Gates reveals plan to counter drug cartels(Merida Initiative)

[maddezmom]

Source: UPI

April 30 (UPI) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates met with Mexican leaders in Mexico City Wednesday about a U.S.-Mexico initiative to counter drug cartels.

U.S. President George Bush proposed the so-called Merida Initiative that would pump $1.4 billion into Mexico over several years to combat drug cartels and other criminal organizations.

Gates said during a news briefing after his meetings it would be "a real slap at Mexico" if the funding weren't approved by Congress.

The State Department would handle the bulk of the U.S. duties under the initiative, Gates said, although the Pentagon would be involved in activities such as lending military equipment and the necessary training, as well as sharing of intelligence.


Read more: http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2008/04/30/gates_reveals_plan_to_counter_drug_cartels/8247/

[bamacrat]

1. So stupid, so sad.

"Fighting" drugs will not stop addiction, death or cartels, eliminating a market will. Marijuana is the largest illegal export from Mexico to the US, and all the gov't does is pledge to kill people to stop this. NO! Think about it, if pot were legal, not only would it free up and make billions of needed tax dollars, it would kill the cartels in the only way possible. Their money. I'm all for busting the real criminals who smuggle cocaine and heroin inside of people and animals, those are bad people for the most part, but not the good honest people who like to smoke a little bud. Cut off the money from weed and increase americans freedom to choose what to do with their own bodies, and cripple the cartels and the international drug trade. It would work internationally because if America said free the weed, all the other puppets would too. Then we could maybe give peace a chance.

:smoke:

[Donnachaidh]

2. I wonder how many of the upper 1% in Mexico make up the Drug Cartels? n/t

[thunder rising]

3. And will it be the same upper 1% that divy up the $1.5B

[Donnachaidh]

9. exactly what I was thinking. n/t

[AlphaCentauri]

7. none, they won't show in the first page of forbes magazine.

[bemildred]

4. Plan Colombia is not enough, we need a Plan Mexico now too. nt

[High Plains]

5. I was at a forum in Culiacan, Sinaloa, today where this is topic #1

Not a lot of enthusiasm for unleashing the Mexican military here. They've been involved in at least three multiple killings of totally innocent people in the mountains around here in the last year.

[AlphaCentauri]

6. what about raping women in the small villages?

have you heard anything about it, that some soldiers have rape young women in their incursions.

[AlphaCentauri]

8. I have a secret plan to end narco terrorisms

STOP CONSUMING DRUGS!!!