And the trend continues... LINK

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- Coordinated attacks in at least eight Mexican cities killed three federal police officers and two soldiers Saturday in what officials are calling an unprecedented onslaught by drug gangs.


Attacks occurred after arrest of Arnoldo Rueda Medina, a high-ranking member of La Familia Michoacana.

Another 18 federal officers were wounded, the state-run Notimex news agency reported, citing federal police official Rodolfo Cruz Lopez.

The attacks were in retribution for the capture early Saturday of Arnoldo Rueda Medina, a high-ranking member of the drug cartel known as La Familia Michoacana (The Michoacan Family), Notimex reported.

Rueda is considered second in command to the group's two top leaders, Nazario "El Chayo" Moreno González and José " El Chango" de Jesús Méndez Vargas, acting as a "right arm" to Moreno, the secretary of public security said Saturday in a statement.

Among other allegations, he was arrested for his role in designing the hierarchy of the organization, the production of synthetic drugs and movement of marijuana and cocaine to the United States, said Mexico's secretary of public security. Rueda was arrested along with a 17-year-old male who worked for him.

Following his arrest Saturday morning in Morelia, Michoacan, men armed with high-powered rifles and grenades attacked the police station where he was being held, the Secretary of Public Security said.

After failing to win his freedom, members of the group launched attacks in the cities of Morelia, Zitacuaro, Zamora, Lazaro Cardenas, Apatzingan, La Piedad and Huetamo in Michoacan state, Notimex news said, citing federal police.

The three officers were killed in Zitacuaro, police official Eduardo Moran told CNN en Español, while six police officers were reported wounded in Morelia.

Two soldiers were killed in Zamora, shot by men in a passing car as they walked to their headquarters. The Secretary of Public Security told the newspaper Cambio de Michoacan that 25 spent shells from an R-15 rifle and 17 from an AK-47 were found at the scene.

Michoacan is in west-central Mexico, on the Pacific coast.

Another rifle and grenade attack took place near Acapulco in Guerrero state, which borders Michoacan, but no one was injured.

Saturday's attacks came just days after a drug gang in Tijuana declared they were at war with police, threatening to kill five officers every week until Police Chief Julian Leyzaola resigns.

The threat was made in a note found on the windshield of a slain officer's car, news reports said.

At least three Tijuana officers have been killed since Monday, reports said. Leyzaola, a former army colonel, replaced a police chief removed from office in December after receiving numerous threats.

"Leyzaola has become the poster boy for honest police work, which has put the drug gangs on notice," Vicente Calderon, a reporter for the Tijuana Press news agency, told CNN affiliate KUSI.

"They believe he is serious, that he means business and is trying to re-establish the rule of law that has been affecting the city and whole state for many years since organized crime established themselves in Baja [California]."

Tijuana, the westernmost city in Mexico, is across the border from San Diego, California. Sixteen police officers have died there in 2009, and officers are now patrolling the city in groups of six, KUSI reported.

Don't worry about Latin America. The leftists are going to straighten this whole mess out in a year or two. Just as soon as they can correct the backward slide towards stability & peace in places like Colombia & Peru. Tio Hugo, Evo, & Daniel are doing everything they can to put all those pesky bourgeois in their place & free the common man from bondage. Obama knows Latin America is better off in their hands & is going to concentrate on more important security issues like all those evil Bush Administration folks behind the torture issue.

x/S

I came across an ABC video that may be of interest - although it is a bit dated, having originated on Feb. 12, 2009. Chilling.

LINK

Length 7:10. It is a story about kidnapping in Phoenix - according to the piece, Phoenix is now the number 2 city in the world for kidnappings, right after Mexico City.

There are some recordings of kidnappers making telephone calls to the victims' families. The level of violence is surprising, even for that variety of crime. On the positive side, the victims appear to be involved with the drug trade; however, I cannot help but wonder how long it will be before they expand their activities.

This may illuminate some of the thinking behind Arizona's new immigration law.

This stuff definitely gets your attention. I don't like the notion of illegal immigrants bucking the system and consuming resources without contributing etc, but considering the deteriorating system down there, they could be considered refugees from the violence, at the least I have a bit more empathy for them. I wonder at what point it is in the best interests of the US to get militarily involved against the cartels to protect our borders and the stability of our region before having to deal with them on our soil.

or better yet...deal with OUR drug problem in a meaningful way.

