Concerned

By the by, Rob, ur post clock is off by an hour

Good eye! I missed that. Let's see if I can fix it.

Yes, all of the above, control of Zih and area has me concerned.

Geronimo

Why are you concerned? Didn't you know before coming here what was happening in Guerrero? I've been writing about it for decades. This is nothing. When I first got here the government was disappearing people, allegedly taking them for rides out over the ocean where they were pushed live out of planes and helicopters. You didn't think we actually had U.S. style police that would come save you during a home invasion, did you? Heck, rule of thumb here is that police don't show up until about 40 minutes after the last bullet is fired.

Maybe you aren't aware that the Ejército is building a base on Zihuatanejo's southern city limits, and 600 more Marinos have been added to their local presence Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa. Clearly it's nothing but a show of force, and it probably won't change anything since Petatlán has had a huge military base for years yet still had a narco presidente municipal and all kinds of problems in its sierra, but maybe they'll be put to better use than simply driving around in vehicles like mannequins on display.

If you're just a homeowner retiree you have little to fear other than the typical home invasion or theft of your vehicle or holdup after withdrawing money from a bank. It's the local business owners, especially those with local family members, who have been the prey of choice for lazy-ass bum criminals who want to steal what other people WORK for.

There are perceptions of risk and realities of risks.

First, there are demographic characteristics of the above. When I was studying social psychology, we read of research into self-perceptions of risks and realities of risks.

The demographic that was least concerned about being a victim of violence was males, aged 16-25. The demographic that was most concerned about being a victim of violence was males, aged over-65.

The demographic that was most likely to be a victim of violence was males, aged 16-25 and the demographic least likely was males aged over 65.

I have seen that perception dynamic repeatedly as family members and friends have aged.

I suggest there are a lot more males over 65 on this board than other demographics, skewing the perception of risk.

Being in the male, over-65 demographic I try to temper my perceptions with reality.

Second, there are those things that have the potential for significant impact on a community largely and those things that have the potential for significant impact on subsets of a community. I am glad I am not a young person trying to start my life in a Mexican state that has a multi-generational history of violence by government toward people and a history of muted government action when there is other violence toward people. Having said that, we have not seen the repression of the 1960s and 1970s for some time. Aguas Blancas lives on in the memories of some people in Guerrero, but it was almost 30 years ago.

Most non-war violence in most communities worldwide is between relatives or friends/known-acquaintances. Stay away from relatives who are disposed to violence and do not befriend people who are.

Yes, there are frightening killings in Guerrero and elsewhere in Mexico. Those killings are largely internecine warfare involving members of organized crime. The collateral deaths of those who are not involved in organized crime are terrible tragedies. They can devastate the lives of surviving family members. But we are well-advised to recognize those as the notable aberrations, not the norm.

I have a relative who is a retired RCMP officer who worked in major crimes. When his children were in their early 20s they were “shoestring-budget world travellers”. I asked him about his worries as they travelled. This hardened murder investigator said he was more worried about traffic that murder.

“People like you and me and my kids are unlikely to be murdered. We are more likely to die in an accident.”

I've done a fair amount of traveling over the years and, as a group, Montana drivers are the worst. No clue about right of way and use of turn signals seems to be a waste of time.