Political Quotes

“Madam President, as chairman of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, I am pleased to release a report today outlining key steps that the United States can take to assist our friends in Central America as they try to reduce escalating violence. The report--entitled ``Responding to Violence in Central America''--is endorsed by all seven Senators on the Caucus. In particular, I want to thank my cochairman Senator Grassley for his efforts on this report. Violence in Central America has reached crisis levels. Throughout Central America, Mexican drug trafficking organizations, local drug traffickers, transnational youth gangs, and other illegal criminal networks are taking advantage of weak governance and underperforming justice systems. Contrary to what many might think, the murder rates in Central America last year were significantly higher than those in Mexico. In 2010, there were 18 homicides per 100,000 people in Mexico. In comparison, there were 50 murders per 100,000 people in Guatemala, 66 in El Salvador and 77 in Honduras. GEN Douglas Fraser--the Commander of U.S. Southern Command--said that ``the northern triangle of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras is the deadliest zone in the world outside of war zones.'' Our report calls for security in Central America to become a greater priority across all U.S. Government agencies. The caucus calls for a two-track approach to U.S.…”