Posted on 03/01/2009 9:45:52 PM PST by AtlasStalled
Anderson Cooper did a piece for 60 Minutes tonight on the Mexican drug cartels, and generally he did a good job in presenting a concise overview of the issues. However, the segment failed to address the horrific violence perpetrated by the drug cartels on the U.S. side of the border in cities such as Phoenix, AZ and Atlanta, GA, and failed to address the role by U.S. financial institutions and money managers in laundering some $38 billion in drug money for the cartels every year.
Cooper interviewed Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano who recognized that the drug cartels pose an ominous threat to national security but she otherwise appeared a tad clueless about how to tackle the problem. Although Napolitano seeks to interdict more U.S. guns flowing into Mexico, greater law enforcement on this particular front will do little to disarm the narco terrorists. In fact, there is no reliable data on the extent to which guns used by the drug cartels are even from the United States. Mexican authorities contend that 90 to 95 percent of the guns they seize are American but inexplicably refuse to identify the serial numbers on the weapons to confirm the claim.
Los Zetas, which provides paramilitary muscle for the Gulf Cartel, is run by former soldiers, and given the rampant corruption within Mexico's institutions its military may be a likely source for arming it. One thing's for sure: the hand grenades that Los Zetas is lobbing around are from North Korea. In any event, even if the United States were successful in stopping the illegal flow of all guns south of the border, the drug cartels are sufficiently cash rich that they would find replacement sources quick enough. If Secretary Napolitano really wants hit the drug cartels then she better figure out how to stop the flow of cash -- not guns -- into Mexico.
“and failed to address the role by U.S. financial institutions and money managers in laundering some $38 billion in drug money for the cartels”
Too many DEMOCRATS involved, like the recently exposed Stanford, in laundering drug money for CNN to mention it.
You’ll notice that despite Stanford’s 9 BILLION dollar theft, how little press he’s getting?
$38 billion? That's a big number. In fact, how many single industries generate that kind of money a year (I'm assuming it's annual)?
I'm NOT advocating this, but would be curious if it were legal, what would the number be accounting for retail mark-up and the like? And, I wonder what the tax revenues would be.
The National Drug Intelligence Center estimates that Mexican and Colombian cartels launder between $18 billion and $39 billion in wholesale drug proceeds annually.
The MSM should be focusing on this like a laser. It is obvious they don't want the public demanding greater border security. Why not? Because the incoming illegals are a source of new DemonRAT voters.
I watched most of this crap. Which part of wrong would you like to discuss?
nice write up, but to ay napaliturd is clueless is well not surprising.
Is this some kind of cult?
An unwanted vision of the future for the delusional?
Somebody tell me I'm wrong.
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