Since Mexico's President Felipe Calderón took office in December 2006, nearly 23,000 people have been killed as a result of the drug war that has engulfed many parts of the nation, and June might end up being the country's most violent month to date. Just this past weekend, the mayor of Guadelupe was shot and killed in front of his wife and child. And the violence just keeps getting worse.

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Amnesty International is taking sides on the drug and gang violence that's already killed 7,000 people this year in Mexico... and their stance may surprise you.

The international human rights watchdog group is accusing the Mexican government of turning a blind eye to thousands of complaints against the Mexican military.  According to the charges, the same military troops tasked with providing security against gang violence are themselves guilty of torturing, and in some cases murdering, civilians.

The Houston Chronicle's Mexico bureau chief, Dudley Althaus, covered this story and joins us to discuss the ramifications of these alleged abuses.  Are these violations a necessary evil in fighting a war so out-of-control, or something to inspire the ancient question: "Who Watches the Watchmen?"

In 2006, when Felipe Calderón was inaugurated President of Mexico, he promised to aggressively fight the drug cartels that had long been waging war in the streets of Mexican cities. Three years later, drug turf wars continue to escalate in violence and have claimed the lives of 14,000 people since December 2006.  

We talk to two guests who describe extra-judicial attempts to fight the cartels, as people turn to vigilante justice to protect themselves. Dudley Althaus is Mexico City bureau chief for the Houston Chronicle; Diana Washington Valdez is a reporter with the El Paso Times. Both journalists speak about the ongoing violence and attempts to hold it back.