Mexico's Consul General droned on predictably for an hour... But his English was superb.

Monday morning, in the Sac State University Ballroom, Mexican Consul General Carlos Gonzalez-Gutierrez spoke to a crowd of around 500 people.  Along with university students and faculty, several junior high classes were in attendance.

Now, I can't decide what's worse:  Making 12 year olds listen to an hour long monologue on international relations that even I almost slept through, or writing a speech simple enough for a 12-year-old and delivering it to a university audience. 

Unfortunately, I think we got both.

You might think that these two are contradictory, that a speech intended for 12-year-olds would probably be a bit more engaging, or that the kind of speeches I typically nod off during are of the important or too-complicated variety.  I simply contend that a speech can be boring and empty at the same time, especially if they are made by government officials.

I was hoping for some helpful insight from the Consul General, real ideas of what could, should or shouldn't be done about things like immigration reform and drug trafficking.  What I got was a three bullet point lecture on what a consulate does, acknowledgement of the fact that narco-violence is "a real problem," and an optimistic peek into the future of California/Mexico relations.

Considering his young audience, I thought Gonzalez-Gutierrez would have more to say on how our country’s rampant drug use continues to fund an army of murdering drug dealers and corrupt law enforcement figures.  The closest he got to an anti drug plea was vaguely asking for “participation.”

"It is necessary to have participation of all those involved in the chain of drug trade, so that there is hope of significantly reducing the levels of violence,” said Gonzalez-Gutierrez.

I thought he would talk about what is being done to curb the increasing rates of murder and kidnap.  He referred to the drug trafficking and violence problem as something that, “can only be addressed with determination and prompt action."

Exactly what prompt action he was referring to has yet to be seen.

Everyone likes to buy local; we could legalize and manufacture the drugs here in the United States.  As long as the price is comparable, another source for drugs takes the monopoly away from the cartels.  Why risk life and limb dealing with illegal drugs when you could legally purchase your fix from one of 20 potential crack or heroin dispensaries in Sacramento alone.  The problem with this solution is lack of support for the legalization of cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, and the 2 above mentioned schedule-1 substances which make up a far larger portion of the drug trade than marijuana. 

Another approach: if we boycott illegal Mexican drugs in the United States it would starve the cartels into unemployment.  Although, convincing millions of people to quit their favorite drug is going to be a tough sell.

Or, we could continue president Calderon’s approach:  directly oppose the violent gangs by fortifying police and military forces in the trouble areas.  This has had a significant effect on drug cartels, but reciprocal violence has escalated at the same time.  Naturally, a cornered animal will retaliate.

In 2005, the recorded death toll reached 1000 bodies by mid September.  Murder rates have regularly and steadily increased each year.  In 2010, the 1000^th death was on February third.  What used to take them nine months to accomplish now happens in one month and three days. 

Maybe it’s darkest before the dawn, or maybe the pressure from Calderon’s war on drugs is angering cartel bosses into retaliation.  Either way, this is a multifaceted issue which probably needs to be solved by a mixture of policy and changing attitudes.  If we want to bring the drug traffickers under control we need our public figures (especially those who work in relevant fields) to engage themselves and us in the issue and take steps toward a real solution together.