Dear Editor,
We have had a lot of discussions and arguments on the root causes of all the violence on our nation’s streets. Whether we want to admit it or not, in the past ten years about one thousand citizens have been killed in a clandestine war waged here on our streets.
The casualties of this war are sometimes innocent bystanders who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. This seemingly senseless violence has affected our very livelihood, the way we live, the way we do business and worse, the way we see our future.
I used the term “seemingly senseless” because there is rhyme and reason to this madness. In most cases parents bear the blame and sometimes we hear, “It takes a village to rear a child” or “Citizens are not doing enough.” The fact is, citizens don’t have guns and besides, it is extremely difficult for an honest citizen to obtain one legally, and besides, we are supposed to be living in a civilized society and are supposed to be protected by law enforcement agencies.
During President Calderon’s visit to the United States of North America, there were frightening allegations from Mexican Authorities that over one hundred thousand firearms had been recovered that were illegally imported into the United States of Mexico and that about half of these were high-powered assault weapons.
Have we made any attempt to trace those that have been confiscated in our nation? Our people need to be informed on what steps have been taken. Hillary Clinton in her campaign said that a truly democratic government is one that keeps its people informed.
Let us take a brief look at the facts that we have. For years, various drug cartels have been using our nation as a stopover point for cocaine transshipments. Each cartel has its own cross-section of our society who helps to facilitate these transshipments and deal with any problem along the way. While payment for this facilitating is sometimes made in cash, most of it is made in kind, i.e. a few kilos of coke.
Naturally, what we then have are at the least two different groups of people holding each a few kilos of cocaine which when sold on our streets net handsome returns; much more than can be earned being a shop assistant, secretary, carpenter, mason etc.
The problem is that our population of consumers is not large enough to purchase and consume the commodity. The solution for each camp is to fight for its share of the market. And how is this done? Simply by eliminating the competitors. And this is where the guns come in. Of course there will be collateral damage along the way, a housewife here or a child there.
A war on drugs is a war on drug dealers. Let us meet with our neighboring authorities from the North, South and East. Let us concentrate on the problem at hand. Let us do the moral thing, the right thing to make our countries free from this pestilence in the nostrils of God. Let us get support from the various segments of society including our religious bodies. This war is the real thing.
Thanks,
(Signed, but please withhold my name.)