Another one,
The Situation in Mexico
- Thread starter Puma
- Start date
I'm quite surprised by this statement. Are you sure you aren't basing this is the huge amount of propaganda about him? What you posted to back your claim actually contradicts your statement, IMHO, and what I've seen from Bukele also does. Asking Grok is not helpful, because it will follow the mainstream narrative. When you see the difference between El Salvador before, and after Bukele's "dictatorship", is night and day. I don't see any possible comparison with psychiatric-patient-potential Milei. Nor do I see a dictator/gangster. As for a "Trump booklicker", what I see is quite some strategy. My guess is that in order to be allowed to accomplish what he did in El Salvador, he had to make some concessions (like commit to not exposing the real involvement of the US/CIA in the building and supporting of the gangs.) I could be wrong, of course.
I am not the first to call Bukele a dictator.
He has given himself this title: "coolest Dictator"
I asked Grok to provide some context for journalist Erick Gutierrez's opinion. Bukele has turned El Salvador into a golden cage. Perhaps for some or all Salvadorans, this is fine.
I base my opinion of Bukele on comparing him to the Mexican experience and the main point I want to make is that the Bukele Model is not applicable to Mexico. IMHO the reason given by journalist Gutierrez is valid: "It is not the same to dismantle gangs as it is to try to contain criminal economies embedded in global chains."
The CJNG operates not only as a criminal group but also as a corporation, It operates under a scheme similar to that of franchises. Unlike the gangs, the CJNG's economic power allows it to buy not only heavy weapons but also allegiances.
I base my opinion of Bukele on comparing him to the Mexican experience and the main point I want to make is that the Bukele Model is not applicable to Mexico. IMHO the reason given by journalist Gutierrez is valid: "It is not the same to dismantle gangs as it is to try to contain criminal economies embedded in global chains."
The CJNG operates not only as a criminal group but also as a corporation, It operates under a scheme similar to that of franchises. Unlike the gangs, the CJNG's economic power allows it to buy not only heavy weapons but also allegiances.
In Mexico, we experienced this "Bukele Model" during the period of the PRI dictatorship (1929-2000) It was possibly even harsher during the presidency of Gustavo Diaz Ordaz (1964-1970). Then we had the neoliberal experience in the 1980s and up until the presidency of Enrique Peña Nieto (2018). During this neoliberal period, the power of the state in economic matters was dismantled, or what Milei calls "chainsaw." Yes, we have also experienced it. Incidentally, during those periods, Mexico had no significant problems with the US; there were no threats of intervention. Mexico was cool.
The Bukele clan (of Palestinian origin) has seized power in El Salvador, and since becoming president, the family has become landowners.
Unlike the Mexican government, which extradited drug traffickers, Bukele's government refuses to extradite Maras leaders to the US. What are they trying to hide? Have they made a deal with the Maras and it's all a sham?
Without a doubt, Bukele has more dark sides than bright ones. So there are cool dictators like Bukele and there are not-so-cool dictators like Kim Jong-un. What makes them different? The blessing of the United States?
A reasonable observation by a retired Wyoming couple who weathered the Cartel storm on the twenty-second 
cowboystatedaily.com
February 24, 2026 5 min read
A Thermopolis couple who rent a vacation home in Puerto Vallarta is doing fine after cartel violence rocked the city. “Sunday was a day from hell. We didn’t know what was going on," Lindy Be Hughes told Cowboy State Daily. The couple has no plans to leave.
Thermopolis residents Matthew and Lindy Be Hughes rent a vacation home in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. They were there on Sunday when the city exploded in violence; vengeful drug cartel gangsters went on a rampage after the government killed their leader. (Courtesy: Lindy Be Hughes)
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, is a wonderful place, said a Wyoming resident who rents a vacation home there. But on Sunday it erupted into a violent hellscape, as vengeful drug cartel gangsters went on a rampage after the government killed their leader.
“Sunday was a day from hell. We didn’t know what was going on. There were explosions and smoke and fire and gunfire,” Lindy Be Hughes told Cowboy State Daily.
She and her husband, Matthew, rent a house there. They were enjoying a quiet day at home, until the city erupted into a war zone.
Tourists and residents were ordered to shelter in place. But the Hughes defied the curfew and went out after dark to deliver food to a group of seven Canadian college students, who were trapped in an Airbnb rental, with only three packs of Ramen noodles between them.
Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, was killed in a Mexican military strike, aided by U.S. intelligence. The cartels struck back with violent attacks across the country.
