I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by my first visit. The border crossings were easy (by foot) and I didn’t see any “border hustle” going on like I recall in Nogales and Tijuana. There was a bit more traffic on my second visit yesterday and may have encountered a bit of hustle: a legless man in a wheelchair told me to “be careful” as I was making my way thru the border crossing traffic on my way to the pedestrian crossing. Any hustle that starts with “be careful”, is benign in my book. Had I not been in a hurry, I may have engaged him in conversation asking him what I should be careful of. I’m a compassionate soul who’s been a bit steeled by modern life. I can walk or drive past homeless people and pan handlers without too much guilt, but I’ll usually pick one person to help out whenever I visit places where it’s becoming more and more common. A song or bit of entertainment generally helps to grease my wheels, but sometimes when beggars start out with a smile or helpful word, I’ll let go of a buck or two that will make a bigger difference in that person’s life than mine.

Yesterday, I also noticed the large houses you mention in your article. I wondered if they were drug related or if people on that side of the border were actually beginning to be better off with the “off-shore manufacturing” practices in the US. I guess it’s a little bit of both. Good for them. If the US wants to shut down the illegal drug trade, they should stop consuming so many illegal drugs or legalize them. But what really touched my heart in your article was the mention of the Tuesday night vigils. It breaks my heart that people have to die in the desert in an attempt to make their lives better. In answer to that rancher’s question about who cares if a few beaners die in the desert: I do. And I think it’s a sad testament to what’s happening in our country when so few do.

Thanks for posting it.

Lee