From Xico

Narco Wars: Fast and Furious -- A Potential HBO Series

Proposal for a Thriller Series on HBO

Synopsis

Higher-ups in the Phoenix office of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are caught between the proverbial rock and a  hard place: under fire in the liberal press for failing to slow the flow of high-power weapons to narco gangs in Mexico, they also fear the wrath of the NRA which watches them with eagle eyes to make sure they don't stand between any man and his gun. ATF knows that guns are fueling violence along the border not only in Mexico, but in the US, and not just among Mexican narco gangs, but among US gangs who prey on illegal immigrants.  Under existing conditions, they have no idea how to stop the smuggling.  

Some of the Phoenix higher-ups get the idea of actually using guns both to trace illegal weapons to their ultimate destination and to get their hands on some actual narcos:  a double whammy to impede both guns and narco violence.  AND they hope that with this strategy,they can avoid accusations by the NRA that they are seizing legally-sold weapons and can win the praise of the liberals for slowing the flow of guns into Mexico..

ATF will send agents to gun shows and gun stores to recruit gun dealers to sell to "straw buyers", the folks who buy weapons for smugglers-  The dealers then wills permit ATF agents to monitor sales in secre to suspected "straw buyers.". (Deliberately allowing the sale of guns like this is called gunwalking.)  ATF agents will then follow the "straw buyers" to the trade-off to the smugglers which can happen, with some degree of drama, in shopping center parking lots or small rural roads. Smugglers are a varied lot:  from young couples to doddering snow birds who take the arms in small quantities across the border.  For this reason, thug-types shouldn't be cast in roles of smugglers.  ATF guys then plan to follow the guns, in illegal and dangerous efforts, to the cartels.

Initial episodes can introduce the "good guys" as they set up operations, infiltrate gun shows and shops, select and approach possible gun sellers and offer them deals to sell marked weapons to straw buyers. A series of very short clips, overlaying each other, can introduce the variety of straw buyers, then pick out one set to follow to a smuggler's car.  Also, there can be a scene or two to build tension when buyers or smugglers think or actuallly have spotted agents.  

A subsequent show will follow the smugglers from the angle of the ATF agents.  The agents can lose the smugglers while trying to keep them in sight in the narrow, tangled streets of Nogales, for instance.  They can find themselves pursued in reverse.  

It should become clear over several episodes that the agents can't follow the guns successfully into Mexico.

The next episodes can deal with shootings of Americans in which ATF-marked guns were used. A couple could take place on the US-side of the border. In one, a US Border Patrol Agent can be killed in a shoot out with a "rip crew" or gang preying on drug mules crossing the border illegally. This could be a very exciting and pivotal episode, complete with high speed chase and a gunfight in the dead of night in a dark Arizona canyon.  The ATF agents involved in the proposed Fast and Furious series can be shown in clips alternating with the action in which they gradually becoming aware of the possibility that one of the guns they lost track of was use to kill the agent.

Another episode could show the story of a crack Border Control agent shot down in Mexico by narcos using US-obtained guns.  Here the idea could be introduced that whether or not the guns used were those lost by ATF or simply sold by US gun dealers, it is US guns that are killlng people, including US law enforcement.  This particular episode could be extremely dramatic as once again a chase ensues in the dead of night, this time in Mexican desert with the Border Patrol agents driving a huge black SUV, the classic Narco vehicle

The development of agents' growing dissatisfaction with Fast and Furious should be an ongoing theme of the first year's shows. The agents go along with the program at first, wiring sellers, following straw buyers, sometimes get spotted themselves and facing danger as they track and consistently lose smugglers in spite of planting GPS devices, etc, along the Mexican border.  And they become more and more upset as growing numbers of reports indicate that guns from Phoenix are the source of death in Mexico.  To heighten the drama, the agents can, with horror, report that upwards of 1500 AK-47s and similar weapons have slipped out of their hands and into the hands of gangsters.

The second year's shows can deal with the decision of one agent to turn whistleblower by going to a major news organization with his story. Now we move the series into the arena of political intrigue on a massive scale. Agents try to use the tools of their trade to find out how high up knowledge of the operation goes.  They find efforts to call a halt to the operation thwarted by unknown authorities.  They discover that the head of ATF in Mexico City doesn't even know about it, and cannot learn about it when ATF agents inform him because someone has blocked his access to all the computer information.  It becomses clear the Mexican government doesn't know about it.