The cartels seemed hell-bent on “terrifying tourists” and disrupting infrastructure, Hughes said.
“They took over the buses and lit things on fire. They were enacting their revenge and trying to hit the Mexican government where it hurts, because tourism is the lifeblood of the government’s economy,” she said.
“They crashed a bus through the wall of a restaurant” near her neighborhood, she said.
OXXO convenience stores are a favorite among residents and tourists. Hughes said there are several in her neighborhood, and the cartels targeted them.
“They burned every single one of them,” she said.
The people are friendly and neighborhoods are close-knit, she said.
“I have girlfriends who are single, who walk home alone at night with no fear at all,” she said.
Hughes said that she and her husband had relatives over for an extended visit, and they had only just gone back home. So, she was relaxing and cleaning the house, expecting a quiet day on Sunday, when plumes of smoke started popping up everywhere.
Then came the sounds of explosions, and “rapid-fire gunshots” as gangsters and government troops clashed.
The word came out that everybody was ordered to hunker down where they were. Hughes said she felt thankful to have been at home.
Some of her neighbors were at a nearby shopping center and “were trapped there for hours,” she said.
Americans were cautioned not to venture out.
“We were told that if they (cartel members) saw Americans on the street, they would shoot you,” Hughes said.
She got word that the father of a Canadian college student was worried, because his daughter was stuck in an Airbnb with no food.
That night, as things started to calm down a bit, the Hughes decided to risk venturing out, to bring the student some food.
“We drove there in the dark, with the headlights off,” she said.
Initially, she was expecting to find “a couple of teenage girls.”
It turned out, seven famished students were holed up in the Airbnb.
One of them was Savannah Rossouw of Vancouver, British Columbia.
“Lindy was so nice. My dad found her somehow and told her that we needed help,” she said.
The students had gone to Mexico on spring break and were planning to catch a flight out at 3 p.m. on Sunday, so they had almost no supplies.
“We had only three packs of Ramen, and we were splitting a pack of Ramen between seven of us” when the Hughes showed up, she said.
They realized more food was needed and made a second run.
“She came over again, when they weren’t even supposed to leave their house. And she brought over so much food. It was great. We were like, ‘Yay, we get to eat!’” Rossouw said.
By Tuesday, things had calmed down enough that some of her friends caught flights back to Canada. She and the others planned to fly out Thursday and Friday.
Thanks to Hughes, they have plenty of fresh food, Rossouw said.
“She’s so sweet,” she said.
She spoke to Cowboy State Daily while on her way to a salon to get her fingernails done.
Despite the gangsters lashing out, Puerto Vallarta has hardly missed a beat, she said.
“They are rapidly cleaning up,” she said, as tow truck crews were busy hauling off the burnt-out husks of vehicles.
“The restaurant wall where they drove the bus through is already being rebuilt and repainted,” she added.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
Wyoming Couple Weathers Chaos In Puerto Vallarta, Has No Plans To Leave
A Thermopolis couple who rent a vacation home in Puerto Vallarta is doing fine after cartel violence rocked the city. “Sunday was a day from hell. We…
cowboystatedaily.com
A Thermopolis couple who rent a vacation home in Puerto Vallarta is doing fine after cartel violence rocked the city. “Sunday was a day from hell. We didn’t know what was going on," Lindy Be Hughes told Cowboy State Daily. The couple has no plans to leave.
Thermopolis residents Matthew and Lindy Be Hughes rent a vacation home in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. They were there on Sunday when the city exploded in violence; vengeful drug cartel gangsters went on a rampage after the government killed their leader. (Courtesy: Lindy Be Hughes)
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, is a wonderful place, said a Wyoming resident who rents a vacation home there. But on Sunday it erupted into a violent hellscape, as vengeful drug cartel gangsters went on a rampage after the government killed their leader.
“Sunday was a day from hell. We didn’t know what was going on. There were explosions and smoke and fire and gunfire,” Lindy Be Hughes told Cowboy State Daily.
She and her husband, Matthew, rent a house there. They were enjoying a quiet day at home, until the city erupted into a war zone.
Tourists and residents were ordered to shelter in place. But the Hughes defied the curfew and went out after dark to deliver food to a group of seven Canadian college students, who were trapped in an Airbnb rental, with only three packs of Ramen noodles between them.
‘They Were Enacting Their Revenge’
Puerto Vallarta is one of Mexico’s most popular tourist destinations, with a busy airport and cruise ship docks. It was one of the hardest-hit locations by the cartels after the government killed a kingpin on Sunday.Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, was killed in a Mexican military strike, aided by U.S. intelligence. The cartels struck back with violent attacks across the country.
