Sweet Dreams

I had a dream.

I was interviewing a former Zeta Boss in Monterrey, Mexico. Code name: Fernando, about 65 years old, an ordinary Mexican, nothing else, nothing more.

In the dream we had a brief but substantial conversation. He wanted me to write a book about his past. “From the very beginning, until the very end”, he said. He has things that he would like to state before he could make statements no more. Things that he has decided to tell everyone, from the ordinary citizen to the top of the top in the Mexican government and drug mafias.

I was not sure if he was joking or if he really meant business. He decided to tell me some highlights of what the book would talk about.

Originally, our friend was a member of the elite parachute troopers of the Mexican Army who were American-trained in South Korea in the seventies. Later on, in different fragments of his professional life, he received specialized training by the CIA and DEA. He was part of the Operation Condor of the Mexican government in Sinaloa, at the end of the seventies.

I think that my skepticism pushed him to be a little more specific about what he could really tell to the world.

He mentioned that we can work on how the son of the Senator Ibarra de Piedra was thrown into the sea from an airplane right outside Mazatlán. Or the murder in 2006 of the Director of the State Police of Nuevo León, Marcelo Garza y Garza, in which two of his bodyguards were involved, he stated.

He also wanted to talk about all the undercover operations in which he participated back in the seventies and eighties in Central American and Caribbean countries on behalf of the CIA, and how he got a couple of bullets in his heaps in an anti-Zeta operation in Guerrero.

He regrets that the American government has more considerations for him that the Mexican government at his age, although the Americans are not very generous, neither.

All his contacts come from his years in the military. The Zetas are a military organization that think and act as military, but with a better, much better pay (US $1600 per week to experienced sicarios). Indeed, today, December the 8th, the Zetas get their aguinaldo (end-of-the-year monetary compensation, very popular in Mexico), and a flow of dollars will cover Monterrey in the following days, “mostly in the puteros (bordellos).” However, most Zetas will go back home for the holidays, and “come back to work” in the very first days of January 2011.

Currently, there are about 20,000 to 30,000 Zeta-men training in the Lacandona Jungle, in Chiapas. A huge Zeta offensive is programmed for January-February 2011 at a national scale. “You have seen nothing yet”, he said, “Monterrey, among other cities across the country, will be the closest thing to hell that you can imagine.” Indeed, during these days, there are serious fighting between the Zetas and the Mexican Army in the Lacandona, but the federal government has not gone public on this.

The Zetas control the Monterrey police, and the state police in Nuevo León, although this last not all the time. Monterrey is an important plaza for the narco gangs in Mexico. He mentioned full names and neighborhoods or territories of the Metropolitan area that these gangs controlled. The people from the Beltrán Leyva gang have their headquarters in the South, by the Carretera Nacional; others like the Mexican Mafia (Mexicans and Mexican Americans that have lived in the U.S. but came to Monterrey to do business and decided to stay to protect certain interests) live here, the Contras (the Chapo people) live there, the Familia Michoacana is over there, and he would mention places in Apodaca, Guadalupe, San Nicolás, Santiago, Santa Catarina, etc.

In a similar way to the Mexican Army or Navy, the Zetas may have good or bad Generals. Therefore, it is difficult to forecast the behavior of this or that Zeta group. Some Generals may be totally corrupt, others would be quite considered towards their troops, others would mind only their own business and others would try to influence other Generals. Each General controls his own territory with his own rules. Some of them are psychopaths: “this guy already has about 130 empozolados (people whose body is cooked in acid to erase evidence of the murder) somewhere in the Grutas de García (Nuevo León), but he says that it is not enough, that he wants to go for the Mexican record… and that is completely sick.”

