Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Border Wars

While we were busy watching Michael beat it, Mexican federal troops assumed control over Nuevo Laredo Monday, replacing the local police force in an effort to curtail the spiral of drug trafficking-related violence that has plagued the city of 500,000 on the Texas-Tamaulipas border. Alejandro Dominguez, Nuevo Laredo's newly-appointed police chief, was assasinated last Wednesday after only six hours on the job. Troops will interrogate all 700 local officers, many of whom are suspected of being in the pocket of warring drug lords.

An estimated 600 people have been killed in trafficking-related violence this year, most in border cities. As a result, many affluent Mexicans at risk for extortion have sought refuge in Laredo while American tourists have stayed away in droves. It's going to be increasingly difficult for the U.S. to pretend that a river and some barbed-wire will keep Mexico's turmoil "over there." For a fuller perspective, take a look at NPQ editor Nathan Gardel's timely Huffington Post piece about the "Colombianization" of Mexico.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, we obviously need the help of that patriotic all-volunteer organization, The Minutemen, to help patrol the border!

Aack!

Terri R.

Greg said...

Those Minutemen would quickly be disabused of their ridiculous cowboy fantasies if they tried to go mano-a-mano with drug kingpins instead of undocumented migrant workers. I can't say I'd feel too sorry for them, either.

jennifer said...

I am the proud member of a "money-for-drugs" army of one who is unafraid to cross the border in search of cheap prescription medicine. It will take more than heavily-armed thugs shooting and kidnapping American tourists to keep ME away--because I want those drugs too badly!

Viva Mexico! Viva las pharmacias! Viva!

Greg said...

Damn, that reminds me I forgot to buy cough syrup with codeine in Canada. You can still get it OTC there.

I'm no lean-sipper, but it would be nice to have some around in case I get a cold or have to review something chopped and screwed.

jennifer said...

Greg, you don't have to apologize when it comes to codeine. Sizyrup is God's way of letting us preview a taste of Heaven.

Anonymous said...

that's absurd. God would never make heaven something so impure and unnatural as a "wordly" high