Mexico's drugs war goes to school - Features - Al Jazeera English Not my favorite news source but the best story about what I heard yesterday on Fox News. You would think there was enough money in Drugs, Prostitution, DVDs, Smuggling, etc. that the bad guys would not have to disrupt the very fabric of their own society.
This makes me very sad. Acapulco was the first place I lived in Mexico (back in 2004 - 2005), and it's hard to believe it's come to this.
It seems that- at least in some parts of Mexico- a tipping point was reached in which those involved in the drug trade turned to extortion and kidnapping, perhaps as their drug networks came under increasing pressure from the Mexican Government. It is a sad development, and hard to stop, given the number of people who formerly made their living from the drug trade- except by the concerted action of a brave citizenry, in alliance with law enforcement. Can they do it? They have no other choice, other than to run..., and for many that's not an option. _______________________ People lived with the criminality in their midst because they could, and it was the easier path for a time: now, the criminals are taking away that option. How the citizenry responds to this new set of circumstances will determine the future of the country, and children will get caught in the middle at times. _______________________
My son was supposed to play in an important (for him in terms of national rankings ) tennis tournament in Acapulco this month- It ha been Cancelled due to lack of security. I get the list of where tournaments are and my first consideration is not "Ho w good are my kids chances of advancing/improving " but "Where is safe".Out of 10 this summer we crossed off more Cities than we had left to consider safe. Going back to Uk becomes more and more attractive every day. Sigh
The cartels have been forced into these new sources of income, by the Federal crackdown. It was suggested that this will never go away, even if the government relaxes its war against the cartels. Reason is that it is too lucrative for them.
Too late now, the foundation is in place....extortion became widespread over the past two/three years and its now going to stay for decades..... Why? because I rather make $400,000 per month by extorting an entire City then say make a million and face extradition. The only way Mexico can crack down on local crime is if it setups a safe and reliable tips hotline and witness protection program but that wont happen, all it takes is one dirty cop per precinct to identify the tipster and pass the info to street enforcers and the tipster is dead, neigbors talk and then no one calls the hotline again. We can all talk about how to fix it....there is no fixing...Govt has to go back to the drawing board but that would mean eliminating domestic corruption, can Mexico eliminate corruption? People dont call in tip hotlines bc the lines are bugged...yes...the lines can be and often are bugged...once upon a time a Cartel had an entire major City bugged, they bugged the national telephone system, imported a one of a kind IBM mainframe system and created algorithm to catch every single time the embassies, DEA, FBI, USCIS, Fed and Local police were dialed...not making it up, its a true story...Cali Cartel. Same crap happens in Mexico...its fun commenting but the reality is Mexican Citizens, those most affected are trapped, they dont have a choice, when they try to do their part for society they usually die by the end of the month, you cant be a witness bc the rules for testifying expose your identity right away or the dirty cop or clerk sells you out. For those that can vote in Mexico, do your research and vote for real politicians and not corrupt crooks, if there are any honest ones left and maybe a decade or two from now things will be better... If you suddenly have a pest problem, you cant just start stomping one roach at a time, you have to address the main reasons why roaches came into your home and then stomp them out. Very sad that teachers, ppl that do not make impressive salaries are also being targeted...
