WaW

According to some it might just be the spanish way of saying wow. I know better. I also know that to any half l337 gamer out there WaW means world at war. And that's precisely the one I'm talking about.

I always wondered what it was like to live in a war torn country. How the people in North Korea, or Afghanistan or Iraq lived or live for years with grenades and bombs and shooting going on all around them. What's their new normal?

I'm at a small city in the heart of Zeta territory in Mexico and somehow I feel like a war correspondent. The Zetas were originally a black ops type team trained by the government and meant to take out the drug lords controlling the southwest of Mexico. These were highly skilled, intelligent individuals taught not only in the art of war but also in relating to the culture and the people. They were successful in taking down the drug lords. They then quickly put themselves in charge and became warlords. That is, warlords in the traditional Africa sense - people with small armies and deep ties to the people. Except they might be smarter, they collect taxes, lead public benefit projects, build roads and schools and recruit everyone, from the children to the grandparents.

That's where I am. A deeply catholic country with a pseudo government that refuses to negotiate with the actual government (though I'll admit, even to those actually keeping track, the lines are blurred). The Zetas, to their credit, have made it clear that they will not stand for injustice, and they will not stand for backtalk. They do not reason but state their demands and punish those who step out of line.

There's a curfew on the city. 9pm. It's not coming from the government. Or the government elect I should say.

The roads in and out of the city have military checkpoints. A couple of miles after them come the actual checkpoints. Zeta checkpoints.

Tonight I heard 4 gunshots and what I venture to guess was a grenade. I've been carrying a hammer with me for the sake of feeling safe. I'm sorry if the following story scares me. The city itself is occupied by federal police forces and army soldiers. At this point both bodies are armed with fully automatic weapons, humvees with gun turrets and bread trucks. All bulletproof. The highest ranking commander of the military forces, with full escort, was ambushed and outgunned. Shot. Chopped. Delivered to government offices with a note of warning.

Same place where 10 federal cops (the kind that wear jet black helmets, heavy duty kevlar and carry tear gas bombs by the dozen) were delivered in body bags to the local courthouse. Why? The Zetas - who know simply go by the Family, perhaps aspirationally to their Sicilian betters - attached a note. They love their notes. It read: these were corrupt cops. Let this be a warning to others. The Family does not kill the innocent. We are the righteous.

Great, another false god for my people.

This is where my grandparents live. And where we are now celebrating Christmas lunch not Christmas dinner.

Because we've been warned.