One episode can tell the story of a US Senator trying to smoke out what is going on.  His efforts to get any kind of response from official sources are rebuffed.  Another can follow tangled threads of conflict among various ATF officials, some of whom refuse to stop the program, others who see it as a violation of international law.

And then, of course, we can get all the way up to the Administration.  Holder, Napolitano, Obama.

Suggestions for casting. 

ATF agents should be mixed Anglo and Hispanic. For the chief agent and whistle blower, I would like to see Dominic West, Agent McNulty of The Wire fame.  He would bring with him great skills as well as great associations with his previous role as a good guy with very rough edges.  And the situations of the Wire and this proposed thriller are related: drugs, guns, government cover-ups enabling both, good guys shot, etc. etc.

I would love to see Jennifer Lopez as the second agent and the West-McNulty character's sidekick.  I'd be happy to offer more suggestions but believe these two characters are the crucial ones.

Resources for this proposal:

Esquivel, J. Jesús, Rapio y furioso" todos lo sabían", Proceso

Atkisson, Sharyl, "ATF gunwalking: Who knew, and how high up?" CBS News

Carlsen, Laura, "Obama's Mexicogate?", Americas Program

"Grassley: More ATF Whistle Blowers Come Forward", Senator Charles Grassley's web page

"Agent: ATF Partly to Blame for Mexican Violence", CBS News

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coatepec: ratas y ratones. All politics being local and all that.

According to Coatepecanos.com., one of several good online news sources in our area, at a press conference (or as they like to say in the EU, a presser), the current alcalde, or mayor, Jose, Sánchez, Martinez, accompanied by everyone in the municipal government, made known that the previous government headed by the Priista Sergio Joaquín Ramírez Cabañas, left office having embezzled something like 83 million pesos, or roughly 8 million dollars.  Well, everyone kind of knew it.  We watched as the lovely town of Coatepec decayed bit by bit from lack of money to pay for its care: swiss-cheese streets, non-functioning street signals, and a huge increase in graffiti were among the more noticeable problems to those of us who live outside Coatepec but spend time in it.  And indeed, some of the biggest financial deficits existed in the Public Works Department,  where "anomolies" were found in debts to construction workers, works signed for and not completed, taxes held on to, and a gap of a  million pesos in the Municipal Water Commission.

As Coatepecanos.org says, it's hoped that the State outhorities will act and not continue "to encourage impunity."  

The former mayor was, as noted, a PRI member.  The former governor was, too.  The present mayor is PAN mainly because people were determined not to vote another PRI guy in. The current governor is PRI, but he does seem determined to improve on the performance of his predecessor.  PRI (and all parties) are interesting in Mexico.  Never all bad, never all good, some members are much worse than others.

The single readers comment points out that some of this money is going to the former mayor's wife (la rata, or rat) who is apparently enjoying herself at the moment in NYC, my home town. The writer calls the former mayor "ratón," or mouse, but I'm sure she means he's a rat, too.

Hunks

I just have to tell you I have piles of serious stuff to start putting on my blog.  TONS, really and truly. Everything from art exhibits to a proposed Walmart clone in Xico to violence in Tamaulipas and the nature of Mexico.  

So anyway yesterday we stopped at the Chedraui at Plaza Cristal in Coatepec to pick up some medicine.  And walked into a packed, cheering crowd watching a Desfile de Moda -- a fashion show. We got to see the best part of it: the young men modeling bathing suits. The photos are really not good.  Maybe my camera just goes blurry at certain things. 

Another guy gave us a bit of a dance:

 

The three guys en desfile:

The worst photo and the best scene

.  Three women were granted the great opportunity to pat one of the guys on his buns.  The first youngish woman gave a gingerly pat, the second slightly older woman took her time and the third whacked him.  She was my age (at least) and I was glad to see her up there!  The crowd cheered them all.

¡ENOUGH ALREADY!

 

Crime and a Lesson in Street Smarts for Coatepecanos

There has been crime in our area -- and the kind of criminals that exist I guess universally: pick-pockets, extortionists, house thieves.  Drugs exist, too, but so far there's nothing close to the narcowars of other areas.  There has been violence.  Most of the murders and assaults occur among people in bars and in poorer neighborhoods.  But the average murder rate in Xalapa was 12 over maybe the past three years prior to the narco incident in which the military and police did some zapping.  There has been one murder and one kidnapping in Coatepec.  There've been a couple of brutal incidents in Xico that I know about, those between people who knew and were angry at each other.  As in the US and elsewhere, victims of crime tend to be poorer and live in poorer neighborhoods.  Criminals tend also to be poorer and from poorer backgrounds.  There have been some glaring exceptions.  At least two wealthy older women have been robbed recently in Xalapa, one badly beaten.  Even more attention-getting was the murder of a wealthy young man and his wife.  The husband had some ties to narcos.  

