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BadBeagleBad
Joined: 23 Aug 2010 Posts: 1186 Location: 24.18105,-103.25185
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 5:29 pm Post subject: |
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Yes, it is becoming increasingly clear that the entire northern third of the country is probably best avoided, especially travel by bus or car. Safety issues aside, you don�t really save any money, if that is what you had in mind, by the time you buy food, pay for gas, maybe sleep over a night or two along the way. |
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Samantha
Joined: 25 Oct 2003 Posts: 2038 Location: Mexican Riviera
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 5:39 pm Post subject: |
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As the DL says, it's not really to be pinpointed to the border or any particular geographical region. Realistically no particular area can be declared as safe or unsafe, since trouble cannot be predicted (contrary to the US State Department's recent and many advisories) and can surface anywhere, in a variety of forms.
What the expats here do is travel in and out of Mexico in little convoys. That seems to work well for them. The Green Angels supposedly have some sort of an "escort" program that you might look into, or try to find someone who might be driving across at the same time as you do. There is a website where people were entering their travel dates in order to match with another traveler, but I haven't looked at it in awhile to see if it's current. If you are interested, I will dig it out for you. |
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laconic
Joined: 23 May 2005 Posts: 198 Location: "When the Lord made me he made a ramblin man."
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the peanut gallery
Joined: 26 May 2006 Posts: 264
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Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 2:02 pm Post subject: |
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Welcome back! I hope you enjoy your return to this lovely country.
Sound advice all round. I have also recently returned to the country and although it still has all the things i used to love, there is an undercurrent of fear that violence can happen to anyone at anytime. This wasn't the case even just a couple of years ago.
Mexico has never really been a place where the rule of law is enforced as it should be but now there is absolute impunity for criminals and a notable deterioration in territorial control of the north by the government. Best err on the safe side and fly in. |
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the peanut gallery
Joined: 26 May 2006 Posts: 264
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Dragonlady
Joined: 10 May 2004 Posts: 720 Location: Chillinfernow, Canada
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Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 9:29 pm Post subject: |
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Last edited by Dragonlady on Fri Oct 07, 2011 4:47 am; edited 1 time in total |
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AGoodStory
Joined: 26 Feb 2010 Posts: 738
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Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 11:22 pm Post subject: |
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Dragonlady wrote: |
wrote: |
... I would love to hear what everyone thinks of the statements made by the author, without getting into any Mexico/USA bashing. |
IMO, this was one of the better opinion essays I've read on the subject.... that is, right up until the very last sentence. That one sentence alone changed everything - destroying whatever objectivity Mr. Stewart (may have) intended. Just who are these 'we' he refers to?
Final grade: F
Regards,
DL |
Really--an F? Ouch! I'm not sure I would assign an F to a well-written and cogently argued essay because I disagreed with it. Perhaps just a bit of an overreaction? It seems to me that a thoughtful, unemotional reading of that final sentence might suggest a less offensive meaning to you.
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Dragonlady
Joined: 10 May 2004 Posts: 720 Location: Chillinfernow, Canada
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2011 2:56 am Post subject: |
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Last edited by Dragonlady on Fri Oct 07, 2011 4:46 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Samantha
Joined: 25 Oct 2003 Posts: 2038 Location: Mexican Riviera
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2011 3:06 am Post subject: |
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Okay, no fair! You have an annual Salsa Festival (AND Carnaval)??? Sheesh. |
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Dragonlady
Joined: 10 May 2004 Posts: 720 Location: Chillinfernow, Canada
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2011 3:43 am Post subject: |
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Last edited by Dragonlady on Fri Oct 07, 2011 4:46 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2011 3:45 am Post subject: |
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I think I'd give it an F too, though for less superficial reasons than Lady D...a good article that only barely hints at some deeper causes.
In a nutshell, much still boils down to money...and how much of it is at stake in the drug trade. We all know that Mexican officials (and Mexicans in general) earn a lot less than their northern counterparts, so no matter what level of training, equipment, or patriotic duty people are given here, the amount of cash incentive for being corrupt is always going to be a major draw to the dark side.
Stewart notes "In the United States there have been local cops, sheriffs, customs inspectors and even FBI agents arrested and convicted for corruption." I think this point is not to be overlooked since it undercuts the idea of 'culture' as culprit. There is so much money in the trade that people are bought off on both sides of the border, just that it takes less to do so over here.
A couple of other stories this past week that tie in well to this are the massacre in Peten, Guatemala and the discovery of several hundred illegal migrants crossing into Mexico from Guatemala. One, the actions taken by the Mexican government over the last 5 years are moving the violence south into Central America and two, the cartel and government focus on human smuggling is having a secondary effect on the same issue, which is the border. |
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Samantha
Joined: 25 Oct 2003 Posts: 2038 Location: Mexican Riviera
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2011 3:54 am Post subject: |
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Quote: |
Mi casa es su casa |
With all the excitement over your way, a road trip just might just be in order! Afro-Caribbean festivities sounds like good fun. I'm willing to leave the Banda music at home for a change of pace. |
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Dragonlady
Joined: 10 May 2004 Posts: 720 Location: Chillinfernow, Canada
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2011 3:56 am Post subject: |
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Last edited by Dragonlady on Fri Oct 07, 2011 4:45 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2011 4:01 am Post subject: |
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Dragonlady wrote: |
Good points Guy.
Which may or may not bring to mind something else that's been bugging me lately... a close similarity between the sudden capture and slaying of P/Obama's arch enemy and the sudden spectacular arrests of key players in the P/Calderon's ongoing video game - both so close to election time, don't you think?
Regards,
DL
Hey, guys turn that music down! We're trying to be serious over here!
Right... no ice in mine. |
US elections are still 18 months away...Obama will have lots more to fight over than Osama's death (which happened on my birthday...big stuff always happens on my birthday). As for Mexico, quick question - who is the PAN candidate (since Calderon can't run again?). |
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Dragonlady
Joined: 10 May 2004 Posts: 720 Location: Chillinfernow, Canada
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2011 4:18 am Post subject: |
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Last edited by Dragonlady on Fri Oct 07, 2011 4:44 am; edited 1 time in total |
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