 be a very partial solution. Most of the drug money for Mexico, however, is coming from cocaine. Do we really want to legalize that? Can you imagine the destroyed lives? The societal problems we have with alcoholism and the health effects of cigarettes (to name two legal drugs) would pale in comparison. Absolutely pale.
And G. Martinez, you have some very valid points, but you are over-posting and sounding shrill, which is destroying your message. Try to post when you are less angry, and your arguments will be easier to hear.
America in fact, created the cartel problem. The U.S. still
insists on stupidly keeping marijuana illegal, despite that
alchohal, a more powerful intoxicant is legal. and available
for consumtion, and openly promoted as O.K. Also the root
of marijuana prohibition was to drive out Mexican imigrants
in the 1930's. this all started here in Texas. The cnn footage
of the confiscated contraband cleary shows pressed kilos
of marijuana. Although cocain and heroin no doubt play
a part in this, the main cash cow for these cartels seems to
be marijuana, a plant very hardy and easy to grow. a plant
that grew in almost every part of the u.s. before 1930. The
U.S. drug policy on marijuana is based on arcane moronic
stupidity, lies and un-truths. No better example of this
can be found than the re-clasification of marijuana as a
"psycadelic drug". marijuana is neither a "psycadelic" nor
"a powerful mind altering drug" in fact it might make you sleepy.
Lies when promoted as the truth always lead to utter
disaster, as in the iraq war. Is a little plant realy worth
all this murder and blood? tell me Anderson, this is
all hapening in my back yard where i raise my kids, while
are government plays games with reality and peoples
lives!! did i mention our national incarceration problem?
whatever a persons feeling about marijuana use,the
fact is the arcane laws against it wreak with hipocracy, and are by standard morally wrong, these laws case far
more damage to health lives and property than the
plant ever possibly could. Wake up america, or suffer
the consequences.
I relocated to El Paso, TX with my family almost 3 years ago. We used to go over to Cd. Juarez often for good food and shopping. But no more. It is like a war zone My husband still has to cross the border everyday to manage an American interest there. There are many here like him. Keep showing America what's happening here everyday and just keeps getting worse.
I see we can send troops thousands of miles away to control and ffight wars for other people who are creating a danger for us in America, but we don't send troops to stop the war that is in walking distants of our borders. Whatever happened to Marshall Law. If it take this to stop people from bring drugs across the border, than this is what it takes. DO IT PERIOD,
This is an interesting piece, hoever, it fails to mention Juarez's women. This is a serious issue that has been going on for way too long. Hundreds (some say thousands) of women who are working in sweat shop type factories are being exploited by cheap labor and are physically and sexually abused to death going to and from work. Yes, this drug war is violating many laws, however, the crisis of Juarez's women is violating human rights. Action needs to be taken. A piece on this issue would definately provide more awareness and more hope for aid.
G. Martinez ranting about the Bush and Cheney and the Iraq war, blaming the Catholic Church and implying Protestants are somehow superior.
Way to stay on point and relevant. You're a genius and you should be made king of the world.
By the way not one person in this thread is "blaming the immigrants". And the "$360 billion going to buddies of the the former administration". And your point is???? POh I see it now – Mexico's problems are indeed ORCHESTRATED by the racist Republicans. Thanks for your uncanny insight.
My brother and I spent summer and Christmas vacations in central Mexico and as a result grew to appreciate and be very proud of our culture. We learned to appreciate the priviliges of being U.S. cit., but more importantly we learned how to adapt in a small town where electricity went out if storms were bad, where our clothes were hand-washed, where we roamed the entire town freely with cousins without fears of kidnappings, drugs or any of the fears that made my parents overprotective here in the U.S. My husband and I always imagined sending our children to Mexico so they may grow to have these same experiences and appreciation of their heritage and to love both countries. But after hearing and seeing how these criminals are taking over and instilling fear even in our small remote town, we don't feel safe going and will likely be canceling future trips much less will we be sending our children. The worst part is that friends and family I know are canceling routine trips as well, and this will definitely be affecting Mexico's already struggling economy. I don't even know what the U.S. can do, but they better do something. The media is finally addressing an issue that has been brewing in Mexico for a couple of years but I don't think our politicians are getting the seriousness of the affect this can and will have on our states this side of the border and eventually in all of the U.S. Of course they may see this as an issue they can move to the bottom of the list while they try to clean up the mess here at home. I don't know, maybe the world is coming to an end or maybe like a bad drug addict everything needs to hit rock bottom before it bounces back, but then again not all addicts recover. I hate to sound negative but I feel my life as well as so many others are being robbed of our right to visit our families, and to celebrate holidays as we always have. With a newborn and a toddler it is not worth the risk to be caught at the wrong place at the wrong time.
I called in on c-span about 10 years ago when Senator Conyers returned from a trip to the cartels in Columbia. It was live call in.
My question was " How would the drug lords vote on legalizing drugs,
Yes or No, and how would you vote on legalizing drugs, yes or no.
I didnt get an answer. When drug lords were asked, they said No. It would put them out of business.
We need to revisit this option, On the local grocery store I saw that the Stevia Leaf was 50% more profitable than growing cocaine, and it;s legal. Use the billions for treatment centers and education rather than than the war on drugs. we are a free country. We cant do what other countries have done.Kill the cocaine users, which worrks there,
Juarez and some of the other border towns are extremely dangerous but it is not omnipresent through out Mexico. This is another example of sensational journalism that doesn't cover all the bases. For example, CNN ran an article about the dangers of kidnapping in Mexico a few months back and everyone in the states now thinks they will be kidnapped if they go to mexico. I have lived in Guadalajara for years and the risk of getting kidnapped here is as low as it is anywhere in states. How many US citizens have actually gotten kidnapped here? Where is the data? Any major US city such as LA, Chicago, Philly, NYC, and Philly has examples of random people that get killed. What is the answer? Move back to the suburbs? Good luck.
Well legalizing pot might be a good idea, but can pot replace the hard drugs that addicts crave?
Most of the citizens in central Mexico are in denial, about the violence that the country is having right now, and that makes this matter even worst. If the people does not want to see the problem, how are they going to do something about it.
The violence in Mexico and the ever growing threat of drug violence against Mexico's sovereignty is a direct consequence of America's expensive habit for illegal drugs. If American's were not such glutenous pigs when it comes to snorting coke on weekends, lighting up crack in an alley, cranking up to drive a truck or tear off a roof – or because we're just bored, or looking for X at the slut puppy bar on every college campus in the country etc.etc. Mexico would still be the placid, beautiful and culturally rich place it once was.
I resent that comment against the Catholic Church wich does enormous amounts of good works all aver Latin America and the world.I've seen just as many corrupt and gangsta evangelists as I have catholics.Like it or not,the Catholic Church is part of the cultural identity of all Latin America no matter how many people you evangelists and mormons poach and mislead.Alot is the fault of the local Catholic Church themselves for loosing adherents but that is also due to lack of resources and many latin govts have hobbled the church in the past with restrictions.About the drugs,its the users here in the USA and Europe who are to blame,no users,no drug use then no cartels or cartel violence.Latin countries are paying the price of corruption,greed and neglect.Its so sad.
This violence won't stop unless we legalize drugs. Period.
No criminal organization has risen to such heights of power if they haven't