Although bad policymaking lies at the heart of the financial crisis -- not to mention a host of other fiascos and disasters that have upended countless lives -- it's hard to find a better -- worse? -- example of the unintended consequences of corrupt and misguided government actions than the fallout from the so-called war on drugs.
Instead of making the world a better place, efforts to prevent people from doing to themselves what they would almost certainly do anyway have led to escalating violence and near anarchy south of our border, which is also creating serious problems right here in the good ole USA.
Indeed, it's hard to read the updates from StoptheDrugWar.org, including the latest weekly round-up listed below, and not believe it's only a matter of time before all hell breaks loose -- there and here.
Friday, July 9
In Ciudad Juarez, sixteen people were killed in various incidents across the city. Among the dead was an 85-year old man, and another man who was apparently beaten to death with rocks.
Sunday, July 11
In Ciudad Juarez, three men were killed in an intense gun battle between police and suspected cartel members. The incident began after gunmen attacked a combined municipal and federal police patrol. Several of the gunmen were reportedly armed with grenades.
Monday, July 12
In Nayarit, nine men were arrested in connection with the Sunday killing of two police officers. Several vehicles, weapons and marijuana were seized in the raids, which took place in the cities of Xalisco and Tepic.
In Acapulco, marines captured Aguirre Tavira, who is thought to be head of the Villareal faction of the Beltran-Leyva organization in the city.
In Guerrero, five men were killed during a firefight with an army patrol. Drug-related killings were also reported in Nayarit, Chihuahua, and Nuevo Leon.
Tuesday, July 13
In Cuernavaca, three bodies were hung from an overpass. A note was left at the scene accusing the men of worker for Edgar Valdez Villareal, the leader of a breakaway faction of the Beltran-Leyva Organization. Cuernavaca has seen a drastic surge in violence in recent months as rivals battle for leadership positions in the organization, which was left leaderless after the death of its boss, Arturo Beltran-Leyva, at the hands of Mexican Marines in December. It was later revealed the men had all recently escaped from prison.
Thursday, July 15
In Ciudad Juarez, three people were killed after suspected gang members rammed an explosives-laden car into two police patrol trucks. Two of the dead were police officers and a third was a paramedic. Nine people were wounded in the incident, which occurred just hours after the arrest of a high-level boss in the Juarez Cartel's armed wing, La Linea.
In Chihuahua, the nephew of a governor-elect was killed after attempting to flee from kidnappers. Near Monterrey, four men were found shot dead after being bound with tape and blindfolded.
In a small town near Ciudad Juarez, eight houses were burned to the ground by a group of heavily armed men. Two of the properties attacked in the town of Guadalupe, Distrito Bravo, belonged to former mayors who were murdered in the last three years.
Total Body Count for the Week: 277
Total Body Count for the Year: 6,248
Oh who cares? It's miles away from Rome (Washington DC and New York). And what Caesar and the Senators don't see and directly experience is of no concern to them. However, let this happen in THEIR backyard and they would be working night and day to solve the problem. (Hint: Most politicians are greedy, selfish and are only concerned with being re-elected. To them, talk of killings in Mexico is like the weather report from Cambodia - who cares?)
Posted by: AustinCompany | July 19, 2010 at 10:04 PM