Posted on 08/28/2010 3:24:02 AM PDT by Scanian
The Washington Post reports on the nearly impossible task of stopping billions of dollars in drug money – almost all of it in cash – from moving South across the US border and into Mexico. The drug cartels are collecting an estimated $20-$25 billion a year from their drug sales in the United States and immigration authorities in the US and on the Mexican side of the border are confiscating maybe one percent.
“At the Laredo port alone, 22,000 cars cross into Mexico every day, plus 12,000 pedestrians and 6,000 tractor-trailers. They all can't be searched, officials say, and $1 million in $100 bank notes could almost fit in a shoe box.
“Once the couriers cross, the risk of being caught is even slimmer, even as Mexico tries to overhaul its customs agency with help from the $1.6 billion in U.S. aid in the anti-narcotics Merida Initiative. Mexico has fired more than 1,000 customs agents and hired 2,300 since 2007, doubling their base salaries in an effort to ward off corruption. Inspectors are subjected to lie-detector tests, job rotations and monitoring by surveillance cameras.
“But former agents say drug cartels continue to corrupt and intimidate inspectors. In Ciudad Juarez, across the river from El Paso, more than 30 agents have resigned in recent months after several co-workers were killed.
“‘It’s not enough,’ said the senior officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of security concerns. ‘They keep telling us to find more and more, but it's very hard.’”
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
A losing war, marijuana should be legalized and all other drugs should have stiff smuggling penalties, with penalties of use focused on rehab and community service, if the offender is violient or commiting habitual robbery then jail time must be used with an emphasis on rehab.So many people are taking anto depressants which flow like water from doctors that it makes no sense to ban a substance they could grow to ease their pain.
Why should we legalize a hallucinogenic drug, simply to appease those who can't deal with the real world? So it can be taxed, like all other "feel-good" products?
The arguments for legalizing a drug are the same ones used to legalize ALL forms of behavior that are immoral....and is consistent with the killing of the unborn, sex deviation, etc., since it's "freedom" to the misbehavor.
We PROMOTE law-breaking every time we "legalize" it.
Its not a tax question to most, it is a right, how many do you know who are on zanex or other drugs because life has brought them depression, surely if we can cope w/o anything thats the best, but who the hell is anyone to promote some man made crap with more side effects as morally responsible because some blind scientific community says its OK..As Christians is it OK to take Zanex, most would say yes, it doctor prescribed, well why should every phase of a persons decisions be based on a doctor to be legal, Marijuana is a plant used in many cultures for thousands of years, a substance folks could grow and not incure the cost of the “medical Community”.. It is not moral to be jailing folks for use of this low level psychotropic plant God placed on this earth..
All other drugs which addict in their manipulated forms need to be illegal with an emphasis on rehab not jail.
I am sure the importation of most drugs into this country occur with a wink and a e worried about nod from our government, so we are worried about terrorist, think about this, The consumption amounts to supply the Us must be huge, we are talking oil tankers daily, do you really think that is occuring w/o the government knowing, do you really think that amount is coming across the border on peoples backs. I truly believe our government is the supplier, the seller, the arrester, and the jailer.. Nice cozy little business,make money on each turn..
Whats so moral about that..
I thank God I do not use zanex, or illegal drugs, he has been enough for me to cope, but I do not see the point of persecuting folks for this particular choice..
iMHo...I just want to know what percentage winds up in DC...and interferes with the will of We the People trying to close the southern border.
I don’t agree in this case..we’ll leave that with Jesus
The "begs the question":
Does society have an obligation to accept ALL forms of behavior, so long as those who do it are "expressing their freedom"?
FYI: Alcohol is a FAR more dangerous drug than pot. You can easily overdose on alcohol, while there has NEVER been a reported overdose on pot. Boozers are usually loud & aggressive, while pot smokers are quite pleasant & passive. Boozers kill thousands on our roads with their speeding & reckless driving, while pot smokers tend to slow down & enjoy the ride. Pot smokers do not slur their words or stagger, suggesting they are far more in control than their drunken counterparts. Pot smokers know how they got home last night.
And you will find that pot smokers can make reasoned, rational arguments on a subject long after boozers have become blithering idiots soaked in their own body fluids in a gutter.
So, tell me why alcohol is legal & marijuana is not?
Could it be that prohibition does not work? Could it be that Prohibition is far worse than legalization & regulation?
Nah. Marijuana is some evil, horrific, illegal drug that must be warred upon like the Taliban. With ZERO success for 50+ YEARS. Do yourself a favor & smoke a joint. You are in for a pleasant surprise & a rude awakening, but no hallucinations, though you might think the pizza tastes especially good. Then you can stop sounding like a Flat Earth Society member.
