13 Mexican journalist have disappeared since 2003: here’s a map of their disappearances. These folks, as Atlantic Cities notes, were most likely killed, but unlike a number of their colleagues, their bodies have never been found. The map was made by Articulo 19. They also made an infographic of instance of attacks on the media with firearms and explosives.
Nothing sadder than knowing that hard-working journalists went missing on a hunt for the truth.
The drug war was mentioned, that’s another war I think we should cancel. That’s where all the violence comes from.Ron Paul, on security along the Mexican border.
An attempt to clean up a big problem: Tanks rolled through Rio’s Rocinha neighborhood early Sunday morning, in an effort to show some authority in the region, which is a hotbed for the country’s drug trade. “We’re taking back this territory for the 100,000 citizens of Rocinha, people who have needed peace,” said Sergio Cabral, the governor of the Rio de Janeiro state. But there’s also a bigger goal happening — officials want to clean up the region ahead of two major events heading to the city in the next few years — 2014’s World Cup and 2016’s Olympics. Roughly a third of the city’s six million residents live in slums — of which Rocinha is the largest one. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP) source
Wow, seriously? Hey, Anonymous, you guys need to keep this up. The drug war is pretty bad and you’re the only guys making headway. (If you need a refresher, here’s the threat Anonymous made against the Zetas drug cartel.)
Where there’s marijuana there’s money. And lots of it. People are using the cover of medical marijuana to make extraordinary amounts of money. In short, (they’re) engaged in drug trafficking.U.S. Attorney for Northern California Melinda Haag • Comparing medical marijuana dealers to drug traffickers — a harsh take, considering medical marijuana is legal in California. The U.S. government is planning a crackdown of medical marijuana dispensaries in the state within the next two months. This actually follows something Eric Holder said about a year ago, when Prop 19 looked like it might have a chance of passing in California. source (via • follow)
Clearly, he knew when he said he didn’t know. Now the question is what did he know and how is he going to explain why he gave that answer.Rep. Darrell Issa • Asking on “Fox News Sunday” why Attorney General Eric Holder gave Issa, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman, a seemingly false answer on his knowledge of Operation Fast and Furious, a failed gun-tracking program. The program has since been tied to numerous murders in the U.S. and Mexico — and the results of which are still showing up in the hands of Mexican drug cartels. Issa wants answers. ”People at the top of (the) Justice (Department) were well briefed, knew about it and seemed to be the command and control and funding for this program,” he claimed. Holder told him during a May Judiciary Committee hearing that he had only known about the program for a few weeks — an answer which doesn’t please Issa, and may lead to him issuing subpoenas to the Justice Department later this week. source (via • follow)
» A sign things are getting worse: The city, once noted as a popular tourist destination, is now one of the drug war’s most violent battlegrounds, and this particular story is no exception in this often-disturbing tome. In this case, the heads were discovered while young students and pedestrians stood nearby, causing panic. But for those perpetuating the violence, that’s not their concern; their concern is power and control. (And apparently, stealing teachers’ salaries.) The police say it’s likely that the heads to belong to five decapitated bodies they discovered on Monday.
With this capture, what was left of the command structure of this criminal organization is destroyed.Mexican security affairs spokesperson Alejandro Poire • Discussing the arrest and capture of Jose de Jesus Mendez, also known as “El Chango.” Mendez is a reported leader of the La Familia drug-trafficking gang, and Mexican authorities accuse him of a number of crimes of many types — extortion, murder, kidnapping and so on. La Familia, a cult-like group, reportedly makes and ships lots of methamphetamine to the U.S. source (via • follow)
Depressing: Super-brave Mexican police officer forced to retreat: Marisol Valles, 20, was called the “Bravest Woman in Mexico” for taking up a dangerous post as a police sheriff. Now, she’s seeking asylum in the U.S. She’s still brave. source