Posted on 03/01/2010 8:20:22 AM PST by george76
Some Using Armed Guards, Trip Wires To Safeguard Plots.
Not far from Yosemite's waterfalls and in the middle of California's redwood forests, Mexican drug gangs are quietly commandeering U.S. public land to grow millions of marijuana plants and using smuggled immigrants to cultivate them.
Pot has been grown on public lands for decades, but Mexican traffickers have taken it to a whole new level: using armed guards and trip wires to safeguard sprawling plots that in some cases contain tens of thousands of plants offering a potential yield of more than 30 tons of pot a year.
"Just like the Mexicans took over the methamphetamine trade, they've gone to mega, monster gardens.
Local, state and federal agents found about a million more pot plants each year between 2004 and 2008, and authorities say an estimated 75 percent to 90 percent of the new marijuana farms can be linked to Mexican gangs.
In 2008 alone, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, police across the country confiscated or destroyed 7.6 million plants from about 20,000 outdoor plots.
Growing marijuana in the U.S. saves traffickers the risk and expense of smuggling their product across the border and allows gangs to produce their crops closer to local markets.
The Sequoia National Forest in central California is covered in a patchwork of pot fields, most of which are hidden along mountain creeks and streams, far from hiking trails. It's the same situation in the nearby Yosemite, Sequoia and Redwood national parks.
(Excerpt) Read more at thedenverchannel.com ...
Uh.. maybe the Constitution's Fifth Amendment which guarantees citizens won't be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process. Is this a test?
You do know this is a conservative website, eh?
HF
Perhaps the Federal government can issue small business loans to these disadvantaged minority workers?
Homeland security told our sheriff that the pot farms filed will armed illegal aliens wasn’t their problem.
See post 26
Thumbs up!
“I blame the open borders policy of GWBush, Clinton and 0bama. They think this stuff is a big joke in DC. Such as that moron McCain and Miss Lindsey Graham
Pure treason in my book “
b u m p
May 12 2009:
45% Support
46% Oppose
9% Undecided
07-24-2009:
47% support
42% oppose
11% undecided
11-22-2009:
49% support
38% oppose
12% undecided
¹http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_state_surveys/california/toplines/toplines_california_budget_crisis_may_12_2009
²http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_state_surveys/california/49_in_california_favor_legalizing_taxing_pot
I guess the practice of claiming territory by the right of conquest is alive and well.
I also thought (mistakenly, obviously) that the whole purpose of DoD was to defend the country.
In HI it was the native locals (citizens) who grew the pot. It was their number one cash crop. This is a problem in CA, WA, OR, NY, WVA, NC, and else where. The best place to grow it is on public lands (no confiscation possible). While in Recon in HI we watched a local on his dirt bike move into our area in the Kuhukus to fertilize his plants. While he was busy we stole his spark plug. It was funny watching him try to kickstart the thing. After about a half hour he walked out. This is an example of the local traffic. The bigger operators worked up in the mountains and were serious about protecting their crops and themselves. Note, all of these situations are U.S. citizens at work.
Archer Daniels Midland would grow the seeds, farmers in the midwest would put in pot instead of growing corn for driving your car.
No drug gangs.
Just like prohibition of alcohol; prohibition of pot just makes a huge industry go underground.
They should use this as a training opportunity for Marine scout snipers. Knock off a few of these characters from a half mile away and they will lose their desire to farm.
You obviously do not comprehend the danger that gangs pose to this country.
Forgot to add, that is like a doctor saying, “well sir, yes you have cancer, but we cannot excise it because the rules say we must wait”
Or, put a bounty or season on them...I’d happily apply for a permit.
Are you supporting legalizing pot? It has recently been linked to psychosis. I would re-think about legalizing it.
Pot also makes you not want to do anything worthwhile. Good example: it was found that an engineer crashing a train in the Northeastern US a few years ago had been smoking pot before he crashed. I don’t want people who smoke pot to be in responsible positions.
Any number of 'studies' have been done on marijuana, with some supporting such a claim and others debunking it. Do anything to excess and it's bound to have negative consequences ... does such a result justify prohibiting alcohol as well?
I would re-think about legalizing it.
Actually, a better term would be 're-legalizing' it, as it's only been since 1937 that the federal government prohibition has been in place. Look up the history of pot prohibition in America, and it will become abundantly clear that its enactment had very little to do with actual health issues and a lot to do with political demagoguery.
Pot also makes you not want to do anything worthwhile.
