Borderfire Report

Criminal Executions in Mexico on the Increase

a.b.c.   (Mexico City)  1/16/08
 
(Altamira, Tamaulipas, is just north of Tampico, on the Gulf of Mexico)
This is what was found at Hipolito Cepeda St. # 104, in Altamira:
- 2,894 rounds of ammunition (920 of 5.7x28mm. cal. and 1,720 of .223 cal. being the two most numerous)
- Nine clips for various firearms including assault rifles
- Eight vehicle license plate sets from different states
- "Tactical" gear and clothing
(note: Altamira is where last year's massive, multi-ton cocaine bust took place)
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Cuarto Poder  (Tuxtla, Chiapas)  1/16/08
 
A second load of Guatemalans - and their "pollero" - were arrested in a double-bottom truck. This time 22 of them were passengers in a truck whose driver refused to stop and had to be chased down by "Policia Estatal Preventiva" officers in central Chiapas.
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El Imparcial  (Hermosillo, Sonora)  1/16/08
 
Commenting on the violence in the Tijuana area, the governor of Baja California said that things are very clear: this is war and it isn't possible to retreat even a centimeter since that would give organized crime an advantage. He added that President Calderon had phoned him yesterday morning and had offered him all his support in this war.
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Frontera  (Tijuana, Baja Calif.)  1/16/08
 
1.  At dawn today, residents of Colonia Division del Norte, a section of Tijuana, heard some shots. Then they saw an SUV on fire. Firemen found a body in the back seat. An hour later in the same section of town another bullet-riddled body was found "dumped on the public thoroughfare."
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Entorno a Tamaulipas  (Matamoros, Tamps.)  1/16/08
 
1.   In Ciudad Mier (note: along the Rio Grande, halfway between Reynosa & Nuevo Laredo): 60 packages weighing a total of 655 kilos, 300 grams of marihuana, 84 rounds of ammo of various calibers including for assault rifles.
2.   A Mexican Senator for Tamaulipas said they are looking at the possibility of transferring the Customs function in Mexico from their Dep't. of the Treasury (equivalent) to their Dep't. of National Security.
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Prensa Libre  (Guatemala City, Guatemala)  1/16/08
 
The Guatemalan National Police just went through its fourth massive internal cleansing in the last six months. It brought about the dismissal of 269 officers for various causes including corruption. 190 were rank-and-file agents and the balance of the roster were supervisors of various titles.
The six-month total of dismissals is now 2,514. Many of them were already considered "inactive because they had been consigned by tribunals of justice."
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Excelsior  (Mexico City)  1/16/08
 
note : the following is an op/column titled "Mexico double-parked" by Armando Roman Zozaya
 
All over Mexico, a great number of persons double park. They don't care that traffic worsens, that atmospheric pollution increases, that we get to our destinations late, that some might not be able to move their cars, etcetera; what matters to them is to do as they want. But, beyond the problems directly related to those who double park, the deed by itself is a reflection that, in general, we are always parked that way.
And the thing is that in the double parking line is the one who is a sharp "f***er" because he doesn't pay taxes. Or the one who went through a stop sign and caused others to brake violently. Or the one who is an "aviator" (note: slang term for someone on the payroll but who actually does not work there). (note: the list goes on about "double parkers"...; samples omitted for brevity) Or the one who is a policeman but dedicates himself to kidnapping and extortion. And a long etcetera.
 
We are, then, a double-parked country: we obstruct each other in different ways. Thus, whether on purpose or by negligence, that is, for what we do or fail to do, we spend our time putting obstacles in the way, stumbling. And that is why we do not advance, but instead remain plunged in backwardness, underdevelopment, poverty, isolation, in a society of casts, in corruption, "machismo" and racism.
 
No, it is not the fault of the "f***en" gringos. Nor of the "gachupines". (note: a derogatory term for Spaniards) Even less is it the fault of the World Bank or of the International Monetary Fund or of the "damned" internationals: it is our fault. I am referring to each and everyone of us, not just only those cause by the 70 years of PRI adherents or the seven under Pan partisans.(note: "PRI" & "PAN" are the two largest political parties in Mexico). Certainly, to assume that the government is the only one responsible for what we are is a very comfortable position, but a false one.
 
Thus, to stop being a double-parked country and move ourselves forward it is necessary that we understand that we ourselves are the problem. Likewise, it's important to understand clearly that this doesn't mean we are condemned. Consequently, one must not fall into rationales like this: "Well, that's the way we are, so what?"
 
It is possible to change. Moreover, though evidently no one is perfect, not all Mexicans behave as does the average one. There are even some who are civil, who respect others and who mind their own business without harming anyone else. Nevertheless, the problem is that our culture does not emphasize all that, but the contrary. That is why it is urgent for us to change, which is possible; in other countries racism (and) machismo have been left behind, democracy has taken hold, etcetera, but it will take a long time. For that reason let's see if, once and for all, let's be getting started.
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-end of report-

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