Chuck... while I appreciate your loyalty to the country you have chosen to call home, and am glad for the happiness you've found there, I don't think there's any analogy to be made.
We should all understand the media will over sensationalize anything. Just the way the media works.
But no can deny there is a continuing drug cartel war taking place in Mexico. It may not be occurring in your part of the country, or even near areas where most tourists might visit, but it is ongoing.
And if the level of the violence as a result were to be occurring in any US city or state, it would "make news".