Back in December 2004...
Cali Cartel Boss Sent to U.S. on Drug Charges ^ (Gilberto)
Today... Miguel flew North.. Brothers ,together Again, sort of. ;-)
AP Photo
In this photo released by the Colombian National Police, confessed drug trafficker, Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela, center, is escorted by police officers to a U.S. government airplane at the Palanquero Air Base near Puerto Salgar in central Colombia, Friday, March 11, 2005. Rodriguez Orejuela who, along with his brother Gilberto helped found the Cali drug cartel, was extradited to the U.S. where he will face drug trafficking charges.
A. We have not invaded any countries merely because some Americans have drug habits.
B. Are there Americans in Columbia? Yes. Has Columbia been 'invaded?' No.
C. Drug producers & smugglers do not exclusively depend on American drug addicts.
D. Drug running and all its related activities would exist even if the US and all its addicts didn't.
E. Terrorists are funded by drug sales, among other things.
F. Drug smugglers and producers have other lucrative businesses called 'kidnapping.'
G. Drug kingpins & smugglers are not the kind of folks who limit themselves merely to smuggling illegal drugs- they'll deliver anything and everything- including human beings- without regard to consequences; they thrive on extortion, assassinations, etc- they are the mercs of the terrorist world. The idea that they will join a convent or something if we only leave them alone or legalize their more infamous business is naive in the extreme.
H. Arresting drug producers & smugglers plays an enormous role in defanging South American marxist and maoist terrorist groups as well as the Islamic and Pan-Arabic variety.
I. Defanging South American marxist and maoist terrorist groups as well as Islamic and Pan-Arabic terrorist groups saves lives in those countries, as well as ours. We can pretend it's only about petty crime and some inner city kid's crack habit but it's about terrorist networks of supply, illegal immigration, and national security. These are ideological problems that won't go away just because we legalize cocaine. We can't legalize everything these SOBs do to take the profit out of it- imagine legalizing kidnapping, white slavery or pedophilia because these SOBs traffic in people, too. think it'll end the problem?
J. The idea that everything would be peachy-keen and peaceful in Columbia- or anywhere else- if the US gave up the 'drug war' is utter nonsense.
K. That those who oppose the 'drug war' are opposed because they are concerned about Columbians getting killed is a crock. The implication that it's the US down there killing poor little innocent people and not the drug cartel and their ideologically motivated terrorist associates is also a pile of steaming BS.