Tucson, Arizona (CNN)  -- Last week during the day, some kids in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, were playing soccer in a park when a car slowed down, guys got out and executed a 13-year-old boy. And then they drove away, unmolested in a city with 11,000 army and police officers. The Mexican government repeatedly states that 90 percent of the deaths in the current drug war are of people who are dirty; that is, criminals involved in the drug business. The killings of reporters and of innocent women, men and children continually belie that statement. The child was not a cartel member in disguise. Nor were the 15 high school kids killed at a party in a small house in a poor barrio. Their parents had made them hold the celebration of a sports victory at home because it was too dangerous to be out in the city.
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Charles Bowden: 5,000 killed in Juarez in 27 months, one of most violent cities on Earth
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Bowden: Innocents die in crossfire among cartels, army, police
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He says drug trade is a source of money for the Mexican economy
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Bowden: U.S. must face NAFTA's failures and the lethal results of "war on drugs"
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But one constant remains: No matter how many die in Juarez, no matter how low the pay in the American factories, the U.S. government insists the @placeholder is being won and that NAFTA is a big success.
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The illegal drug industry in @placeholder employs hundreds of thousands of people.
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We also never question our four-decades-old @placeholder, which has produced cheaper drugs of higher quality at lower prices in thousands of U.S. cities and towns.
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Anyone who questions the propaganda of the U.S. government on the violence in Mexico, on our @placeholder or on our free trade agreement is told to come up with a solution, some silver bullet that instantly slays the dragon.
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The first thing to do if we want to come clean about the slaughter in @placeholder is start smelling the coffee.
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As a @placeholder friend told me, "I love Juarez, it is such a needy city."