Mexico is in a losing battle with drug cartels whose escalating violence is providing cover for Marxist insurgents to become active. The newest cartel offensive raises troubling questions about the ability of the Mexican government to provide safety and security for its citizens, and heralds a future of bloody anarchy if officials cannot regain control of the streets. From WaPo:

MEXICO CITY, May 8 — Gunmen assassinated Mexico’s national police chief Thursday, blasting him with nine bullets outside his home in the capital and dealing a significant setback to the government’s campaign against drug cartels.

Edgar Eusebio Millán Gómez, the public face of Mexico’s offensive against drug cartels, became the highest-ranking law enforcement official to be killed since the launch of the effort 17 months ago. The assassination could give new confidence to drug cartels blamed for 6,000 killings in the past 2 1/2 years, and embolden other anti-government groups in this violence-plagued nation.

“This could have a snowball effect, even leading to the risk of ungovernability,” Luís Astorga, a Mexico City-based sociologist and drug expert, said in an interview. “It indicates terrible things, a level of weakness in our institutions — they can’t even protect themselves.”

Mexico’s drug and violence problem now engulfs the entire country, swamping cities along the U.S.-Mexico border and rugged drug cartel redoubts in the western mountains, and piercing into the heart of national power in Mexico City. The capital, once relatively immune to such brazen drug killings, has been the scene of four assassinations of high-ranking federal police officials in about a week.

[…]

The capital is also on edge because the once-dormant People’s Revolutionary Army, a rebel group that bombed oil pipelines last year, has been demanding the release of several jailed members. The rebels could see the killing of Millán Gómez as a sign of weakness, Astorga, the sociologist, said.

Federal police forces are stretched thin across Mexico, chasing an ever-growing number of suspects in drug killings. Last week, for instance, at least 17 people were killed in an attack on a ranch in the western state of Guerrero. This week, the military was engaged in a major battle with suspected cartel assassins in the central state of Zacatecas. That incident left three dead.

Fingers are pointing at the powerful Sinaloa Cartel which has its own military wing and has been known to contract MS-13 and Mexican Mafia to kill rivals. The Sinaloa Cartel has pushed well into the American southwest and has increasingly shown a willingness to engage Mexican forces and rival cartels in open firefights on the streets.

Mexico’s inability to maintain order has direct implications for American security, and this violence will spill into our country eventually. It’s only a matter of time.

I’m paraphrasing of course, but that is the essence of his verdict. From The Sun:

A PAEDOPHILE who groomed a girl of 11 on the internet before abusing her during a school lunch break walked free from court yesterday.

Jon Dixon, 20, admitted sexually assaulting and attempting to rape the youngster.

But a judge refused to jail him because the girl at first pretended to be 20 and sent explicit texts which “would make many twice her age blush.”

The girl’s mum cried and her dad said he was “not happy” as they left Manchester Crown Court.

Dixon pursued the girl even after she said she was 12 and asked her for pornographic pictures. They had met on a chat website in February last year.

He was assessed as “manipulative and predatory” and a “high risk” to children. But Judge Robert Atherton rejected the probation service assessment and said the girl “welcomed” sexual activity.

The British become more vile with every passing day. I say it’s about time we shut our borders to these pedophile-coddling Communists and replace them with Columbia.

Meanwhile the new Mayor of London has asked Bill Bratton to come help him put the house “Red” Ken Livingstone destroyed back in order. I’m thinking Bratton’s first bit of advice will be to start holding judges responsible for outrageous attacks on the fabric of society like this.

Resurgent Chicano Nationalist/Marxist group the Brown Berets have announced a recruiting drive for “soldiers” to help them fight in Aztlan.

Aztlan would of course be Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. From the racist, anti-semitic Aztlan.net:

Los Angeles, Alta California - May 1, 2008 - (ACN) “The Brown Berets de Aztlan have undertaken an active campaign to recruit more soldiers and form new chapters throughout Aztlan,” said Chairman David Rico yesterday. “We will be having a series of presentations throughout the Southwest starting in San Diego on May 8, 2008,” he added.

David Rico is one of the original founders of the Brown Berets in California and was one of the Brown Beret soldiers that seized and took over land in Barrio Logan in San Diego that later became, the now world famous, “Chicano Park”.

In the first presentation in San Diego, David Rico and other Brown Berets will be speaking on what it takes to be a Brown Beret de Aztlan, what the organization believes in and on future plans. They will also be answering questions.

The first presentation is scheduled for May 8, 2008 from 6:30-9:00 p.m. at the Centro Cultural de La Raza located in Balboa Park at 2125 Park Blvd, San Diego.

