The news is all about the "Arab spring" in Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, and Tunisia. Well, maybe we should be paying more attention to
this one .
On Sunday thousands of Mexicans marched in the capital, Mexico City, to demand an end to the “war on drug trafficking” launched by President Felipe Calderón. They view it is an absurd war that has cost 40,000 lives. Similar protests were held across the country.
The March for Peace With Justice and Dignity that culminated in the capital made demands on the authorities and on the criminal gangs to put an end to the violence. The protesters think that organised crime has infiltrated the government and that there is now a “co‑opted state” – a “rotten state”. The war on drug trafficking “is not supported” by the people, according to the Catholic bishop Raúl Vera. The protests are supported by the Catholic church. “We Mexicans must shout a categorical ‘stop!’,” said the Mexican Episcopate Council.
Calderón’s government has reacted negatively to the protests. The public security minister, Genaro García Luna, said it was “unthinkable” that the fight against the cartels might be wrong. Calderón boasted that he had “the law, reason and force” on his side.
The problem is, President Obama has been groveling to president Calderon since Obama came into office. In September of last year, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said
These drug cartels are now showing more and more indices of insurgency; all of a sudden, car bombs show up which weren’t there before. It’s looking more and more like Colombia looked 20 years ago, where the narco-traffickers control certain parts of the country, not significant parts.
As you might suspect, Calderon went ballistic. President Obama went of Spanish language television to assure the people that Secretary Clinton didn't know what she was talking about. In turn,
Calderon had praise for Obama :
I think the one who best-corrected Secretary of State Clinton was President Obama, and he did it very well. In Colombia, not just 20 years ago, but still now, there are parts of the territory that are controlled, dominated by and governed precisely by criminals and guerrilla forces. In Mexico there are NO parts of the territory in the hands of criminals.”
“It is very painful for Mexico that such careless statements are made … so careless, not responsible, as those by Secretary of State Clinton, because they damage Mexico’s image terribly. Yes, we have problems; yes, we have some things. I think the main thing in common with Colombia is that we are both countries that suffer the results of drug use in the United States. Both countries are victims of the enormous American consumption of drugs and now, in addition, of an exacerbated sale of arms from American industry.
Clinton kept her job, but the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Carlos Pascual, was forced to resign after pointing out that only 2% of those arrested in Ciudad Juarez were ever actually charged with a crime and prosecuted.
Gary Johnson, in the debate last week, pointed out that 90% of the problems associated with drugs were related to prohibition. Yeah, I know, alot of people consider him a goofball. Well, maybe people ought to start paying attention.
Onward and upward,
airforce
