It’s getting beyond heart of darkness in Mexico now.
The reporters were kidnapped after covering a protest at a penitentiary against the arrest of its director. This would be the same prison where three inmates were temporarily released and given weapons by the guards. They murdered 35 people, then returned to their cells.
The kidnappers demanded TV stations show videos saying local officials have ties to drug cartels. Officials say the kidnappers could be from a rival cartel. So, I suppose, could be the officials. The government seems strangely powerless to stop the current descent into madness in Mexico, whether because they are helpless or, as some suspect, secretly aligning with Gulf Cartel against the others.
Somehow, the world needs to turn this derangement around, before it metastasizes and spreads to the US in truly virulent form. Legalize marijuana and maybe other drugs too. Mandate that imported goods must be made by people making a fair wage. Then beef up the border, if need be. But if you do the first two, the border will probably take care of itself.
Dear Bob,
Thank you for your attention to this issue. Indeed, the situation in much of Mexico is desperate, and threatens the stability of the United States.
Many factors have led to the current crisis in Mexico. The rise of violence related to drug trafficking and the cartels is only one manifestation– I’m tempted to wonder, is the problem that many public officials have ties to drug trafficking, or that many drug traffickers have times to a corrupt government?
What you report here, is part of a tide that has swept across Mexico in recent years.
The official statistics do not report every incident, but they do show that hundreds of journalists have been murdered.
This reflects a situation in which all institutions of civil society are at risk.
Amid incidents such as the above, the severing of heads has become a powerful, gruesome, and all-too-frequent symbol. It reflects what cannot be said, and what “should not be spoken about” in Mexico.
This situation might be referred to as a crisis of governance and social order. Just over two months ago, the council of mayors declared that close to half the territory of Mexico had fallen out of their and Federal Control.
A month earlier, El Universal reported that the public now has the lowest confidence in the institutions of society, from government and police, to churches and schools, of any time in Mexican history.
A primary cause of decline is economic. In the past quarter-century, Mexico has experienced little economic growth. This is largely due to the failure of the Federal Government to enact basic social and economic reforms.
This failure may be broadly characterized by not providing a truly free, competitive marketplace, tolerance of monopolies, and significant weakening of rule of law guarantees for small businesses and others.
In the links below, Presidential candidate Lopez Obrador outlines our 10-point plan for Mexico, while addressing the dynamics of the current national situation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2GqK_vGEuY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MHHh0piutc
These materials provide a different perspective on the events than what is generally available in the United States, possibly, one that is much more accurate.
Mexico continues to undergo its most difficult hours. As in the events of 2006, we pray your goodwill, and the support of all who have an interest in Mexico.
Kenneth Thomas
Gobierno LegÃtimo de México
http://www.gobiernolegitimo.org.mx/