Federal riot police battled Molotov cocktail-throwing protesters Thursday outside the state university's gates in the contested city of Oaxaca as a five-month struggle aimed at toppling the state governor intensified. At least a dozen people were injured, including policemen who suffered burns, a Mexican news photographer hit with a small explosive device and several club-battered protesters.
The police who used clubs, tear gas, water cannons and occasional gunshots to restrain the crowd pulled back at midafternoon. They had been confronted by militants' homemade clubs, rockets and firebombs the first time such weapons had been used.
Protest leaders claimed victory. "For our part, we are going to stay calm, figure out how many people are arrested, how many are missing, how many are injured," said Florentino Lopez, a spokesman for the militant's umbrella organization known by its Spanish initials, APPO. "We're going to have to organize and see what our next moves are going to be," said Lopez, who claimed that at least 50 protesters had been arrested or were missing and that many were injured.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/03/2006 11:44 ||
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#1
We should be encouraging US protesters to go down there and join the riot. Then recommend to the federales they loosen up their ROEs.
BISHKEK: Thousands of protesters massed in Kyrgyzstans capital on Thursday demanding the resignation of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, whom they say has backtracked on promises of democratic reforms. Police held back crowds waving red opposition flags outside parliament and chanting Bakiyev resign. The demonstrators then marched to nearby Ala-Too Square which holds thousands of people. The impoverished former Soviet republic has teetered on the brink of political crisis since Bakiyev came to power in 2005 after riots ousted his long-serving predecessor, Askar Akayev.
Bakiyev won a landslide election victory but his popularity has plummeted since. The opposition accuse him of presiding over corruption and failing to raise living standards in this mainly Muslim nation of 5.2 million. Police said 5,000 to 6,000 people had gathered in the central square although a Reuters reporter at the scene estimated there could be three times that number. Bakiyev was elected to carry out reforms. He has done nothing in a year and a half, one of the main opposition leaders, Omurbek Tekebaev, told the demonstrators. We didnt simply elect him, we needed him to make reforms.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/03/2006 00:00 ||
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"At least he could have given the people some vowels!" shouted the crowds.
BEIJING - China announced on Thursday plans to build a satellite navigation system that will include up to 35 satellites and be working in the Asian region by 2008, state press said. The system, called Beidou, will include five geostationary earth orbit satellites and 30 medium earth orbit satellites, Xinhua news agency said.
Navigation services open to commercial customers will provide users with positioning accuracy within 10 meters (33 feet), velocity accuracy within 0.2 meters per second and timing accuracy within 50 nanoseconds, the report said. No details on the costs of the system were reported.
It was also not clear how the Chinese system would rival the American global positioning satellite system or the EUs Galileo satellite navigational system which is expected to be built with Chinese participation.
China would launch two Compass navigation satellites next year as part of the Beidou project, Xinhua said. The system is expected to cover China and parts of neighbouring countries coveted by China by 2008, before being expanded into a global network of satellites, it said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/03/2006 00:00 ||
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As reported by Foxnews and AP-
MARRUM, Netherlands (AP) A herd of horses marooned on a lowland knoll for three days by rising floodwaters waded to safety on Friday, led by wranglers following an underwater path marked out by half-submerged stakes.
The horses were neck deep at times and had to swim at some spots, especially the foals. But they began to canter as they neared the edge of the brackish water, and burst into a gallop once they reached solid land, apparently relieved at being able to stretch their legs.
The plight of the herd of about 100 horses has gripped the Netherlands since a storm surge Tuesday night pushed sea water into the wilderness area outside the dikes of Marrum, a town 90 miles northeast of Amsterdam. Before they could be saved, 19 of the horses drowned or died of exposure. Several rescued by boat earlier in the week have contracted lung infections.
With support from rescue workers on the knoll and a chain of small boats indicating the route, the four young women on horseback riders from the town's Calvary Club on Friday guided the remaining animals about 650 yards to higher ground. All but one horse followed them without hesitation. These four girls have more guts than the whole rest of their country put together.
