Educated in the United States and part of Mexican President Calderon's conservative party, Mr. Edelmiro Cavazos, mayor of Santiago, "was seized at his home near Monterrey on Sunday."
Mr. Cavazos' body was found dumped next to a rural road. Drug traffickers are suspected in the killing/kidnapping. The uniforms of a defunct police unit were used by the kidnappers, who arrived at the mayor's house in patrol cars with lights flashing.
Cavazos, 38 and U.S.-educated, represented the conservative party of President Felipe Calderon and won election last year, ending long domination of Santiago City Hall by the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI.
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This story also appeared on the dkos Overnight News Digest, which linked to this story.
He was the fifth Mexican mayor to be killed this year, and officials said he was targeted for his efforts to fight corruption within his city's police force.
The attorney general in Nuevo Leon said drug cartels were behind the killing.
Surprisingly, the bodyguard for the mayor was found alive, despite being the only witness to the adduction.
Entire libraries of analysis, arguments, and opinion have been written and blogged about the situation in Mexico.
Stories like this, however, need no accompanying essay or editorial.
They speak volumes for themselves.
Will we take the sensible approach advocated by former Mexican President, and conservative, Vicente Fox? Will we make a serious effort to reform marijuana laws? How many more in Mexico have to die in the crossfire over a drug trade in which 60% of profits are from the safest recreational drug known to history?
UPDATE: The National Black Police Association has endorsed California's Proposition 19 to re-legalize cannabis.
http://stopthedrugwar.org/...
California Chamber of Commerce's version of reefer madness: doobie smoke breaks!
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/...