Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. On December 31, Mr. Agustin Roberto ``Bobby'' Salcedo, a high school vice principal and school board member, and a young leader of several local organizations, was brutally murdered while on a family vacation in Durango state, Mexico, at the hands of violent men with ties to Mexican drug cartels. While enjoying the company of family and friends at a restaurant in the city of Gomez Palacio, Mr. Salcedo and five other patrons were taken hostage by a group of masked, armed individuals. They were all subsequently killed execution-style, their bodies discovered in a field a few hours later. This incident is a tragic example of the drug-related violence that is plaguing Mexico today. Reliable estimates suggest that more than 16,000 people have died in drug-related violence since President Felipe Calderon declared a war on drug traffickers in January 2007, including almost 8,000 deaths in 2009 alone and over 1,000 so far this year. Many of those killed each year are associated with the drug trade, but there has been an alarming increase in the number of innocent bystanders who have become victims of the violence, including Mr. Salcedo. Last year, more than 500 women and children were killed by these cartels.…”