Genesis 1:29-31
29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which [is] upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which [is] the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein [there is] life, [I have given] every green herb for meat: and it was so.
31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, [it was] very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
What part of that do you disagree with?
The reality of drug use is that many, many people like to get high, either with alcohol, illegal drugs, or legal drugs, depending on personal preference. Take 25 million pot smokers, add in 200 million drinkers, plus the millions of people who have a friendly doctor, & what you have is a huge majority of Americans. It as been this way for a very long time. It is not gonna change, even if you try to kill all the users. In the end, there would be no one left.
So, what the drug war really does is alienate millions of Americans with the tyranny it has spawned & enrich some of the most evil people on the planet, while being an utter failure. Because of the Drug War, Mexico is NOW a huge threat to America.
Is it possible that many illegals are fleeing Mexico to the US because of the Drug War? How long before Mexicans are granted asylum for political reasons? The barn door will really be open then.
And how ironic that the War on Drugs REALLY is becoming a war now - a bloody war!
The ONLY way to end the smuggling, violence, & criminality is to legalize & regulate marijuana, opiates, & cocaine sales & usage, much like alcohol is regulated today. The illicit drug trade would evaporate just as moonshiners & bootleggers did after the repeal of Prohibition. Mexico & many other countries could reverse the corruption & become decent places to live. Likely, many would stay there rather than come here. There would be no more drug dealers to temp our kids. The BILLIONS now spent kicking in doors could be spent actually helping drug ABUSERS with their problems, while leaving alone casual drug USERS who are harming no one.
Finally, I ask this question: Should the ruling class have the power to tell you what you may or may not consume?
So, you figure getting a buzz is immoral.
Why did Jesus change the water to wine at a party? Was that immoral, too? Why is there a Genesis 1:29-31? Is God immoral?
My morals come from the Bible, not the Ruling Class.
You are confusing illegal with immoral. By your thinking, owning a gun for self protection is IMMORAL in many places - Chicago & DC come to mind.
You have been duped by the nannies who want to control every aspect of our lives.
Why can’t people be satisfied with 1-2 drinks then if they’re the same? That argument is not persuasive or even true from the potheads I’ve seen and the personality changes that quickly happen from use.
Recreational drug use is simply behavior to avoid reality, and "kick back".
You wanna puff away on weed, go ahead. You're in denial if you believe it's non-addictive, non-behavior modifying, and should be available on every shelf in America.
Myself; I really don't need drugs to escape; I've got feet.
I don't understand what you are asking here.
It might interest you to know the pot smoking is somewhat self limiting. Tokers tend to take a few puffs & then say “No thanks, I've had enough”. That is a rare phrase in a bar. Drinkers tend to get drunk, that is, out of control. Pot smokers are rarely out of control, & are far more inhibited.
Certainly there are abusers of almost everything on this planet. But vilifying & criminalizing someone for personal, private, harmless behavior goes against everything this country stands for, & as I pointed out, against the CLEAR word of God.
Surely you are not trying to say that a drunk’s behavior is better than a stoner’s?
Slobbering, staggering, loud, & abusive vs. “turn on the music dude & lets order a pizza”. Swerving down the highway at high speed, seeing double vs. a guy doing 20 MPH under the speed limit. Passed out in a gutter vs. asleep on the couch. Beating your wife vs. great sex with your wife.
Yeah, the Ruling Class picked the best recreational drug to legalize. NOT!!!!!
You dodged the question entirely.
IF they’re the same as you say, there’s no reason for people to be paying so much for pot. Why do you use it? Can’t you just drink 2 and be ok?
Riiiggghhhtttt... I’m not defending alcohol, but I notice you are defending your drug aplenty.
It makes you uncomfortable when the Bible doesn't conform to your personal preferences. Too bad. It's my Bible & I quoted it accurately, & you didn't refute a word of it. But, in fact, you do refute it in your heart. Not good for you.
I would laugh if it were not so sad.
As for behavior modifying: everything you do every day is behavior modifying until the day you die. The idea that smoking a joint will somehow destroy your life is as dumb as believing in monsters under the bed.
If you think marijuana is so dangerous, then I recommend you never take another prescription drug, which are far more dangerous.
An Alarming video every Westerner should see
http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=0861ff3eabea1ceb73e4
Please get a grip.
Do you eat poisonous plants, too, because "God made them"?
You can use all the contorted, tortured arguments you want to justify a pothead lifestyle, but the bulk of common sense people don't really see that as well-adjusted.
If you think God wanted poppies to be used for heroin production, or coca plants to be used for crack cocaine, you've been smoking too many "plants" lately......
LOL
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