The cartels seemed hell-bent on “terrifying tourists” and disrupting infrastructure, Hughes said.
“They took over the buses and lit things on fire. They were enacting their revenge and trying to hit the Mexican government where it hurts, because tourism is the lifeblood of the government’s economy,” she said.
“They crashed a bus through the wall of a restaurant” near her neighborhood, she said.
OXXO convenience stores are a favorite among residents and tourists. Hughes said there are several in her neighborhood, and the cartels targeted them.
“They burned every single one of them,” she said.
Told Not To Go Out
The local community of Puerto Vallarta shatters negative stereotypes of life in Mexico, Hughes said.The people are friendly and neighborhoods are close-knit, she said.
“I have girlfriends who are single, who walk home alone at night with no fear at all,” she said.
Hughes said that she and her husband had relatives over for an extended visit, and they had only just gone back home. So, she was relaxing and cleaning the house, expecting a quiet day on Sunday, when plumes of smoke started popping up everywhere.
Then came the sounds of explosions, and “rapid-fire gunshots” as gangsters and government troops clashed.
The word came out that everybody was ordered to hunker down where they were. Hughes said she felt thankful to have been at home.
Some of her neighbors were at a nearby shopping center and “were trapped there for hours,” she said.
Americans were cautioned not to venture out.
“We were told that if they (cartel members) saw Americans on the street, they would shoot you,” Hughes said.
‘Yay, We Get To Eat!’
Hughes said she keeps her house “well stocked” with food and was more than happy to share as the neighborhood went into lockdown.She got word that the father of a Canadian college student was worried, because his daughter was stuck in an Airbnb with no food.
That night, as things started to calm down a bit, the Hughes decided to risk venturing out, to bring the student some food.
“We drove there in the dark, with the headlights off,” she said.
Initially, she was expecting to find “a couple of teenage girls.”
It turned out, seven famished students were holed up in the Airbnb.
One of them was Savannah Rossouw of Vancouver, British Columbia.
“Lindy was so nice. My dad found her somehow and told her that we needed help,” she said.
The students had gone to Mexico on spring break and were planning to catch a flight out at 3 p.m. on Sunday, so they had almost no supplies.
“We had only three packs of Ramen, and we were splitting a pack of Ramen between seven of us” when the Hughes showed up, she said.
They realized more food was needed and made a second run.
“She came over again, when they weren’t even supposed to leave their house. And she brought over so much food. It was great. We were like, ‘Yay, we get to eat!’” Rossouw said.
By Tuesday, things had calmed down enough that some of her friends caught flights back to Canada. She and the others planned to fly out Thursday and Friday.
Thanks to Hughes, they have plenty of fresh food, Rossouw said.
“She’s so sweet,” she said.
‘They Are Rapidly Cleaning Up’
By midday Tuesday, the city was nearly fully reopened, Hughes said.She spoke to Cowboy State Daily while on her way to a salon to get her fingernails done.
Despite the gangsters lashing out, Puerto Vallarta has hardly missed a beat, she said.
“They are rapidly cleaning up,” she said, as tow truck crews were busy hauling off the burnt-out husks of vehicles.
“The restaurant wall where they drove the bus through is already being rebuilt and repainted,” she added.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
cholas
Dagobah Resident
Now having had first-hand observations in the PV area, I would surmise that the "war zone" diatribe is mostly exaggerated. Folks were warned to stay home (red alert) not "locked down" or "ordered to stay home". At least not where we live. Just common sense.
There are a few Oxxo (7 Eleven types) stores that were burned, a couple of busses and a good number of cars. Black smoke is indeed ominous but mostly from burning vehicles. "Bombs", "gunshot" etc from exploding fuel tanks.
As far as I know, no one died and I'm not certain that anyone was even seriously injured.
Our plane heading South was practically empty as was the bus from the airport. Otherwise, everything appears pretty normal.
I'm going with the temper tantrum theme. It happens from time to time.
It is fortunate for us that we stock lots of food and water. That turned out to be a challenge as most locals and tourists buy "fresh", just enough for the day. Or eat out exclusively. Not helpful when all stores and restaurants are closed.
There are a few Oxxo (7 Eleven types) stores that were burned, a couple of busses and a good number of cars. Black smoke is indeed ominous but mostly from burning vehicles. "Bombs", "gunshot" etc from exploding fuel tanks.
