"Due to the high level of violence" ( Orange,CA Diocese trips to Mexico cancelled )

California Catholic Daily ^ | March 31, 2009 | staff

[kellynla]

Citing a U.S. State Department travel advisory, Bishop Tod Brown of the Diocese of Orange has forbidden all church-related groups under his jurisdiction from traveling to Mexico.

A March 3 memo from diocesan risk management director Michael J. Shaffer addressed to “Pastors, Administrators, Parochial Vicars, Principals, Parish/School Business Managers, Youth Ministers, Hispanic Coordinators” says Bishop Brown has decided to prohibit travel into Mexico until further notice.

The memo cites a Feb. 20, 2009 State Department “travel alert” regarding travel into Mexico, which says, in part: “Mexican drug cartels are engaged in an increasingly violent conflict -- both among themselves and with Mexican security services -- for control of narcotics trafficking routes along the U.S.-Mexico border. In order to combat violence, the government of Mexico has deployed troops in various parts of the country... Some recent Mexican army and police confrontations with drug cartels have resembled small-unit combat, with cartels employing automatic weapons and grenades. Large firefights have taken place in many towns and cities across Mexico but most recently in northern Mexico, including Tijuana, Chihuahua City and Ciudad Juarez. During some of these incidents, U.S. citizens have been trapped and temporarily prevented from leaving the area… The situation in northern Mexico remains fluid; the location and timing of future armed engagements cannot be predicted. A number of areas along the border are experiencing rapid growth in the rates of many types of crime. Robberies, homicides, petty thefts, and carjackings have all increased over the last year across Mexico generally, with notable spikes in Tijuana and northern Baja California. Ciudad Juarez, Tijuana and Nogales are among the cities which have recently experienced public shootouts during daylight hours in shopping centers and other public venues.

[kellynla]

Criminals have followed and harassed U.S. citizens traveling in their vehicles in border areas including Nuevo Laredo, Matamoros, and Tijuana.”

[kellynla]

ping

[uscabjd]

Odd, isn’t it. Mexico combines cultures from Europe (mostly France and Spain), with an advanced native American population (Aztecs and Mayans), and is a country blessed with natural resources and a hard working, family oriented and religious population. It also borders the USA, a prosperous trading partner which has integrated millions of its citizens who send many hundreds of millions of dollars home. You would think Mexico is a “can’t miss” country. Why, instead, is Mexico such a polluted, poverty stricken, violent and corrupt cesspool?

[Pyro7480]

Socialism. They had decades of socialist rule during the 20th century.

[HiJinx]

Ping!

[exhaustedmomma]

While he can... he can forbid his church to related travel... but he needs to wake up to the simple truth that it is here and growing (& it’s ugly.) Where is he standing on the “sanctuary” stuff?

[mdmathis6]

It doesn’t help that we have such a large population of drug addicted folks that pay top dollars for drugs. Legalization might stop some of the money flowing into the narc groups there by diluting their power and disrupting their organizations but we still have the issues with so many Americans being addicted to drugs!

Hillary was right about Americans being to blame for the violence in Mexico...but she was wrong about the cause. It’s not the guns, its Americans’ addictions to the drugs!

[uscabjd]

I respectfully disagree. I am part of “this system”. In the 20’s, if we only legalized booze then there would be no organized crime. Didn’t happen. Legalize drugs and, among other negative results, the cartels would find something else that is regulated and try to beat it.

Also, go to our courts and prisons and see how many inmates are “Hispanic”and illegal from Mexico. You won’t believe it - trust me on this. Too bad I can’t tell you who I am.

[mdmathis6]

Oh I’m not for legalization, I didn’t mean to imply that. I certainly agree with you that the cartels would find some other way around the new road blocks. The only way to to effectively deal with the drug issue is for demand for the product to fall drastically. The only way that happens is for the generaly level of morality to be restored among the American people...and that is the hardest problem of all. People get into the drugs because they are missing something in their lives, then the physical addiction compounds the problems for these folks!