Surprise! DOT knows there's a drug war in Mexico after all

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has seemed oddly oblivious to the dangers of opening the border to Mexican trucks. Never mind the unsafe trucks and drivers who don't have to meet U.S. safety standards. There's a DRUG WAR going on in Mexico, a war that has killed 40,000 people since December 2006. Sane people who read the news wonder how America would benefit from making it easier for violent drug dealers to move product in our country. They might also wonder what we're "trading" as part of this trade deal, since there's no way American truck drivers will risk their lives driving in war-torn Mexico.

These concerns have not seemed to bother DOT. Last month Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood blithely announced last month that two Mexican trucking companies may soon get the okay to participate in a cross-border trucking pilot program.

But an inspector general report released last week shows U.S. transportation officials are well aware of the
terrors awaiting Americans who venture into parts of Mexico. Under the law, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is required to inspect trucks onsite in Mexico before letting them into the pilot program.

Looks like there's no way in hell they're sending federal officials into Mexico -- who, by the way, are forbidden by Mexican law to carry firearms.

Here's what the inspector general had to say (and if you don't have your decoder ring, "PASA" stands for "Pre-Authority Safety Audits"):

FMCSA officials informed us in June 2011 that they intend to comply with the law for conducting PASAs and compliance reviews, but have not developed plans and safeguards for conducting PASAs in Mexico. They had previously informed us in April and May 2011 that they did not plan to conduct reviews in Mexico due to safety concerns. FMCSA's policy for conducting PASAs does not address where PASAs will be conducted.

We can't decide if we're reassured that DOT is actually aware of conditions in Mexico, or even more alarmed that DOT is going ahead with opening the bodrer despite knowing of those conditions.