Anger at the U.S. grows in Mexico over deadly violence from the "War on Drugs"

[marmar]

from Bloomberg:



Mexico's Drug War Veers Toward Terrorism Amid Anger Over U.S.

By Jens Erik Gould

Oct. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Jose Garcia Guerrero was celebrating Mexico's Independence Day in Morelia's town plaza when he heard the metallic clang of a grenade hitting the ground. Then an explosion knocked him off his feet.

``I turned around and saw total chaos: A lot of people were mutilated, bloody, and there were cries of pain,'' says Garcia, 43. ``Before, you heard about these events in the Middle East, and now they're happening here.''

Garcia's 76-year-old mother, 13-year-old nephew and six others died in the Sept. 15 attack, which the government blames on drug traffickers. The bombing shows how a battle once limited to gangs and police has widened to include terrorist attacks on innocents.

As cartels gain power and the death toll mounts to a record 3,800 this year, Mexico increasingly blames the U.S. for the carnage, which is having a negative impact on the economy. The Bush administration has pledged but not yet delivered $400 million in aid, and critics say the U.S. has done little to stop the flow of arms into Mexico and to curtail demand for drugs at home.

``We're questioning whether the willingness really exists to support our country, given what we're dealing with,'' says Cesar Duarte Jaquez, a member of the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party and head of Mexico's lower house of Congress.

Mexican cartels sell $13.8 billion a year worth of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and amphetamines to U.S. drug users, according to White House figures. Mexico is the corridor for about 90 percent of the cocaine consumed in the U.S. .......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=akDCw.fUKYOc&refer=home