summarized parts now it is it gun political disguised that it is using to win votes and to try to go down votes to the president in his reelection. The Chamber of Representatives that is with republican control, a contempt vote has been programmed against the general attorney Eric Holder.

In this political context if it is carried out it would be the first time in the history that the Chamber makes that with the lawyer in the federal government's boss. They accuse him of not having cooperated fully in giving the whole official documentation on the handling of the bankrupt Fast & Furious Operation. When increasing the broadside of projectiles against the boss’ attorney of Obama, the president it used their power to declare that those documents are protected by the call “executive privilege” and therefore they cannot be given.

The frontier of the south
The increment of the security that has practiced U. S. A. In its south frontier in the recent years is based but in political-electoral matters that in the real existence of threats to the integrity of the nation, Maureen Meyer sustained, of the Washington’s Office for Latin America (WOLA); Gretchen Kuhnerm of the Institute of the women in the Migration (Imumi, in Spanish), and Jose Maria Ramos, of the School of the North Frontier (Colef, in Spanish). During the presentation of the report “Political of Security and migration in the border México-U.S.A.”, they indicated that the armour in the border area, through the technology use and of the increment of elements of the Border Patrol and of the National Guard, among other actions, it has as main reason “to attract voters and to incentive the culture of the fear", Meyer indicated.

The non government member WOLA detailed that while in 1992 it had deployed in the frontier “less than 4 thousand” agents of the Border Patrol, now they are around 19 thousand. As for the presence of the national guard's military members it exposed that these elements that don't intervene in the detentions of undocumented migrants, are “constant”. But mainly the presence in the area of more agents “takes to more abuses” because some of them don't have the appropriate training, because they are former soldiers unemployed and they going this activity like a form from being collected resources. They considered that the existent cooperation between both countries as regards security will continue independently of who is the candidate that triumphs in the elections, but yes, it is they outlined that the Merida Initiative should “reconsider", because “it hasn’t been effective."

They also exposed that in spite of the violence in Mexico, in Juarez City, this situation of insecurity is not transmitting to the other side of the frontier, while “the Mexican City is the most dangerous in the world” with 282.7 homicides for each 100 thousand inhabitants in El Paso, TX, the rate was of 0.8%.

The bankrupt history
The investigation legislative on the operation that lasted from 2009 to 2011, began one year ago, headed by the republican representative Darrel Issa and its coreligionist the senator Charles Grassley. The scandal detonated when an agent of the Federal agency of customer and border Control Brian Terry died murdered by firearm shots in Arizona, in December of 2010, and they were two rifles AK-47 bought in supervision of the operation. It was in that moment when Obama ordered an internal investigation inside the Department of Justice. This operation binational had as purpose to allow the purchase and transport of weapons of gun’s stores in Arizona with the purpose of tracking them and this way to arrive to the bosses of the crime organized Mexican, it was carried out, according to official of its country, without guarantee of the Mexican authorities.

Of the two thousand weapons, the American agents lost the view more than thousand 700. This operation however was not the first of this type: two similar operations were carried out during the presidency of George W. Bush and in fact this was part of a project of public security begun in their previous government. But yes it stood out for the number of details that they transformed it into a failure, arriving to such a level that Kenneth Melson, director in functions of the taken in charge agency, the Office of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), it gave up their position in 2011. In this operation the republicans saw a political gift and it has an operation: not well designed with the control of an agency that they hate -ATF - to be taken charge of applying the laws that are weak in themselves same for the control of weapons. When adding that according to the ultra-right that violates the sacred right of acquiring, to bring, and to use firearms in U. S. A.

Risky play
The play of the republicans has its risks and it could reinforce the image of the government of Obama, it which at distance of the event that we could call “dirty & silly” it has become another political event that it possibly lifts Barack Obama's image in the presidential voting. (La Jornada, mundo, p.p. 33, June 25, 2012).