Live from Acuna, Mexico

May 18, 2010
Rumors abound, here in Acuna. First, a few facts.

Yesterday there was a bomb scare at the Catholic School in Del Rio, Texas. A suspicious object was found and a bomb ordinance unit from Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio responded. The object was not a bomb. This hoax is being investigated by the Del Rio Police Department.

FYI --Some Mexican children, at a high cost to their parents, send their students to Del Rio. All have the appropriate paperwork to enter the United States for school and the parents pay the cost. (I repeated this fact, to curtail some of the usual hate mail I receive).

Another few facts - then the rumors.

Ambar, our four year old angel that lost her leg in an accident, received her artificial meg yesterday and excitedly showed me how well she can walk. She was full of laughter. We made a commitment to cover an additional surgery on the leg. This is scheduled for June 8th in Monterrey. Both of her parents were laid off. Today, her father found a few days work painting a house.

Juanita is receiving another chemo treatment today and will receive another in two weeks. Then the doctors will examine her tumor and hope that it will be small enough to be operable.

Sadly, we have one other child that continues to receive chemo without any effect. Her cancer has spread up her leg and hip and into her stomach. She is in Monterrey and we hope to learn more when she returns.

I distributed two SUV's full of groceries door to door and also reviewed additional medical cases. As always, there are more needs and we need more help. (Many good people express concern about my own safety. I appreciate the concern, but we need more donors so I do not have to turn children away. That is my only fear-that I will have to say no to one of these kids. I am very careful and always aware of my surroundings. Let God be God and lets all just do what we can).

Rumors about kidnappings, and fights among the cartels are everywhere. What is lacking is a witness or a person willing to talk about what they've seen.

After I paid the tool to cross the International Bridge to enter Mexico, the U.S. Homeland Security Officers searched my vehicle for weapons and contraband and questioned me about my purpose for visiting Mexico. The officers were professional and there were plenty of them. The officers confirmed that they've not seen 'tourists' in a week. They said that the Americans crossing are working in Acuna or have business meetings in Acuna.

The complete absence of tourists was expected. I observed that some shops are closed and padlocked, however many were open. There were no customers in the morning, in the afternoon when I had lunch, and none in the evening.

Nowhere did I see any grand graffiti, posters, notices or fliers. During the past two days I've spoken with businessmen, clergy, ordinary residents, doctors, nurses, school teachers, cashiers at two grocery stores, road repair crews, and drug addicts. Nobody has seen or heard of fliers or other printed warning as reported in some blogs. In fact, this was not even rumored in Acuna. (The one exception was the printed warning on the murdered police officer's body found last week). I am not disagreeing with what other bloggers may have seen or heard. I am just telling you what I saw and heard during the past few days.

Every school, including kinders, primary, private schools and the college were open. We visited two teachers at different schools and were told that there was no increased absenteeism. I observed that the factories were open and Elias said that the factories remain very busy.

It is rumored that some cartel members have killed each other, but there are no bodies. Given the cartels' history of displaying bodies, tossing severed heads into nightclubs and seeking to terrorize by displaying their violence in other parts of Mexico, this seems odd. It is possible that for an unknown reason the three cartels fighting for control of Acuna changed this long standing tactic and are concealing bodies, but it is odd.

A witness told me about a popular nightclub that had a few patrons on Saturday when a half dozen armed men entered the club and told the customers to leave because they were using the club. That club is now closed.

I walked the area around the Mexican Army Base and observed no additional guards posted and I was not stopped or questioned. I also walked the streets and colonias near Maria Braulia Primary School, distributing sacks of food. Other walks included the area near Antonio's Casa Hogar and the private schools downtown.

The biggest inconvenience I encountered was that many streets were flooded during a violent thunderstorm yesterday. I purchased clothing from one of the many used clothing spots on the street and distributed them to families trying to repair their cardboard houses (damaged in the storm).

A common belief is that the ordinary criminals are emboldened by the cartel activities and rumors. People worry about their few possessions being stolen. Another frequently heard rumor is that some people are being forced from their vehicles while at red lights or parking lots and the thugs are stealing vehicles. Nobody knows if these are cartel members or just common thieves. Part of this rumor is that the victims do not report the vehicle theft because the insurance requires a police report and it is commonly believed that the police immediately inform the cartels. (Nobody wants the cartel to come to their house to ask why they informed the police about the car theft).

Again, the rumors are not easily confirmed. Most of the people I spoke with said that they believe the reporters know what rumors are true, but are in fear of their lives so they cannot file their reports.

One fact is apparent. This fragile democracy is trying to survive and obey the country's constitution and laws. The very underpaid, under-educated, under-trained and outgunned police force is believed to be corrupt. The police that are honest, do not have a chance against the highly trained cartel members, their superior weapons and technology.

Perhaps when the media makes a concerted effort to report the extent that these organized criminals already are killing, kidnapping, and extorting money in the United States - not to mention drug smuggling, the United States will reach an agreement with Mexico and our military will exterminate this clear and present danger to the United States.

At the local level, American law enforcement depends upon information from the Mexican-American communities to effectively deal with the Mexican gangs in our major cities. But that is a topic for another post.

It is night and Acuna seems quiet. However, this city is deceptively large with close to 200,000 people. Let's say it is quiet downtown.