Acapulco's Entire Police Force Suspended in Corruption Probe as Crime Surges in Mexico

Corruption is Everywhere - and I mean Everywhere in Mexico

Jonathon Gatehouse · CBC News 

Mexican marines surround the Secretary of Public Security of Acapulco, Max Lorenzo Sedano, right, on Tuesday.

Mexican military forces arrested police officers and took control of the local Public Security Secretariat,

citing possible infiltration by organized crime. (Francisco Robles/AFP/Getty Images)

Surging crime in Mexico

Mexican authorities have disarmed and suspended Acapulco's entire municipal police force amidst a massive murder and corruption investigation.

Heavily armed soldiers and marines staged a daylight raid on the resort city's police headquarters yesterday, arresting two senior police commanders on homicide charges and seizing the guns, bulletproof vests and radios of the rest of the force.

Mexican Marines escort Acapulco municipal police officers who were disarmed and detained Tuesday

during an operation to check if they were colluding with organized crime. (Javier Verdin/Reuters)

The Guerrero state government issued a statement saying it will be taking over policing responsibilities in the city "because of suspicion that the force had probably been infiltrated by criminal groups" and "the complete inaction of the municipal police in fighting the crime wave."

The Pacific coast city of 800,000, once a playground for foreign tourists, is now known as Mexico's murder capital. The local murder rate is 103 homicides per 100,000 residents, one of the highest in the world.

Most of the killings are connected to the drug trade, with up to 50 gangs currently battling for supremacy.

Drug violence in Mexico has left more than 200,000 dead since 2006. Another 35,000 people have simply disappeared.

A relative of a missing person enters a site on Sept. 17 where a mass grave was found in El Arbolillo, Veracruz.

The region has been hit by bloody drug cartel turf wars, and scores of bodies have been found in

33 mass graves at El Arbolillo's 'narco-cemetery.' (Victoria Razo/AFP/Getty Images)

A 12-year federal government effort to smash the cartels using the country's army has only served to increase the mayhem, as larger organizations splinter into smaller groups scrapping for territory. 

Last year, Mexico recorded 31,174 murders, a 27 per cent increase from 2016, and the country's murder rate is now at its highest point since 1990. To date, 2018 is proving even more deadly, with almost 19,000 killings over the first eight months of the year, a 20 per cent jump from 2017.

Horrors have become commonplace.

This week, authorities in the Gulf state of Veracruz issued photos of clothing items found in a mass grave, including an infant's pants, toddler's sandals, and tiny T-shirts decorated with Pokemon and Tinkerbell. So far at least 174 skulls have been discovered in the massive pit and the excavation continues.

This undated photo from the Veracruz State Prosecutor's Office shows a piece of child's clothing found at the site of

a clandestine mass grave in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, Mexico. Investigators have also found personal items,

ID cards and shoes belonging to men, women and children at the site. (Veracruz State Prosecutor's Office via AP)

The week before, local residents in a Guadalajara suburb — alerted by the stench of decomposing flesh — discovered a tractor trailer stuffed with more than 270 corpses. As it turned out, authorities knew all about the bodies. They had been using the truck as a mobile morgue for weeks because city facilities are overflowing with the dead.  

But Mexico's crime problems go even deeper.

Yesterday, the National Statistics Institute released the results of a country-wide survey on "common crime," which it defines as pretty much everything short of murder, drugs and migrant trafficking. It estimates that there were 33.6 million "lesser" crimes committed last year, 2.5 million more than the year before.

Muggings on the street or transit were the most-cited offences, accounting for 28 per cent of the total.

The Institute estimated that there were somewhere between 64,000 and 97,000 kidnappings in Mexico last year, most short-term affairs for relatively modest ransoms.

Police officers work at the site of a mass grave in Alvarado, Veracruz, on Sept. 7. Scores of bodies have been

discovered at the site since exhumations began on Aug. 8. (Victoria Razo/AFP/Getty Images)

The survey suggests that only 10 per cent of crimes in Mexico are currently reported to police.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the new president-elect who takes office on Dec. 1, made the crime epidemic a central focus of his campaign and has promised to take personal control of government efforts to halt the violence.

The rot is profound, however.

In Guerrero state alone, more than a dozen municipal police departments have been disbanded due to corruption over the past four years, including the force in the state capital of Chilpancingo, where dozens of teenagers turned up dead following run-ins with the cops.  

A pending auction of drilling rights in a rich oil and gas deposit in Tamaulipas state, near the Texas border, may end up being a bust because foreign firms are scared of violent drug and human trafficking gangs that roam the countryside.

And the spread of violence now threatens Mexico's tourism industry, which attracted some 40 million people last year and brought in $21.3 billion US.

