By Matthew Casey

So it’s the NFL’s Conference Championship Weekend and my Pittsburgh Steelers (GOD’s TEAM!) will, for the third time this year, face off against the “hated” Baltimore Ravens for the right to go to the Super Bowl.

For the record, true Steelers fans refuse to accept that Baltimore really has a team. Some of us simply refer to the Ravens as the “old Cleveland Browns.” (To be fair, Indianapolis stole Baltimore’s original franchise, the Colts. But two wrongs do not make a right.)

Some of us also refuse to accept that it was Baltimore who won the Super Bowl in 2000. As far as we are concerned, it was the hapless Browns, who after years of disappointment in the “Mistake by the Lake,” finally won the world championship.

Of course, these assertions anger many Ravens fans visiting NFL chat rooms. But instead of searching for something intelligent and witty to use as a response, (aka the fact that Steelers outside linebacker, James Harrison, who was recently voted NFL Defensive Player of the Year, was arrested last summer on charges of domestic violence after allegedly hitting the mother of his child.) they resort to dubbing Pittsburgh as “Pigsburgh” or “Pissburgh.” (Is this the second grade?)

I have written before about Pittsburgh as a town of immigrants and a symbol of what made this country great during the 20^th century, hard mother#uckin’ blue collar work.

Not everyone is aware of this fact, though, and upon spending a day in dark and gloomy Pittsburgh it is safe to say that many would wonder how anyone would want to live there when they could live in beautiful Raleigh, North Carolina, Southern California or Phoenix, Arizona.

Well, my grandfather, a native of Clairton, PA, (One of the small towns that makes up the metropolis of Pittsburgh) a World War II veteran and ex-steel worker and I were standing on a balcony at the University of Arizona in Tucson, waiting for my sister’s graduation ceremony to begin.

I was smoking a cigarette, looking at the sun drenched mountains and enjoying the surprisingly mild May weather when I turned to him and excitedly said, “Pap, look at the mountains, feel the fantastic climate, isn’t this place gorgeous?”

“Doesn’t beat Western PA,” was his grumbled response.

Indeed, Pap.

But of course, his vision of “Western PA” is a vision of a town and a time long past. Pittsburgh, once a town with a population of over one million, is now home to just 250,000.

In the 1970s, when the Steel Industry began its long decline due to the quality and cost of its product, as well as the bankrupting power of its union, (Sounds eerily similar to the Big Three’s situation in Detroit, huh?) suddenly unemployed Pittsburghers began to leave in droves for places like Mesa, Arizona.

But the Steelers, who were in the process of becoming the only team to win four Super Bowls in six years, became a symbol of the town that once was, as well as many exiled Pittsburghers’ last connection to their hometown. (Sorry New England, Tom Brady might be great and able to date, or father children with any Supermodel he desires, but last year’s Super Bowl loss to the Giants secured the Steelers of the 70s as the greatest pro football dynasty in the modern era!)

As a result, the Steelers now have a national following as big, if not bigger than any other NFL team.

You don’t believe me? Check the Nielson ratings for last week’s Divisional Playoff Game against the San Diego Chargers. The Steelers’ game on CBS had more viewers than the New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles game that was held in New Jersey, the official landfill for the media capitol of the United States.

But I digress, the point is that this country has always been great because of the work and sacrifices made by its people. (When my grandfather was drafted, he lost his dream to become a journalist, and instead spent his career working in the Steel Mills before becoming an insurance salesman.)

Now, facing the challenges of a new century, as a nation, we find our collective backs against the wall.

Pathetic leadership, and a “me first” attitude (Can you say, “America’s Team,” the laughable Dallas Cowboys?) must change if we are to survive and maintain our world status.

To achieve this, we need to reflect on our past success and find a way to revive the work ethic and cooperation that allowed us to achieve so much in such a short period of time.

Exiled Pittsburghers throughout the country possess that connection, and whether you love ‘em or hate ‘em, pay attention to the way they support the Steelers on Sunday against the Ravens, because their “Old School” loyalty and willingness to sacrifice for the greater good are what we need to dig our self out of OUR current national predicament.

