Corruption in a community can only flourish when society not only allows it to grow but encourages it as well. Deep‐rooted corruption, like the one found in El Paso, must be ingrained into the fabric of society. To do that, the moral compass of society must accept that corruption is an acceptable standard for the community. A community’s moral compass is defined through education and encouragement. Encouragement is demonstrated every time a pillar of the community, like Bob Jones or Dana Pittard, are lauded by the business community and political elites. On the other hand, educating corruption takes many forms, from allowing corrupt behavior in educational settings, such as the school districts, or by ignoring corruption within the policing agencies as well as governmental circles. The Catholic Church should set the moral compass of El Paso, but its actions only encourage corruption as a way of life.
In 2008, when the drug violence in Cd. Juárez exploded, many explained the rising violence as a drug war for control of the Juárez plaza. El Pasoans, from officials to everyday people argued that “it’s a México problem.” Calling it a fight for the Juárez plaza, instead of what it really is, a drug war for control of the El Paso/Cd. Juárez plaza.
When I first read Octavio Paz’ collection of essays in The Labyrinth of Solitude it awakened in me a need to comprehend my identity as a Mexican. Like most people, I used to spend my days wrapped in the cocoon of experiences and the stimulus of my surroundings, as if the world was the same everywhere. The reality of the Mexican experience is, as Octavio Paz explained is that México is a people of contrasts, as Paz wrote façade of “smoke and mirrors.” Nothing explains this duality better than the Mexican flavor of Catholicism.
Juárez and major parts of Mexico are in a crisis forcing many in our community to ask, what can be done? The answer is simple yet complicated. It is easy because the bilateral actions taken by the United States and México are the answer to the crisis. The difficult part is accepting this. Although many in the United States and México view each other with distrust, the reality is that both countries are symbiotically dependent on each other. For both to prosper, we must embrace each other as partners. Unfortunately, the perception, both internally and externally, is that México, in general, is corrupt and beyond redemption. This notion is often distorted and perpetuated by extreme points of view. The reality is that both México and the United States have made great strides toward building upon their partnership and more importantly, dealing with the bi-national problem of organized crime on both sides of the border.
Many in the U.S., especially the U.S. government, were mystified with Mexico’s recent decriminalization of small quantities of narcotics for personal use. Some have even suggested that this shows that Mexico is seeking to legalize drugs to solve the pervasive drug problems the country faces both from a consumption and production standpoint. Those who can fully appreciate the differing points of view each country has, this recent action by Mexico makes perfect sense and does not signify the premise that legalizing drugs is the way to solve the drug issues.
Unless you have been living under a rock lately, you’ve probably heard that Cd. Juárez is the most dangerous city in North America. So just how dangerous is it? Our sister city is in the midst of a long and arduous war of willpower between citizens who still believe in their city and criminals who want to wrest control away from the community in order to ply their deadly concoction in an attempt to mask life’s everyday problems for those who are too lazy to deal with life head on. And regardless of what you may think the solution to the problem is, you are likely to agree that Juárez is not a safe city. But really, how dangerous is Juárez?
In 2004, the use of a document titled; “Bond Schedule Approved by the Council of Judges” came to light in the challenge to the DIMS program in place in El Paso County. The document is used to set the bonds for criminal defendants in the County. The bond schedule delineates that “undocumented aliens” and “documented aliens” are to have bonds set at “4x” and “2x” of the amount set for a diverse set of criminal prosecutions. The use of this bond schedule to set bond for criminal defendants based on their immigration status raises several questions about the treatment of foreign nationals by the County of El Paso in opposition to the Constitutions of the United States and Texas, as well as International Treaties and accords to which the US government and the State of Texas are a party to.
The Luis Posada Carriles arraignment scheduled for June 13, 2005 in El Paso brings international intrigue and public policy issues to the city. What it also brings is the need to look inward towards the idea that the rule of law is paramount to America’s identity. Although the political intrigues lie outside of the purview of local government, El Paso’s judicial actors may set precedent the political agendas override the need to hold terrorists accountable.
El Paso and Cd. Juárez currently sit on the crossroads of economic prosperity in the gold rush of the 21st century. The Internet has created a mechanism whereby the borderplex can become the next “Silicon Valley” of the world’s e-commerce rush. With the inherent infrastructure in labor and resources the border region offers, the establishment of e-commerce development and implementation will benefit the region for decades to come. By implementing this initiative as a team, both El Paso and Cd. Juárez would lead the way to global e-trading.
This white paper presents a preliminary concept of how the communities can leverage the Internet as a tool for economic prosperity of the border region, specifically El Paso, Texas and Cd. Juárez, Chihuahua, México.
As the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations reach a conclusion it is important to remember what Octavio Paz said, “the precedent of European integration is very important for the future of our region.” Much as been debated about the erosion of cultural identity as three north American countries begin to look forward to closer economic ties. One of the biggest pools of labor live next to the biggest consumer market in the world. It is easy to believe that the free trade agreement is between countries when it is about people. Paz added that México and the United States are “condemned to live together, the past and the future side by side.” The obvious next step is bridging the gap between cultures in the hopes that some day we me reach across the border and offer each other an abrazo, instead of a hesitant handshake between friends.