Fernando could go on and on, with several anecdotes regarding his encounters with Secretaries and Undersecretaries of the Mexican Ministry of the Interior of several governments, his “Gringo” trainers, his confrontations with the Mexican military after he quit the Mexican Army, his phone calls with a special code to Campo Marte to save (or not) lives; or his phone calls to a Zeta commando “the other day that a group of Monterrey policemen arrived to my house to kick the door.” As soon as the Zetas arrived, they insulted the policemen and told them to go and fuck their mothers on the spot. The policemen apologized to their Jefecitos (Little Bosses), the Zetas, because of what they called “a terrible misunderstanding.”

I asked him that who were the worst in this war. He said “The civil authorities and the politicians at a national, state and local levels; they change sides like changing underwear, there is no way to trust these motherfuckers! That is why justice arrives to their ass sooner or later, they have to understand that they need to show respect and loyalty to their owners… or else.”

Next encounter: January 3rd, 2011. In the meantime, Fernando goes to Texas for the holidays with his family.

When I woke up the following morning, I was concerned and sad. Probably, Mexico has arrived to a situation in which two armies and other drug traffickers have gone beyond the no-return point, and an authoritarian, military regime will become the only short-term solution to a chaotic, collapsing, State. And the average American keeps on buying tons of drugs at an accessible price. Can’t we, Mexicans, create a certification process of drug consumption for the U.S., for example?

Yes we can, but there is not enough huevos to talk to the eye to Uncle Sam. Not in the current administration at least. They just follow American government’s orders from a binational perspective, when the core of the problem is transnational.

Sweet Dreams, indeed.

La justicia ya no se compra en México

En efecto, por más dinero que se tenga, la justicia ya no se compra en México. De ahí el éxodo de mexicanos al extranjero de las clases acomodadas. Desconozco si es un éxodo masivo, pero en los estados del norte del país, la gente pudiente, si en verdad puede, se va del país.

Generalmente, los niveles de corrupción e impunidad son altos en México, pero últimamente el ejercicio cotidiano de la corrupción ha sido superado por la dinámica de guerra que se desenvuelve a pasos agigantados en nuestro país. Esta dinámica provoca que ciertas acciones de la sociedad y el gobierno se empiecen a ver como normales y lógicas ante una sucesión de acontecimientos lamentables.

Por ejemplo, en Monterrey, los bombazos, asesinatos, secuestros, balaceras, levantones y patrullajes militares y de instituciones privadas son cosa de todos los días. En Tamaulipas el asunto está todavía peor. El norte del país, desde Tijuana hasta Matamoros, se ha convertido en tierra de nadie. Antaño era una costumbre aceptada por la sociedad que la justicia se llevase a cabo con prontitud y eficacia en la medida de que se pudiese pagar por ella. Así funcionaban las cosas.

En la actualidad el dinero vale poco para hacer justicia. Los intocables (gobernadores, presidentes municipales de ciudades importantes, diputados, senadores, funcionarios públicos de elite, generales, millonarios, empresarios poderosos tanto mexicanos como extranjeros, el Jefe Diego, el cuerpo diplomático acreditado en nuestro país, etc.) ahora ya son tocables y eliminables. El dinero ya no sirve para protegerse de las dinámicas de guerra, entonces los pudientes se espantan y se van a vivir a Texas, California, Nuevo México y hasta Arizona. Cuando ellos se van, se llevan a sus familias y su dinero. Lo cual es una verdadera lástima, ya que estas personas son gente brillante y hábil para sacar adelante al país. Vil sangrado de capital humano y financiero, por plantearlo de alguna manera.

La decisión se toma relativamente rápido y de manera eficaz: la familia y el dinero se van a los Estados Unidos de manera inmediata y la cabeza de familia se da una vueltecita semanal a México a atender los negocios, con guaruras, carros blindados y toda la cosa. La otra decisión, la de regresar a México, ésa va a tomar tiempo considerarla y llevarla a cabo. La familia debe estar convencida de que las cosas han regresado a la normalidad en México y que es relativamente seguro volver a vivir en el país. Mientras se toma o no la decisión de regresar, los niños van a escuelas gringas, se empieza a apreciar un verdadero clima de estabilidad y seguridad en una sociedad un poco ajena, aunque no mucho, a decir verdad. Empiezan a surgir la oportunidad de hacer business en los Estados Unidos y paulatinamente la familia y el capital echan raíz en los Estados Unidos.

