The macabre accounting of the “white balance”
Ah, the national holidays. Time to decorate the streets with flags, to eat pozole and, at least in the idyllic state of Morelos, to count homicides with a creativity worthy of an accounting juggler. It turns out that during Monday and Tuesday, four men decided to spoil the party by being murdered in different armed attacks. A total lack of consideration, don’t you think? But fear not, the state Secretary of Public Security, Miguel Ángel Urrutia Lozano, came to the rescue of the official narrative with the speed of a bureaucratic superhero. He stated, with a seriousness that is almost convincing, that these crimes do not correspond to national celebrations. Therefore, and here comes the great thing, it confirmed a glorious white balance. Because, of course, the bullets have an integrated calendar and only count if they hit during the official celebration hours.
The awkward details that almost ruined the party
The first act of this tragicomedy took place in the municipality of Huitzilac. On Monday afternoon, two men were brutally shot in the Tres Marías neighborhood. A third lucky man, only injured, had the privilege of being sent to an emergency hospital to tell the story. At the scene, agents collected more than 15 .223 caliber shell casings, because nothing says “patriotic celebration” like a shower of molten metal. But the show didn’t end there.
This Tuesday morning, in Temixco, the residents of the Alta Palmira neighborhood were surprised to find a lifeless body next to a ravine. The victim, with an impressive post-mortem elegance, lay face down decorated with several impacts from firearms. A few hours later, in Tepalcingo, another individual received the same dose of “patriotism” with bullets. The murderers, detail-oriented to the end, kindly left a piece of cardboard with a message. Presumably from organized crime, because even drug traffickers have something to say these days.
And as if to demonstrate that criminal inspiration does not wane, minutes later, again in Temixco, the inhabitants of Alta Palmira enjoyed a symphony of gunshots. The Morelos Police, in a fit of efficiency, found a house with the doors open, which unleashed a strong police and military operation. One can almost imagine the scene: Did they come in? Didn’t they come in? The suspense was palpable.
The art of redefining reality from a desktop
Faced with this parade of violence, our hero, Secretary Urrutia Lozano, took out his magic wand of public security and declared that, in effect, there was a white balance. Their logic is impeccable: these cases are “unrelated to the celebrations.” It’s like saying a hurricane doesn’t count as bad weather because it didn’t occur during “official hurricane season.” He ruled out any incident in the entity on the occasion of the Cry of Independence, which, technically, is true if you completely ignore the four corpses. Did they perhaps expect the criminals to shout “Long live Mexico!” before pulling the trigger?
To finish off the move, the official not only enlightened us with his peculiar arithmetic of death, but also highlighted the tourist influx in the 36 municipalities. Because nothing attracts vacationers more than the promise of a stay with homicides that do not stain official statistics. And he announced that in the next few hours an operation will be deployed for the return of vacationers. A moving detail. As four families plan funerals, the government worries that tourist traffic returning home will flow smoothly. Priorities, as always, in perfect order.
In summary, Morelos offers us a master lesson in how to govern with optimism. Four deaths are just an anecdote if you manage to tag them outside the perimeter of your celebrations. It is a strategy as absurd as it is brilliant. What’s next? Declare a “white balance” on earthquakes that occur on a Sunday because there is no work that day? Cynicism, it seems, is also cause for celebration.
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