Some of the nicest people I've ever met have been Mexican, and I really like their culture, their food, and so on. As such, it pains me to speak this truth: their country is a lawless shithole.

I sold my old PC to one of Ellyn's friends, and not only did the brilliant State workers nearly ship the box all the way back to Minnesota because it had a package of freaking Girl Scout Cookies in it-- Ellyn's friend was able to ream them out over the phone and get the package back on track just in time-- but they ripped the entire PC apart, visibly damaging parts of the motherboard, to the point where I can't guarantee it's not going to short out under power.

Since I don't think cocaine could very easily be hidden in a freaking PCI-Express slot, I can't chalk this up to anything other than deliberate malovelence combined with sheer stupidity. The average IQ in Mexico is a rather sad 88, and I'm sure these customs agents are well below that mark.

Not only do you have the usual universal problem with government bureaucrats, where they are unaccountable as their behavior is not checked by market forces, and where only the most thuggish people apply because it legalizes the behaviors that would otherwise land them in prison-- but in Mexico, on top of all of that, the government workers are utterly vile and corrupt. I can't tell you how many stories I've heard of cop bribing and "civil servant" money laundering I've heard from that place.

In fact, Ellyn's friend-- an actual Mexican-- had me take detailed pictures of the inside of the PC before it was sent, with the explanation: "I give it a 50/50 shot that the customs agents are going to steal components from it."