drug wars | Ain't Complicated

Be Careful in Sonora and Sinaloa

I learned a few minutes ago (thanks, Google Alerts!) that, as of yesterday, there’s a new travel warning for Mexico. (Sonora is of particular interest to me partly because I share responsibility for some people there.) Here are some portions of the travel warning, followed by a link to full deal, which includes sections addressing other states:

The Department of State has issued this Travel Warning to inform U.S. citizens traveling to and living in Mexico about the security situation in Mexico.

[…]

Millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year, including more than 150,000 who cross the border every day for study, tourism or business and at least one million U.S. citizens who live in Mexico. The Mexican government makes a considerable effort to protect U.S. citizens and other visitors to major tourist destinations.

[…]

There is no evidence that U.S. tourists have been targeted by criminal elements due to their citizenship. Nonetheless, while in Mexico you should be aware of your surroundings at all times and exercise particular caution in unfamiliar areas.

[…]

Due to ongoing violence and persistent security concerns, you are urged to defer non-essential travel to the states of Tamaulipas and Michoacán, and to parts of the states of Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosi and Jalisco. Details on these locations, and other areas in which travelers should exercise caution, are below. Read it all

Yesterday’s News

I saw three stories last night.

Central Oregon man stuns cheesemaking world at contest

A Brazilian-born cheese maker who traced an unlikely path from Silicon Valley to a former pumice mine near Bend just captured one of the most prestigious prizes in his profession.

Flavio DeCastilhos’ flagship goat cheese finished second in the 2009 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest, considered the Academy Awards for U.S. cheese makers.

By all accounts, the accomplishment is extraordinary.

Astronomers catch a shooting star for 1st time

For the first time scientists matched a meteorite found on Earth with a specific asteroid that became a fireball plunging through the sky. It gives them a glimpse into the past when planets formed and an idea how to avoid a future asteroid Armageddon.

Last October, astronomers tracked a small non-threatening asteroid heading toward Earth before it became a “shooting star,” something they had not done before. It blew up in the sky and scientists thought there would be no space rocks left to examine.

But a painstaking search by dozens of students through the remote Sudan desert came up with 8.7 pounds of black jagged rocks, leftovers from the asteroid 2008 TC3. And those dark rocks were full of surprises and minuscule diamonds, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Nature.

Headline correction: They found it.

How nice that they can look into the past. 😆

U.S. to blame for much of Mexican drug violence

“Our insatiable demand for illegal drugs fuels the drug trade. Our inability to prevent weapons from being illegally smuggled across the border to arm these criminals causes the death of police officers, soldiers and civilians,” Clinton told reporters during her flight to Mexico City.

Obviously she didn’t read (yet?) this or this.

Oh well.

Mexican Army: Wish Them Well

The UK Mail Online reports:

Thousands of Mexican soldiers pour into the country’s most violent city in crackdown on drug gangs

Armed to the hilt, they came from land and air, determined to restore order to Mexico’s most violent city.

Nearly 2,000 Mexican soldiers and armed federal police poured into the border town of Ciudad Juarez last weekend.

The city – just across from El Paso in Texas – has been ravaged by drug gangs. Just this month 250 people were killed there by hitmen fighting for lucrative smuggling routes.

The soldiers’ mandate is clear – and ambitious.

‘This is to reinforce the operation in general … to eradicate kidnappings, extortion, assaults and homicide,’ army spokesman Enrique Torres said.

The soldiers are the first contingent of as many as 5,000 troops and federal police being sent to Juarez.

President Felipe Calderon’s military operation is supported by the United States, which is concerned the violence could destabilize Mexico, a key trading partner, and spill over the border.

Mexico has deployed some 45,000 troops across the country to try to crush drug gangs, but clashes between rival cartels and security forces killed around 6,000 people last year.

Read it all

Borderline Perspectives

So here’s the story: Drug violence spins Mexico toward ‘civil war’.

And here’s the piece that provokes this post:

…the United States helps fuel the violence, not only by providing a ready market for illegal drugs, but also by supplying the vast majority of weapons used by drug gangs.

Victimhood in international relations — great.

How about an alternate rendition?

…~~the United States~~ Mexico helps fuel the violence, not only by providing a ready market for ~~illegal drugs~~ weapons used by drug gangs, but also by supplying the vast majority of ~~weapons used by drug gangs~~ illegal drugs.

Interesting, no?

So…do I (and/or you) do this sort of thing in my our own communicating?