Salem-News.com Mexico articles Page 26

Mexico: The Hour of the Poet

The new movement is spearheaded by a poet saw 40,000 people march through the streets in Cuernavaca, to protest the brutal slayings.

(CUERNAVACA, Morelos Mexico) - There are times in history when unexpected events suddenly alter the social landscape and change the political rules of the game.

South of the border, the 1994 Zapatista uprising in Chiapas, the assassination of presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio and the hotly disputed 2006 presidential election immediately come to mind.

Violence, Tourism and Big Bucks

“There will be checkpoints in all the states to make the tourist who comes feel secure and to give any help that is needed,” - Oralia Vega, Secretaries of Tourism

(LAS CRUCES, N.M.) - As Mexico gears up for its annual Holy Week and Easter Week holiday beach bash, polemics continue to fly over the state of the country’s tourism sector.

At the heart of the debate is how violence and the media’s coverage of it may or may not be discouraging tourism.

Birds, Bees, and Pot -Laced with Paraquat

Another chapter in the illustrious history of Monsanto's 'pay after you're sprayed' (with your life) program.

(SALEM, Ore.) - 'Paraquat' was a scary word for young Californians back in the 70's. It is a chemical the Mexican government sprayed on the country's pot fields. The marijuana was harvested after being sprayed and sold, covered with paraquat. People smoked it and some became very sick.

The percentage of pot crossing the U.S. border contaminated by paraquat was alarming...

Immigration News: Nobody`s War, Everybody`s Struggle

Kidnapping, extortion, torture, even kidney and eye extraction; tough to fight with gangs, police and local residents working in collusion.

(LA CRUCES, N.M.) - Shrouded in burka-like attire, the anonymous woman was suddenly transformed into “nobody.”

Politics/Human Rights News: Acapulco`s Sixth Spring

Daily episodes of narco-violence are only one problem in a city largely popular with tourists.

(ACAPULCO) - Six springs ago, winds of change descended on the old Mexican coastal resort of Acapulco and the state of Guerrero.

In a historic event, an opposition politician, former Acapulco Mayor Zeferino Torreblanca, was sworn in as the Governor of Guerrero.

Border Patrol Agent`s Murder Tied to ATF`s Covert Shipment of Over 1700 Weapons to Mexico

ATF Whistleblowers out 'Operation Fast and Furious'- catch it tonight on Expert Witness Radio.

(NEW YORK / SALEM) - Three federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms have blown the whistle on this covert U.S. program dating back to 2008, that smuggled over 1700 illegal weapons over the border and into the hands of Mexican drug cartels.

It was called "Operation Fast And Furious' and it might be one of the most bitter indictments in American history.

The Columbus Indictment...

Federal Agency’s “Good Story” Spin Conceals Ugly Underbelly of the Drug War; ATF’s PR Gun Busts Perpetuate Drug-War Fairy Tale.

(COLUMBUS, N.M. The Narcosphere) - The ATF is in the hot seat now because of its alleged investigative practices that have allowed thousands of illegally purchased firearms to be smuggled into Mexico by warring narco-trafficking organizations.

An ATF whistleblower contends at least 1,800 firearms illegally purchased in the U.S. were allowed to “walk” across the border.

Love, Hate, Forgiveness, Revenge and Bert

Practically speaking, this is a case where retribution has no place. I will have to choose forgiveness or poison myself with anger.

(NAYARIT, Mexico) - Bert was a mapache... a raccoon. A couple from a nearby town rescued Bert and his brother after their mother was hit by a car. Their eyes were still closed and they were no bigger than newborn kittens.

Bert was killed two weeks ago. A man who had never seen him before and who could not have known that he was tame and a pet killed him with a rock to the head.

Tough Times Persist for Ciudad Juarez Workers

Last week, a group of workers seized a factory and occupied the property after the business closed.

(LAS CRUCES, N.M.) - Employment in Ciudad Juarez’s bedrock maquiladora industry is recovering at a much slower pace than elsewhere in Mexico.

Of 164,590 new jobs created in the assembly-for-export industry during 2010, only 10,271 were located in Ciudad Juarez.

Health News: Cocaine Kids

One agency has reached 51,400 people with prevention activities, and directly helped 320 patients and families.

(LAS CRUCES, N.M.) - On a hill overlooking Zihuatanejo, Mexico, Lesly Narvaez Castanon and her staff wage a struggle against substance abuse.

Opened in 2005, the government-supported Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Youth Integration Center(CIJ) became the first drug prevention and treatment center to serve this Pacific Coast resort located in the southern state of Guerrero.