planet earth looks blue

Years of the US slogan for a ‘war on drugs’, and today we are actually fighting one.  Perhaps a case of you get what you ask for?  With the violence in Mexico from the drug wars spilling over the American border, Obama’s hand has been forced.  We will have to finally face this issue for real.  Over 6,000 people have died, many more kidnapped, often children.  The police are terrorized and are the terrorizers, people are living in fear.  Although this reality has taken years to build up, the American media has recently focused on the violence in Mexico as people have been dying on US soil, reportedly due to the reverberations of the drug cartels, and economies compete for spring breakers’ spending money.  There are four warring factions, all vying for billions in trade of cocaine, meth, marijuana, and firearms to and from the United States.  One was taken down earlier this year, and now a leader of the Juarez cartel, 32 year old Vicente Carrillo Leyva, was arrested.  Vicente Carrillo is not the head of the Juarez cartel, although he did hold some responsibility.  He is the son of Arnado Carrillo Fuentes, a drug lord in the 90’s.  This man, called ‘Lord of the Skies’ made his empire and fortune off of flying jetliners packed with cocaine across the border.  He died during plastic surgery - he was trying to have his face changed.  

So Vicente Carrillo, who hardly looks like the hardened drug baron behind unspeakable violence and terror, and more like a man who has inherited power,  has been taken down.  Now what?  Mexico is reporting that the level of violence is down, although 1,600 people have died since the beginning of the year, nearly double the number of murders in the first months of 2008.  The United States has given funding, weaponry, and political support to the Mexican government.  Mexico itself has sent thousands of its own troops to violent areas.  Money, human life, energy, all expended to bandage a problem with roots in another country.  The American responsibility is twofold.  The Mexican drug war exists solely to fund America’s drug habits.  And most of the weapons coming into Mexico are from the United States.  The question is, while weapons and cash continue to flow like rivers into our southern neighbor, can the situation change?