Mexico, Corruption & Canada

Mexican justice

There is an unbroken chain of criminality that runs throughout Mexico. The movie "Traffic" was no exaggeration. When you have the Mexican National Narcotics czar arrested for massive cocaine shipments, you know you have lost the war on drugs. Years ago, when I was visiting a friend in San Diego, I saw on the news that an investigation of locally stolen cars showed that the Tijuana police were driving 17 of them. Drug gangs have grown so brazen that they simply gun down the few honest cops. Over 300 young women have been raped and murdered in Cuidad Juarez; yet no arrests have been made.

Now the Mexican police want to pin the grisly murders of the Canadian couple on two Canadian women. Television reports the prime "suspects" are two soccer moms from Thunder Bay. The Mexican authorities claim they "fled" back to Canada. Sheer nonsense, as they were on a tour that happened to leave that morning. This false accusation by the Mexican cops is a complete fabrication, presumably to spin the story for their tourist industry.

Their entire investigation was pure Keystone Kops. Statements were issued that contradicted earlier ones. The crime scene was never properly secured. The top cop cancelled his news conference. Wisely, as the absurd accusations were backed by no hard evidence. The Canadian authorities would be equally absurd if they forced anyone to be extradited to Mexico. People can languish for years in prison before their trials are even held. Torture to extract "confessions" is rather commonplace as well. Haven't we seen this travesty of justice before with William Sampson in Saudi Arabia? Meanwhile, some multiple murderer is probably still roaming around the resort areas. Initial reports mentioned a bloody knife, which was similar to that used in the resort's kitchen. That evidence suddenly went into a black hole. Makes you think twice about calling room service.

Personally, my experience travelling in Mexico was one of unrelieved chicanery. The first day in Mexico City I was scammed in a 3-star (not first class, but still it was unexpected) restuarant. Nibblies and drinks that were never ordered inflated the bill. Half an hour later it was reduced to its proper value, but that was a taste of what was to come. Attempts at rip off's continued and only stopped when I left the country. I never thought I would see a country to equal the rampant corruption of India, but Mexico was its blood brother.


© Bud Talkinghorn

Now, Bud, I believe with the infusion of drugs, drug cartels and the concomitant corruption, it is worse. NJC



Here are comments from another visitor to Mexico

I hope Canada's government and the RCMP will help in some way to clear the women targeted for blame -- accused so that Mexico may keep the tourists coming, in my opinion.

In my own experience, visiting Mexico and travelling overland for a few weeks, I learned enough that I would never go again. Lest you think I was ensconced in lovely hotels or at resorts on beaches, no, I experienced a bit more which I mention in order to give an indication of why I think as I do about Mexico. I travelled on a hot bus (another story about buses and promises broken), stopping at local hotels overnight, driving overland from Mexico City and the pyramids nearby, to Taxco (silver shops and superb setting), Oaxaca, Veracruz and Olmec ruins, Tehuantepec, Palenque ruins, Merida, Chichen Itza and other temples in the area, Carmen Island, and on to the border town of San Christobal de las Casas--the most pleasant people I met--and into Guatemala. I think that gives me enough experience over a large area to be able to conclude that it was a very dishonest country--or I have a penchant for meeting the crooked ones; anyway, I would never return. Every day there was some incident--outrageously padded hotel or restaurant bills--the kind of thing that ruins the beginning of the day (missing a bus) or its end and to which I had to respond either by arguing about it or paying. While the ruins were superb, especially in the early morning light, I would not return, even to the Mayan Riviera and beach hotels. If a visitor stays at a posh resort, perhaps nothing untoward will happen, but if that person travels around the country, particularly if help is needed, who can one trust?

I have learned even more since then about the dangers around the border area with the US. Think of the drug business in the area and rumours of police and/or government involvement. Once I actually drove with friends from California into Mexico. The town was one of the saddest border towns I have seen, plenty of bars with the usual habitues, and not much else that would please, other than being a watering hole for those who waited for nightfall to make a run into the US toward San Diego and north, illegals. Yet, if I were to suggest that Mexico (and Cuba -- See NatPost, Zak and Corcoran on Cuba, for a start) are not places I would visit, no-one wants to hear it. (Remember Paul Martin intending to make some agreement with Mexico about Mexicans coming to Canada?) Life has been so good that people don't want to know.

Canadians have been fortunate, living in peace and they just cannot conceive of how corrupt some countries can be, nor how close their own is to tipping over the precipice. Canadians have learned something about corruption after the various scandals already uncovered--Gomery, income trusts possibly, more to be revealed; yet, even more must be done to stop it. Mexico is a lesson for us. If Canada doesn't change soon, if our new government does not take steps to change the system so this does not occur in Canada, particularly the corruption that has occurred in government, where those who want to fight this corruption are unprotected, then Canadians will be unable to stop it.

As a start, effective whistleblower legislation must be passed -- not the euphemistically-termed whistleblower legislation of Paul Martin's government, but whistleblower legislation that will reward those who put all on the line to protect our democracy and our country from going down the same road as many countries of the world.

Additionally, there are issues related to Canadians' security, foreign espionage and criminal gang members reportedly already here, along with Islamic extremists who have come to Canada, if we are to preserve or return to what used to be our relatively secure way of life.