As far as I know, no one died and I'm not certain that anyone was even seriously injured.
Our plane heading South was practically empty as was the bus from the airport. Otherwise, everything appears pretty normal.
I'm going with the temper tantrum theme. It happens from time to time.
It is fortunate for us that we stock lots of food and water. That turned out to be a challenge as most locals and tourists buy "fresh", just enough for the day. Or eat out exclusively. Not helpful when all stores and restaurants are closed.
Twenty-two branches of Banco del Bienestar in Jalisco were vandalized. Some say more. For those who are not in Mexico, Banco del Bienestar is the government bank that distributes pensions and social programs. The vandalism of these establishments was a clear message to the government. Jalisco is not governed by the ruling party or by MORENA; it is governed by Movimiento Ciudadano (MC) and previously by the Partido Acción Nacional (PAN). I would not be surprised if some took advantage of the chaos and confusion to vent their frustrations. The CJNG does not vandalize; it is a violent paramilitary organization. Those establishments would have been blown up.
Hello Puma. I think that drawing lines between political figures based on something they have in common, in order to conclude that they are essentially the same, is not a good way of looking at reality. Bukele and Milei are “friends” with Trump; they are both the same. Bukele and Kim Jong-un concentrate a lot of power in themselves; they are both the same... This line of thinking tends to simplify something that is complex and, in general, leads to conclusions that are not entirely fair.
I am not an expert on Bukele and I have no first-hand information about his government, only what the press reports about him. Unfortunately, the world press is a sh*t, biased, and under the influence of editorial lines that rarely report the truth. The only concrete data I have about the reality is Bukele's popularity (80-85%). This figure is similar to Putin's, but that doesn't mean I would say they are the same.
He is accused of being a dictator largely because he has a lot of influence over the three branches of democracy, but that does not constitute a dictatorship when that power comes directly from the will of the people at the ballot box (as is the case with Putin). We could debate how fair democracy is, of course, but that would not be the main point here.
The press also accuses Putin of being a dictator, with some even comparing him to Hitler. All because he has been in control of the country since 1999. Putin has also arrested alleged human rights defenders (Navalny is one example) and has expelled or “clipped the wings” of a number of alleged human rights organizations. This information alone, gathered from the press, is not enough to say that Putin is a dictator. In fact, he is not, and we all know it.
What am I getting at with all this? The devil is in the details, and context largely determines what is and isn't. Amid extreme judgments such as “dictator” or “corrupt,” there is a range of gray areas that, in my opinion, must be considered. Is Bukele completely clean? I don't really know, and honestly, I doubt it. Is there corruption in his circle? Most likely (given the world we live in, it would be difficult for it not to be). Even so, I can assume that Bukele has a genuine interest in improving the lives of Salvadorans, and from what we can see, this has largely happened.
For me, this is enough to say that Bukele and Milei have NOTHING to do with each other, just as he is not comparable to Kim Jong-un. Is El Salvador a wonderful paradise? Well, no, of course not, but tell me where there is one on this planet and I'll pack my bags to go live there.
The world we live in is far from ideal. Ideals are good as inspiration for our actions, but realistically speaking, I consider them impossible to achieve in our reality, which is shaped by essentially malevolent entities.
Anyway, this is just my opinion on the matter.
Ah yes, from the DW article referenced, the author is Óscar Martínez, from El Faro, who has openly opposed Bukele and who is financed by Soro's Open Society Foundation. I researched a bit El Faro here on the forum in the Salvador thread. The second one is an NGO, Directorio Legislativo who claims to have offices in Argentina and Washington, and the founder is also a fellow in the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) a known actor in the region and surviving sibling of USAID - a known CIA front or at least a partial on-demand front.
Should we trust these sources? Well, they may contain some truth but definitely have an agenda. Claims of dictatorship and human rights violations have been there since he took on the gangs and later imprisoned them, are these claims valid? Sure, maybe, I don't think the guy or his cabinet or policies are perfect by any means, but I think they are likely exaggerated.
Comparing Bukele, or his "Model" or whether it can be applied to Mexico is misleading, the equivalence is just not possible, I am confused as to why we should compare a tiny country in Central America with a another one that shares thousands of kilometers of a border with the US and is a key partner on multiple levels: financially, strategic resources, commercially, security-wise, and more.
But, after last week's events, should we ask for more proof that the Cartel has control, presence or influence over large parts of Mexico? They are kidnapping, threatening and extorting regular people. So what to do about it? Pretending they are not there won't make them go away, right?
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