I R Kitten, HEAR ME Rewr

First of all, I'd like to congratulate the US on electing Barack Obama as their next President!

I think this will help a lot in restoring US relations with the rest of the world, which I think benefits us all.

Anyway, that was the good news to come out of yesterday, but here in Mexico, that news was second-string...

So yesterday, coming back from work, on my way home to watch the coverage of the US election, there WAS A LOT OF TRAFFIC! This is Mexico City, right around rush hour so WTF else is new. As we get closer to Reforma (the main drag along Mexico's business/financial district),  there's EVEN MORE traffic. It takes me almost an hour to get to my subways station, when it usually takes about 20 min.

And now there are ambulances.

As I get to my subway station, the TV is on in a restaurant and a crowd. I see some cars on fire. Mayor Marcelo Ebrard is being interviewed over the phone. Apparently, a Learjet crashed into Reforma Ave.! It didn't crash into any buildings, but right there onto the street and the traffic! It was pretty shocking...

At last count, 14 people died, including all six people who were on the plane.

But that's not the end of it. The real shocker was WHO was in that jet. One was Juan Camilo Mouriño, Secretary of the Interior and President Felipe Calderon's closest advisor. He's the one getting most of the headlines, being such a prominent figure.

But another victim was Jose Luis Santiago Vasconcelos, former assisstant attorney general, former director of the Commision on Organized Crime, he was in charge of putting many drug cartel leaders behind bars, fighting police and government corruption, and penal reform.

It's been revealed that he had received death threats recently, and his family had been living in a "safe house" for the last few days.

The Learjet was less than 5 years old, and received regular maintenance.

Now they're saying that it was "an accident", although it's still under investigation, but I doubt it.

Just this Monday, there were 49  organized crime-related executions here in Mexico

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/04/AR2008110403562.html?hpid=topnews

Today, the newspaper had a cartoon that read:

"Yesterday, things went black here and there.

In the US,  it  was probably for the best.

But in Mexico, we think it was for the worst".

http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2008/11/05/index.php?section=cartones&id=1