Mexico's new gov't follows old drug war strategy

[Judi Lynn]

Mexico's new gov't follows old drug war strategy
Published: August 18, 2013 Updated 9 minutes ago
By KATHERINE CORCORAN — Associated Press


MEXICO CITY — With the capture of two top drug lords in little more than a month, the new government of President Enrique Pena Nieto is following an old strategy it openly criticized for causing more violence and crime.

Mario Armando Ramirez Trevino, a top leader of Mexico's Gulf Cartel, was detained Saturday in a military operation near the Texas border, just weeks after the arrest of the leader of the brutal Zetas cartel near another border city, Nuevo Laredo.

Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong took his post in December saying the strategy of former President Felipe Calderon to take out cartel leaders only made drug gangs more dangerous and violent. The new administration would focus less on leaders and more on reducing violence, he said.

Yet the new strategy appears almost identical to the old. The captures of Ramirez and top Zeta Miguel Angel Trevino Morales could cause a new spike in violence with battles over leadership of Mexico's two major cartels.

More:
http://www.islandpacket.com/2013/08/18/2636100/mexicos-new-govt-follows-old-drug.html#storylink=cpy

[Guaguacoa]

1. Things have actually gotten worse here.

Pri is referred to the narcogobierno. Crime has shot up, but televisa does not report it near as much as they support pri. Prices have shot up. Gas has gone from about 2.82 a gallon to somewhere in the 3.40's and is scheduled for an increase every month. Last month our whole phone and internet was stolen 3 times We had service 3 days. This is the main cable for the WHOLE PUEBLO. Assaults on women have shot up, but they were always high here in mexico state.

Things are far worse, but with the media not reporting in support of "que pena nieto" people in places like the us think it is going down.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Good grief. Denied the simplest form of communication, too. Phones!

That government-serving corporate media really sounds familiar here in the US, Guaguacoa.

Have also heard a lot of journalists get killed in Mexico when they dare try to print some remnant of the truth.

Gas going up. Mexico has a lot, too, right?

Have been hearing about the monstrous femicide going on there for years, also. Have also heard about it in Guatemala, I think, but Mexico really wins the prize on this atrocity. I don't get it, just don't get it. That's so sick.

You may not have heard, but there's a high incidence of murder of indigenous women in both Alaska, and in Canada which has been going on for a very long time. It appears the people who are vulnerable are those who are not well-connected socially, or materially, and can't afford any kind of security, and must go out on the streets on foot for employment, shopping, etc.

Didn't know about PRI's strong identification with drugs.

Thanks for the information in this post. It's good to see your comments again. Recall your and your wife's remarks on racism in earlier posts.

[Guaguacoa]

3. Thank you Judi Lynn

Here in mexico state, the most populated state in mexico, pri buying the election was in the open. They painted people's house (pri colors) for free for their vote. They gave out full backpacks for votes. They gave out cards with pesos (couple hundred) for votes. The people give a copy of their "efi" and thats all it takes. Pri are thugs, prices and crime goes up.

Femicide. Yes, unfortunately our women have it very rough. A friend was raped and robbed a few weeks ago and about two days ago a young girl walking down the street had her crotch grabbed in plain site by a man. Mexico state even has more women killed than juarez.

The police will not come if you call them. With complaints on crime the police started setting up road blocks. The problem is that the police do this on their day off with no pay. They make their money from shaking people down and catch no criminals.

My beloved country just gets worse when pri is in.

Yes, we have plenty of gas and it's owned by the government to supposedly keep it affordable. It's gone up over 50 cents us a gallon in a short time with more increases coming. When it goes up it NEVER goes down.

48% here make 2200 pesos a month or less, 89% 6000. or less. Right now it's 13 pesos to a dollar. The increasing prices hurt, but mexico is VERY biased toward the businesses and no protections for the people. Even more with pri. Pri has "owned" mexico state for some time now and we now have the worst streets in mexico.

