Lessons from Mexico

Earlier this month, Texas executed a Mexican citizen for the heinous 1994 murder of a teenager in Houston. Mexican authorities were quite upset that Governor Perry did not issue a stay of execution. Their beef is that the man was not told that he had the right to contact the Mexican consulate for legal help.

But what struck me as really funny were some of the quotes from Mexican officials. Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan wrote Governor Perry that "Our nations are bound not only by their common border, but also by a mutual commitment to the rule of law." Really? Anybody have any idea how many revolutions they've had in Mexico? Have you read recently about the drug gangs taking over Mexico, running guns, and killing anybody who gets in their way? Did you read about the young man murdered last year on Falcon Lake? I just wonder if Ambassador Sarukhan had a straight face on when he wrote that ridiculous assertion.

One of the murderer's lawyers said, "If the Mexican consulate had been involved at the time, Leal would have had highly qualified lawyers who would have transformed the quality of his defense." Yeah, I'm sure -- just like the ones they provide for the prisoners in Mexican jails.

If I couldn't have come up with any arguments better than those, I think I'd have just kept my mouth shut.

"Mexican's execution is likely." The Dallas Morning News; July 7, 2011; p. 1A.