More from Juárez

I promised to write more about the Juárez story in Proceso by Monday, and when Gancho promises something by Monday, well damn it, you can count on it being there by Wednesday at the latest.

I'm struck by how positive the article is, at least by Proceso standards. The magazine stops short of praise (though I'm not sure a flattering word about the government has ever spilled from the magazine's pages), but the overwhelming majority of those interviewed from Juárez were essentially in favor of the army's arrival. They weren't too hopeful about the operation's long-term success, but almost all seemed to say that life in Juárez was better now than before the army arrived.

Here's a sampling: "For security it's good, because we were insecure, too," says a local cop at one point. A doctor says, "It won't work forever, but it's giving us the opportunity to unite as a society, to organize, to make Juárez different." A taxi driver adds, "I have faith in the soldiers that stop you and check you, that's all. But the federales made me pay 200 pesos for not carrying identification and they want to take away my car." A food vendor offers, "On the one hand it's good that they're here, there's a lot of protection, they scared all of us street kids, and as I have a business that's good for me because business is getting better." Probably the most perfect distillation of the prevailing view presented by Proceso is the following: "The soldiers yes they are some hard sons of bitches, the federales aren't like that, but, that's the way it goes, they had to bring the peace. And you see more peace."

It's way too soon to make any conclusions about the efficacy of the Juárez operation, but the basic acceptance that the army's arrival has made Juárez safer from Mexico's king of muckracking is quite unexpected.