Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mark Brown (e-mail him) isn’t your ordinary wordsmith who works just to fill his allotted space. In fact, he’s downright picky about which issues are worth condemning or defending.

Last year, for example, he used his literary skills to mock dairy owner and senatorial candidate Jim Oberweis for his stance against illegal immigration ("Oberweis serves up10,000 scoops of bigotry," March 10), and several weeks ago he bemoaned the "plight" of a illegal alien Teresa Figueroa who was ordered deported because she had used someone else’s Social Security number to get a job at Micron Industries in Elmhurst, IL, where she was twice honored as "employee of the month,." ("Undocumented worker pays price for immigration policy," April 10).

Brown whined that if only our oppressive federal government had given this church-going, community-minded woman a chance, she would have become "a good American." (By the way, other members of Figueroa’s family also are here illegally. Ditto for many other Micron workers, according to her.)

The other day I dropped Brown a note asking why, after more than a week had passed since Mexican President Vicente Fox said American blacks are lazy, lacked dignity and willpower, his legions of adoring readers had heard nothing from him about this issue.

"What criteria do you have that determines those issues worthy of your outrage?" I asked Brown.

Brown replied, "As the columnist, I get to pick my own spots. Thanks for writing."

I had the privilege of working for 13 years with the late columnist Mike Royko at the old Chicago Daily News, and Mike could get away with saying that sort of thing.

You’ll just have to trust me on this: Mark Brown is no Mike Royko.

It should be no surprise that the millions of Mexicans flooding northward are bringing their criminal values with them along with enchiladas and a willingness to work for peanuts. Some of Mexico’s energetic young fellows have gone over to the more profitable dark side, notably the Zeta group of drug criminals, former commandos with high levels of military training, who have joined up with the Gulf drug cartel.

Predictably, the Zetas are now in the United States, busy murdering people and acting as drug couriers. It is particularly irritating, however, that Zetas were trained at U.S. taxpayer expense:

They were the elite “special forces” of the Mexican military, trained in the U.S. at the School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Georgia and sent to “wipe out” one of the most powerful Mexican drug cartels.

But these soldiers deserted and became the muscle for the very cartel they were supposed to destroy.

What bright light in Washington came up with this bonehead idea? Didn’t the brain trust realize that the big money of the drug cartels would be an irresistible attraction to Mexicans? After all, corruption is deeply rooted in Mexican culture, a fact noted even in the sensitive Washington Post: For Many in Mexico, Bribes a Way of Life. In fact, “The average Mexican household spends up to 14 percent of its income every year on bribing civil servants, police officers and other public officials.” Impressionable Mexican kiddies bribe their teachers to get good grades, with a high school “A” going for around $10. (Slacker kids paid $7 for a “C”, $8 for a “B” — no wonder they want to go to American schools where they get passing grades just for showing up.) So it’s not surprising that Mexicans see crime as a convenient means to accruing mucho dollars.

Beyond the social norm of mordido (bribes — another Spanish word Americans will be learning), Mexicans love their criminals. Drug smugglers and other lawbreakers are celebrated in song where they are portrayed as romantic Robin Hood figures who outsmart the oppressive police. There is a popular musical genre — narcocorridos — dedicated to the admiration of drug thugs. There is even a colorful narco-saint, Jesus Malverde, to whom earnest smugglers pray. Where else but Mexico could a criminal be enshrined as a saint?

Americans should keep these cultural differences in mind as President Bush keeps pushing for a shotgun marriage between the United States and the NarcoState to the south.

Yesterday, Sunday, I was invited to speak at an informal meeting held at Westminster (suburb north of Denver), a meeting of talkshow host (KHNC-AM) Michael Corbin’s audience, held in Jackson’s All American Sportbar.[Contact them here]

60 people attended, ordered food, and I took the mike as one of many speakers. I gave out the ICE tip line to report the Mayor’s restaurant’s hiring of illegals when suddenly, a Latino (now identified as the kitchen manager) grabbed the microphone with me and told me we would all have to leave immediately. We did.

Corbin was told they did not like the topic of my talk. We agreed to reconvene at a nearby city (public) park: Westminster Recreation Center, outside in 90+ degree heat, with many of our audience being in the 70s! As we found some shade, various speakers discussed their particular topics (911 coverup,corporate takeover of governmental process, etc.) a police officer appeared out of nowhere (the parking lot was a 2 block walk from where we convened to say that we had to disperse, that our meeting and topics were “inappropriate” for this PUBLIC PARK!

This will no doubt get some coverage. Corbin will cover it on his show today, Terry Anderson gave Corbin five minutes last night, and Corbin had already appeared on a local station with John Andrews last night. I believe AT LEAST the Westminster Police Dept. violated our rights…..

This Memorial Day weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada, Mark Edwards, host of the Wake Up America radio show, will present the “Stop Illegal Immigration Summit.”

Starting on Friday May 27th, the three-day event will have Congressman Tom Tancredo as its keynote speaker.

Others on the guest list include Bonnie and Bob Eggle, Jan and Bill Herron, Peter Gadiel, Terry Anderson, Glenn Spencer, Joan Molinaro, Lupe Moreno, Angie Morfin, Barbara Coe, California Assemblyman Ray Haynes, and VDARE.COM editor D.A. King.

The summit’s theme is “Unite to Fight.” For learn more details and to see the complete list of dignitaries, visit the “Stop Illegal Immigration” website or call (702) 384-7293