I am the U.S. and I'm addicted to drugs

On Friday March 27, 2009 , in the editorials of the Austin American Statesman there was an article titled, I am the U.S. and I'm addicted to drugs. The article talks about a the drug war that is taking place in Mexico and filtrating into the United Sates and how most the fault leans on the demand the United States has placed on drugs.

The author writes for a mature audience, since the main topic is illegal drugs and illegal gun smuggling. The main focus of this article I believe is to inform American citizens about the consequence of the use of illegal drugs and how the demand of such substances are affecting the well being of many bystanders in Mexico.

The author starts the article by talking about Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's comments about the shared responsibility between the U.S. and Mexico in the fight against drug trafficking and the violence it provokes.

The credibility of this author is uncertain since there is no name on this article, but I think he makes a great point in showing how this drug war in Mexico was started by the United States, and how it has been going on since the Nixon's presidency in the 1970s. The author makes a great statement on how the demand for drugs in the United States continues unabated, and that as long there is a market for the cocaine that passes through Mexico and the marijuana it produces, someone will sell it and deliver it.

The author seems to be in favor of more U.S cooperation, and bring excellent points on how Mexicans are wary of U.S. intentions and especially sensitive about talk of militarizing the border, which evokes images of 1846 and the U.S. invasion of Mexico that resulted in that nation's loss of what is now the Southwestern United States.

The most important fact of this article to me is that Mexican president Felipe Calderón's term ends in 2012, and that he is constitutionally barred from seeking re-election. So the clock is ticking on his presidency, and there is no guarantee that his successor will continue the march against the cartels with the zeal Calderón has shown.

I think the author makes great points in this articles and does a great job at organizing the information. I think this is a great article and can inform many readers about the magnitude of the war on illegal drugs.

Bill to shame women

I found this article in the Austin American Statesman, Ultrasound bill is an outrageous intrusion by the Texas Legislature, Under the editorials section.

The writer started the article concern with how State Republican leaders are making sure that the culture wars continue to rage. He said First came the spurious voter identification bill in the Senate that opened this year's legislative session. Now comes an intrusive bill mandating that pregnant women seeking an abortion be force-fed information designed to humiliate them.

This antiabortion bill will require an ultrasound before an abortion, which the writer adds that already is performed on every woman seeking an abortion because it's medically necessary. The writer seem quite upset at the provision that anti-abortion information be read to the woman before the procedure, that the ultrasound image be described in detail and that the heartbeat be audible.Such information can't be refuse in this bill before an abortion.

In my opinion the writer is upset with republican leaders in the legislature and is writing to a non republican, liberal audience. The writer is also very concerned with the humiliation of women and how many of them are already traumatized by an unexpected pregnancy and the decision to have an abortion.The writer also seems upset on how the States of Texas leaders are so protective of abortion but are always grudging when it comes to extending insurance to children of the working poor. What threw me off is how the writer closes with a whole different bill that aims to prevent teen pregnancies by teaching sex education. Which he argues is more effective than humiliation.

I totally agree with the writers point of view on education rather than humiliation to reduce the number of abortions, but the writer took this issue too personal to close it with an agreement on a different bill going on to oppose this one. I think that the main issue for the writer is woman's rights not teen education, and that for people trying to fight this bill there should be a bigger emphasis on what goes behind an abortion that would make this bill be inhumane. I also feel that there is a lack of facts besides the humiliation of pregnant woman that readers that are man or women never been pregnant can agree with. I think the article is good article, but the structure in my opinion could be better.