De manera paradójica, muchos de los businessmen que tienen a sus familias viviendo en los Estados Unidos, son los que forman parte de empresas e instituciones que pagan desplegados en periódicos donde le piden al Presidente que envíen mas tropas a la ciudad. ¡Más batallones y Mexican Marines por el amor de dios, Señor Presidente! Algunas empresas tienen sus propios cuerpos de seguridad que patrullan las calles que de vez en cuando son agredidos, levantados y asesinados por los sicarios a la orden del cartel de moda en la ciudad. Entonces, la empresa saca sus propios comunicados de prensa (generalmente todos chuecos e incompletos) y adopta el mismo modus operandi de las autoridades locales, estatales y federales: desinformar a la ciudadanía mediante la creación de una realidad propia, completamente ajena a la realidad real. ¿Al cabo que quién va a investigar si lo que decimos es verdad o no? ¿A quién le importa? De no ser por una que otra aportación de la ciudadanía vía las redes sociales y una que otra agencia independiente (¿El Blog del Narco?) y de las acciones tomadas contra viento y marea por algunos familiares de las víctimas para aclarar lo que en realidad pasó… Nadie dice o hace nada.

Y no es para menos. ¿Quiénes son los malos aquí? ¿Únicamente los narcos? ¿Las policías infiltradas por tal o cual cartel? ¿Uno que otro general comprado? ¿Funcionarios federales o estatales coludidos con el crimen organizado? ¿El taxista que la hace de halcón? ¿Los miembros del ejército que violan los derechos humanos de los mexicanos o que plantan armas en las manos de inocentes después de asesinarlos? ¿El policía que aparece en la narco nómina o que arresta sicarios y en lugar de llevar a los arrestados al Ministerio Público los entrega a grupos rivales? ¿El narcovecino? ¿Los ninis armados hasta los dientes? ¿Los que compran y venden ciertas plazas de la PGR por quinientos mil dólares? ¿Los gringos que se meten todo lo que pueden en la nariz o las venas? ¿Los comerciantes de armas de Arizona y Texas? ¿Los asesores gubernamentales norteamericanos que hacen y deshacen en México cosas que ni en sus peores pesadillas harían en los Estados Unidos? ¿Quién carajo son los buenos, pues?

Mientras, la verdad, tenemos un presidente que es muy honesto y sincero: Esto se va a poner peor de violento. El ejército no regresa a las barracas mientras yo esté en el poder. No sabíamos en la que nos metíamos, no calculamos la respuesta tan fuerte del narco ante nuestras iniciativas de combate al narco. Desgraciadamente la honestidad no basta a estas alturas del partido. Hay que tomar acciones que brinden resultados.

La ciudadanía en general percibe que la estrategia actual no sólo no brinda resultados, sino que ha empeorado las cosas. ¡A grado tal que ya ni la justicia se puede comprar en este país! ¡Ave María Purísima! Conforme la sociedad haga a un lado el contrato social con el gobierno y empiece a tomar medidas correctivas bajo iniciativa propia, en ese grado el Estado es un Estado fallido, aunque yo actualmente prefiero el término de “colapsante”. Todo mundo dice y trata de hacer lo que puede en la tierra de nadie. De ahí que muchas personas inteligentes y con dinero abandonen el país. No los culpo, nada más que ahí les encargo que no anden firmando desplegados de que le echen más ejército al problema. Valiente lío.

México desde afuera de un edificio grandote e inteligente II

Ahora que estoy en el Distrito Federal he tenido la oportunidad de conversar con personas y personajes muy interesantes. Gente que no veía desde hace 15, 20 o más años. Por ejemplo, el sábado pasado tuve a bien ir a la parte vieja de la librería Ghandi a comerme unas deliciosas flautas de pollo. Y ahí me encuentro, como es costumbre, al buen Genaro. Él es mesero del Café Ghandi desde 1982, un año antes de que yo llegase al D.F. a estudiar economía en el Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM).

