Video: Arizona wildlife area along Mexican border now a no-go area for Americans? Update: Calderon blames America

Lots of people e-mailing about this story, which is currently numero uno on Fox News’s frontpage. It’s a travesty, to be sure — due to lack of manpower and, ironically, environmental regulations, the feds are seemingly powerless to stop drug violence in the area — but, near as I can tell, it’s not technically “news.” Have a look at this bulletin from the Fish and Wildlife Service’s website regarding the closure of the strip along the southern border of the Buenos Aires Wildlife Refuge. The effective date: October 3, 2006. As Radio Vice Online notes, the actual news (which is unclear from Fox’s story) appears to be that the feds are now expanding the no-go area from the five miles or so inside the refuge to an 80-mile strip along the Mexican border. And by “no go,” I don’t mean that you’re literally not allowed to enter; as you’ll see from the clip below, it’s more of an “enter at your own risk” deal, replete with blaring warning signs of the sort you might see along the perimeter of a bomb range. Arm yourself like that dude who got caught in Pakistan hunting Bin Laden and you should be okay. Exit question: How long before the entire southwestern border needs signs like this? Click the image to watch.

Update: It’s your fault, wingnuts.

In an editorial printed in newspapers nationwide Monday, President Felipe Calderón defended his drug war as vital to the country’s security. More than 23,000 people have died in drug-related violence since December 2006, when Calderón first sent the Mexican military into the streets, according to a government report.

The president directly blamed the United States.

“The origin of our violence problem begins with the fact that Mexico is located next to the country that has the highest levels of drug consumption in the world,” Calderón wrote. “It is as if our neighbor were the biggest drug addict in the world.”

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