"It worked, and it went off almost perfectly," said Jacob Prins, a firefighter from the nearby town of Hallum who helped in the operation.
The remaining horse was led back later, escorted by firefighters on foot. They needed to attach a rope to its hindquarters to compel it to walk the final stretch. It collapsed after reaching shore, and was covered by blankets and attended by veterinarians.
Prins said the horse that collapsed was taken to a warm stall, where it was expected to make a full recovery.
"It was just exhausted," he said.
The Dutch Agriculture Ministry ordered an investigation into whether either the horses' owners or the managers of the nature preserve where they were roaming should be held responsible for neglect or abuse.
Marianne Thieme, leader of the Netherlands' Party for the Animals, said it was clear something went badly wrong, since the country's weather service had warned of possible flooding as early as Tuesday morning.
"The most terrible thing is that the death and suffering of all these horses could have been prevented. When autumn comes, you know that if you keep animals outside the dikes you put them at great risk," she said.
She said that the horses' owner has been accused of neglecting his animals in the past, and the nature reserve's managers had failed to enforce an Oct. 15 deadline for allowing animals to graze in the area.
The storm had lifted the North Sea waters as much as 13 feet above normal. Three days later it was less than a 3 feet deep in most flooded fields, with pits up to 6 feet deep where they are crisscrossed with drainage channels. The channels, along with submerged barbed-wire fences, were difficult to see.
Before the rescue mission, a veterinarian examined the horses and rescue workers gave them hay and fresh water to drink to raise their strength.
Their rescue capped several days of drama. And a lot of EUnick tongue wagging.
Dutch television and newspapers showed dramatic images of the horses huddled together, their backs to the wind whipping up small waves in water surrounding their isolated island.
Marrum's fire department floated or ferried around 20 horses, including the smallest foals, to safety with the help of small boats on Wednesday. The Dutch army also tried to rescue the animals, but called off the operation when water levels began to recede, grounding pontoon boats.
Marrum Mayor Wil van den Berg ruled out the use of helicopters for transporting the animals, as the noise might have panicked the animals and caused more to drown. In my opinion, Wil baby, you were lucky to come up with four girls and one good sized set of yarbles
#1
As terrible as I think it would be for this country if she became Speaker, I can't help but wonder if Pelosi was a looker back in her prime.
She seems to maintain a decent figure for a woman of her age with a decent 'top shelf' if you catch my drift. Makes me think she had a kicking system 30 or so years ago. I don't know. Maybe she was a butter face?
#10
As terrible as I think it would be for this country if she became Speaker, I can't help but wonder if Pelosi was a looker back in her prime. Is Bill Clinton trolling RB today?
Thank you for the explanation, Mr. Dundee. I had a sheltered childhood, I'm afraid, and am in the midst of a sheltered adulthood, so my vocabulary has largish holes in critical areas. Oh, and welcome! I don't remember seeing you round here before. Lots of new nyms popping up, in fact -- not including the occasional idiot who uses more than his fair share -- it's lovely to have new voices join the conversation. I look forward to learning what you and the others have to teach (in addition to critical vocabulary!). There's a reason they call this place Rantburg University, after all. :-)
This is cute. The party that doesn't want people to have to identify themselves when they vote is worried that soldiers might get away with something.
A New Jersey congressman raised questions Thursday about a new military voting program that lets service members request and submit their ballots by fax or e-mail. The Defense Department, however, said the program is as secure as possible, and any risks are detailed for the military members when they access the e-mail system.
"Really. Don't worry about it. We don't make 'em show ID or count the number of times they vote or anything."
In a letter to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Democratic Rep. Rush Holt said the electronic registration and voting service is well-intentioned, but could expose troops to identity theft, or allow hackers or others to tamper with the ballots when they are in transit. "After the Defense Department was stopped from implementing a program like this two years ago because it was full of security holes, I'm angry and astonished that they're doing it again without review, scrutiny, and oversight," said Holt. He said that while U.S. military personnel should participate in the political process, "no one is served by introducing possibilities for error, insecurity, and fraud."