Sobra decir que el buen Genaro es todo un personaje: “No fui luchador porque mi mamá no me dejó”, afirma sin empacho, no obstante puede platicar innumerables anécdotas de sus tiempos de saca borrachos en bares finos allá por el bello y nunca lejano Morelos. Sus conversaciones son siempre vivas y cuando hace referencia a otras personas lo hace mencionando nombre y apellidos. Genaro ha sido testigo del florecimiento y decadencia del México neo intelectual del triángulo de las librerías del metro Miguel Ángel de Quevedo. Con Genaro, ciertamente uno puede repasar minuciosamente la clientela que llenaba la cafetería por las tardes y noches entre semana o el sábado: el grupo Durango, los enjundiosos jugadores de ajedrez, los hijos rebeldes de políticos del sistema que acabaron siendo fieles peones del sistema, los fresas del ITAM que trataban de buena fe e ingenuamente sacar una revista estudiantil de corte político, los verdaderos intelectuales de café, los retro revisionistas marxistas que tenían mucho cuidado de no ser confundidos con los Troskisto-Kahlistas, etc.

También se pueden repasar con Genaro chistes de todo tipo, época y tono; él hace referencia simpática al chilango como género poblacional (ni él ni yo somos chilangos, no obstante yo me considero un orgulloso hijo de padres chilangos), además de impartir una cátedra sobre toda una gama de “bromas” que pueden hacer los meseros a sus clientes, la mayor parte inofensivas. La plática con Genaro me trae a la mente otras pláticas que he tenido con meseros, meseras y parroquianos en el DF. De una u otra manera, surgen en las conversaciones matices de lucha de clases y ciertamente de política de todo tipo, ya sea a favor o en contra del Peje o exponiendo diferentes niveles de animadversión contra Calderón o de cómo el problema del narco, después de todo, no es tan grave. (!)

El otro día fui a cenar al Café Trevi, al lado de la Alameda, y junto a mi mesa hubo una sesión de trabajo de algunos dirigentes de la CNTE: fue un viaje de 45 minutos a las asambleas sindicales de hace 40 años, con vocabulario de la Guerra Fría y toda la cosa (no obstante es muy respetable la lucha de la CNTE, que mi opinión al respecto quede clara). En Monterrey, que es la ciudad donde actualmente radico, la política fuera de lo estatal y lo local queda fuera de la conversación y definitivamente es muy, pero muy difícil hallar gente del pueblo que tenga opinión sobre la explotación del patrón sobre el asalariado. No obstante, abunda la conversación sexista y machista que tiende a hacer menos a la mujer, algunas veces profesada por las propias mujeres. En mi experiencia, eso uno no lo halla con tanta facilidad en el D.F., gracias a dios.

Entrando a otro tipo de conversación, también he tenido la inapreciable oportunidad de platicar con lo que yo llamo la intelligentzia del ITAM. Un muy selecto grupo de ex profesores en mi alma mater que de vez en cuando paso a saludar y platicamos de todo y de nada. Los temas incluyen, por ejemplo, discusiones sobre la responsabilidad social del ITAM ante el desastre de país que actualmente tenemos (en efecto, lo que yo identifico como intelligentzia tiene una conciencia muy sólida sobre el desastre que actualmente estamos viviendo como país, lo cual no quiere decir que se sientan responsables de nada); sobre los requisitos tan rigurosos que unos ungidos tienen que pasar para formar parte de la elite que en teoría controla el flamantemente nuevo Centro de Inteligencia de la Policía Federal y sobre la institución extranjera que está a cargo de constituir y formar a dicha elite en dicho centro; sobre la necesidad de que el ITAM produzca políticos de la categoría de Salinas: que sepan exactamente lo que quieren y que no les tiemble la mano a la hora de sacar adelante al país, actuando, en la medida de lo posible, dentro de un marco de impecable legalidad; sobre la filosofía salinista de no dar paso sin huarache y de su máxima destrabadora de problemas en los tres niveles de gobierno: Todos tienen cola que le pisen, absolutamente todos.

