Lost
in Juarez: Everything America Touches Turns To Death?
05 May 2010By Jane Stillwater
Every day when I open my inbox, I get at least one
press release from various American armed forces in
Iraq, letting me know that some insurgent there has
just been killed or some AQI group has just been
captured. Even now, over seven years after the Iraq
occupation began, our troops are still out hunting and
capturing insurgents and rebel groups there -- and the
bombings are still going on. Does that mean that Iraq
is still unstable? What else am I supposed to think?
That constant stream of e-mails seals the deal.
Then we have Afghanistan, the world's most productive
narco-state by far, source of most of the heroin on
the market today. Heroin is deadly. Worldwide, how
many addicts have died from overdoses or AIDS or
violence resulting from their use of heroin that has
been supplied by American-occupied Afghanistan? One
million? Two million? I can't even begin to guess.
Palestine is another killing field that America
finances. "Why are you always running off at the mouth
about Palestine," I'm always asked. Why? Because
Israel and Palestine would have worked out all their
problems in a manner acceptable to both sides decades
ago if America hasn't kept pouring gasoline on the
fire in the form of weapons, weapons, weapons and more
weapons.
And let's not forget to mention Pakistan, America's
good ally which is now yet another killing field. And
then there's Columbia, home of Latin America's
longest-running bloody war on farmers and trade
unionists, bought and paid for by America the
beautiful.
"I would really like to go back and embed in Iraq," I
keep telling my son Joe and my daughter Ashley, "but,
frankly, I'm just not up to it physically -- the
flight there is just too long for me. 20 hours in the
air? Followed by days and days of jet-lag? Forget it.
And I'd like to embed in Afghanistan too. And also go
and report on the brutal siege of Gaza as well. I'd
like to be everywhere in the world that the action is.
I want to be able to see for myself -- up front and
personal -- all of the places where America's treasury
and America's future are all being pounded down into a
bunch of bloody rat-holes."
I want to go where the blood flows, to bear witness
and to send messages back to America that all this
warfare and bloodshed and killing is not necessary, is
a waste of time and money, does NOT make us safer,
goes against every religion we believe in -- and
doesn't even make sense.
But I'm getting less and less willing to face all the
hassle of interminable plane rides across the globe
and wearisome jet-lag that lingers for weeks.
"Hey, no problem," replied my friend Larry, who lives
in Texas. "No need to travel to the other side of the
world to see American violence and American weapon
sales and American bloodshed in action. You can always
just go down to Juarez."
Ah. So now there's also Juarez, bloody Juarez, to
consider -- where people die as violently on the
streets of Juarez as they die on the streets of
Kandahar or Baghdad.
According to one CNN report, "Tim Crockett, head of
the security firm Pioneer Consulting and security
adviser for CNN, described Ciudad Juarez as 'probably
more dangerous for journalists than the Middle East'."
Probably more dangerous for journalists than even the
Middle East? Yikes!
Remember back in 2007 when I embedded in Iraq and the
Army told me that if I left the fortified Green Zone
area and walked across the 14th of July Bridge into
Baghdad itself, I'd most likely be dead within five
minutes? Well, according to several articles that
Larry just e-mailed me, there's almost exactly the
same situation happening in Juarez right now. Juarez
is a war zone. Juarez is a failed-narco-state. Juarez
has insurgents, a military build-up of American
weapons, American occupation advisers who run a
surrogate war from DC and terrified citizens who keep
turning up dead.
"But the beautiful thing about Juarez, Jane,"
continued Larry, "is that Juarez is only five miles
from Texas. You could hop a plane in the morning, fly
to El Paso without getting jet-lag, be inside a war
zone in time for lunch -- and be getting your head
blown off by dinnertime." Plus it wouldn't be too hard
on my poor knees -- and I wouldn't be required to
bring a flak jacket either. Sign me up!
PS: Here's a headline from a Los Angeles Times article
that Larry sent me on the subject, just in case you
think I might be exaggerating: "Mexico under siege,
the drug war at our doorstep." The Times then goes on
to state that 45,000 troops have been deployed so far
and that 10,031 people have been killed. "That's more
than the U.S. fatalities in the Iraq war." http://projects.latimes.com/mexico-drug-war/
And here are some more articles from Larry:
From the Overseas Security Advisory Council: The U.S.
State Department has issued a warning about Juarez.
"Mexican cartels battling for control of drug
trafficking routes cause widespread disruption in the
city and state."
https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=113317
From Current News: Gunmen murdered 19 people this
weekend, including two U.S. citizens associated with
the American consulate. http://current.com/news/92323550_in-juarez-mexico-gunmen-murdered-19-people-this-past-weekend-including-2-us-citizens.htm
And here the Huffington Post seems to be hinting that
America is losing the drug war in Juarez as well.
Shades of Afghanistan! I wonder how many drug addicts
in the U.S. have died from drugs illegally imported by
the Juarez cartels?
"Sinaloa takes over Cuidad Juarez: After a two-year
battle that has killed more than 5,000 people,
Mexico's most powerful kingpin now controls the
coveted trafficking routes through Ciudad Juarez. That
conclusion by U.S. intelligence adds to evidence that
Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman's Sinaloa cartel is winning
Mexico's drug war.... [The] Sinaloa cartel has edged
out the rival Juarez gang for control over trafficking
routes through Ciudad Juarez, ground zero in the drug
war. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/../sinaloa-takes-over-ciudad-juarez_n_531378.html
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