After the recruitment campaign, the Brown Berets de Aztlan will be organizing caravans to the state of Arizona where our community is presently under siege by racists and other anti-immigrant elements.

The Brown Berets are a group of racist thugs who have claimed in the past to have shot down a police helicopter. Riding a wave of 60s style political activism they’ve been actively recruiting via MySpace and insinuating themselves and their anti-American rhetoric into the hard left. I have long suspected they were involved in the Columbia Minute Man riot.

The phrasing of their new recruiting drive is cause for concern. They aren’t looking for activists or supporters, but “soldiers.” Perhaps they think now is a good time to start a more, shall we say robust, campaign to “reclaim” Aztlan? Their caravans to Arizona will no doubt be a warm up for violence to come.

With the planed riots of Recreate ‘68 and the A.N.S.W.E.R. led R.N.C. protests coming up soon I’m betting a radical/criminal organization like the Brown Berets will be attempting to position themselves to take full advantage of the chaos leftist groups hope will ensue in the coming months.

(Above Miss Georgia ‘01 Tiffany Fallon)

Not our Georgia, the European one. From MSNBC:

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Georgia is “very close” to a war with Russia, a Georgian minister said on Tuesday, citing Moscow’s decision to send extra troops to the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia.

“We literally have to avert war,” Georgian State Minister for Issues of Reintegration Temur Iakobashvili told a news briefing during a trip to Brussels.

Asked how close to such a war the situation was, he replied: “Very close, because we know Russians very well.

“We know what the signals are when you see propaganda waged against Georgia. We see Russian troops entering our territories on the basis of false information,” he said.

Russia has said the troop build-up is needed to counter what it says are Georgian plans for an attack on breakaway Abkhazia and has accused Tbilisi of trying to suck the West into a war — both of which are allegations that ex-Soviet Georgia rejects.

An extra Russian contingent began arriving in Abkhazia last week. Moscow has not said how many would be added but said the total would remain within the 3,000 limit allowed under a United Nations-brokered ceasefire agreement signed in 1994. Diplomats expect the reinforcement to be of the order of 1,200.

Georgia, a vital energy transit route in the Caucasus, has angered Russia by seeking membership of NATO.

Georgia’s hoping the E.U. will help them “reduce tensions” with Russia, but I’m betting the E.U. will leave Georgia out for the wolves, or the bear in this case.

Publius Pundit debunks Russia’s claims of “peacekeeping” in a great post that puts Putin’s actions in context:

Do you dare to imagine Russia’s reaction if NATO tanks and troops crossed the Russian border and took up a similar “peacekeeping” role in Chechnya? It’s simply inexplicable how Russians can demand that the world stay out of Chechnya and yet feel itself free to inject Russian forces into Georgia whenever it sees fit. A powder keg is brewing in Georgia and the Western governments are about to light the fuse. If they don’t immediately send a message loud and clear to Russia that it must respect Georgian borders, there will be an explosion.

Putin has two goals in Georgia: First, to destabilize it internally so that it does not qualify for NATO membership. Second, to nibble away at Georgia’s frontiers until Georgia is forced to respond militarily, then to invade and re-annex Georgia as a part of Russia, just as it was in Soviet times. After that, Ukraine will be the next target as Putin, a proud KGB spy, systematically seeks to recreate the USSR.

La Russophobe has plenty of reading for those of you wanting to catch up with Putin and his campaign to turn Russia into the U.S.S.R. 2.0.

G.S.G.F. has a great post about Russia’s deepening military ties with Iran which helps put Russia’s general aggression in Europe in a clearer light. Russia seems to be building up its superpower credentials again, and a quick and one-sided war against a former Soviet Bloc country would give Putin’s New Russia a nice boost.

Which reminds me, I’ve been concentrating on crime so much I haven’t been able to link to some of my favorite political blogs. Maybe I’ll start a World News Wednesday or something.

Hot Air has the news of Bush’s continuing blindness on this issue.

The communist leader of Bolivia has been rebuked by the people of Santa Cruz whose wealth and possessions he intends to confiscate and redistribute to his fellow tribesmen. This racist policy was challenged by the people of Santa Cruz who voted to become autonomous rather than become slaves to Morales hate cult.

In response, Morales’ “Red Poncho” militia had tried to stop the voting process, and are threatening violence. Riots have broken out and foreign governments are warning tourists to stay indoors.

The people of Santa Cruz are celebrating now, but I hope they’re armed because soon they’ll be fighting for their lives against Evo Morales’ private army. Even AlJazeera are spooked by these guys:

Congratulations Santa Cruz. Be careful out there.