Although they are still under house arrest wearing ankle bracelets, they are out of solitary confinement. They are away from the perils of prison but they are still not free to speak. Once the month long thumb twiddle leading up to their release is complete, we can hope that they will be permitted to return to a normal life.

We can also pray for their safety and the safety of their families as there are elements in our society that do not honor border patrol agents who do their job with integrity. Unfortunately, some of these elements appear to be in our own government. We have seen the Federal Prosecutor going out of his way to convince the media that these two men were more of a danger than the drug dealer they shot. In my humble, but accurate, opinion, prosecutors and other government officials who penalize these front-line warriors for doing their job and hand cuff them in their pursuit of our safety are a far greater hazard then anything these gentleman could be accused of doing.

Have we really entered the time predicted in the Bible when evil is called good and good, evil? It appears so, but we need to look into the background of the problem. Across the border, the drug lords are exerting more and more influence through bribery and intimidation. The Mexican government is fighting back… but they do not appear to be winning. It also appears that through fear and intimidation or bribery, the Mexican citizens themselves are protesting the crackdown on the border outlaws.

Back on our side of the Rio Grande, we see increasing violence from an increasingly brazen criminal army. Ranchers who defend themselves and their property are called into court. As with some of our trade agreements, it seems that the welfare of our citizens is secondary to some larger agenda. An agenda that is, perhaps, paid for by people with resources far above amounts our poor taxpayers can afford. Could this be a reflection or extension of activities on the southern side of our border?

When Phoenix has the second highest kidnapping toll in the world, those who would try to tell us that Mexico’s problems are not spilling over into our country have absolutely no credibility with this writer. One must wonder if the media types pushing this view have to be seen as incompetent or downright corrupt.

For some time, many in our country have been trying to push Christian values further into the background. The more they succeed, the more of this lawless behavior expands, comes to light and is accepted. No matter how much they cry otherwise, it is for the good of all that Christians provide their salt and light in public affairs. It is not just for our own comfort and benefit but for the good of those around us. We saw Jesus as our example… he came to meet our needs, not his own benefit.

We need to get over the idea that public involvement is all about us. Standing up against evil in the public forum is no less honorable than responding cries for help from a rapists victim. For those who believe both are wrong… may God bless them and let us all hope we never have to depend on them. For the rest of us, we need to look at ourselves to see if we are going around lighting candles or merely cursing the darkness.