Thursday, November 4, 2010

a horrible dose of reality

i don't watch the news much. i used to but it got to be too much. too depressing. too much mayhem and violence and despair. i am one to stick my head in the sand. this week the hubs has been watching a lot of news because of the elections. there was a story on one of the stations about the rise in murders and crime in juarez and el paso. i was alarmed and scared.

the bff from high school that i've reconnected with lives in el paso and she and her husband work in juarez. i asked her about it and i cannot even begin to imagine what her day to day life is like. they take different routes to work every day. they drive modest cars so as not to attract attention. she takes her lunch to work so as not to be out on the street. people in her company have been kidnapped. KIDNAPPED. the cartel left the head of a person on the trunk of a car parked at the entrance to the industrial park she works in. on the way to her son's school she saw a police van flipped over on its side. she's seen dead bodies on the side of the road.

i don't even know what to say about this. what to think about it. it scares the shit out of me. it scares me for her and her husband and her sweet little boy. she is strong and stays positive and probably never would have said a word about it had i not seen the news and asked her. she is amazing. i can't wrap my brain around this at all.

6 comments:

Hotch Potchery said...

I hope she moves!!!

I don't think I could handle living like that, I'm so skittish as it is.

tulpen said...

I'm right beside you with my head in the sand.

I hadn't heard about any of this. I couldn't live there. I'd find a way to leave.

cheatymoon said...

Ditto head in sand. Scary shit like that is not usually on the fake news.

I would leave... can she? Yikes.

Fragrant Liar said...

I can't wrap my brain around it either. We're talking American border here, and there's NOTHING on a nationwide level being addressed about this. Come on, politicians! Pick a really important problem and DEAL WITH IT ALREADY!!

I'm completely frustrated with our government -- EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!

The Mayor said...

You half way expect life to be like that if you are living in Mexico or Columbia....but we are talking the border cities in Texas.

Where's Walker Texas Ranger (Chuck Norris) when you need him?

I think the fight against this is complicated...just as the former border guards sitting in prison for shooting these criminals.

Surely said...

My God. Let me know if she needs help moving. That is inconvceivable that they're living like that.