Recently, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenskyy went to the White House to work on a deal with President Trump to continue America’s support for Ukraine independence and sovereignty in the face of a Russian invasion that has gone over the three-year mark.
The visit became a televised drama that saw Zelenskyy surrounded, endure a gauntlet attack and a shouting match begun by the American President and his people who accused him of being ungrateful.
It was a classic case of doing the deed and blaming your opposite. Much of that kind of theater is also being played out with respect to the trade relations with Canada and Mexico.
Canada and Mexico are America’s top two trading partners as well as members of the US-Canada-Mexico (USMC) trade agreement designed to compete with rival economic blocks in the world.
Trump has imposed a 25 percent tariff on all goods coming from Canada and Mexico as a sanction for the inflow of undocumented immigrants and illicit drugs into the United States. The American President has also officially named the drug cartels located in Mexico as terrorist organizations.
Nowhere in the stated position on the drug traffic is there an acknowledgment of American responsibility for this epidemic. The current theater on this issue sounds and looks more like the saying, “the devil made me do it.”
As a child, I listened to many stories about the Prohibition era in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. One that stuck with me came from a person that said that he was involved in supplying a large load of Mezcal and Habanero to a group of influential people who were to have a New Year’s party at a Hotel in Corpus Christi, Texas.
It was a very large load that had to be transported by makeshift boat across the Rio Grande and then by truck out of the Valley to Corpus. The security arrangements organized by the people that put in the order allowed for the truck to travel in broad daylight to its destination.
Who is the blame for the purchase and transportation of the liquor, for the great New Year’s party at the hotel and for the money paid for such extravaganza? At some point the blame game has to come full circle.
A research study in 2023 put the number of illicit drug users at almost 60 million. When Americans are asked who is to blame for our drug use epidemic, 29 percent puts it on the addict, 19 percent on the doctor, 18 percent do not know and 15 percent on the pharmaceutical industry.
The evidence shows that there is a lot of blame to go around in this country. We do not need to go looking for culprits outside our borders.
The 18th Amendment to the Constitution enacted in 1919 led to the development of a powerful and violent contraband liquor industry with wholesale corruption of our public officials as a byproduct. Today, the money generated by American drug users funds the drug cartels and the public corruption similar to Prohibition
Instead of taking the fight to others across our borders, we should be dealing with the question as to why so many millions of Americans love drugs so much that they are willing to bankroll an industry that can only lead to the country’s destruction.
Blaming others for our own shortcomings make for great political theater. Donald Trump ran and won, in part, on this.
That issue however, originated with us. It is for us to look in the mirror.
The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of LaVozColorado. Comments and responses may be directed to News@lavozcolorado.com.
