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Opening More Roads for Terrorists: Easier Access for Mexican Trucks
After years of opposition, the Bush Adminsitration has won a major victory that will allow unsafe and largely uninspected trucks from Mexico to sweep across our borders and into our cities more easily than ever before. I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP. The story was reported June 8, 2004 by CNN.com under the headline, "U.S. Roadways Opened to Mexican Trucks." According to the article, "President Bush ordered the opening of all U.S. roads to Mexican trucks in 2002, but the dispute has been tied up in courts." The order was part of a promise made to Mexico when NAFTA was passed, and, in my opinion, is just a small taste of what is to come as the Bush Administration works to push us into the dangerous Free Trade Area of the Americas.
For years, people have recognized that easier access for Mexican trucks means danger for the US. (See, for example, an article at CorpWatch.org.) Mexican trucks don't have to meet the same safety standards as US trucks, adding more danger to the roads. But I'm worried about more than just a few thousand trucks falling apart on our roads and crunching a few random passenger vehicles. Making it easier for large trucks from Mexico to enter our country makes it even easier for terrorists to get in, and even easier for terrorists to import large quantities of weapons and other tools of the trade. If we're really at war, shouldn't we do something to keep our enemies out?
With their recent legal victory, the Bush Administration has won a major battle in their efforts to keep our borders as wide open as possible. Can anybody honestly say that this action is compatible with defending America?