Here’s an interesting nugget quoted in this Andrew Sullivan blog post:

Former Arizona State Attorney General Terry Goddard decries the false promise of border security in Arizona as an effective barrier against a drug-trafficking enterprise that runs 24/7. In two terms as Arizona’s top law-enforcement official, he targeted smugglers by following the money. He dismisses the entire “secure border” concept as “nonsense,” and urges Washington to face reality.

“The wall is about symbolism; it’s not about protecting the border,” he said. “If you really cared about shutting down the cartels, you would start with the money. You would keep them from having the resources to beat us every time. I expect the cartels to use drones next. They have unlimited funds.”

At first, the idea of drug cartels flying drones into United States targets seems insane. But, I could see it happening. I can see how just the symbolism of the act would be hard to resist for drug cartel hidden away in the folds of Mexico. (Ask yourself this: “what would Scarface do?”) And it’s likely a lot of people would cheer seeing the United States getting a taste of its own medicine.

But the bigger story here is the idea of technology, particularly weapons technology, becoming so available that an organization like a drug cartel can credibly start to employ it. We’re sitting around here worrying about semi automatic rifles, but in the next 10 years, the real problem could be bio weapons in subways, or bombs dropping out of the sky on American cities. And then what? Will the US then effectively go to war with chunks of Mexico?