With the Bush Administration apparently determined to push ahead merging America with Mexico, I miss our former Memo from Mexico correspondent, Allan Wall, greatly. He wrote for us last in May from Iraq, where his National Guard unit has been deployed since January. I think of him every time a Humvee is blown up.

So it was refreshing to find on the Mark in Mexico blog (also, apparently, by an American teacher of English at a Mexican school) a witty discussion of that country every bit as acidic as Allan could be. Anyone wanting an historical and analytical briefing on the country GWB appears to want America to marry should read this:

Why is Mexico such a mess? It's the culture. Don't scoff. I live here, remember? Mexicans do not understand the very basics of Rule of Law. They don't understand them and I don't believe they ever will. The single missing ingredient here is accountability. You can steal just about whatever you want to steal here, and if you share the spoils with the political powers that be as well as local, state and federal law enforcement, you can get along quite nicely. Kind of like Chicago

Mexican politicians believe that it is their right to enrich themselves at the expense of their constituents. It comes with the territory, so to speak. Mexicans as a whole are not capable of viewing society as a whole. They do not understand that what is injurious to society is injurious to the individual...A Mexican believes that his rights extend as far as he can push or bully his way... A basic lack of civility abounds.

Let's talk about what the Mexicans call "The Revolution" for a moment...treachery, betrayal, corruption and murder are the highlights of this sordid tale...Through all this agony of death by assassination, death by firing squad, death by hanging, death in battle, exile to Paris, corruption, betrayal and treachery, most of the wealthy landowners remained wealthy landowners and the poor just got poorer...many streets in Mexico carry names like "9 de Noviembre" or the like, to commemorate a massacre or some such incident...I know of no street in the U.S. named "Saigon 1975".

Today, 185 years of corruption at the national, state, municipal (municipalities are like U.S. counties) and city levels is so firmly entrenched that eliminating it would take a Herculean effort that the Mexican people are not capable of making...Mexico...is today, a basket case. Out of control. Ungovernable, except by force and bribery.

Pretty daunting, from an obviously intelligent and well-read man who has lived in the country over eight years. Unfortunately, but not importantly, Mark in Mexico's solution is jejune, apart from

...militarize the border. We blockade it with an airtight blockade not seen since the Civil War (ours)...it is not under our control now, the Mexican government has control...

He wants draconian measures employed to assimilate the Mexicans already here, and a program of annexation and supervision of Mexico's northern states.

Of course, America could not do this and remain America.

Nevertheless, while Mark in Mexico's answer may be wrong, his formulation of the problem is compelling - and chilling.

Hat tip, A Certain Slant Of Light, which itself carried an excellent immigration essay today.