Sobre la falta de conciencia social que ni por equivocación le fue inculcada al estudiante promedio del ITAM que ha egresado de la institución en los últimos 30 años; sobre toda la gama de imperfecciones que está generando en el mercado la falta de una educación elemental de la población promedio del país desde hace 25 años y sobre lo que se puede o no hacer al respecto; sobre la urgencia de echar a andar políticas educativas eficientes y sobre la gran indiferencia que la mayor parte de la clase política mexicana muestra al respecto.

Sobre la aplicación de un régimen neoliberal a medios chiles, que hace lo que ni Estados Unidos haría en sus momentos de máxima desesperación en pro del libre comercio, que sistemáticamente protege intereses particulares en detrimento de los intereses nacionales (Fobaproa, Doña Elba, evasiones fiscales a gran escala por grandes compañías, ganancias libres de impuestos con capital especulativo) y que también ha generado una cantidad brutal de subsidios para ir mal parchando una creciente pobreza en el país. Sobre la responsabilidad crucial ante la realidad de México de los 4-5 Secretarios y 14 Subsecretarios itamitas que actualmente laboran en las secretarías de estado más importantes del país.

Sobre algunas de las imperantes razones de Calderón para que decidiese sacar al ejército a las calles en cuanto llega al poder (Calderón recibe información de varias agencias extranjeras de inteligencia acerca del verdadero poder del narco: las policías del país están completamente infiltradas por los capos, tanto a nivel estatal, como a nivel local). Sobre cómo el ITAM se ha convertido en un “Ministerio sin Cartera Transexenal” que sigue formando a la elite mexicana sin un claro rumbo de política social y en cuyos pasillos de este ex convento jesuita se palomean, desde hace casi 30 años, matices y matrices de política pública que determina el curso de la vida de millones y millones de mexicanos, sin que la mayor parte de éstos se den cuenta del proceso. Sobre cómo algunos profesores del ITAM le aplicaron el cariñoso mote de “El Pitbull” a un funcionario actual de comunicación social de una de las subsecretarías de gobernación, que por razones mas que obvias. Y de cómo la "Duquesa" hace lo que se le pega la gana en los pasillos del Depto. de Ciencia Política.

Finalmente, están las conversaciones con las damas que bien tuve a conocer hace 20-25 años en la gran urbe mexica y que en la actualidad tengo el privilegio de volverlas a localizar y platicar con ellas. Aquí es donde uno entiende a la perfección eso de que "no es lo mismo los Tres Mosqueteros que veinte años después" y cómo eso se aplica a toooodos los y las mosqueteras, sin excepción. Dichas conversaciones, completamente priceless, definitivamente no encajan en un blog. Mejor escribo un libro.

Response from the President of the Tecnológico de Monterrey, Dr. Rafael Rangel Sostmann

On April 26, 2010, I received the response to my letter (Ref.: Open Letter to the President of the Tecnológico de Monterrey) from Dr. Rangel Sostmann. On May 1, in accordance to the Monterrey newspaper El Norte, in a confusing and bad organized press conference, the federal authorities in charge of the investigation of the murder of both students (la Procuraduría General de la República -PGR) offered practically nothing concrete about the clarification of the murders, although some footage from the surveillance video at the university Campus was released. The PGR recognized that the scene of the crime had been severely altered. The official statement also admitted no participation of the military in the killing of the students, and no clear explanation was offered about how the students were killed. Their university ID’s still are missing. I think it is extremely important to have access to the whole surveillance footage in order to determine how the students died, but it seems impossible for the authorities to make it public, at least for the moment.