"Requiring voters to show identification would introduce such things, of course, so best not to bother with them so we don't disenfranchise anybody. But voting from overseas no, I don't think so. Best send a paper ballot by snail mail. That way it can be examined by a party hack for authenticity and properly filed with all the other military votes."
Those ballots, Smith said, will not pass through the hands of any government officials until they are received by a local election authority.
Pentagon spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said the Defense Department has set up a secure absentee voter program that will allow military members to request and receive absentee ballots. The new program, she said, lets people vote without relying on the regular mail system. As part of the program, many states allow military members deployed overseas to return their completed ballot via fax or the Internet. Those ballots, Smith said, will not pass through the hands of any government officials until they are received by a local election authority. "The e-mail-to-fax operation does have risks, but we have taken every precaution to limit those risks," said Smith. She said U.S. service members have been told of the potential privacy concerns with the system, so they can make an informed choice about whether to use the program.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/03/2006 08:54 ||
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#1
Back in the old days, one of the extra duties of a second lieutenant was voting officer. You diligently gave every troop a federal registration form for those eligible to vote in their federal, state, and local elections. Some would tossem, some would fill them out. Some states required applications be certified by a commissioned officer. Those who sent them in on time would get the absentee ballot. Varying from state to state the specific ballots would have some sort of ID requirement. A few states even required the signature of a commissioned officer upon an outer envelope to validate the authenticity of the soldier submitting the vote. Yes, it is amazing that those who whine about identity checks at the local poles didnt have too much problem with extra requirements for their citizens voting while performing federal military functions, particularly those with an APO/FPO address.
#2
Obviously something is wrong with military balloting. After all, not many of them have voted for such pro-fighting man and woman candidates like Kerry and Murtha.
They aren't voting correctly, like all those dead guys in Chicago, see.......
#3
Voting Officer was a commissioned-officer role, but he usually had two or three "assistants". I pulled that duty quite a few times as a senior NCO. One of the units I was a part of had a phenomenal 92% absentee ballot submission rate. I've heard that some units had submission rates as low as 40%, but I have no evidence to back that up. Ours were always greater than the national turnout rate.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/03/2006 14:59 Comments ||
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#4
That's rich.
The DNC actively recruits foreign nationals (read: Mexicans) who have never lived in the US to vote in US elections. "Voters" fill out an internet survey so the DNC help direct ballots to the district least likely to check.
A friend of mine had a ballot sent to Julio Iglesias of Kim Il Sung Drive in Paris, whose parents live at 1 Voter Fraud Lane, Little Rock, Arkansas. Heh.
Might be some disenfranchised Democratic-voting dead people
On Indiana's primary day, Rep. Julia Carson shoved her congressional identification card in a pocket, ran out of her house and raced down the street to be at her polling site when it opened at 6 a.m. The Democrat, seeking to represent Indianapolis for a sixth term, showed the card to a poll worker, who told her it was unacceptable under a new state law that requires every voter to show proof of identity.
The law compels voters to show an ID, issued by Indiana or the federal government, with a photograph and an expiration date. Carson's card was for the 109th Congress, but did not say when the session ends. "I just thought I was carrying the right thing -- if you have a card that has a picture and shows it is current," she said.
In the end, the poll worker telephoned a boss, and Carson was allowed to vote for herself in the five-way primary. But her close call in the light turnout of the May primary, she and other Democrats say, foreshadows turmoil and votes that are not counted when the nation goes to the polls for Tuesday's midterm elections.
More hand-wringing at link
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/03/2006 06:15 ||
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#1
Boo Freaking Hoo!
Sounds like they are afraid the dead and imaginary friends might not be able to get id....
