by Hokua oe Lopqi Lokki

Created on: July 18, 2010   Last Updated: July 19, 2010

Has anyone read this headline "Car bomb in Mexican drug war changes ground rules" or even the article itself http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100718/ap_on_bi_ge/lt_d rug_war_mexico#mwpphu-container.

I have lived in Mexico for two years. It is not as bad as Iraq. I am a US citizen that is living here in Mexico, and I find that accusation slanderous.

The media in the US has made things out to be far worse than what it is. I will acknowledge that we are having trouble here with the Cartel, with killing, and so forth, but from where I stand and from having lived in the states, it isn't any worse than living in the US. As a matter of fact I feel safer here in Mexico than I do in the states. There are many Americans or Gringos/Gringas as they call us here that live here and commute back and forth to work. I have talked to many of them, and they don't have any problems with the commute back and forth and they feel just as safe as I do.

In the US there are gang wars, murders, bomb threats on a daily basis, rapings, drugs, corrupt officials in every offices just like down here in Mexico. When I read the articles in the US about Mexico, I never once heard about the good that goes on in Mexico. When I came down here, I expected to walk into something from the old west, with maybe a few cars like in the 20's or whenever the cars met horse era. That is a load of bunk. I was shocked. I was told how dirty it was and nasty. Ok, so you can't flush the toilet paper, I get how that is really disgusting to anyone. I wasn't really thrilled about that idea either, but some places you can flush the toilet paper. I happen to be staying in a home currently that you can do just that. Not all of Mexico is still in the dark ages.

Mexico is actually working hard to fight that profile, and make things more enjoyable for those who prefer accommodations that are more reasonable to what they are use to. I would closer compare Mexico as a larger version of Idaho, Tennessee, or even Utah. Because people do keep guns in their homes here for protection and keep the same ideas as Tennessee and Texas of "No Trespassing" and "Shoot First Ask Questions Later", I have definitely been known to compare Mexico to Tennessee and Texas. Most Mexicans are like any other person in the US, they don't like the situation with the drugs and don't want it here.

Their economic structure suffers from the bad publicity dollars, because they rely on tourists to help keep their economy running. When we choke off the tourists, we choke off the economic edge that keeps the families here fed, that only makes things worse in the drug industry, because they will turn to whatever will make money and put food on the table for their families. Most prefer something that is legal and non-harmful to the economy. But kids will be kids, and stupid is still stupid.

I know the US and Mexico both have their problems. I haven't sworn off allegiance to my country yet, and probably won't ever. I won't turn my back on either the US or Mexico. It isn't as bad as it is made out to be down here in Mexico. I have been here 2 years, and it gets better every year. You should see the bad rep that the US gets in the publicity down here. It makes the US out to be just as bad as the US makes Mexico out to be. You can always see the negatives in things if you are looking for it. It blows my mind that no one is looking for the positives though in both countries or elsewhere in the world. Has it gotten so bad, are we so scared that we are afraid to look at the positives in others and can only see the grim reaper looking from every shadowed doorway and corner?

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