Posted on 02/17/2009 1:25:56 PM PST by AuntB
Responding to fears of escalating violence in Mexico that could spill over the border into Texas and other states, the U.S. government has stepped up law enforcement.
Border Patrol and Drug Enforcement Administration agents were sent to shore up local law enforcement, and to their credit the violence has not spread to those communities and regions. In fact, El Paso — just across the border from Ciudad Juarez, which ranks as one of the most dangerous places in the world — is ranked as one of the safest cities in the United States.
Unfortunately, the stepped-up enforcement in border cities hasn’t kept Mexican drug-cartel violence from the United States. It simply moved it.
Today, cities far afield from the southern border face increasing violence from the cartels. As far north as Sioux Falls, S.D., and Anchorage, Alaska; east to Atlanta; west to you name it, the drug cartels have taken up residence. The Justice Department’s National Drug Intelligence Center says that 230 U.S. cities are home to drug cartel activity.
The United States has not yet seen the beheadings and police executions that are commonplace in many Mexican cities, but the violence is escalating.
Phoenix experienced more than 300 kidnappings last year resulting from cartel drug activity. Five men in Birmingham, Ala., were found with their throats slit after obvious torture by electric shock. The incident list goes on and on.
Mexican authorities have stepped up their interdiction efforts, as have U.S. agencies, but it hasn’t been enough. In fact, the U.S. Joint Forces Command issued a report in recent days that places Mexico on the same level as Pakistan in terms of the risk of potential collapse of the government.
Investigative agencies have determined that the Mexican cartels, at war with each other as well as law enforcement, have ties to Italian organized crime.
All this is fed, of course, by the demand for drugs in this country. At stake for the cartels is $28.5 billion in drug sales in this country.
With that much money at stake, and with nothing to lose back home, the cartels are likely to do anything to hold onto their turf. The cartels have now armed themselves with everything from automatic weapons to rocket launchers.
The answer, of course, is multifaceted. Demand for drugs must be reduced. Law enforcement resources including people and equipment must be augmented. And international cooperation must be continued and improved.
Easy to say, but more difficult to achieve. The cost will be enormous.
Yet the alternative — all-out warfare in the streets of the nation’s cities — is not something that can be permitted to occur.
ALSO....another agent in a shootout with a drug smuggler...this smuggler LOST.
Border Patrol Agent shoots supected smuggler By Ray Gomez
Story Created: Feb 16, 2009
Story Updated: Feb 16, 2009 An alleged smuggler is shot after he tries to flee from border patrol agents. It happened close to the I-35 checkpoint. The incident happened at around eleven last night at mile marker 35. According to Border Patrol, agents were patrolling the area when they saw 10 illegal immigrants getting into an SUV. When the agents tried to apprehend the illegal aliens and the smuggler, they got a big surprise. "A suspected smuggler made an attempt to run over our agent using his vehicle as a weapon. Realizing the threat the agent drew his weapon and discharged his service weapon." The agent shot the smuggler in the upper torso. The suspect was transported to Doctors hospital as well as the agent. The agent was treated and released this morning and doing well. The FBI is now investigating the case.
http://www.pro8news.com/news/local/39679797.html
Here’s a conservative solution:
1. Legalize the drugs. Tax the hell out of them.
2. Abolish the beaurocracy surrounding them.
We’d get:
1. tax revenues
2. this crime would dry up in seconds
(And no, I don’t do drugs. Never have, never will. I just am pissed we’re wasting tax money on trying to protect morons while turning the southwest USA into a free-fire zone.)
Should dumped the perp at the border for the Federalis to deal with.
Recognizing that the barn door was wide open, the US Government is considering serious discussions about closing it.
And the libtards would be too stoned to vote. Diabolical.
The failed drug war is a failure. End it.
Which is of course the very reason it will never, ever be implemented.
L
Whatever works.
The turning point for me emotionally on the War on Drugs was when I had the flu and couldn’t but Sudafed (because, apparently morons turn it into some drug). I realized restricting Sudafed has done nothing but making people with the flu amazing pissed off.
The turning point for me logically was on the War on Drugs was when:
(1) I realized how much money was spent and
(2) how the Netherland’s drug use rates have dropped to 1/2 of the USA drug use rates with several years of legalization.
Exactly why we need the military on the border with shoot to kill orders.
BUILD A DOUBLE FENCE WITH A MOAT!
A-10s and armed predator drones would help too.
defcon 2?
Get in line Mexico. Obrother can only handle one issue at the time, and even that is pushing it.
You are right on target, sir!
Wait to see what happens.
I am split on this but since so MANY teens think there is nothing wrong with Weed I am troubled about the quality of weed they are procuring for their personal use. It could be laced with crystal meth or some other dangerous drugs without their knowledge. This could be the prime reason that it is such a “gateway” drug. The dealer would want to get the kids “hooked” without their knowledge.
Sure, I’m all for it as long as I have the power to use unbridled deadly force without criminal liability to protect myself, family and property from a surge of stoners driving the streets and highways puffing on and sucking down legal and tax evading black market drugs.
The current DUI and self-defense laws address those issues quite well, I think.
Contamination is certainly an issue, which presumably would be resolved by eager trial lawyers happy to sue an above-board, legal, supplier of pot for a defective product.
Protecting the border comes first. We can worry about drugs later.
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