Sweeping generalization. I know many folks who have responsible lives, yet choose to smoke a little ganja occasionally to relax, just like having a glass of wine or beer after work.
Good example: it was found that an engineer crashing a train in the Northeastern US a few years ago had been smoking pot before he crashed.
And the guy that was piloting the Exxon Valdez was drunk as a skunk when he was on duty. Again, does that justify prohibiting alcohol?
I don’t want people who smoke pot to be in responsible positions.
Neither do I. But that's for the employer, not the government (unless the government is the employer), to hold his/her employees accountable, and punish them accordingly.
The bottom line is that government prohibitions *always* come with negative unintended consequences. In the article, it just so happens to be the empowerment of illegal Mexican drug gangs in US national parks: a circumstance that would not exist if there was no national prohibition of marijuana.
No, if I had my way, alcohol would not be legal. A drunk driver killed my brother and my aunt and an uncle died from it. But, some people are more responsible with alcohol than others.
There are other and better ways to relax than to smoke pot, drink alcohol, take pills or/and smoke cigarettes. I know you think I am weird but the world is better off without these substances anyway.
Yet another reason to divest the federal government from owning vast swaths of property. According to one report I saw on TV the US owns 60% of Utah...why?
If this land is returned to the states and sold to citizens then it'll be under more direct control.
Because they're given authority to own land in the... umm... in Article umm... The Constitution says that the government can... Umm...
Well, never mind.
It's because they said so.
Sure we do: :-)
You got that right, hosepipe. Americans are being betrayed by a government that refuses to protect them. Obama (and Bush before him) is secretly working to integrate the US and Mexico into a common political and economic unit.
THE LATEST MEXICAN SCAM Now the Mexican govt is coaching its citizens to pour into the US, whining about "persecution from drug wars." Some of these whiners are wealthy people, squatting on US soil, intent on draining the US treasury. The Mexican govt aids and abets its savage drug war to create new classes of "Political Asylum" refugees.
THE RIPOFF UP CLOSE The Mexican govt knows Social Security provides outrageous government financial aid to "refugees" claiming "persecution." These people never paid a dime into the SS system; yet, they can collect seven years straight...... and can get extended payments if they are politically well-connected. The SS checks can amount to $1000 a month, and more. The category was created for those coming from eastern Europe and other Soviet satellite countries circa WW II....and they're STILL collecting.......connivers draining the US Treasury.
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The only problem is.. .....how far the Mexican drug cartels have penetrated the UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT.. This has not been determined.. YET..
It's clear the US govt KNOWS about these activities but has not (or will not) do anything about them. The Obama admin is a willing dupe of Third World governemnts----dutifully reciting latino agit-prop. Obama's treacherous plan to award US citizenship to illegals is a con game. Illegals w/ amnesty are dual citizens who swear allegiance to their home countries. THEY INTEND TO RETURN THERE----AFTER THEY DRAIN THE US TREASURY.
We need to see Obama, Rahm, and DHS Janet's emails and cell phone records to determine when they get their orders from Mexico and other Third World governments.
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REFERENCE A 2009 poll of Mexicans showed Mexicans in America---including those born in the United States---are more loyal to Mexico than the US.
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QUOTING FORMER CONG TOM TANCREDO (R-Colo) Juan Hernandez headed up the Mexican govt agency, "Ministry of Mexicans Living in the United States. Hernandez is a dual citizen of the United States and Mexico, and a good friend of then-presidents Bush and Mexico's Vicente Fox." Hernandez was presidential candidate John McCain's Hispanic outreach man.
Hernandez explained to Cong Tancredo the purpose of the Mexican government agency: Ministry of Mexicans Living in the United States:
(1) to increase the flow of Mexican nationals to the United States.....
(2) to compel Mexican nationals in the US to serve Mexico’s needs;
(3) to increase US remittances to Mexico of $50 billion a year (30% of the Mexican GDP);
(4) to get US jobs for an exploding Mexican population, alleviating Mexico's social instability due to rising unemployment;
(5) to get free US training for Mexicans, who are expected to return and repatriate those skills back to Mexico.
Hernandez supports amnesty: "By populating the United States with millions of Hispanics tied economically, politically and linguistically to Mexico, we are able to exert enormous influence and pressure on US policy and its dealings with Mexico."
SOURCE http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=33894
NOTE: " Exerting enormous influence and pressure on US policy and its dealings with Mexico" means extorting billions of US tax dollars to subsidize corrupt Third World federales.
That does appear to be their rationale. I'm getting tired of government by fiat.
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