Pubdate: Wed, 11 Mar 2009 Source: San Diego Union Tribune (CA) Copyright: 2009 Union-Tribune Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.signonsandiego.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/386 Note: Letters from newspaper's circulation area receive publishing priority Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/mexico U.S. SHOULD MAKE MEXICAN DRUG VIOLENCE A PRIORITY, LAWMAKER SAYS WASHINGTON - A top Republican lawmaker criticized the Defense Department yesterday for not making the drug violence in Mexico as big a priority as Afghanistan and for not coordinating U.S. resources to confront it. Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, told the Associated Press that the Mexican turmoil is "a lot more important, in my own judgment, than Afghanistan at this moment." He added: "We need to raise this to a higher level." Lewis praised the Homeland Security Department for deploying unmanned aerial vehicles to track human activity along the U.S.-Mexico border, but he criticized the Pentagon for not providing helicopters to help patrol it. You can't chase these people around in trucks," said Lewis, the ranking Republican on the House Appropriations Committee. Navy Cmdr. Jeffrey D. Gordon, a Pentagon spokesman, said the Defense Department has been working with Mexican officials on ways to deal with shared threats along the border, including training and equipping counter-narcotics forces. Since 2008, about 7,000 people have been killed in the Mexican drug wars, and the violence is spilling into U.S. cities in some parts of the country. There have been reports of drug cartel members settling scores with adversaries in places such as Atlanta, Phoenix and Birmingham, Ala. It doesn't just involve Mexico and Mexicans, it involves our kids dying in cities all over the country," Lewis said. "Every major city in the country is being impacted by these cartels." Lewis and other lawmakers yesterday hammered the need for U.S. agencies to do a better job of working together to secure the border and keep the drug cartels from spilling their violence into the United States. Most weapons the cartels are using come from the United States, said Mark Koumans, deputy assistant secretary for the Homeland Security Department's office of international affairs. Koumans testified before the House appropriations homeland security subcommittee. Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, complained that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is inspecting only 5 percent of the 7,600 federally licensed gun dealers in Southwestern states. He asked that Homeland Security agencies take over this role if ATF can't do the job. Homeland officials testifying yesterday said they did not have the authority to do this. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin