What happens when there is no true border between Mexico and the United States?  Graft and corruption become the cultural norm.

El Paso, Texas government official politics look to be driven by bribery and payoffs.

So far, the former chief of staff for El Paso County Judge Anthony Cobos has pleaded guilty to four counts of conspiracy and fraud, admitting his involvement in alleged payoffs for county contracts.

In his plea document, John Travis Ketner described 17 unnamed co-conspirators in ways that make them easily recognizable to observers of El Paso politics — so recognizable that the principals have not denied that he identified them.

They include Cobos, El Paso County commissioners Miguel Teran and Luis Sariñana — whose offices, along with the homes of other civic leaders, were raided by 75 federal agents last month — and Luther Jones, a former state representative described as “Co-conspirator One.”

Ketner also described Arturo Duran, who was President Bush’s former appointee to the International Boundary and Water Commission, as the “bag man” for several alleged bribery schemes.

All have denied wrongdoing.

Speculation among some community leaders is that the two-year investigation could result in the indictment of 50 people — a number a federal agent said is “not unreasonable.”

Adding to the intrigue is an acknowledgment from current County Commissioner Dan Haggerty that he had met secretly with FBI agents for nearly two years. Haggerty has long been suspicious that county contracts for goods, services and construction were rigged.

There are many aspects of Mexican culture which I find endearing and enjoyable. However, the importation of graft, bribery and corruption is not one of those aspects. I’ve often heard that El Paso and Juarez have become the Wild West of old. Do we really want to import anarchy? I think this is what President Bush, Ted Kennedy, Harry Reid, Lindsey Graham, John McCain….et al…..are looking to do to the United States.

Continue to call your Senators to vote no on cloture for immigration reform – see bill s.1348 (aka s.1639)!

h/t Lucianne

CAII News:

Congress Leads Bush in Race for Illegal Immigration Infamy

Trent Lott…Listening to citizens of the wrong country

Greatest threat to America from inside our borders

The Secure Borders First Act

Immigration Bill Has Reparations for Nazis

Immigration Bill Will Pay WWII Reparations to Alien Residents

Only doing the jobs American’s won’t do eh?

**This was a production of The Coalition Against Illegal Immigration (CAII). If you would like to participate, please go to the above link to learn more. Afterwards, email stiknstein-at-gmail-dot-com and let us know at what level you would like to participate.

Technorati Tags: mexico, graft, corruption, culture, illegal aliens, immigration

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