tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9177745.post114014958149379725..comments2024-03-28T11:30:20.005-05:00Comments on El Salvador Perspectives: The gang problem and the electionsTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02452039674856298357noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9177745.post-1140575316956282692006-02-21T20:28:00.000-06:002006-02-21T20:28:00.000-06:00With all due respect, I have been paying attention...With all due respect, I have been paying attention and what I have noticed is a number of key distinctions to be made in the comparison cited. We are talking apples versus oranges. In the first instance, El Salvador is NOT a developed country. It possesses the highest incidence of poverty found in Latin America -- among the five countries with the highest levels of poverty (49%). More importantly, it has been only just over a decade since El Salvador concluded a bloody civil war. The period of U.S. history to compare is not the 1970s or 1990s, when America had been a stable democracy for over 100 years, but the Reconstruction period following America's own Civil War, in which major legal protections for civil liberty were put in (13th, 14th, 15th Amendments) , not a period a century afterwards when perceived excesses were reigned in.<BR/><BR/>CarlosAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9177745.post-1140414094220383192006-02-19T23:41:00.000-06:002006-02-19T23:41:00.000-06:00Well, the U.S. went from being one of the unsafest...Well, the U.S. went from being one of the unsafest developed countries (1970's) to being one of the safest (1990's)<BR/><BR/>How? ---<BR/>1) Federal Minimum Sentencing Guidelines <BR/>2) 3 Strikes = life sentence<BR/><BR/>The problem the gringos had was that judges were too soft.<BR/><BR/>If you do not think judge leniency is a problem in E.S.... you haven't been paying attention<BR/><BR/>XaviAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9177745.post-1140197936027455912006-02-17T11:38:00.000-06:002006-02-17T11:38:00.000-06:00I agree with Carlos that a civil war isn´t likely ...I agree with Carlos that a civil war isn´t likely right now, but the current climate is certaily brewing something. Nevertheless, the amount of violence is suspicious, and I would venture to say, there is a lot more going on than meets the eye.<BR/><BR/>And just for the record, both ARENA and FMLN use the Mara...or rather the Mara uses them. Recipocity at its finest!Mysterious Mehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11954477860770985245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9177745.post-1140194838526152502006-02-17T10:47:00.000-06:002006-02-17T10:47:00.000-06:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9177745.post-1140194323650928122006-02-17T10:38:00.000-06:002006-02-17T10:38:00.000-06:00Fair point. Look, in a stable country a little el...Fair point. Look, in a stable country a little election eve fervor is a natural thing, a healthy thing. But in a country that has a higher violent death rate than Colombia (the only country in the hemisphere actually at war), not so much. The headlines today were of the shooting of an ARENA sympathizer, the latest in a string of news about election violence. I don't think civil war is likely, but I don't think this violence, whether physical or just verbal, is a healthy sign.<BR/><BR/>CarlosAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9177745.post-1140176927703191672006-02-17T05:48:00.000-06:002006-02-17T05:48:00.000-06:00The gang problem is certainly a real and present d...The gang problem is certainly a real and present danger. However, are you really suprised at over-the-top rhetoric in the final month of the campaign? The truly amazing thing about El Salvador is that factions once at war are now contesting a free election.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com