Do I think El Salvador is a dangerous place? Yes I do, relative to other Central American countries. At least in Nicaragua, we regard El Salvador and Guatemala as such. Sure, maybe not like Iraq, but regionally.
The Salvadoran legacy of a steady diet of guns and violence have created a culture where I think too many people are desensitized or view this as "normal." Then also, is the issue of too many people without even a modicum of hope for the future, trying to survive. Guns are tools, like hammers and saws. If you have a hammer or a saw you eke out a living building house. Guns have other uses.
The question of whether Don Federico Bloch was executed also crossed my mind. In El Salvador, I wonder whether there is much of a distinction between "executions" and murder-- a look at the country's experience with death squads and vigilantes should clarify what I am trying to say. I don't doubt due to his position in Grupo TACA, and just his general status in Salvadoran society that he had enemies. I have even entertained the notion that he may have had a price on his head for people who perceive he had wronged them as CEO of TACA.
A don't know much about the Constitution of El Salvador, however, I suspect it is similar to the Constitution of Nicaragua. The Nicaraguan Constitution makes it clear that there is no death penalty. Although I personally disagree with this portion of the Nicaraguan Constitution, even if Sr. Bloch had caused misery upon a number of people in his company (I have heard some people express grievances) and as they probably see it "robbed them," the death penalty is not perscribed for robbery, extortion, or even murder.
Whether he was "murdered" or "executed" doesn't change my opinion of El Salvador. It is still a very dangerous country, and not coincidentally, not a holiday destination for us.
Some research on Google netted me the following thread (in Spanish):
Re: Federico Bloch, asesinado? ajusticiado? cobro de cuentas? (Univision.com)