11 Killed In Mexican Drugs Clashes

AFP - Police and army troops squared off with presumed hitmen working for drug traffickers in two deadly incidents in Mexico that left 11 gunmen dead, authorities said.

In Puente Nacional, in the eastern state of Veracruz, armed men attacked army troops who responded, killing six of the gunmen.

And in Culiacan, in northwestern Sinaloa state, police and army troops clashed with gunmen, and five more gunmen were killed in that incident.

Mexico's relentless drug violence has claimed more than 70,000 lives across the country since 2006.

“We need to take the money out of drugs. Legalize them and give them away free. End the corruption of drug money.”

My gym used to be where the cops worked out. (They now have their own government supplied gyms, at least in this capital city.) One day they were talking about the state’s air interdiction fleet. There were an astonishing number of planes. (I don’t recall the exact number; just that I was astounded.) I asked a high-ranker what the cost was and the budget was in the millions. Each plane had two full time pilots and a maintenance cost.

These agents laughed and joked about the high speed chases, machine guns they used, etc. They clearly loved their jobs. When I suggested that maybe we should decriminalize drugs and allow registered users to get them free they were horrified. The first comment, I think, sums it up; “Are you crazy! That would kill our jobs!”

At this point, so many lobbyists are involved that no other approach could even be tried. Expenditures in the hundreds of billions nationwide generate their own constituencies. Then there are the thousands of officers and entire divisions whose only mission is drug interdiction. And, what have we gotten for that? The street price of cocaine has dropped from hundreds of dollars a gram in the ‘70’s to a couple of bucks for a “rock” today. The marketplace has declared all of our drug interdiction efforts a failure. But they continue and will not stop until the entire society collapses.

What could we do to prevent drug use? We’ve seriously reduced smoking and drunk driving. How, it was deaminized and punished. But drug use is glorified in movies and song. Then there’s the pervasive attitude that nobody controls what they do. Sh*t happens, is the attitude. Nobody has personal responsibility.

At this point, so many lobbyists are involved that no other approach could even be tried. Expenditures in the hundreds of billions nationwide generate their own constituencies.

But the real problen is the corruption that comes from the drug money. And then there are the victims of the crime to support the drug use. Just because something is legal doesn't mean it is good.

Oldies but goodies. WF Buckley still makes more sense than most commentators today.

The War on Drugs is Lost

William F. Buckley on cigarettes, illegal drug and hypocrisy

WFB on Drug Legalization

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