Sorry, just venting.

[Judi Lynn]

4. PRI must be completely relaxed about its power in Mexico,

to be conducting so many corrupt acts publicly concerning vote-buying.

These examples are completely brazen. It makes PRI seem untouchable by the law. That DOES mean they are far too powerful, should have been blocked so long ago. Can't imagine what it would take now to start making the system honest. Looks as if they should feel shame over this at some point.

What is an "efi"? From the context I imagined it must be the hand-written signature of the person whose vote the PRI is buying.

I looked up Mexico State on a map but couldn't find anything which explained which one it is. Is it Coahuila?

It's good to read your comments. Thanks, a lot.

[Guaguacoa]

5. Pri is VERY relaxed as everyone with money

is behind them.

An efi is the id card used here for voting. If someone has a copy of it they can place your vote, pi sets up stands in all neighborhoods with a scanner and trades stuff for votes. They have stacks. It's legal to give stuff to voters here in mexico, but not in turn for the vote. It is hard to prove, a claim was filed and it was investigated and dropped.

Mexico state (estado de mexico) is right next to distrito federal (mexico city) and the most populated state. We live an hour from mexico city. The population is about 15.5 million and pri concentrates here heavily along with mexico city. Mexico state is very poor, most wash clothes by hand (as do we), do not have heat (gets below freezing a good part of the year), and several hundred thousand do not have electricity. That's the way pri works, the money goes to them and their supporters.

Thank YOU Judy Lynn, for your posts and interest in us.

[Judi Lynn]

6. That news about the conditions in estado de mexico regarding electricity,

available warmth through cold times is horrific.

The corruption draws the money which should have built the infrastructure off to political allies, and politicians themselves. Well, that really sounds like the right-wing here. There are struggling with every bit of energy they've got to privatize everything, which would put us all in the same boat.

Clearly that's ok with the oligarchs, as they do have the ability to remove themselves from the struggle. We know they do it EVERYWHERE they can. It's their evil nature.

Both our countries need to see democracy born where we live.

Washing clothes by hand would take so much time, and take so much physical energy. Overwhelming amount of work.

Being unable to count on even minimal amounts of heat during the cold times is spiritually overwhelming. It can make a person depressed. Coldness is cruel.

Changing the subject, learning you and your family live near Mexico City, aside from the politics we've heard about there, concerning Presidential elections, I'd like to mention that the pyramids are so overwhelming to so many of us who've settled for staring at photos for so long, wondering so much about the people who were there before, and before that, etc.

There must have been so much history destroyed when the country was invaded. I am convinced if it hadn't been for the destruction of what was there, we would have an entirely different view today of life as it was then. I hope archeologists, anthropologists will sometime gain breakthroughs which will reveal far, far more than we know right now.

How the conquering world didn't make way to allow the information to remain is a monstrous crime outside the actual evil they inflicted upon the people themselves.

I would imagine without electricity, adequate heating, etc., roads, and all kinds of needed improvements are just a dream, too, at the moment.

You've given us all so much to think about. Won't be forgetting it. Thank you.

[Guaguacoa]

7. Well, the gasoline and electricity

is NOT privatized, controlled by the government and nothing can be done. Electricity goes out a lot and is weak. Telmex though is private and just as bad.

Yes, mexico state is just an example many are without electricity, there are pueblos that only sporatically receive water. Those controlling out water sell much of it to private companies....reporting it does no good.

Many of the beautiful things were destroyed and taken, unfortunately the government does nothing now to protect these things. Even the neighboring pueblo has ruins and one day they will be gone because of no protection. Artifacts were found in this pueblo, but with no protection they get sold off. Our ruins and artifacts need protection and upkeep.

Thank you also.

[Bacchus4.0]

8. +1, most utilities in Latin America are public I believe n/t

s

[Guaguacoa]

9. May I say with all due respect that you are a sweetheart for being so concerned.nt