#3
Pretty much the only places I don't carry my driver's license is in the shower and to bed. Isn't that an underage drinker tactic - saying you "don't have" your license with you?
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
11/03/2006 10:15 Comments ||
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#4
Dems Worry About Voter ID Problems Their Voters May Need To Actually Exist
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/03/2006 8:15 Comments ||
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#2
Why are there no polls anywhere as to how this race stands?
Posted by: jim ||
11/03/2006 8:54 Comments ||
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#3
Because Murtha has the local press strangling any news that Irey even exists, so she's way behind. The guy has steered a ton of pork, and apparently enough peopel in that district value thier pork more than their integrity.
It's all good, so RTWT. And note Lomborg is a believer in Global Warming. He just thinks we should spend the money on activities that result in a better return.
Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was taken Friday to an intensive care unit after his overall condition and heart function deteriorated, a spokesman for the hospital said. Sharon, who has been in a coma since he suffered a major stroke in January, contracted a new infection that affected his heart, said David Weinberg, a spokesman for the Sheba Medical Center outside Tel Aviv.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/03/2006 11:42 ||
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#1
The poor man. Baruch haba -- blessed be his coming... and his going, when the time comes.
Almost as furtively as it flew above war zones from Bosnia to Baghdad, America's F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighter has retired from active duty. The years had snuck up on it. Though it remained cutting-edge contemporary in many people's minds, the Nighthawk had hit the quarter-century mark. At a discreet "Silver Stealth" ceremony at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico this week, some of the people who built, serviced and flew the plane marked the end of its 25-year career.
Much of the F-117A's innermost workings remain top-secret but it was outstripped by newer, even more space-age technology. All that remained was its public image. Its successor, the F-22 Raptor, appeared on the last day of the Canadian International Air Show in Toronto in September, its first foray outside the United States. The Raptor looks more like a conventional jet than the F-117A and didn't cause much excitement, other than among hard-core aviation buffs. When the Nighthawk made its Toronto debut in 1993, as it whispered over Ontario Place the crowd went crazy, pointing and yelling, "Stealth! Stealth!"
With its odd shape awkward angles calculated to baffle enemy radar the Nighthawk hardly looked like a plane at all; more like a prop from a sci-fi TV show or something you'd fold from paper and then complain because it didn't fly.
But fly it most certainly did. Gen. Lloyd "Fig" Newton, one of the first F-117A pilots, said it had "capabilities that had never been known before," American Forces Press Service reported. "If we needed the door kicked in, the stealth was the one to do it."
The Nighthawk entered service in 1982. It could slither through the most sophisticated radar on bombing missions that left survivors literally not knowing what had hit them. It flew over Bosnia, Panama, Iraq the only plane to attack downtown Baghdad and Afghanistan and "reshaped how the air force looked at strategic warfare," said Lt.-Col. Chris Knehans, commander of the 7th Fighter Squadron at Holloman.
It was a "decapitation strike" by stealth fighters on Baghdad in March 2003 that began the war on Iraq.
The F-117A was referred to as a fighter, though its main roles were bombing and reconnaissance. It wasn't particularly fast, not quite able to break the sound barrier.
The twin-engine plane was rushed into being. It made its first flight June 18, 1981, after only 31 months in development. There were reportedly 55 built, the last being delivered in 1990. In 1992, Nighthawks flew non-stop from Holloman to Kuwait, an 18-hour flight that remains a record for single-seat fighters.
Paul Cabot, curator of the Toronto Aerospace Museum, said the fact that the F-117A has lasted 25 years shows how combat aviation has changed from the 1960s, when aircraft designs had a much shorter shelf life. "Planes now are designed to be the deliverer of weapons and not the weapon itself," he said. "They can stand off and deliver a weapon from a distance so they don't see all that much of battle. There have been developments in radar so maybe the F-117A had started showing up. That's something we won't be told."
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/03/2006 00:12 ||
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#1
Give the 'old girl' a warm sendoff, complete with roses, wine and a single tear!
