Drug War

Protests Heat Up in Mexico Over Murdered Missing Students, Idiot Politicians, and the Narco-State Their Drug War is Facilitating

In late September police in Iguala, Mexico, apparently abducted 43 college students, now believed to have been handed over to a drug cartel and murdered. The mayor of Iguala and his wife are among those arrested in relation to the mass murder—the mayor ordered police to attack the students, who were raising money in the area, because he thought they would disrupt a speech his wife was making.

The horrifying incident, another signpost on Mexico's road to narco state status, also galvanized much of the Mexican population, leading to weeks of protests against corrupt politicians and their links to drug cartels. Earlier today demonstrators set fire to several vehicles outside the office of the governor of Guerrero state, which includes Iguala.

The renewed protests were fueled in part by a comment made by Mexico's attorney general, Jesus Murillo Karam, at the end of a press conference about the missing students. CBS News reports:

After an hour of speaking, Murillo Karam abruptly signaled for an end to questions by turning away from reporters and saying, "Ya me canse"—a phrase meaning "Enough, I'm tired." Mexico mayor, wife detained in case of 43 missing students Mexico police searching for missing students make discovery Cartels, corruption, and the case of 43 missing Mexican students Within hours, the phrase became a hashtag linking messages on Twitter and other social networks. It continued to trend globally Saturday and began to emerge in graffiti, in political cartoons and in video messages posted to YouTube. Many turned the phrase on the attorney general: "Enough, I'm tired of Murillo Karam," says one. Another asks: "If you're tired, why don't you resign?" Other people used it to vent their frustrations with messages such as "Enough, I'm tired of living in a narco state" or "Enough, I'm tired of corrupt politicians."

As U.S. drug policies continue to destabilize Mexico even while multiple U.S. states move toward legalizing marijuana, the posturing of American drug warriors from the safety of their homes and offices will look increasingly idiotic, dangerous, and unsustainable.