The change was telegraphed - in with the new with a new Mexican president and out with the old. And it still amounts to glaring admission of error. Mexico's president, Enrique Pena Nieto, recently announced a change in strategy in that country's deadly struggle with drug cartels. Notable in his six-point plan is the creation of a 10,000-member force to bring law to municipalities and states that are without effective enforcement against organized crime. This new effort will reportedly target gangs and cartel criminals - not top cartel bosses. [continues 507 words]
Mandan armas. Compran drogas. Gente muere. After one last poem, Mexican Poet Javier Sicilia said he will not write poetry again, following the murder of his son, Juan Francisco, 24, yet another innocent victim of Mexico's drug violence. But to speak to Sicilia about what might be done about this is to be served up some poetic simplicity. Allow me to synthesize: Send arms. Buy drugs. People die. This is the gist of what he said in an interview by cellphone Wednesday as his caravan - the Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity - traversed Texas. It started in San Diego, Calif., and will end in Washington, D.C., with a stop this evening in San Antonio. More on this in a bit. [continues 483 words]
What do the following items have in common? * We have embarked on yet another attempt to eradicate the coca crop in Colombia, a country beset by civil war. * Law enforcement drew a direct link recently between terrorism and the drug trade, moving beyond those ill-reasoned TV spots and arresting suspects in the Midwest who were allegedly funneling proceeds to terrorist groups. * Proposition 203 on Arizona's ballot in November would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use and set up a system for the state to dispense and regulate the medicinal use of marijuana. [continues 608 words]
Here's an exercise in difficult choices. • Tony, a cocaine addict, has been suspended from work and told he can't return until he completes rehab. But he hasn't completed his six-month probation and has no health benefits to pay for rehab. He is about to become homeless. • Sherry is a battered wife whose husband has just blackened her eye and cracked one of her ribs - again. She flees with her three children but finds there is no room at the shelters in her community. [continues 609 words]
