Baja California is bankrupt financially and morally as is
California and the USA. Just like in California,
service employees in Baja are being given
IOUs, cut back hours or are not paid at all, all the while Government is
expanding budgets and
contractors, so this presents a burden on everyone else as fewer and fewer have any money and fewer seem to understand the purpose of a minimal role of Government in a
Republic.
People, and in turn Governments, turn to whatever they can for money to pay bills and eat. Morals are apparently a flexible trait. People passing through are targets for a little money through unfair police stops, rip-offs etc... Drug war violence is something different. In most cases the victims are touched by violence either by being involved or by refusal to be involved which results in their demise-
yet everyone is a participant and is affected by their denial or complicity. This is less common in BCS than the SF bay Area where killings are common nearly daily. Yet you see it rarely affects kitesurfers.
In 2008 Bush signed the
Merida Initiative or Plan Mexico which provided 1.6 billion over three years to fund cooperative efforts in Mexican drug routes, intervention, training and equipment. The first payment was 400 million in 2009 and payments have continued. Obama recently pledged an additional
600 million to co-opt the National Guard on the border. I understand
Government Money is also allocated to News Reporting, Bloggers and border reports... The Merida initiative followed Bush's signing of the
SPP agreement and NAFTA.
The result is an increase in shipments, murder and corruption... and lies. Go figure.
If you are reading the news you will have read thousands of reports on Banks involved in funding cartels, money laundering, CIA corruption, DHS corruption and a continuation of the policies that created
Iran-Contra which funded CIA dumping of Cocaine and Crack in LA to fund a private militia, those
same people are still appointed to office and their crimes were officially
forgiven. Yet most people are in denial that these are the policies yet you can read it daily. This is called
cognitive dissonance, when something doesn't make sense you may rationalize it, it's okay or a rare accident while obviously the actions are coordinated and well planned and executed. You hear it programmed every day-
do not tolerate outrageous conspiracy theories-yet it's obvious that drug war history is a result of coordinated action as opposed to a series of accidental mishaps by random individuals.
Institutional involvement is far more wide spread than many would rationally accept, yet it is reported daily. Why is it that Americans remain so naive, so blind to the USA complicity? The drug war is a
highly profitable Institutional circle, - > drug production-money laundering-banking loans based on illicit deposits-military industrial complex-policing-prison system-slave prison labor-cartel power.
Drug routes are published, the only thing that changed is the
transport mechanism (does anyone recall reading in elementary school about 'Golden Triangle' China opium routes for thousands of years), opium from Afghanistan is increasing under our oversight, who, what, where, it's all the same and never ending and its a massive economic engine that certainly isn't all fueled by
Ricky 'Freeway' Ross in a 70's van.
So, institutionally the entire region from Canada to Cabo is fueled and run by corrupt drug runners from top to bottom. How this affects you depends on whether you happen to be in the wrong spot at the wrong time, it seems that going kiting is the safest place to be, so far.
If you care about it and your future investigate it, educate yourself and speak to the issue in your community.
Here are general links to stories in the news
Terms to search could be
BCCI drug money, CIA drug plane, Military train Zeta, CIA Mexico drug, banks launder drug money, CIA funds drug trade, etc... ad infinitum. You would have to be living in a closet to not know about the US Military/Institutional involvement in the mega-trillions of dollars fiasco. Ask about Mena Arkansas, Venice Florida, Afghanistan... US military in Costa Rica... why?
I believe that with an expanding consciousness and awareness of the world around you, individually and collectively, by refusing to be complicit in any supporting actions, we can reduce the negative affect of the circle of drug violence and corruption simply by refusing to support it in any incarnation. Perhaps focus on developing your own interdependent circle of influence, cooperation, home gardens, local credit union banks, local community services etc... each individual is the highest point of the human chain, the Government and institutions are your servants and you control them by your decisions about what you buy and whether you give them power or not.
Baja is safer than most cities in the USA.
Do your own research and make up your own mind. Stay balanced.