It turned out that the kidnapper of a restaurant owner in Coatepec apparently came from our Colonia. He was pursued by police through the coffee fincas that line the road we run on.

Good friends of ours in Coatepec were robbed while away in the United States.  They and we have experienced extortion phone calls as  has one of the store owners they know.  

Jim and I were subjected to an attempted pick-pocketing scam in Xalapa, but fortunately (or unfortunately) we were the victims of the same scam in Barcelona so we knew what was happening and escaped with wallet intact.

The news of crime brings sadness to old-time residents who remember our area as one with low population, tight social networks, little crime.  

I will baldly state here that crime in our area, while it exists, is pretty low. I will add, without having investigated this hypothesis, that I suspect that street life is one reason it is low.  People like to hang out in public places in large numbers, which is one of the reasons I really like living here.

Anyway, certain crimes can survive in areas where people hang out in parks and on the street at night.  Two that seem dominant are extortion by telephone and getting people to fall for scams near banks.  The municipio de Coatepec has published some guidelines to avoid being victimized.  You can read them below in English (my translation).  As I mentioned, Jim and I received a call trying to convince us that one of us would be kidnapped if we didn't give money.  We had in our house at the time some friends from Xico.  The son, Victor, who is quite savvy about stuff like this, handled the call.  He then summoned the police who came in a big show of force and we never heard any more.

So, below, how to be street smart in Coatepec.

Recommendations for the Citizens of Coatepec from the Offices of Public Security and Civil Defense in Coatepec

These are some recommendations from the Department of Public Security in Coatepec  to assist citizens in avoiding being surprised by extortionists and swindlers.

Actions which help prevent your being the victim of extortion:

1.  If possible, have caller ID.
2. Don’t share personal information with people you don’t know.
3. Have an agenda (planner, etc) with family information such as cell and home phone numbers. With both numbers, you’ll be able to reach family on one phone even if the other is in use.
4. Talk about the subject with your family and agree on a code you can use in case of emergency.  Your family member will realize you are in trouble if you use an agreed-upon word.

If you receive an extortion call, remember the following recommendations:

1. Above all, remain calm
2. Hang up as soon as you realize the purpose of the call is to extort you.
3. Take time to think and calm down in case they call again.
4. Write down information about the extorton call such as the time of the call, the number from which they called you, any names they used, including yours.
5. Don’t transfer the call you receive on a land line to a cellular phone.  Don’t give them a head start on your movements.
6. Don’t make any deposit of money if you haven’t informed the authorities.
7. Verify with your family or the authorities the information the extortionist has given you about the detention of someone in your family.
8. Dial 89 for guidance and to make a report.

You can obtain more information from the following numbers:

Emergency service, 066; anonymous reporting, 089 and 816 0708 (DSPM)

Recommendations for avoiding being surprised by swindlers and crooks

It is very common for this type of person to pretend to have found packages or envelopes with money, which they say contains a check and to ask for financial assistance or cash for the check.They also may claim to have a winning lottery tickets or something similar.  If you have the slightest suspicion, you should get away from the person and report the event to the Emergency Center at 066 which is a free call.

Normally these swindlers approach bank clients even, on occasion, inside the building, choosing as their victim someone who doesn’t take the precaution of hiding the money which he has withdrawn and thus attracting the attention of the criminals.

It can also happen a few steps away from the bank, in the street, since the majority of times, two or three people, including women and even children, can be in on the crime.

“Señora, you dropped this package,” “Listen, didn’t you see that I dropped a purse with money” or,” Look, I found this money just lying there.  We can divide it,” are some of the hooks which thieves use to deceive their victims.

Recommendations:

1. Don’t get involved talking to unknown people outside of banks.
2. Ignore comments about lucky finds of money.
3. Seek police help in a loud voice in the face of an insistent speaker.
4. Avoid showing cash in public.
5. Try to go to the bank accompanied by another person who can keep an eye on the surroundings.

The original guidelines can be found at:

http://coatepecanos.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8451:recomendaciones-de-la-direccion-de-seguridad-publica-y-proteccion-civil-de-coatepec-&catid=59:cartones

By the way, the populationo of Coatepec is roughly 75,000.  The population of Xalapa is somewhere between 600,000 and a million.

Good advice anywhere.