When trading in such a commodity, I wonder what would happen if there was no consumer driven market demand for the crap up here?

Richard's jaded $.02 :munchin

Great video.
California Attorney General and wannabe governor Jerry ‘Moonbeam’ Brown has done nothing significant about marijuana growers, illegal aliens or drug trafficking in California.

The war on drugs has been going on a long time. The first use of the term was back in 1969, during Nixon's administration. And yet, the situation never seems to improve. If the media is to be believed, the stuff just gets cheaper and more available...usage starts at younger ages...and the drug culture permeates our society to an ever greater extent.

No disrespect intended, no offense meant, but I cannot help wondering what we can do to fix our problem. We don't seem to have come up with anything over the past 41 years.

For what it is worth: "We" lack the will to do what it takes to solve this problem. We must either legalize and control drugs, or take draconian measures in regard to USERS, not just dealers at all levels. We are content to export OUR problem to other countries, and demonize them for not dealing with it. It is OUR problem. It IS a demand problem, not a supply problem.

We should control our border and control our thirst for drugs. The problems will soon go away.

Ain't gonna happen.

Arizonan killed in Sonora, Mexico
 

http://www.azcentral.com/community/p...o-mourned.html

A 67-year old Phoenix-area businessman disappeared near Santa Ana, Sonora, Mexico on May 3rd. He had traveled often in the area. It appears he was murdered for his truck.

I have traveled through this town many, many times on the way to Guaymas-San Carlos. It is a very well-traveled area.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...PYZPQD9FNFJSO2

LT APNewsAlert
(AP) – 31 minutes ago
MEXICO CITY — Federal prosecutors say former Mexican presidential candidate missing amid signs of violence.



Update:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...I73yAD9FNFNT00

Former Mexico presidential candidate missing

(AP) – 47 minutes ago
MEXICO CITY — Federal prosecutors say a former Mexican presidential candidate is missing and that his car has been found with signs of violence.

The federal Attorney General's Office says it was informed of the disappearance of Diego Fernandez de Cevallos, who was the 1994 presidential candidate of the now-ruling National Action Party.

Saturday's announcement says that that Fernandez de Cevallos' car was found near his ranch in the central state of Queretaro. It says some of his belongings were found inside the car as well as unspecified "signs of violence."

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http://www.stratfor.com/sitrep/20100...anned_protests

U.S., Mexico: Warden Message Issued Regarding Planned Protests

May 14, 2010 | 2102 GMT
ShareThisThe U.S. Consulates in Nogales and Hermosillo, Mexico, issued a Warden Message on May 14 warning of demonstrations set to occur May 14-15 at the Nogales and Douglas/Agua Prieta ports of entry. U.S. and Mexican law enforcement expect the possibilities of traffic disruption and violence to be minimal. U.S. government workers were asked to delay travel through the specified ports of entry.

The longer this goes I wonder at what point we will give the Mexicans refugee status instead of illegal Alien.

We may have procrastinated too long to make any border security/closure meaningful. With any other country we would train and organize the refugees to go back and take their country back. But there's no country to take back.

The Zetas and other groups have too much money and are willing to use too much violence to be counteracted. My great grandfather came to the US because of the same problem. We can't afford another military adventure there, especially being as committed as we are in Asia. I'm afraid the border states are on their own on this one - the feds aren't going to help them out.

I had one of my very bright, illegal, female students (70+% of the really bright ones - the "doers" - ARE female) ask this very question in class on Thursday. She referred directly to Cubans, who may face less oppression, danger, and economic hardship when compared to Mexicans, yet have an easier time getting 'refugee' status. I told her it was probably three things: numbers, proximity-access, and 'holdover' from the " Evil Empire" days.

I'm ready to start the "Arizona Militia" to defend our border! We should reconstitute the "Arizona Ramgers" - with far more than '26 men' to serve as our own Border Patrol. The Feds - and California - can kiss my ass!

I cannot help wondering if defending the border is a practical possibility, although I certainly support the idea.

Mexico has a large population. The Mexican economy is none too good and I am under the impression it is getting worse. Finally, the ability of the Mexican government to maintain order seems open to question. There seems to be a possibility of a mass migration northward.

Rhetorical Question: Are we prepared, as a nation, to take the actions necessary to stop large-scale movements of desperate people? Personally, I doubt it.