Following, the translation of President Rangel Sotsmann’s letter:

_________________________________________

April 21, 2010

Dear Dr. Cano:

I would like to thank you for your letter in which you state your opinion about the attitude that Mexican universities should assume [in the current circumstances]. I also appreciate that you attached to your letter the opinions and proposals of your students at the University of Monterrey.

I really think that your statement is of great value, and I am glad that you sent a copy of your letter to other Presidents of Mexican universities. I coincide with you, we stand before a grave problem within our society and, as institutions that formulate its backbone, we must assume the duty that lies before us.

I am sending your letter and the attached material to Dr. Bernardo González Aréchiga, Dean of our Graduate School of Public Policies and Administration, so he can incorporate the proposals and highly valued opinions of your students to the final document, which will synthesize the whole body of opinions and proposals that we have received up to now.

Sincerely,

Dr. Rafael Rangel Sostmann

President of the Tecnológico de Monterrey

_____________________________________________________

Open Letter to the president of the Tecnológico de Monterrey

On March 19, 2010, two graduate students of the Tecnológico Monterrey, Campus Monterrey, México, were assassinated in a confusing episode of the Mexican war against drugs. Apparently, army troops were chasing drug traffickers in the streets of Monterrey; the soldiers got into the Campus and Jorge Antonio Mercado Alonso y Javier Francisco Arredondo Verdugo were killed in middle of the night. The President of the Tecnológico first stated that no student had been hurt in the operative, but hours later he confirmed that the two persons that originally were identified by the authorities as “sicarios” (hired assassins) were students (honor students indeed) from the university. The security videos of what happened that night in Campus were confiscated by the Mexican army. Up to this day, the videos have not been released to the public.

The Mexican justice system has not identified the responsible party in the murder of these two students. Following, I share the English version of the letter that I sent to the President of the Tecnológico de Monterrey by registered mail on April 9, 2010. Copies of this letter were also sent by registered mail to the presidents of the following Mexican universities:

Dr. Antonio Dieck Assad, Universidad de Monterrey

Dr. Jesús Ancer Rodríguez, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León

Dr. José Narro Robles, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Dr. Arturo Fernández Pérez, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México

Dr. Javier Garciadiego Dantán, El Colegio de México

Dr. Enrique Cabrero Mendoza, Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas

Dr. José Morales Orozco, S. J., Universidad Iberoamericana, Cd. De México

Dr. Tonatiuh Guillén López, El Colegio de la Frontera Norte

______________________________________________________________________

Dear Dr. Rangel Sostmann

President of the Tecnológico de Monterrey

Personally, and this is my opinion as a Mexican citizen, I would like to state that I do not agree, with the fact that the Mexican army goes out to the streets in order to combat the drug traffickers, the “narcos”. General Guillermo Galván Galván, the Secretary of National Defense, recognized some days ago that the fight against narcos is a task that does not belong directly to the army. Indeed, the Mexican army has no legal duty in fighting crime in the streets. I think that the narco menace must be met with intelligence and police operations, not with bayonets in the streets, nor with a systematic abuse of human rights of civilians caught in the middle of the dispute between “good guys” and “bad guys”.

I do not know if legalizing drugs in Mexico would contribute to a solution, but what I do know is that the price of the drugs passing though Mexico is set in the United States; where the largest consumer market is located. I’m also aware that the main source of profit and empowerment for drug dealers comes from the United States, which is where the flow of weapons and dollars originate. The very same weapons and dollars that make the drug trafficking business so profitable in our country. I do agree with President Felipe Calderón, when he states that while drugs remain illegal in the United States, any attempt of drug legalization in our country is useless.

During my fifteen years of academic life in the United States, I have been blessed and lucky enough to be a researcher and/or professor in seven universities. My experience, regarding my contact with the American youth, goes from coast to coast, from Columbia University in New York to the University of California in San Diego, including the University of Chicago and the University of Houston, among others.

