Submitted by Yardbroom
More than 28,000 people have been murdered in Mexico, since President Felipe Calderon began to wage war, using the Mexican military and Mexican federal police against drug cartels which started in 2006. The numbers seem too large to grasp in a non-military to military context, but broken down and closely examined with the faces of men, women and children behind the numbers, and the circumstances of their demise…bellows a warning of what some seek.
A mere 2649 miles (approx) lies Ciudad de Mexico from Barbados, some would venture to suggest it is in our backyard, but I think not. Why would I bat away such a suggestion.
Some 72 Central and South American illegal immigrants were massacred on a ranch some 100 miles south of Brownsville, Texas border. It was the third time, according to an AP report that Mexican authorities had discovered “large masses of corpses”. In May, 55 bodies in an abandoned mine in Taxco, a tourist town.
In July the discovery of 51 corpses in a field near a trash dump of Monterrey. On August 24 the APF reported a mini-massacre, at least 19 bodies discovered in a mine in the outskirts of Pachuca. About two weeks ago gunmen slaughtered 17 people at a party in the northern Mexican city of Torreon. Note 19 murdered is relegated to almost a foot-note, “a mini-massacre”.
“In footage posted on YouTube dead men’s heads have been roughly hacked away from their torsos, which are hanging upside down across the room on meat hooks, their blood draining away onto white floor tiles. This footage was posted after 12 headless bodies were dumped onto two ranches in Mexico’s south-eastern Yucatán Tan peninsula.” – Time CNN World Sept 8, 2008
Guatemalan Representative Otilia Lux de Coti is quoted: ” We have testimonies of the Kaibiles hacking off the heads of living people with knives to terrorize communities”. I have not mentioned that the Zetas drug cartel appears to be the main player in these atrocities, it matters not to the dead.
Welcome to the reality of illegal drugs, cartels and drug barons; some believe that if drugs are legalized the people who terrorize communities in Mexico and other such places would simply become model citizens melt away and all would be fine and dandy.
There are some even here in Barbados, who believe that if illegal drugs were legalized – I speak now of marijuana – it would be easy to have a spliff, a few beers on the beach and what is the harm in that. Police resources could then be better employed in catching real criminals, they say.
When those within our borders talk of the legalization of drugs, I simply ask for whose benefit. They say it is only marijuana, it is not addictive, and big business and Government are against the little man because there is no levy of taxes, the small man is being victimised.
If we fail to keep the wolf from the door, we will eventually wade through our own blood and the keepers at the gate would have been long corrupted, and be part of that evil trade. I say if drugs were legalised the main players with wealth, influence and power would ensure they control the routes of supply and the supply itself. They would fight to ensure they have a satisfactory market share. The bit players who believe they would have a major part of the action would be blown away in the dust and the general populace would pick up the tab for the ensuing mayhem…and that would be quite a tab, which could be spent in more productive measures to help the community.
The United States is supplying $67.5 million as foreign aid to Mexico to combat drug trafficking, this coupled with Mexico’s resources has not made a dent on the social melt-down occurring in Mexico…think of poor Barbados.
To those who say the legalization of marijuana in Barbados is appropriate, in the belief that all will be sweet and dandy. I say be careful of what you wish for, the state that now exist although not perfect will be a minor event in comparison to what will engulf us; breakdown and terror. There are some waiting in the wings; eager to gorge themselves on the blood of others, and drugs is the oxygen that feeds their appetite.
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.