U.S. Pledges Manpower For Mexico Drug War

CBS Evening News: Obama Administration Sending 500 More Agents To Border To Curb Cartel Related Violence

(CBS)  The Obama administration announced Tuesday that it is stepping up efforts to help Mexico's government battle the drug cartels. The White House is sending more money, technology, and most of all, more manpower to keep the violence from spilling over the border into the United States, reports CBS News correspondent Seth Doane.

The brazen kidnappings and violence across Mexico has business booming at armored car factories. It's just one way citizens here are trying to protect themselves.

The U.S. now says it will try to help protect citizens too, on both sides of the border.

"What we want to do is better secure the border area against further violence and make it a safe and secure area, where the rule of law is upheld and enforced," says Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

It's a high-profile push - sending about 500 more law enforcement agents to the border - including 350 from the Department of Homeland Security, about 100 from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and 16 more Drug Enforcement Agency posts.

All of it an effort to bolster president Felipe Calderon's crackdown on the drug cartels, who are battling over an estimated $18 to $39 billion in narcotics sales a year.

Mexican officials say they're trying to make the transition from defense to offense.

"We are capturing criminals, we're investigating cases, and we're collaborating with all law enforcement agencies," says Miguel Angel Mancera, a Mexico City prosecutor.

The cartel turf wars have claimed more than 7,000 lives in the last 15 months, Doane reports. That reign of terror bleeds over into Southwest U.S. border cities like Phoenix, Ariz., where there were more than 400 drug-related kidnappings and home invasions last year.

While the cartels are Mexican - narco-terror is a two-way street. Drugs come in from Mexico - but fully 90 percent of the weapons involved in Mexican drug killings come from the U.S.

And in Los Angeles on Tuesday, officials busted 48 people involved in a Mexican heroin and cocaine trafficking ring earning an estimated $2 million a month.

"We will investigate and prosecute the criminals who smuggle drugs in the United States and distribute them and sell them in our cities and towns," says Deputy U.S. Attorney General David Ogden.

Napolitano, Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are all heading to Mexico City in coming days to hammer home the message that both countries will stop the drugs, stop the guns, and stop the bleeding.

[talltimber41]

I think we should send all NFL players who have been arrested in the last five years...imagine how fast things would change.

[Rick-KCMO]

I remember reading an article months ago about drug gangs obtaining hand grenades, RPG's, and machine guns from US gun shows. I knew the article was BS because none of the items listed could be legally purchased here. No, you cannot buy a machine gun or hand grenade at a gun show. Now it seams the Mex Gov has refined their message by giving the ATF a small list numbers of serial numbers of confiscated weapons to "prove" that it is the evil US fueling their drug war and not the corruption or incompetence of the Mex. Gov. They are also using this as an excuse to get more money from us. When the Mex. Gov. turns over all the serial numbers and we finally get an accurate picture of what is happening, then I will believe them. The article forgot to mention the LA Times article "Drug cartels' new weaponry means war" March 15, 2009 where they describe how true military guns and hand grenades are flowing into Mexico through South and Central America. Think about it, how many articles have you read where they talk about guns coming from the US and mention hand grenades and RPG's in the same article? If the drug dealers have the ability to get this true military hardware, why would they waste their time with only semi-automatic weapons from the US?

[opedanderson]

Arrogant Americans.

Stop using the damn drugs! Stop sending the guns!

Don't sit back and pretend we are innocent beings in all this. This situation only exists because of us.......

[Charlieot2]

Harvard economist: Prohibition creates violence, legalize all drugs
David Edwards and Stephen C. Webster
Published: Tuesday March 24, 2009
Because of his title as a Harvard economist, people tend to listen to Jeffrey Miron. And, if the old principle holds true and controversy always creates interest, expect a lot of people to be talking about Miron's latest volley into the mainstream media.

"Prohibition creates violence because it drives the drug market underground," he wrote in an essay published by CNN on Tuesday. "This means buyers and sellers cannot resolve their disputes with lawsuits, arbitration or advertising, so they resort to violence instead.

"Violence was common in the alcohol industry when it was banned during Prohibition, but not before or after."

Miron's proposed solution to ending the cartel war along the US-Mexico border is both simple and enormously complex.