Something that calls my attention is that, while college students in Mexico are killed in Campus for the simple fact that they were using the university premises, my American students consider drug consumption as a rite of passage that can go from their early teenage years all the way through the rest of their adulthood. TV shows like Weeds or That ‘70s Show are very popular among American audiences and present drug addiction, I would say, in a very realistic way: as a phenomenon well rooted in American culture, something that is practiced generation after generation and tends not to be seriously questioned by the society as a whole. In the United States, it is easier for those under 21 years of age to get any kind of illegal drugs than getting alcohol or cigarettes in any local store. I have the impression, in general terms, that American parents are highly tolerant about the addictive habits of their sons and daughters. Or maybe they have lost control of the situation.

I am truly convinced that addictions can be successfully addressed with education and awareness about the magnitude of the problem, at an individual, family and social levels in any society. A line of cocaine in New York should be associated not only with the price that is paid to the dealer for the drug, but also, in order to understand the true transnational dimension of the problem, it is necessary to associate it with those individuals that are beheaded and who are found across the Mexican territory, with the assassinations of the Mexican students, with the Mexican army systematically violating human rights of civilians, with the encobijados, the kidnapped, the burned to death, the widows and the orphans, etc.

The problem that I see is that the American government supports and promotes the final solution in Mexican territory (this is, to declare full war against drug trafficking by taking the army out to the streets, something Americans wouldn’t tolerate in their territory) to deal with a problem that belongs also to the American government and society. I am really concerned about the fact that the administration of President Calderón plays the game without any question. Indeed, the question is what can be done about it? What can Mexican universities do about it?

I propose to constitute a Consejo Universitario Transnacional (CUT - Transnational University Council) to create awareness in the United States about this problem that affects both countries. This council would be formed by high-profile members of Mexican and American Universities and their main function would be to launch an advertising and lobbying campaign in the American Congress, and the fifty states of the Union, to create awareness among the main actors about the dimension of the problem at the transnational level: “here and there at the same time”. As long as the flow of dollars from American consumers to drug traffickers in Mexico is not cut, any type of war is lost. That’s right: the narco dollars have the capacity to buy anything they find in their way: men, women, police officers, soldiers, police sheriffs, mayors, customs officers, beauty queens, bankers, bureaucrats, governors and army generals.

I am convinced that is possible to make an advertising campaign in the United States about the problems associated with drugs. For example, the CUT actions from the Mexican side could be financed with a portion of federal money that currently is spent in keeping the Mexican army in the streets. The goal here is, first, to make Americans aware about this transnational problem through actions aimed directly at their educational process, so their society would be ready (and I am confident that they will also be willing) to take the next fundamental step: finding solutions to this common problem.

If Americans decide to legalize drugs: let it be. It would not be the first time that the United States would be fearless about anything; after all, the only time they have amended their constitution (twice) has been for the same subject: addiction issues. And yes, alcohol eventually was legalized. It is important that Americans become aware that it is just a matter of time, for decapitated, or encobijados and encajuelados to become part of their daily life. As of today, in the meantime, the Mexican army should return to their headquarters.

Definitely, instead of listening to official public statements that the Mexican army could be out in the streets somewhere between 5 and 10 years, and that it is more and more probable to establish a state of exception where the first victim would be the abolition of certain individual rights, including freedom of expression (which would be lethal to the country’s universities); I prefer to be part of a coordinated effort, intelligently oriented to educate the average American about the problems associated with drug use and all the legislative actions that can be taken in U.S. territory to deal with the problem in both sides of the border, this is, in a transnational way. This would be an effort that would also take 5 to 10 years, but these actions would be attacking the root of the problem and not undermining our institutions, blinding our youth, and destroying our nation, as is happening now in Mexico.

Dear Dr. Rangel Sostmann, please accept my most sincere condolences for the death of Jorge Antonio Mercado Alonso y Javier Francisco Arredondo Verdugo. I also offer my condolences to the families of these unfortunate and brilliant students. Their deaths should be clarified, justice needs to done and, without any doubt, no more Mexican students the country should be killed by the simply fact of taking a walk through the Campus.

Sincerely,

Gustavo Cano, Ph. D.