A truck hauls away a trailer full of bodies on Sept. 15 that had been parked in Tlajomulco de Zuniga, Mexico,

as a temporary morgue. (Reuters)

The country's incoming tourism secretary is pledging to counteract the bad media with more advertising campaigns and promotional events.

But even the fantasy versions of Mexico seem to be bumping up against its worrying reality.

The $45 million US spent on a Cirque du Soleil show, Luzia: A Waking Dream of Mexico, has been declared a "bad investment" by the new government since it failed to increase visitor numbers.

Marine Court-Martialed for Refusing to Remove Bible Verse

This is one of the most ridiculous stories I have done in awhile, well, at least since 

Johnny Depp Deep in Doggy Do Do Downunder

Monifa Sterling (Courtesy Liberty Institute)

By Todd Starnes  
FoxNews.com

A United States Marine was convicted at a court-martial for refusing to remove a Bible verse (taped) on her computer – a verse of Scripture the military determined “could easily be seen as contrary to good order and discipline.”

The plight of Lance Corporal Monifa Sterling seems unbelievable – a member of the Armed Forces criminally prosecuted for displaying a slightly altered passage of Scripture from the Old Testament: “No weapon formed against me shall prosper.”

Sterling, who represented herself at trial, was convicted February 1, 2014 in a court-martial at Camp Lejune, North Carolina after she refused to obey orders from a staff sergeant to remove the Bible verses from her desk.

She was found guilty of failing to go to her appointed place of duty, disrespect toward a superior commissioned officer, and four specifications of disobeying the lawful order of a noncommissioned officer.

As it now stands – Sterling is unemployed and looking for work. It’s a process made harder because of the bad conduct discharge from the military. Hopefully Liberty Institute will be able to restore this Christian Marine’s good name and expunge the charge.

The Christian Marine was given a bad conduct discharge and a reduction in rank from lance corporal to private. 

Both lower court and the appellate court ruled that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act did not apply to her case because displaying a Bible verse does not constitute religious exercise. 

And so, was there some other explanation for her actions? Apparently, they just decided that Monifa put the scripture on her computer to start trouble. That is one stupid ruling - make that two stupid rulings since it was ruled at two levels of court.

However, a religious liberty law firm and a high-powered, former U.S. solicitor general have taken up her case and have filed an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

“If the government can order a Marine not to display a Bible verse, they could try and order her not to get a religious tattoo, or go to church on Sunday,” said Liberty Institute attorney Michael Berry. “Restricting a Marine’s free exercise of religion is blatantly unconstitutional.” 

Sterling wised up and finally got legal counsel. Now representing her are the Liberty Institute along with former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement, also a law professor at Georgetown University.

Clement most recently won a Supreme Court victory on behalf of Hobby Lobby against the Affordable Care Act.

Liberty Institute and Clement plan to argue that the appellate court should have applied the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in Sterling’s case – protecting her right to post Bible verses as a form of religious exercise.

According to the appellate court’s decision, they were not convinced “that displaying religious text at a shared government workstation would be protected even in a civilian federal workplace.”

They also considered the fact that Sterling’s desk was shared by other Marines.

“The implication is clear – the junior Marine sharing the desk and the other Marines coming to the desk for assistance would be exposed to biblical quotations in the military workplace,” the court declared. “It is not hard to imagine the divisive impact to good order and discipline that may result when a service member is compelled to work at a government desk festooned with religious quotations.”

Festooned with religious quotations?

Attorney Berry points out that other Marines were allowed to decorate their desks. However, the lower courts refused to allow that evidence to be admitted. And at the time of the incident – Sterling was not sharing a desk.

“This was a conflict between her and her supervisor,” he told me. “Her supervisor clearly said she did not like the tone of the Bible verses.”

What? If I were going into battle and the person beside me quoted that scripture, even if I didn't know it was scripture, I would be grateful to have someone with such an attitude beside me. I think her supervisor needs some help.

Berry said the supervisor cursed at Sterling and ordered her to immediately remove the verses. She refused the order. The following day, she discovered the verses had been removed and thrown in the trash.

The references here are to 'verses' - plural! Were there other verses that aren't being shared with us? Because there is hardly anything offensive in the least to the verse quoted above. It doesn't include the Name of Jesus, nor even of God. What possible way could that offend anyone?

“Adding insult to injury, the government charged her with the crime of failing to obey a direct order because she did not remove the Bible verse,” Berry said.

Which is exactly what she did, and she doesn't have a leg to stand on there, except that the order was frivolous and vexatious and should never have been given in the first place.

According to court documents, the military maintains the “verbiage” – “No weapon formed against me shall prosper” could “easily been seen as contrary to good order and discipline.” How absurd! It would make a great motto for a unit going into battle. I would love to hear an explanation of how this verse could possibly be seen as contrary to good order and discipline. 

