tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post9165093321657325637..comments2024-03-15T05:45:01.402-05:00Comments on Grits for Breakfast: Time for new US, Mexican anti-drug strategiesGritsforbreakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-71474267174447041932008-12-10T12:49:00.000-06:002008-12-10T12:49:00.000-06:00Strategies for dealing with the drug problem shoul...Strategies for dealing with the drug problem should become more interesting over the next few years. For now, it's a conundrum in that opponents want to legalize and proponents want more enforcement. If you look at it closer, there is a middle ground and it's favorable for those that favor legalizaion. <BR/><BR/>Right now, the money that comes from drug dealers drives the dealer and it's driving enforcement. Take it away and use it for education and treatment. <BR/><BR/>Tax payers aren't going to foot the bill when it's gone and that will cause enforcement to naturally recede. <BR/><BR/>Try that as a next step before you let the legalizaion genie out of that bottle. Fix what's broke and see if there's movement after that towards legalizing some drug just because we learn more about things that most of us really don't understand. <BR/><BR/>Over the years, drug users are not sympathetic victims to most people but now almost every family is feeling the pain of addictions. <BR/><BR/>Corruption in drug enforcement is an individual pursuit of money for personal gain yet there's not a Police Chief; Head of the State Police; or Administrator of DEA who doesn't covet large sums of seized currency from a trafficker to better their department and themselves. They even benefit personally and I'm almost outraged that the normal citizen either doesn't see that there is no difference between the motives of either one; eventhough the former goes to jail while the latter appears to be effective.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-54451490433802289772008-12-09T23:07:00.000-06:002008-12-09T23:07:00.000-06:00I admire big deer hunters, that bait areas, use bl...I admire big deer hunters, that bait areas, use blinds, fool the deer and then make the big kill. Too bad the system is not reversed to give the deer a chance, and misue the 'big men'. Then perhaps their thinking would stray more than ther own deer poop. Try hunting something that can shot back, big man!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-65479023121914216302008-12-09T20:19:00.000-06:002008-12-09T20:19:00.000-06:00Well, everything is ultimately about money and pol...Well, everything is ultimately about money and politics and sovereinty, even deer leases. But heck, at least in the quiet of of Mother nature, you get a break from all the human B.S. For the most part, nature is simple, unless of course you disturb yourself with your own internal musings about stupid politics and corruption.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-12912526913758833632008-12-09T20:11:00.000-06:002008-12-09T20:11:00.000-06:00Good analysis. TYC exploded because of "gypsy staf...Good analysis. TYC exploded because of "gypsy staff". Management allowed and covered for abusive/corruptive employees to be 'passed around' from institution to institution; with no disciplinary actions ever taken. After a period the entire structure/agency-TYC becomes corruptive. Rot becomes rot, where ever it clines for life. Get used to it, or be big enough to stand up to it. Most will accept the first step.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-80588267060433274902008-12-09T15:30:00.000-06:002008-12-09T15:30:00.000-06:00You are right about acknowledging corruption. I ...You are right about acknowledging corruption. I do acknowledge it exists amd condemn it. And I agree about spending the money on investigations vs. buying helicopters and vehicles.<BR/><BR/>That's why I wrote and called both our US senators and my congressman Ralph Hall on more than one occasion about Merida and asked them to oppose it. Even though it passed, all three voted against Merida.<BR/><BR/>I will be quite now and go to the deer lease and not bother you about this subject any further.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-45876406743085209812008-12-09T15:15:00.000-06:002008-12-09T15:15:00.000-06:00Grits,A big problem I see is what are called "gyps...Grits,<BR/><BR/>A big problem I see is what are called "gypsy cops." They bounce from one law enforcement agency to another, often times with little or no background investigation conducted by the agencies.<BR/><BR/>Despite efforts by TCLEOSE to stop this, many law enforcement agencies continue to falsely file termination reports with TCLEOSE and do not conduct proper hiring investigations.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-29189821992267975522008-12-09T13:09:00.000-06:002008-12-09T13:09:00.000-06:00"how do you stop public corruption"Why not start b..."how do you stop public corruption"<BR/><BR/>Why not start by spending new money to investigate it instead of buying new cars or helicopters?<BR/><BR/>To 11:18 - I don't lump all cops in with the corrupt. But at some point we must acknowledge corruption on the US side is an ongoing problem, not just an aberration. Is it every cop? Of course not! But it doesn't take many crooked ones to let a lot of dope through a checkpoint.Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-71886159104447675902008-12-09T12:55:00.000-06:002008-12-09T12:55:00.000-06:00If you create a black market, criminals will fill ...If you create a black market, criminals will fill it. No dodging that. As predictable as an eastern sunrise. <BR/><BR/>And corruption runs hand in hand with that black market, and no one is immune from its' influence, whether personally experienced or by association with those so enmeshed in it. For, like rust, it 'never sleeps'; it just keeps eating away at the bodies social and politic until what's left is so compromised as being unable to hide its' own infirmity. Which is what's happening on our side of the border...and has been for some time, only at a much lower profile.<BR/><BR/>But trying to put out the fire with petrol hasn't helped; the professional DrugWarriors have been clamoring for a more military approach to 'fighting drugs' and now that they have it in Mexico, the violence is spilling back over the border, with heavily armed and well-trained (thanks to the US) Mex military turncoats like <I>las Zetas</I> selling their expertise to the highest bidder...and willing to commit murder on both sides of the border.<BR/><BR/>More 'mud' for an inedible pie. And now there's ever more blood mixed in. No amount of tinkering will ever get this pie to become palatable. It's time it got thrown in the trash, once and for all. A national debate about whether we should have a DrugWar at all should become an issue in the incoming Administration, and the sooner the better, as we simply cannot afford the level of spending that has been blown on it so far...as anyone facing unemployment will soon tell you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-65642153939601524522008-12-09T12:08:00.000-06:002008-12-09T12:08:00.000-06:00Illinois governor arrested today Rod Blagojevich h...Illinois governor arrested today<BR/> <BR/>Rod Blagojevich has been arrested on charges of conspiring to sell Barack Obama’s open Senate seat.<BR/><BR/>So how do you stop public corruption?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-10732260562842283362008-12-09T11:22:00.000-06:002008-12-09T11:22:00.000-06:00"By failing to prioritize reducing corruption, in ..."By failing to prioritize reducing corruption, in the case of Sheriff Guerra Perry's plan put anti-drug money directly in the hands of someone who is now alleged to have been a cartel employee."<BR/><BR/>I would be interested to hear your solutions as to how to reduce corruption.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-84645485858528846292008-12-09T11:18:00.000-06:002008-12-09T11:18:00.000-06:00I said it was funny you mention it was Bush's plan...I said it was funny you mention it was Bush's plan, not that you mentioned Merida. And while it may have been Bush's plan, I find it odd at how the vote went and that Merida was attached to a war supplemental spending bill. This bill would not have passed w/o the overwhelming support of democrats.<BR/><BR/>As a law enforcment officer, corruption is wrong and should be prosecuted to the maximum. Too bad, just like Merida, when it comes to prosecution, politics always seem to be involved.<BR/><BR/>And like retired Texas Ranger Joaquin Jackson once said "There is no place for politics in law enforcement."<BR/><BR/>If you don't want Governor Perry to give us what we need because of the acts of the minority in our profession, so be it. And if the legislature does not appropriate the money, ok. <BR/><BR/>Perhaps there is another solution to the violence on the border that threatens to invade to the interior of our state. And providing more information to the media about who the players are might have some merit.<BR/><BR/>With the problems we face today in our own country, we should all feel insulted that our government voted to send this money to Mexico and other countries. The money could be better used by US law enforcement in the way of education, information and enforcement. In the meantime, don't lump us all as corrupt because of the acts of a few.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-88699500489086215132008-12-09T09:36:00.000-06:002008-12-09T09:36:00.000-06:00FWIW, 6:44, I've written about Merida before, I ju...FWIW, 6:44, I've <A HREF="http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2008/01/bush-and-calderon-on-outs-merida.html" REL="nofollow">written about Merida before</A>, I just don't track it closely. Why is it "funny" I should mention it?<BR/><BR/>I disagree that you can write off US side corruption as an aberration and no big deal. It's happening too often to look the other way or pretend there's no need to act.Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-13249088178646420362008-12-09T07:26:00.000-06:002008-12-09T07:26:00.000-06:00If you start with a lump of mud, no amount of work...If you start with a lump of mud, no amount of work will magically turn it into an apple pie. Yet this is what we expect to do with drug prohibition. <BR/><BR/>We expect a a historically unworkable policy, one proved a failure time and again for as long as people have been keeping records, to magically produce desired results. We've spent upwards of a trillion dollars in just the past 4 decades in the attempt. We've acquired the largest prison population on the planet, outstripping less democratic nations such as China and Russia in carceral zeal...and have wasted both lives and treasure and have little to show for it. The DrugWar is the modern-day, real-life equivalent of the ancient Greek myth of Sisyphus, condemned to rolling a boulder uphill all day long, only to see it roll right back down to the bottom of the hill, where he had to start all over again. <BR/><BR/>The only people who'd favor such an endeavor would be those catering to the boulder-roller...so long as there's money in it. But even that's running out, and now this country has to decide if it will spend any more on this pointless exercise. It's our choice...and the fate of our neighbor nation's as well...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-90248660492256022482008-12-09T06:42:00.000-06:002008-12-09T06:42:00.000-06:00I'm having a hard time getting my head around this...I'm having a hard time getting my head around this problem. <BR/><BR/>Mexico and the border areas have the largest concentrations of DEA, FBI, Customs and federal law enforcement.<BR/><BR/>Cocaine doesn't come from Mexico. Some heroin does and the only other drugs of any threat are Meth and Marijuana. <BR/><BR/>Meth production requires Ephedrine and Heroin needs Acetic Anhydride or it's chemical equivalent. <BR/><BR/>Marijuana doesn't need any chemicals so here's my point. <BR/><BR/>There are several lanes to attack the drug problem besides the consumer end and smuggling. <BR/><BR/>DEA has 75% of the word IDEA but it hasn't got a clue. <BR/><BR/>Sit down at your computer and you'll find that there are a limited number of companies that produce ephedrine. You'll find out who and where they are. One of those companies are providing it for production and it starts it's journey where it's made. Would it be that difficult to track that ephedrine from the licit to the illicit market. <BR/><BR/>DEA is so localized that an arrest of some MUTT in Atlanta means more to management than a meth lab in Mexico. <BR/><BR/>The problem isn't drugs; the problem is drug enforcement. The model needs to be changed so it combines treatment with effective enforcement strategies. <BR/><BR/>Right now everyone from a sheriff's jailer to the highway patrol is federally deputized. They covet a trafficker's money more than the trafficker and until that model changes; nothing will.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-84635089053110675832008-12-08T21:48:00.000-06:002008-12-08T21:48:00.000-06:00I think it is time that America takes a look at wh...I think it is time that America takes a look at what is happening right across our borders rather than half way across the world. What is happening in Mexico has a direct impact on America and if we want to fight Americas war on drugs we need to tackle the root of the problem and that comes in part from south of the border.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-27226703113178243982008-12-08T18:44:00.000-06:002008-12-08T18:44:00.000-06:00Glad to see you finally talking about Merida. It'...Glad to see you finally talking about Merida. It's been a subect of discussion for two years now and was opposed by the National Sheriff's Association.<BR/><BR/>By the way, it was passed by Congress as an attachment to a supplemental war spending bill. It received strong democratic support. Funny you mention Merida is Bush's plan.<BR/><BR/>If my information is correct, it was opposed by Senators Hutchinson and Cornyn and received overwhelming support by Texas democrats in the house while being opposed by most Texas house republicans.<BR/><BR/>Please don't judge the acts of a few corrupt law enforcement officials on the US side as the vast majority of Texas law enforcement people on the border are honest.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-82691615328901462972008-12-08T12:56:00.000-06:002008-12-08T12:56:00.000-06:00There is no war on drugs.This country's thirst and...There is no war on drugs.<BR/><BR/>This country's thirst and desire for drugs pales in comparison to law enforcement corruption on both sides.<BR/><BR/>Our government allocates money for enforcement while demand for it is driven by our own people.<BR/><BR/>Reminds me of prohibition.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-66200660183052434132008-12-08T10:07:00.000-06:002008-12-08T10:07:00.000-06:00Back some time ago a person would read something o...Back some time ago a person would read something of the many of the issues pertaining to this <I><B>War on Drugs</B></I> and say something like "Gee, that's a stupid mistake" and we keep hearing the encouraging defense that it is "just a isolated incident" <BR/>Lately I have come to the realization that there aren't that many morons in public service either elected or appointed and it is more likely our leaders and administrators know exactly what it is they are doing.Red Leathermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02813509688345174972noreply@blogger.com