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Down in Mexico, the word is homicides. Unfortunately, there are too many of them.
As of Thursday, 128,923 homicides had been registered under [President Andrés Manuel] López Obrador, with more than two years left in his term, which ends in December 2024. This compares with 156,066 under the six-year term of Peña Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, Mexico’s former ruling party that for 71 years governed promising paz y tranquilidad, peace and tranquility.
Homicides under López Obrador have also surpassed the number during the government of his detested foe, Calderón, whose government recorded an estimated 120,463 homicides from 2007 to 2012. The numbers were compiled by The Dallas Morning News, using data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, Mexico’s official census bureau.
Calderón had declared war on drug cartels just after he won the 2006 election by a hair. Election observers approved the vote, but López Obrador called it illegitimate, leaving Calderón without a strong mandate. Critics maintain Calderón’s war was an effort to legitimize his weak presidency by rallying the country through what now seems like a never-ending war that’s cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
As for the economy, it's hard to open your store if criminals are burning cars or transportation vehicles. Security is a must, and sections of Mexico are not secure.
As for President López Obrador, he needs to reconsider his approach. He started out by preaching “Hugs, Not Bullets” or, an approach to cartel violence that focuses on so-called root causes, such as poverty and injustice. Obviously, the hugging ain't working because the criminal elements are not appreciating the embraces or exchanging their bullets for Valentine's Day cards.
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación dominates fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking and has already eclipsed the notorious Sinaloa cartel. CJNG’s high-tech tactics include terrorizing local police forces with their drones.
Down in Mexico, it's time for President AMLO to stop hugging and do a little punching.
Dear President LO: Turn turn turn or the Mexican people will turn on you. And don't forget to copy President Biden and tell him to get serious about the border, too.
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