T.G.I.F. my friends I hope you have all had a good week and are looking forward to a great weekend, because I am. I am also sorry this post is coming to all of you so late today, but as the saying goes “life Happens”, and it happened to me today. Today’s blog is going to be on Mexico and the War on Drugs. Anyway let’s get started what do you say?
As I am sure you are all aware we have been fighting the war on drugs for decades. We have not always been successful in our efforts to stem the flow of illegal drugs into our country, but we have had our victories to. The war on drugs has lasted longer than the Vietnam War, the war in Iraq, and the war in Afghanistan combined. It has also cost more money than all three of those wars put together, and when you count the lives lost on all sides of the drug war the loss of life is immensely greater also.
This war has also been fought on many fields and fronts from Europe, the Far and Middle East, to central and South America, and now Mexico. Although for the record Mexico has always been a port of entry for smuggling drugs into the US the four Mexican cartels that are currently vying for supremacy as the reigning exporter of drugs to the states control the Mexican side of the border now and no one smuggles drugs into the US unless one of them gets paid.
The war on drugs in Mexico has really gotten bad on their side of the border in recent years. Many of the cartel members either have prior military or law enforcement experience. Some of these guys are even still serving in the Mexican military or as law enforcement officers inside of Mexico. Their training in weapons and technology make them far superior to other criminal organizations around the world.
The results of their expertise are immediately obvious to even the most casual observer. Their willingness to bring death to their adversaries with cool, calculated, efficiency is just one trademark of their talents demonstrated to their countrymen and the world on a near daily basis. Their expertise in exporting drugs to the US and importing weapons back into Mexico speaks to their talent for avoiding capture and arrest.
Now I am going to say something that most of you will find surprising, and that is that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was right. She was right about the hunger and desire for the drugs that these cartels supply by many of our citizens, which makes us partially responsible for the drug trade that flourishes in Mexico. She was right about US weapons and money going to Mexico as partially our responsibility as well.
However I am quite sure that Mexico is at least as much responsible for these things as we are, after all it is their side of the border that US weapons and cash are smuggled across by these very cartels, in order for them to finance and wage their war on terror against the Mexican people. It is also across their side of the border that the trafficking in illegal narcotics begins.
For the record though I don’t think that it is necessary for our Secretary of State to apologize to the Mexican government for their criminal elements and their lack of ability to police those criminals. It is not our fault that their government officials, law enforcement officers, and military personnel are corrupt. We are not responsible for their current economic instability either.
In one way or another, American dollars are Mexico’s biggest import, whether it is by illegal immigrants sending a portion of the money they earn here back to Mexico, or the profits from drugs that get smuggled back into their country by the drug cartels. Mexico is responsible for their own economic problems by utilizing a de-facto caste system where the few rule the rich like the royals and the serfs in 15th century Europe.
The truth is that the major export from Mexico to the US is Cannabis Sativa although they do import cocaine and heroin into the US as well. However if we were to not only decriminalize marijuana, but legalize it as well most of the problems on the border would disappear overnight. Well that and actually do something on our side of the line with a real border security plan like building the fence, increasing border agents, and applying 21st century technology to the task.
Well that is all I have to rant about here at Simple Man Politics for today. I hope you all have an awesome weekend and I will be back again next week, CIAO4NOW!!!!!
This is definitely a hot topic. The border is getting very bad and we need to do something badly.
Joy said...
March 27, 2009 at 8:09 PM
War is never pretty its true. It has been a long time since we have had a war in our own backyard, or even with our neighbors to the south. The last time that happened we chased them back across the Rio Grande. Maybe this is what we need to scare our leaders back into line and get them looking out for all of our interests again instead of just their own. However with the current party running our country we may wind up being the new Mexican colony, because I don't think our government could fight its way out of a soft flour tortilla.
Anonymous said...
March 28, 2009 at 10:00 PM
lol @ anonymous. You're probably right about our government. Unfortunately they don't seem to think that fighting is EVER the answer. This administration likes to buddy up with enemies and be rude to long time allies.
Anonymous said...
March 28, 2009 at 11:30 PM
I can hardly believe I'm saying this...but I am leaning more and more towards agreeing with you on this. The reporting of John Stossel and others is very convincing in proving that the War on Drugs absolutely has not worked and has probably worsened the problem. Overall, we would probably save more money if we decriminalized the use of, at least, some of the drugs. Perhaps it would remove the mystique that teenagers feel for it. My biggest worry, though, is that if we did decriminalize the harder drugs and use of them went up instead of down, then the taxpayer gets stuck with the bill in most cases...are we worse off, budget-wise, in the end, not to speak of the ramifications for morality? I would love to be a libertarian on this in some ways, but is it really libertarian to decriminalize drug use when the users aren't the ones that pony up the dollars in the end? So, those are my thoughts...
Glen Asbury said...
March 30, 2009 at 5:29 AM