Cry Me a River

How about this from a Mexican politician.

The diplomatic pressure so tactfully applied by the Fox Administration to Mr. Bush, has resulted in six-years without even minimal concessions from Washington on the issue of migration. That same level of responsiveness from Washington is now evident, as racist Americans organize themselves to cut the flow of undocumented Mexicans undertaking their perilous journey.

First in Arizona, and now also in Texas, ant-immigrant groups are increasing their efforts to frustrate the biggest part of the Fox political platform: The dream of a massive export of manual labor [to the United States], with at least basic respect for human rights.

Today, the situation is even more dangerous than at the beginning of [President Vicente] Fox’s first term. Six years ago, we had an annual growth rate of 7%, which may turn out to be the highest level to be seen during his term.

Long ago, and for very sober reasons, manual laborers began to flee the country, especially young people who are not likely to find a dignified vocation on national territory. The brutal treatment of Mexicans in the United States is extremely aggravating, as these workers are the source of billions of dollars annually, money that today holds greater levels of poverty at bay. In macroeconomic terms, migrant workers in the United States send $16 billion back to Mexico annually, improving our balance of accounts with the outside.

For that reason, it is inconceivable that Fox has yet to convince Bush of the need to address the issue of migration. He should at least get some benefit for repaying a debt of 2 billion cubic meters of water, in line with a 1944 water use agreement (even given the prolonged droughts that have occurred in northern Mexico over the past 12 years), under which Mexico was forced to allow Texas farmers to use water from our Bravo river basin.

[The 1944 Water Treaty for the Utilization of Waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Bravo river (Rio Grande) established that U.S. would deliver 1,850 million cubic meters of water annually from the Colorado river basin to Mexico, while in the same period, Mexico would deliver 431 million cubic meters of water from the Bravo (Grande) river basin. But, beginning in 1992 Mexico has been annually delivering only a portion of the 431 million cubic meters in the Bravo (Grande) basin.]

Without good reason, Fox has released this tremendous amount of our indispensable water resources. It is not only climatic conditions that make such a payment impossible, but it is the lack of water-resource planning, which has led to the drying-up of huge areas in the Matamoros Valley, in the river basin of the Conchos, the plains to the north of the Republic, and of our underground irrigation systems.

It also may mean unemployment for Mexican farmers, who will be looking to emigrate to the United States themselves, along with Mexico’s water supply, and this will surely bring an even-greater demand for agricultural labor down south.

Fox has not only failed to convince Bush of his reasons and his right not to give away Mexico’s water but, in addition, he gave his support to the political campaign of Texas Governor Ricky Perry, who had challenged Fox to give away our precious water, and who threatened us if we did not do it today, today, today!

Recently, doing just what Bush did on a trip to [Fox’s] farm at San Cristobal January, 2001, where he won Mexico’s promise to repay the water debt; Condoleezza Rice, in just a few hours in Mexico City, persuaded [Foreign Secretary] Ernesto Derbez to pay another part of the water debt’s balance of 400 million cubic meters of water for next agricultural cycle.

The inevitable doubt that arises from this, the reason for our restless, is the weight of the death sentence that the Fox Government has placed on the back of the Mexican people, for failing to challenge the enforcement of this treaty (although it has managed to show the Treaty’s injustice before the world). In failing to denounce the 1944 International Treaty of Limits and Waters, and giving away Mexico’s water to a neighboring country, the Fox Administration has created the worst conditions in history for Mexico’s poverty-stricken farmers.

In some areas, Mexican farmers have had to be subsidized for every hectare of land that they can't cultivate, just so they can eek out a small living. This causes young laborers to work illegally for chicken farmers across the Bravo River, and to be exposed to the groups of racist whites that are being formed. The plastic bullets and pepper spray of the Border Patrol is preferable to the mortal bullets of the xenophobes, who confuse Mexicans with wild animals that roam onto their property.

The cost of all of this to Mexico is dramatic.

In human terms, it means the extraction nearly a million young people and workers every year, and who face more and more difficulties every day, as they expose themselves the increased risk of being killed, and to the humiliation of being repatriated.

Economically, the remittances that undocumented immigrants send their relatives are already the most vital element of the national economy. Neither Fox, nor Bush, seem to have any conception of the dimension of the problem, or even that a problem exists. Both are pleased to first deal with the water debt, and then perhaps they might eventually concern themselves, without too much embarrassment, with the violation of the emigrants’ human rights.

Listen, Jesus, fix your own country before you start talking about ours. This guy is Jesus Gonzalez Schmal, some ignorant anti-American who I'm sure lives far better than the people he supposedly represents. If there was ever a lesson in the abandonment of logic this is it. Mexico screws its people over and somehow that is supposed to become our problem. This is like trying to teach your children to take responsibility for their own lives.

Let's see we gave you to 2005 to repay a debt from 1944, oh that's unreasonable...on which side you pathetic moron?