America Arms Drug Cartels

In the recent opinion piece, "The Drug Cartels' Right to Bear Arms," in the New York Times, the author discusses the hypocrisy of American gun dealers arming Mexican drug gangs with automatic weapons asserting that this is allowing drugs to continue to flow across the U.S borders. The author supports this claim by providing a quote from the U.S. Justice Department stating that the Mexican drug cartels are "a national security threat." The writer also describes the number of Mexicans who have died as a result of the this drug war last year (6,000), and the number of weapons seized by Mexican officials (20,000). I believe this article is intelligent and timely, and is requisite reading for Americans who are not aware of the violence taking place in Mexico. The author's target audience is most likely Americans who are pro gun control; I believe this article reinforces the opinions of liberal democrats who subscribe to the idea that guns beget violence. The credibility of the author is uncertain because he/she is not a staff writer for the New York Times, but merely a contributor. I have never read any other columns by Fifon57, and the lack of a real name causes me to question this persons authority on the subject. I am willing to believe the article's assertions because of many other news reports in the past describing the battles between rival drug cartels and against Mexican authorities, the ability for criminals to move contraband across the borders is common knowledge, and the relaxed U.S. gun laws make it easy for criminals to buy and possess weapons. Evidence given by the author is sometimes verifiable and sometimes not. The statistics given by Mexico are not quoted from a source and the source agency is not named. However, the quote from the U.S. Justice Department appears to be verifiable. I agree with this article's statements because the argument is reasonable, orderly, and well explained. The editorial seems to be free of fallacies, and few biased claims are apparent, and empirical evidence is used. The author's scope of knowledge concerning the subject is broad and well informed. I recommend this article as supplemental reading for those who are interested in the state of the drug war in Mexico and the current situation of gun sales and distribution in American southern border states.

President Obama takes environmental action

My first entry examines an article I read concerning one of this blogs primary topics, the environmental policies of the Obama administration. If you are interested in the new administration's environmental policy you might find this article stimulating. Daniel B. Wood's contribution, "Obama stalls Bush drilling" in the Christian Science Monitor, is an informative article about how President Obama is delaying the Bush administration's last minute attempt to rush new plans for drilling the outer continental shelf. The article also explores the new administrations move ordering the EPA to reconsider allowing California to set the standards controlling green house gas emissions from automobiles. It then discusses the Justice Department dropping a Bush administration's appeal to the Supreme Court in a major air pollution case. Reports of the Bureau of Land Management canceling seventy-seven oil and gas leases on land near national parks in Utah, and of the Department of the Interior's decision to consider renewable energy in its offshore energy plan are described as well.
"Obama stalls Bush drilling", is a comprehensive article describing the quick action President Obama is taking on environmental issues. The author presents important information received from various governmental agencies regarding this issue. He also includes comments from Interior Secretary, Kenneth Salazar; president of the Center for Governmental Studies, Robert Stern; and Sierra Club press secretary, Kristina Johnson. This article is essential reading for those who care about the state of environmental policy in America today.