By Martin Arvizu

I know it is morbid but I occasionally Google “Mexico news” to see if the cartels have gotten to President Felipe Calderon. I imagine the headline would be, “Calderon assassinated by cartels, Mexico descends into anarchy.” Thankfully that has not happened, yet. But according to Fox News, and the military, they seem to think that is a possibility too.

According to the U.S. Joint Forces Command, the “Joint Operating Environment” (JOE) reports that Mexico along with Pakistan is at risk of “rapid and sudden collapse.” The report states that Pakistan is the more problematic of the two. but notes that Mexico’s government is “under sustained assault and pressure” from the cartels.

I hate to brag, actually I don’t, but I have been saying this for quite awhile now. To top it off it seems the military does not realize how bad it is. There is no turning back now unless Calderon wishes to negotiate with the cartels, which after all his posturing and conservative rhetoric would be impossible. Not to mention the reaction from the United States.

The report also stated that any descent into chaos would demand an American response.

American response to chaos usually involves more chaos. Like I said, the military does not seem to understand how grave the situation is.

I have read plenty of stories where it is reported that the cartels are taking over. The cartels have always been the real power in Mexico. Mexico relies heavily on “Patria Chica,” which means no one in Mexico cares what the Federal government says, and to a certain extent what the governor of the states says either. Patria Chica means you care about what goes on in your own town or city. What happens in Mexico City or at the other end of the country is of little matter.

Drug Lords have long recognized this theme in Mexico and used it to their advantage. Sinaloa, Chihuahua, Baja California Norte as well as many other states support their native cartels. What is happening now is not only the various cartels’ response to government intervention, which by the way allowed and benefited from the business, but also the cartels response to their Patria Chica being disrupted by others.

Only one thing has ever somewhat united Mexicans from all regions and classes: the most deplorable transgression against Patria Chica imaginable: United States intervention.

By Martin Arvizu

In what is a sadly and symbolic gesture by the United States Border Patrol, Friendship Park, a plaza that allowed Mexicans and Americans to gather at either side of the border, will be demolished to make way for a dirt road and a fence, making it off-limits to the public. The park, according to the story by Elliot Spagat, reporter for the San Jose Mercury News, was dedicated to former first lady Pat Nixon in the 1970s. According to the story the park actually held religious services and yoga classes for people on both sides of the border. It is actually a rather beautiful idea which will now be turned into the opposite of what it stood for. What was once a place for conciliation and integration will now be replaced by something intended to create the opposite.

According to the story, Mike Fisher, the Border Patrol’s San Diego sector chief said that the park was being used to pass drugs and immigration documents. “The whole area, from a threat and vulnerability standpoint, was being exploited by criminals,” he said.

I am not sure if Mr. Fisher is aware of it or not but a lot of areas along the border are being exploited by criminals, as well as migrants.

U.S Reps. Susan Davis and Bob Filner, both San Diego Democrats, along with state and local officials attempted to have President-elect Barack Obama and his team to keep the park open, but apparently to no avail.

I have been to San Diego, twice, but unfortunately never visited the park which supposedly sits right on the ocean. It is really, truly sad that such a place which I imagine had a great view and represented one of the more righteous and just aspects of human nature had to give way to our darker, more insecure side.

So criminals exploited it? That is what criminals do. They find ways to break the law. I am sure they could have simply placed border patrol agents there to monitor any illegal activities. Criminals exploit any area they can use to make profits, but not every place they exploit is torn down.

I would hate to believe that the Border Patrol is sending a message to Mexico and Mexicans. I know that the Border Patrol has lost agents to drug dealers and other criminals. They have had rocks thrown at them by people in Tijuana and are understandably frustrated by the porous border and the inefficient matter that the federal government had dealt with it. I hope this is not some sort of payback as the only people hurt by it will be those Mexicans and Americans who used this park for the purposes it was intended, and not the criminals who will simply move further down the border to continue their activities.