10/23/2013:
S: 11:46pm
E: 12:29am
I thought about skipping today’s entry but decided against
it. The worse, for now, in this blog is
every-other-day. It is almost midnight
and I need to sleep so I will make this short.
I sin, I sin every day, but I’m not going to write about
that. I think everyone sins at least
once a day, unless the person makes a super-conscious effort not to.
Yesterday, I went to the UTEP Centennial speech by famed
Ricardo C. Ainslie about “Lessons from Juárez and the Future of Mexico’s Drug
War.” He first describes the history of
the war, mistakes made, and some possible solutions. I attended this seminar as an extra credit
assignment. I am also required to write
a paper. Since I’m too lazy to rewrite
what happened, I’m going to copy-and-paste the 1-page summary that I wrote:
Distinguished speaker and psychologist Ricardo C.
Ainslie spoke at UTEP about the history of Mexico’s Drug War, using the city of
Juárez as an example, his analysis of the government’s response, and possible
solutions to ending the violence.
This paragraph
will cover a brief history of Mexico’s Drug War. In December 2006, parts of Mexico were under
control of the cartels. The Mexican
state decided to fight back. However,
there are problems with this strategy.
The Mexican Federal Police (PJF) numbered only 7k-8k at the start of
Calderón´s administration. The municipal
and state police forces were thoroughly corrupted. The Mexican Army (240,000) was not trained
for police work. And, the judicial
system is dysfunctional. From year 2007
to 2012, 11,182 people have been killed in Juárez. The average victim male and 15-25 years of
age. Many people and their families died
because they can’t come up with extortion money. The federal government’s response to send the
Army further compounded the situation with accidental killings and roadblocks
which made life hard for the average citizen.
Ainslie suggests
that there should be more programs like “Todos Somos Juarez” that offers a
comprehensive plan of increasing police budget, offering quality education,
universal health care, drug addiction programs, and public spaces that has been
demonstrated to reduce the violence in Juarez.
He also stresses that the primary objective of the War on Drugs should
not be to stop drug trafficking but to have the Mexican citizens live in
peace.
-
It’s very sad that these things happen. Drugs are not the main problem. It is just a symptom of a greater
problem. The main problem, I feel, and
there are many fronts to this issue, is the lack of love in this world. If people were to love God and to love their
fellow man more, the drug problem, like my gaming problem, will be
lessened. People would think twice about
committing such horrific acts because they would still have a conscience.
As a future social worker, I can see multiple issues in this
war. Poverty and lack of economic opportunities
is a big issue. When times are hard,
some people turn to crime and illegal ways to survive. They seek membership into the cartels to make
a living. Government corruption is
another factor. If more people in the
government were to put serving and protecting the people above themselves, the
tide would turn more against the cartels.
I’m not saying everyone in the Mexican government is corrupt; there are
many good people in the government who is trying earnestly to help. Every country has people who are corrupt and,
by corrupt, I mean people who place themselves above the good of society. I remember one of my soldiers had corrupt
drill sergeants when he was in basic training.
The drill sergeants would actually sell passes to soldiers so they can
take cigarette breaks, get more sleep, eat donuts, and even sex (he said the DS
were selling the lunch ladies). I have
to be honest. Basic training was really
hard and if my drill sergeants were to sell sleep time, I could sleep
forever.
I could write more but I too need sleep, so I’m going to
sleep. When I’m trying to sleep, I also
enjoy imagining things. A common theme I
would imagine would be fighting. I would
recreate myself as a fighter (if I’m lucky paladin) in a fantasy land. I would try to fight against evil but because
of my sins, I would make mistakes and sometimes I would have to beg for
mercy. I would sometimes imagine myself
as a ranger, using both the bow (and crossbow) and sword. In that character, I prefer ranged combat and
to hit-and-run because I’m disadvantaged at melee. In spiritual terms, ranged combat is like
prayer while melee is like talking or dealing with people. My strategy, since I dress lightly, is to
outrun my opponents and then shoot arrows again. Other times, I try to imagine that I am in
the Temple of God praying but it’s hard to imagine that.
Ok, I think you get the idea. I also dream a lot which is good. Good night.
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