"Violence is the norm in illicit gambling markets but not in legal ones. Violence is routine when prostitution is banned but not when it's permitted," he wrote. "Violence results from policies that create black markets, not from the characteristics of the good or activity in question.
...
"If we only did marijuana we would only have a small impact on the violence and corruption and disruption of other countries that is caused by U.S. prohibition of drugs and the U.S. forcing prohibition of drugs on other countries."

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Harvard_economist_Legalize_all_drugs_to_0324.html
Posted by DoubleHappiness88 at 8:46 AM : Mar 25, 2009

Dr. Miron's analysis fails to take one crucial factor into account, the behavior of the cartels post-legalization. The Mafia did not disappear after Prohibition was repealed; these people won't disappear either. They will simply move into other, more lucrative markets where their weapons and ability to intimidate will continue to be effective. As much as I support legalization, drug laws didn't create violence. The violence was created because violent, ambitious people saw and opportunity and seized it.

[DoubleHappiness88]

Harvard economist: Prohibition creates violence, legalize all drugs
David Edwards and Stephen C. Webster
Published: Tuesday March 24, 2009
Because of his title as a Harvard economist, people tend to listen to Jeffrey Miron. And, if the old principle holds true and controversy always creates interest, expect a lot of people to be talking about Miron's latest volley into the mainstream media.

"Prohibition creates violence because it drives the drug market underground," he wrote in an essay published by CNN on Tuesday. "This means buyers and sellers cannot resolve their disputes with lawsuits, arbitration or advertising, so they resort to violence instead.

"Violence was common in the alcohol industry when it was banned during Prohibition, but not before or after."

Miron's proposed solution to ending the cartel war along the US-Mexico border is both simple and enormously complex.

"Violence is the norm in illicit gambling markets but not in legal ones. Violence is routine when prostitution is banned but not when it's permitted," he wrote. "Violence results from policies that create black markets, not from the characteristics of the good or activity in question.

"The only way to reduce violence, therefore, is to legalize drugs."

In 2005, Miron published a study titled, "The Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition" (PDF link), funded by the Marijuana Policy Project. Over 500 professional economists, including Milton Friedman, signed on to the report, which was sent to then-President George W. Bush.

Miron's report found that "marijuana legalization would save $7.7 billion per year in state and federal expenditures on prohibition enforcement and produce tax revenues of at least $2.4 billion annually if marijuana were taxed like most consumer goods."

He also discovered a potential for $6.2 billion or more, were marijuana taxed similarly to alcohol and tobacco.

However, during a CNN appearance on Tuesday, he took the anti-prohibition sentiment of his prior study on marijuana and applied it universally, telling anchor Kiran Chetry, "A lot of the violence we're seeing and a lot of the underground market is not related to marijuana but related to the other drugs.

"If we only did marijuana we would only have a small impact on the violence and corruption and disruption of other countries that is caused by U.S. prohibition of drugs and the U.S. forcing prohibition of drugs on other countries."

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Harvard_economist_Legalize_all_drugs_to_0324.html

[cspanny]

We blame the mexicans for all the drug trafficking but if we americans didnt LOVE drugs so much they wouldnt even be in business

[johnb8888]

"Just as the valid complaint from Mexico is that Drug Traffic is generated by demand in the US.....the second valid complaint is that guns from the US are the greatest problem in protecting Mexican citizens from this drug trade.
Posted by mjlewis6



Of course the Mexicans use plenty of these drugs also, and Mexico'scompletely corrupt government and police get rich off the trade, so why is it a USA problem?

I say it may be good, as it's a spur to get the lazyass Mexican authorities to at least pay attention to the completely porous border. They've loved it being that way as long as they could send disgruntled unemployed citizens north and gotten billions of dollars sent home.

Now maybe they'll see it's in their interest to secure their side of the border.

So send more AKs to Mexico until they stop exporting illegals to us by the millions.

That will get their attention.

[mjlewis6]

Clearly, the 'legal' means of acquiring weapons in the US to third parties that provide them to the drug cartels......should be defined and regulated as well as enforced under friendship treaty with Mexico? Just as the valid complaint from Mexico is that Drug Traffic is generated by demand in the US.....the second valid complaint is that guns from the US are the greatest problem in protecting Mexican citizens from this drug trade.

