Did I Read That Right? 70,000 dead?

Did I Read That Right?

So, the Hottness and I have been planning a summer vacation. First actual vacation in two years, mind you. With as much as we travel, taking a vacation is sometimes known as “staying home.”

We went to a resort in Cancun for our honeymoon, and then to a different resort four years later. For whatever reason, getting off U.S. turf and into a place where gluttony is expected and cell phones and laptops can be put away actually makes me feel like I’m unplugging. And, it’s time for that again.

So, imagine my interest when I see on Twitter that five were just strangled and one beheaded in Cancun. Of course, this sparks my interest. My mama didn’t raise no fool.

The real fool is the person who doesn’t read the article and sticks his head in the sand. But, after learning some of the facts surrounding the killings, I’m still planning my vacation. The murders were, of course, drug related and took place on the outskirts of Cancun in an area known for drug activity.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know the last few years have seen lots of deaths due to Mexican drug wars. But, how many is “many?” The fact I just read shocked me: 70,000.

And those 70,000? That’s only been since 2007.

If you look at American war stats, the conflict in Vietnam killed just shy of 60,000 Americans. And the duration of Vietnam isn’t terribly different than what we’re talking about since 2007 with the drug wars in Mexico.

70,000 people. That’s just unthinkable, isn’t it? 3000 were killed on 911. Put that into perspective for a second.

And why are the Mexican drug cartels involved and active? Is it Mexicans buying the dope? Probably partially, but I think we need to turn our attention back on ourselves. The majority of those deaths can be traced back to Americans and their unquenchable thirst for drugs. The illegality, the money involved and the drugs themselves all lead to the same thing: a horrible situation.

It’s above my pay grade to know what to do about this problem on a macro level. On a micro level? I know exactly what advice to give: don’t do drugs. Simple as that. Don’t be part of the problem; for yourself, for the industry, for the death of scores of thousands.