I am reluctant to write about this because I fear it may not make sense and folks will take it the wrong way. Just to be clear, I am not making a point about race or nationality, but, just a thought about some things that could happen. Kerri said I should write it for her, so, here you go honey.

With the recent increase in hostilities between rival drug cartels in Mexico the United States is beginning to see, for the first time, some of the violence spill over into the southern state's mainstream consciousness. In other words, people are started to get worried. Until now, drug running was something that happened, but, not to anyone you knew or anywhere you went. (Yes, I am showing my background.) But, I think the Mexican and central American countries are having both socioeconomic/political problems and population issues. In short, people are running out of places to live, money with which to live and patience/strength to tolerate the conditions any longer.

It has been a common practice for drug runners to push product into the American market through the southern borders for a while. Recently, however, the hispanic population in these southern states has grown rapidly. Again, to be clear, I am not saying hispanics are drug runners. I believe the large majority of non-American hispanics in America are looking for the same thing I am, a better life. Nonetheless, there are some Americans and non-Americans who really couldn't care for the law any less if they tried. For them, I think nationality and race are meaningless or, at best, trivial. At any rate, as the north-south interstates increase in drug-traffic volumes and the central and southern corridors of the United States see an overwhelming hispanic population explosion a division is being formed.

The idea I am trying to get across is a picture of events happening over decades, perhaps even a century, so, this is not a series of events that would occur quickly, but, over the course of a couple of generations. What I have seen is a situation that could stem from this influx (from the American point of view) or outpouring (from the Mexican point of view) of people. As people flee Mexico into the United States they will have to go somewhere. The people who were where the Mexicans are now moving must go somewhere too. Since racial and social tensions tend to persist from generation to generation, people will typically move in waves. These are population trends and patterns that may emerge based on the events of the past decade.

The best analogy I can think of comes from thinking of a volcano. When a volcano explodes, the cloud of ash and smoke shoots up and divides the sky above the peak in two. Envision the mountain top being just south of Texas. Now, transpose this image of an erupting volcano onto a map of the United States. The cloud is the population explosion and the sky is the current population in the United States. The exodus of Mexican people trying to escape the violence they are surrounded with just want to be safe. But, as they move north and west, so does the violence. This makes them want to move farther north and farther west/east. Likewise, a cloud expands to cool off and restore the balance that has been lost.

Translating this image into practical terms: I see the possibility that the current instability and violence swirling within the center of the central American and Mexican countries as a great source of potential danger. People today are not thinking of a United States divided by a foreign population. If they are, it is not from the same continent and it cannot easily happen. But, that is precisely the idea I see and am compelled to consider. If the drug culture currently warring within Mexico explodes past the southern United States border into Texas, Louisiana, Arizona, California and New Mexico it is very possible that civil order will disappear in the areas where the drug running corridors exist. The center of the United States could easily be invaded by disorganized, guerrilla bands with superior arms and resources. This is not a political or military struggle, not in the traditional sense. Rather, the politics would not be one of nation against nation, but, power against power. This would be like returning to the days of tribal dominance where the strongest group has control over a small area.

If it does, we would have two countries, a western United States and an eastern United States. This type of idea is way past dramatically different from anything I could imagine. But, it is a thought that has come to mind and doesn't seem to go away. So, being a planner, I ask myself, if this comes to past, where will you (meaning me and my family) go? I don't want to live near political and social instability. What will it be like? How will life be different? What would an America no longer primarily divided by the repercussions of slavery and the civil war look like? What would we be if our new great concern was for our very land and nation?

Below are some links that suggest the natural progression of population increase in Texas alone.

http://www.dallasfed.org/research/pubs/fotexas/fotexas_petersen.html