Napolitano Cites Mexican Drug Cartels as Major Threat

[Are_grits_groceries]

Aiding the Mexican government's fight against drug cartels is a top priority that demands the "utmost attention" of U.S. security officials, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said yesterday, announcing new steps aimed at preventing the spillover of violence into the United States.

Mexican President Felipe Calderón's sweeping crackdown on narco-traffickers has triggered a desperate backlash of violence "of a different degree and level than we've ever seen before," Napolitano said in her first appearance before the House Homeland Security Committee. "It is something that deserves our utmost attention right now," she said.

Napolitano said she has reached out to national security adviser James L. Jones, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. and local and state law enforcement officials to review ways to assist Mexican law enforcement; stop the flow of guns, assault rifles and cash from the United States into Mexico; and identify areas in which more resources might be needed
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/25/AR2009022503572.html?hpid=moreheadlines

Napolitano has dealt with border issues for years as governor of AZ. She is someone I would listen to.

[MadHound]

1. Easy solution, legalize drugs and poof goes the problem

Legalize, regulate, control quality and price, along with tax the drugs, and a host of society's problems would go away.

Continue this prohibition and we're going to wind up with a failed state threatening our border.

I wish somebody would wake up and smell the roses.

[ixion]

3. exactly...

but no, we'd rather take the hard road that leads to nowhere. :argh:

[Bobbieo]

4. I agree that the legalization of drugs would be a major step,

but there is more that is involved here than just drugs. Look upon the Mexican cartels as a more violent form of the Italian Mafia. Extortion, kidnapping, blackmailing, bribery, torture and murder are involved but power and complete control as well as money are the main objectives of the cartel.

They cannot not take over without assault weapons and the US is the major source of these weapons. That is why Obama is now looking to ban them. If there is a terrorist threat to this country - the immediate threat is from the Mexican drug cartels. They are already spilling across the borders and will work their way into the heart of this nation.

[MadHound]

5. True that, but a lot of this problem would be taken away if you took away their major money source

Drugs.

Sure, they're into extortion, kidnapping, blackmail, etc. However they get their largest source of money from drug trafficking. Take that away and they become a piddly ass bunch of gangs that both the US and Mexico could handle easily.

[madrchsod]

2. its about time we go after the real terrorists

[riverdeep]

6. Glad Americans are finally taking this seriously.

Too bad the solutions proposed are most certainly going to be 180 degrees from the ones needed, if Holder's example is any indication. Take away the profit in the drug trade, i.e. end prohibition, and it becomes much harder to buy rocket launchers (yes, the cartels have rocket launchers now). During prohibition of alcohol we had Al Capone and the Valentines Day Massacre, blood was in the streets. This modern prohibition is the same thing.

Decriminalize drugs, increase border patrol, tighten immigration, penalize businesses who hire illegals, back the Mexicans who want to end corruption in their government, give the poor Mexicans a chance to make it in their own country so that they don't have to come here; these are the things that can actually end it over the long term.