Mexico kicked off 2010 with a grim record: On Saturday the ********-plagued country tallied 69 ******* in a single day.
As **** cartels stepped up retaliation against the government's war on trafficking, Saturday's count included 26 ******* in the border city of Ciudad Juarez and 13 in Mexico City. ******* are also becoming increasingly grotesque: Last week one victim's face was peeled off and sewn to a soccer ball, and yesterday the remains of a slain police officer were found in two separate ice chests.
The escalating ******** has many Mexicans living in fear. "I'm afraid to take to the streets every day because of the ********, and I no longer want to excel economically because it could make me an easy target for a **********," a Monterrey woman told the AP. Observers say the killings are jeopardizing Mexico's international reputation, but some expect the tide of ******** to recede within six months as one cartel emerges as dominant, reducing power struggles.