[johnb8888]

The DEA (a Nixon creation), with the help of Repig presidents and Bill Clinton (wait, did I just repeat myself?) did everything they could to drive marijuana growing out of the USA and into Mexico, thus creating this disaster.

Have a couple of pot plants in your backyard?--the pigs would steal your home, land, car, and everything else you own. So the suppliers moved offshore, changing from relatively small time local producers to huge mafias.

Of course the pig power structure made plenty of money off all the land they stole under the civil seizure laws--they didn't even have to prove your guilt, they just took your property.

Because--why?--because these same members of the pig power structure got huge payoffs and kickbacks from the drug mafia.

Some of America's leading families have gotten rich off illegal drugs. Just check out the Kennedys!

[DoubleHappiness88]

America has forgotten its history. Current gang wars are the result of Drug Prohibition. Alcohol Prohibition caused similar gang wars and corruption. If the gang wars are to be ended, Drug Prohibition must be ended. Drugs should be legalized, controlled and taxed.

The alternative is continued gang wars, corruption of The US Justice System and foreign governments.

America can no longer afford the foolish, failed, corrupt and never ending War On Drugs.


"Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance. It is a species of intemperance within itself, for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation, and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A Prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded." -Abraham Lincoln

Drug Prohibition has failed for the same reason Alcohol Prohibition failed. Prohibition does not work. END THE FAILED WAR ON DRUGS!

[DoubleHappiness88]

Harvard economist: Prohibition creates violence, legalize all drugs
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Harvard_economist_Legalize_all_drugs_to_0324.html
David Edwards and Stephen C. Webster
Published: Tuesday March 24, 2009
Because of his title as a Harvard economist, people tend to listen to Jeffrey Miron. And, if the old principle holds true and controversy always creates interest, expect a lot of people to be talking about Miron's latest volley into the mainstream media.

"Prohibition creates violence because it drives the drug market underground," he wrote in an essay published by CNN on Tuesday. "This means buyers and sellers cannot resolve their disputes with lawsuits, arbitration or advertising, so they resort to violence instead.

"Violence was common in the alcohol industry when it was banned during Prohibition, but not before or after."

Miron's proposed solution to ending the cartel war along the US-Mexico border is both simple and enormously complex.

"Violence is the norm in illicit gambling markets but not in legal ones. Violence is routine when prostitution is banned but not when it's permitted," he wrote. "Violence results from policies that create black markets, not from the characteristics of the good or activity in question.

"The only way to reduce violence, therefore, is to legalize drugs."

In 2005, Miron published a study titled, "The Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition" (PDF link), funded by the Marijuana Policy Project. Over 500 professional economists, including Milton Friedman, signed on to the report, which was sent to then-President George W. Bush.

Miron's report found that "marijuana legalization would save $7.7 billion per year in state and federal expenditures on prohibition enforcement and produce tax revenues of at least $2.4 billion annually if marijuana were taxed like most consumer goods."

He also discovered a potential for $6.2 billion or more, were marijuana taxed similarly to alcohol and tobacco.

However, during a CNN appearance on Tuesday, he took the anti-prohibition sentiment of his prior study on marijuana and applied it universally, telling anchor Kiran Chetry, "A lot of the violence we're seeing and a lot of the underground market is not related to marijuana but related to the other drugs.

"If we only did marijuana we would only have a small impact on the violence and corruption and disruption of other countries that is caused by U.S. prohibition of drugs and the U.S. forcing prohibition of drugs on other countries."

[promise2009]

It is wrong to say "help to Mexico's Goverment..." The problem comes because the drug consumers in US and also because the guns that americans provide to the Mexican cartels, so it is responsability to both Goverments work together in this issue, each one in its own side, specially in the border. We can not denay the corruption and inefficiency in both sides that both Goverments have to face and correct. Mexican have to deal with the Cartels working in the North and the drug that is coming from the South. US have to work with the thousands of drug dealers and consumers and also with the illegal selling of guns across the Country. So, people do not say US is "helping" take the responsability US has in this issue. The same for Mexico.