No. of Recommendations: 2
Colombia is one of the most affected countries by criminality and violence in Latin America and the world.
I've been there a few times. Had an acquaintance who retired near Medellin and went a little crazy. Medellin was the murder capital of the world during that time. Not just gang wars, the FARC on the plains was mostly kids. Kids will do things adults are reluctant to do. There were dumb Americans who would take a bus down to the plains near FARC territory and a couple of them ended up in prisoner exchanges or missing. I only ventured out to the salt mine cathedral on a train because it was deemed safe and the route was safe.
The usual custom in Latin America is someone heads north and sends money back. They help the standard of living for the family at home that way. This is an honorable custom and if someone is doing that, they're OK in my book. Families are tighter there, more bonded, because they help each other out, depend on each other.
The first tine I noticed the resentment of illegals was during the GFC under Obama. Fox news would run a continuous loop of illegals crossing a ridge and get everyone stirred up about illegals, but the stats showed illegals were leaving the USA and going home as the jobs dried up. It seems that if they weren't working, they preferred to be home in their country with their family. Such bad guys, such terrible people sending money home to help mom and dad raise their siblings, help Grandma's medicine, etc. Sure, some gang members make it north, but we're fat city full of addicts. And no one cares if an addict dies.
What we need to do is have Walter White teach the gangs how to make proper doses of fentanyl (fantasy), so the only ODs are the suicides or the not so bright. Never put it past Trump to invade Colombia - you can't control those mountains. And while Latin Americans like individual Americans, probably around 20% are familiar with Latin American history, and for the rest anti-American propaganda is there, just like people believe propaganda here, they believe the propaganda there.