#2
Pass them over to us Brits , we like hand-me-downs .. 25 years young for the RAF is nothing new. Just take a look at our airforce , Im suprised we aint still flying the old Sopwith Camels
Anyway , enough rantings , and goodbye to an amazing plane
#4
One assumes it is retired because its replacements are significantly better at its jobs. The replacement may be the F-22, of which airframe #100 is currently in fabrication. Then again, we may not have any idea of what its replacement is (I seem to recall a 'gee whiz' article recently about a real-life 'invisibility cloak' fabric, for instance).
#5
...I had expected the Nighthawk to stay in service for a few more years, but my understanding now is that the F-22A has shown itself to be even stealthier than the Black Lady, and that the first batch of Raptor Drivers are quietly getting attack training (the first unit, 1FW at Langley AFB VA, has traditionally been a pure air superiority outfit, though when I was there in the late 80s they were occasionally laying down practice bombs with their F-15Cs.).
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
11/03/2006 9:12 Comments ||
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#7
She was a great bird, but had her limits. Only could carry two bombs internally, subsonic speed, couldn't defend herself. That's why they only flew at night.
Pilots didn't really like flying it, they just sat there while the on-board navigation system did all the work. Heard complaints about being bored during the flight, except during the run in to the target. Not surprised the AF shoved the old girl out the door, like they tried to do with the A-10. Can't be a "real pilot" unless you can shoot somebody down. I worked for the 49th Training Sq at Holloman back in the early 90's and heard it first hand.
Wouldn't surprise me if some of the 117's attack missions are ready to be assumed by a stealth drone (to be named later).
Posted by: Steve ||
11/03/2006 9:56 Comments ||
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#8
they just sat there while the on-board navigation system did all the work.
Sounds like a good platform for building an AFA (Autonomous Flying Asskicker). I say give them to those little scamps at MIT and let 'em go wild.
#9
How about good old financial constraints? the USAF has the F-22, wants the F-35, cannot afford all the toys , so shelves the Nighthawk. Look for some sort of countermeasure upgrade, or other verbiage, for either platform. Remember, they also put the A-10 away and they almost went to the boneyard for good, but when the Army said they wanted them for CAS, all at once the AF fired them back up again. And there are several upgrades in the pipeline for the Warthog. I suspect there is another stealthier, classifed aircraft out there doing a lot of work formerly done by both the 117 and the SR-71.
Large, triangular aircraft probably using a methane-based engine. Thought to be launched off the back of something that looks a lot like the ole B-36. Has a very distinctive exhaust pattern (donuts on a string).
Constantly denied. Sighted often enough to make one wonder (though most sightings appear to be either the launch aircraft or the refueling tanker although in one case at least the refueling tanker and the black triangle were seen together over the North Sea).
I've seen a vehicle high in the skies over Northern California at about 11am on Saturday moring with that distinctive donuts-on-a-string contrail. The one I saw looked a lot more like a conventional lifting body than a black triangle, however so it likely was not Aurora.
It's also likely that Aurora is just a cover codename for a deeper black project and that isn't the real or official name of the vehicle combination.
#11
Tr-3 Mantra also. several reports of 'strange' aircraft that landed many yrs ago in England and rushed to heavily guarded hangar for repairs. grainy pix seem to confirm a generally triangular shaped aircraft. web search for 'aurora' or 'blackstar' will lead the interested viewer to many sites, some are pretty well researched and documented, others are good for a laugh. you decide which is which. skeptical that the SR-71 was tossed w/out replacements; just doesn't fit the USAF M.O. of wanting all the neatest toys.
The U.S. Air Force has revealed just how stealthy the F-22 is. Its RCS (Radar Cross Section) is the equivalent, for a radar, to a metal marble. The less stealthy (and much cheaper) F-35, is equal to a metal golf ball. The F-35 stealthiness is a bit better than the B-2 bomber, which, in turn, was twice as good as that on the even older F-117.
