Ciudad Juarez Welcomes Troops, Atlanta Welcomes Cartels

The mayor of this desperate border town, Jose Reyes Ferriz, announced that killings were already down 90% since federal army troops had moved into the city. Which means that they are experiencing a homicide rate of around one or two a day, down from the ten plus they had been seeing. The soldiers haven't had much time to set up, but a respite such as this is one that has many residents breathing easier.

The city has put out a large public awareness campaign instructing its civilians on how to interact safely and efficiently with the new troop forces. These instructions include passing through checkpoints smoothly. The government wants everything to go well during the troops long stay. The mayor admitted that they were unsure as to the duration of the operation.

Most of the citizens of Juarez were accepting of the presence. The general feeling is that as long as killings go down, troops are very welcome. There were 6290 drug related killings in Mexico last year, with many of those falling in Juarez. The proximity to El Paso has not done much to bring this spate of killing to light here in the US. Even the story of the Daughters of Juarez, where over 400 women were raped, murdered and left in the desert outside the city, barely caused a stir far from the border.

So, the situation is dire and the mayor has called in the national army. Will this be effective? The army needs to be called in because the police force has failed. It has failed through corruption and it has failed in the face of stout opposition. The public has lost confidence in the police force. Even when a police officer is killed in the line of duty, there is no public outpouring of feeling as in the US. Why? People are never sure if the officer died doing his job, or died due to involvement with a cartel.

In the past, when the Mexican army has been called in to deal with this sort of situation, it has struggled with the same issues as the police. The Economist ran a story last year on this topic. So, I won't beat it to death here. The question I wish to raise is this.

What will it take for the US citizenry to recognize the problem our southern neighbors are struggling with, and how long will we wait before we admit that it's largely our addiction to illicit drugs that brought them to this point?

Well, maybe when the cartels start causing major issues stateside? Hello Atlanta. This wonderful town of Coca-Cola, UPS and... Ted... has had some pretty serious problems when it comes to the cartels operating within their city limits. Mexican drug cartels have decided that Atlanta is useful for distribution, just like a lot of other businesses. Except for they are using it to supply the entire east coast with illegal drugs, not delicious bubbly beverages. There was also a US citizen among others decapitated in Tijuana... The impact needs to be felt in America in places other than Atlanta and Texas. Despite what these regions may feel about themselves, most people do not pay a whole heckuva lot of attention to them (being from Iowa, I sympathize.)

So, how can we help? There are some out there that think that legalization of illegal drugs would help. As a matter of fact, I believe that was a major thrust in a recent Economist. As far as that all goes... I doubt it would be much help. The main argument used is that prohibition of alcohol led to crime, so, the illegality of our modern day drugs is what causes the current level of crime. The thing is, prohibition led to homebrewers doing what they do best. We weren't establishing long pack-trains to bring in beer from Latin America (rum yes, beer no.)

There are a lot of issues involved with the legalization campaign, and a great many factors are completely ignored by proponents. The simplest solution then, is to stop using drugs. Stop smoking pot and snorting blow. When a celebrity gets caught, hold them responsible to the fullest extent of the law. The reason the war on drugs has failed (in some respects) is the lack of effective enforcement. If I were caught with some marijuana, my punishment would probably be steeper than if Lindsay Lohan were caught with copious amounts of cocaine. So, stop using the drugs, drink some beer if you're feeling stressed, and don't pour money into the hands of criminals. That should help.

In the meantime, pay attention to what's happening south of the border. These are trying times for Mexico, and the role the US plays in the coming years could completely reshape our relationship with Central America. If we offer a stabling hand, no strings attached, we could be welcomed back into the hearts of our neighbors. If we use their instability to make controlling inroads, we will lose their faith yet again, and the turmoil will continue.

Also, go UNI. It hurts to say that, but Iowa's team is terrible, endemically, so go UNI. I wish you the best.

Peace.