The violence spawned by the warring Mexican drug cartels is serious and deserves serious attention.

Irresponsible posturing and fear- mongering fanned by state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, won't deter an ounce of illegal drugs from coming across the border nor do anything to quell the violence associated with narcotics trafficking.

Blowhards are nothing new in the Texas Senate, but Patrick leads the league this session. The radio talk show host can't seem to fathom that there is a difference between leading and rabble-rousing.

Patrick reported — falsely — on Fox News last week that the Texas National Guard was on high alert for the first time in its history.

Even on the surface, the notion that the Texas National Guard has never been on high alert is preposterous. Guard units are alerted every time there is a potential for a natural disaster and before being activated for federal service.

Granted, the seemingly unending violence along the border is a legitimate concern, but spreading paranoia isn't the way to address it.

The way to address it is to support legitimate law-enforcement efforts to interdict the two-way flow of money, drugs and guns along the Texas-Mexico border. That requires serious, binational cooperation.

José Natividad González Parás, governor of Nuevo Leon, will be in Austin this week to meet with Texas Gov. Rick Perry to discuss the agenda for a border governors conference scheduled this fall in Monterrey.

If Patrick were seriously interested in doing something about border violence instead of just talking about it, he would consult González Parás and other Mexican border governors about what the Legislature can do to facilitate further coordination between Texas and Mexican officials in the drug fighting effort.

Fighting narcotics trafficking requires serious effort. Loose, pandering talk never won any kind of war.