The violence in Mexico is becoming one of the highest rates worldwide, with more kidnappings this year than in Colombia or Iraq. Increasingly, the environment of violence is penetrating Mexican society. In part this process began with the arrival of President Felipe Calderon Hinojosa in 2006.
In the Mexican system, the President has six years to govern. Most commonly, the first two years focus on installing a new series of administration officials. Afterwards, the majority of reforms occur during the third and fourth years of an administration. The extraordinary aspect of President Calderon is his quick reform soon after being elected, deploying thousands of federal troops to combat drug violence. As such, a great battle has formed that is consuming the Mexican nation. The drug interests form a real part of the government, and the perception of corruption is very high and directly related to even senior government officials. A “critical mass” has now arrived. Last week, millions of people throughout Mexico marched against violence and demanded government action. 
Against this backdrop occurred a horrible attack. In the city of Morelia–birthplace of the Mexican President– in the state of Michoacan, a crowd was celebrating Independence Day when someone threw a grenade into the crowd. This killed at least eight people, and left nearly 100 wounded. This attack occurred just after massive protests against violence, and appears to be a symbol to the nation and President that little will stand in their way. It is still unknown who committed the attack, and the government is looking for the perpetrators. The worrying aspect is this marks a direct attack against innocent civilians and a line has been crossed.
