Defenders of Mexico bristle and protest vehemently when our southern neighbor is described as a third-world, failed state, or is portrayed as anything but a non-violent paradise.
Pointing out the true nature of Mexico to certain biased folks draws nearly as much disdain as when one points out the obvious insanity in identifying Islam as a “Religion of Peace.”
Advocates for Mexico think the place to be upscale and civilized; thus, they shout “Not fair!” as they blame Mexico’s violent nature on America’s insatiable appetite for illegal narcotics.
Were it not for America, they continue, Mexico would be quiet and content, with almost no violence or crime.
That most assuredly is NOT the case in Mexico right now. As described at Reference 1,this backward nation appears to be in a protracted meltdown:
“Four mass shootings have left 48 dead in a week across Mexico, signaling an unabated pace for drug-related violence in the country's four-year drug wars, which has claimed more than 28,000 lives overall.
The carnage has extended from the southern state of Guerrero to the border city of Ciudad Juarez, by far the deadliest in Mexico and sometimes called the deadliest city in the world. More than 2,600 people have died in Ciudad Juarez this year alone, and "very close to 7,000" people have been killed since intense daily violence began there in January 2008, according to independent researcher Molly Molloy, who keeps a tally of deaths in Juarez.
Here is a breakdown of this week's worst killings, following the coverage of The Times, wire services, and Mexican news sources:
* On Friday, Oct. 22, gunmen stormed a house party in Ciudad Juarez and began shooting, leaving 14 people dead after one of the victims died the next day. The shooters were reportedly looking for a man identified as "The Mouse," but it was unclear whether the man was at the house or if anyone there knew him (link in Spanish). Several of the victims were identified as teenagers, recalling a similar massacre in Juarez in January that left 15 mostly young people dead at a party.
* On Sunday, Oct. 24, 13 people were killed inside a drug rehabilitation clinic in Tijuana after gunmen stormed the building, lined up the victims, and executed them. The mass killing was the worst seen in recent memory in Tijuana, where only days previously the government trumpeted the seizure and destruction of 134 tons of marijuana bound for the United States. A state investigator initially said the clinic massacre could be related to the drug bust, but officials have not elaborated on the possibility since.
* On Wednesday, gunmen approached a carwash in the city of Tepic, Nayarit, and opened fire, killing 13 men. The gunmen, arriving in SUVs and carrying rifles, shot at workers and managers but gunfire erupted first from inside, witnesses and authorities said. The carwash was tied to a drug treatment center.
* This morning, six young men died after a shooting before dawn in Mexico City's gritty Tepito neighborhood. Despite Tepito's notoriety as a hub of black market trade in drugs and contraband, mass shootings are not common within the neighborhood. Mexico City's attorney general said at least two of the victims had criminal records, while the city's government secretary warned that the Tepito incident should not be tied to the massacres in Juarez, Tijuana or Tepic (links in Spanish).
There are numerous cases in recent months of mass kidnappings or discoveries of mass graves, to say nothing of isolated killings or kidnappings in cities and towns up and down Mexico. Early this morning, four people outside Ciudad Juarez died after gunmen opened fire on a bus taking them home from work at a border factory.”
In addition to the carnage cited above, the town of Los Ramones made world-wide headlines this week when the entire police force (14) quit all at once.
As reported, in part, at Reference 2:
LOS RAMONES, Mexico — It’s not uncommon for Mexican police to resign because of attacks or threats from drug gangs. This is quite different.
The entire department in the small town of Los Ramones quit after an attack on the department’s new headquarters earlier this week. All 14 officers resigned one day after the building was riddled with thousands of bullets and grenades.
None of the cops were harmed; they hid on the floor of a back room. One K-9 was killed, however.
Prior to the beginning of 2010, Los Ramones and the surrounding areas were pretty peaceful, but a conflict among drug gangs has escalated. Police departments have been regularly attacked and several mayors have been killed since the start of the year.
How the department will approach the matter going forward is not yet clear.”
Given the violence which haunts Mexico every day, it is astonishing that Mexican President Felipe Calderon would stand before a join session of the United States Congress and take a sovereign American state to task for simply asking certain suspicious people to prove that they are in America illegally, Vi's-à-Vi's Arizona law SB-1070!
Even more astounding is the fact that all Democrats present stood and gave Calderon a standing ovation.
Perhaps President Calderon should concentrate on Mexico’s out-of-control violence, rather than sticking his nose in America’s business?
Reference 1: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/laplaza/2010/10/death-mexico-drug-war-cases.html
Reference 2: http://www.policeone.com/border-patrol/articles/2853085-Entire-department-quits-after-Mexican-police-station-gets-attacked/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