From the above we can see that there has been significant improvement in stealthiness over the last 25 years. Both the F-22 and the F35 are better platforms than the F-117.
#4
Just another button on the coat straitjacket of sharia control. Malaysia has done absolutely NOTHING to show any intention of fighting terrorism. We need to categorize it along with Iran and Syria.
#5
Malaysia has done absolutely NOTHING to show any intention of fighting terrorism.
Sure they have.
Oh. You meant "fighting against terrorism". No, they've not shown that.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
11/03/2006 15:43 Comments ||
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#6
It's nothing really new for Malaysia.
A few years back, I sent my little brother a "care package" when he got stuck in Kuching for a second time with his previous company. I sent it off the day he left, but he didn't get it until two days before he was to return. The problem? The local brain trust couldn't decide if the filling in the oreo cookies violated halal food laws....I kid you not.
The University of Colorado can go ahead with dismissal proceedings against professor Ward Churchill and doesn't have to pay his legal fees as he fights termination, a Denver judge ruled Wednesday.
Churchill's attorney David Lane wanted Denver District Judge Stephen Phillips to stop the dismissal process until the court decides whether CU had to pay Churchill up to $20,000 in legal costs. Lane claimed the rules of the CU faculty committee hearing Churchill's appeal say the university "shall contribute" up to $20,000 for attorney's fees when a faculty member is recommended for termination.
But Patrick O'Rourke, CU's attorney, said the university regents never adopted that policy.
The ethnic-studies professor sparked controversy through his essay that compared some victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to a Nazi leader.
Lane said it is critical that Churchill have legal representation before CU's privilege and tenure committee as he fights for his job and reputation. Lane said the committee has scheduled five days of closed hearings on Churchill beginning Monday.
He's fighting for his job. The fight for his reputation ended a while back.
"Professor Churchill doesn't have $20,000. As of Nov. 6, they will commence a process that could result in the termination of Ward Churchill," Lane said. "His chances are enhanced with an attorney."
The judge said Churchill can seek reimbursement later for legal fees and lost wages. "They (CU) may well owe (Churchill) the money," Phillips said. "I'm not saying the claim is not valid."
In June, Phil DiStefano, who was then CU-Boulder's interim chancellor, recommended that the university fire Churchill, who was found by a faculty committee to have plagiarized and fabricated his research.
Lane said that after the tenure committee hearing, he will file a lawsuit, probably in federal district court, against CU, alleging violation of free-speech rights.
Wonder if Lane will include a discrimination charge, seeing as Churchy is a Native American and all ...
The ethnic-studies professor sparked controversy through his essay that compared some victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to a Nazi leader.
Meanwhile, CU regents discussed a proposal Wednesday to tighten the time limit for tenured professors who are appealing their termination. Lawmakers have complained throughout the Churchill case that the firing of tenured professors takes too long. After administrators recommend a professor be fired, the appeal to a faculty committee has in some cases dragged on for more than a year.
The new rules, which regents could vote on in December, would set a six-month time limit for the appeal process.
#1
Ward needs to be very careful with what he says and what he does. There are a couple of Sioux that are really angry with him, and half the Ute Indian reservation would gladly contribute to his one-way busride to Yellowknife, NWT. He is not a popular man in Colorado (except around the People's Republic of Boulder, and not too popular there any more).
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/03/2006 14:54 Comments ||
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#4
I wouldn't mind so much if he wasn't publicly funded, doing indoctrination on teh public's dime. If he wants to be a lying, stealing, asshole in his own time, on a private salary earned by whatever nonapparent skills he may have, fine. Everyone's entitled to be a pompous jerk (see: DNC, MoveOn.org, Kos...), just don't ask us to pay for it
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/03/2006 15:55 Comments ||
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#5
Nice, if surprising, to see this proceeding. Sounds like maybe UC has noticed a dropoff in alumni donations?
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.