“Maintaining discipline and morale in the military work center could very well require that the work center remain relatively free of divisive or contentious issues such as personal beliefs, religion, politics, etc.” And a small strip of paper taped to a computer exceeds what you would call 'relatively free'? Does that mean that a Muslim must shave his beard?

Liberty Institute attorney Hiram Sasser told me it was outrageous “that such a small strip of paper could so frighten a drill sergeant.”

“This is a very scary time when you are not allowed to have a very small printed Bible verse in your own personal workspace because it might offend other Marines,” Sasser told me. “Our Marines are trained to deal with some of the most hostile people on the planet. I don’t think they are afraid of tiny words on a tiny piece of paper.” Yea, verily, and Amen!

The Bible verse incident happened in May 2013. A few months later she was accused of failing to wear an appropriate uniform because of a medical condition.

Berry told me he believes the military was trumping up the charge sheet “to make it look that things were worse than they were.”

As it now stands – Sterling is unemployed and looking for work. It’s a process made harder because of the bad conduct discharge from the military.

Hopefully Liberty Institute will be able to restore this Christian Marine’s good name and expunge the charge.

Anything less could jeopardize the standing of every person of faith serving in the Armed Forces. Should that happen – God help us all.

A couple more deductions from this disgraceful story:

It seems to me that everyone involved was wrong in what they did/said, from Monifa, to her superior, to the judges who tried her. Everyone over reacted to what is an absurdly frivolous situation.

Monifa, God bless her for her Christian conviction, should have obeyed the order. Her refusal resulted in the rapid and spectacular escalation of the situation, and she is paying the price now. 

I admire people who stand up for their convictions, but, at the same time a person thoroughly committed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ will have yielded their rights, all of their rights, to Him. This is how things get out of control when we Christians insist on our rights. Out of control, and out of the will of God. 

Islamic State Militants 'Burn to Death 45 Prisoners in Iraq'

Jihadist militants from Islamic State (IS) have burned to death 45 people in the western Iraqi town of al-Baghdadi, the local police chief says.

Exactly who these people were and why they were killed is not clear, but Col Qasim al-Obeidi said he believed some were members of the security forces.

IS fighters captured much of the town, near Ain al-Asad air base, last week.

Col Obeidi said a compound that houses the families of security personnel and local officials was now under attack.

He pleaded for help from the government and the international community.

The fighting and poor communications in the area make it difficult to confirm such reports.

Earlier this month, IS published a video showing militants burning alive a Jordanian air force pilot, whose plane crashed in Syria in December.

Siege
Al-Baghdadi had been besieged for months by Islamic State fighters before its fall on Thursday.

It had been one of the few towns to still be controlled by the Iraqi government in Anbar province, where IS and allied Sunni Arab tribesmen launched an offensive in January 2014.

Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm John Kirby told reporters on Friday that al-Baghdadi's capture needed to be put in perspective.

He said it was the first time in the last couple of months that the jihadist group had taken new ground.

Ain al-Asad air base - does not look easy to defend

However, Ain al-Asad air base, where about 320 US Marines are training members of the Iraqi army's 7th Division, is only 8km (5 miles) away.

The base was itself attacked by IS militants, among them several suicide bombers, on Friday. The militants were eventually repelled by Iraqi troops backed by US-led coalition aircraft.

The US needs to evacuate Ain al-Asad air base, and evacuate it quickly. Booby-trapping the place when they leave might also be a good idea. But there is little point in holding a base in the middle of IS territory, not when IS has started burning prisoners alive.

Shia militants withdraw from fight with IS

In a separate development on Tuesday, the influential Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr announced he was withdrawing his forces from an umbrella group of Shia militia fighting IS alongside the Iraqi army.

He cited what he called the bad behaviour of other militia within the Popular Mobilisation Forces, whom he accused of "wreaking havoc through murdering, kidnapping and violating sanctuaries".

Shia militia have been accused of kidnapping and killing scores of Sunni civilians since Islamic State launched an offensive in northern Iraq last June that saw it seize large swathes of the country.

Cleric Sadr didn't mention the bad behaviour of his own militants; it's always the other guys. But one has to wonder if the apparent new policy of  prisoner immolation has affected the decision to pull his troops.

How do you fight an ideology that is based on utter madness? The first incident of IS burning prisoners alive sparked quick and dramatic response from the Jordanian air force, thereby bringing a powerful military against them. Yet they continue to escalate the practice. 

The beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians in Lybia brought another powerful military against IS, yet the continue to slaughter at will.

There is little or no fear of death among the crazed, radicalized IS fighters. The fools actually think they will go straight to paradise when they die. But Hell is no paradise, and that is where those who have gone before are waiting for their lunatic brothers.