Originally Posted by Hash Zeppelin

jesus h christ! does the American government not understand that everyday they continue the drug war and it's stupid stupid policies that they strengthen their enemies! They must see it. That is why i am convinced the cartels are not their enemies, but their allies.

big big big money will not be ignored... no. there's so many players in this huge money game, but the ONLY way it will flow is if it is illegal.

aggh. i've stopped expecting any sanity when it comes to this subject... not that there is a lot of sanity around in the first place...

[David762]

Originally Posted by zenoonez

Close the border. Legalize drugs. Use CIA and NSA along with DEA to systematically destroy the cartels like we did with Escobar. End.

Unfortunately, the USA government has been involved in the illicit drug business for 100+ years -- think China's Boxer Rebellions, propping up Chinese drug warlords during & after WW2 against the Japanese & then the Chi-Coms, the Vietnam era, Columbia & Central America during & after Iran-Contra, and now Afghanistan's poppy fields, guarded by US Marines. The CIA and NSA are in the thick of it, guilty collaborators using the illicit drug trade for covert funding away from the prying eyes of Congress. Drugs will be legalized when there is no longer any money to be made in the illicit drug trade, or if the Cost/Benefit ratio tilts toward re-legalization -- the level of USA governmental corruption is palatable. This situation is FUBAR.

Originally Posted by David762

Unfortunately, the USA government has been involved in the illicit drug business for 100+ years -- think China's Boxer Rebellions, propping up Chinese drug warlords during & after WW2 against the Japanese & then the Chi-Coms, the Vietnam era, Columbia & Central America during & after Iran-Contra, and now Afghanistan's poppy fields, guarded by US Marines. The CIA and NSA are in the thick of it, guilty collaborators using the illicit drug trade for covert funding away from the prying eyes of Congress. Drugs will be legalized when there is no longer any money to be made in the illicit drug trade, or if the Cost/Benefit ratio tilts toward re-legalization -- the level of USA governmental corruption is palatable. This situation is FUBAR.

very well said indeed, this is bang on. at the risk of sounding a bit uncouth; ain't no business like drug business...what's happening with the U.S really isn't new in the context of human history, the only difference these days is we the people have unprecedented access to information (i.e. internet, t.v, radio, mass media etc). this is our only saving grace, and the only real source of hope. we MUST continue to share this information with others and spread the word. the injustices of the wealthy and powerful cannot stand forever. their time will come too.

[greentrich]

Other than little maggots making millions off prohibition, this is the other problem:

“Not only will this seizure significantly disrupt the responsible cartel by stripping from it millions in potential drug profits, but it will also keep this dangerous and addictive drug off our streets and out of our neighborhoods”.

Other than the fact that this is a complete lie (nothing will keep cannabis "off our streets and out of our neighborhoods").

This was stated openly and with great pride. So unfortunately this is what the general public thinks. Now it's just reinforced to most that cannabis is a VERY dangerous drug, and to me, is going to make legalization even harder. Compound the fact of Leonhart's position and status, I believe his statement will be more heard than any other person that goes into mass media trying to explain the benefits of legalization.

I hope to Horace I'm wrong.

[Chief Rbud]

Originally Posted by Hash Zeppelin

jesus h christ! does the American government not understand that everyday they continue the drug war and it's stupid stupid policies that they strengthen their enemies! They must see it. That is why i am convinced the cartels are not their enemies, but their allies.

who do you think funded them to start with, they are buying their weapons from someone. it may not officially be our "government" but it certainly is the fortune 500 companies that launder billions of dollars of drug money through our stock market every day. the cartels are their best customers.

i read somewhere that without all the drug money being laundered through our stock market by the fortune 500 companies, our economy would collapse. that's how much the market is influenced by drug money. our government knows this full well.

any transaction 10 thousand dollars or over has to be reported to the IRS if you are an ordinary citizen, but that law has been waived for the fortune 500 companies listed on the NYSE. and i believe on the other markets too. hmmmm. why the fuck would they do this? i think the answer is clear.

wake up americans, drugs are illegal because THEY cant make money from it if it were legal. these people are luciferians, they don't really care how many people die because of their ignorant and selfish laws. all they care about is having all the money and stripping whats left from the middle class.

that's how they control us. if you get a felony conviction then they have control over you, it is next to impossible to get a good job, thereby forcing you to do illegal shit to make a living, thereby increasing your chances of getting locked up in one of their private prisons. they know what they are doing. and they dont give a fuck. they laugh at us and our ideals. they think we are stupid sheep, and the way most americans act, they are right.

[Hash Zeppelin]

Originally Posted by John Bourne

There are very wealthy and very powerful interests who benefit greatly from the current situation and legal framework. In short: it's easier to amass wealth when you have a chaotic situation as opposed to when you have a calm, sensible, legalized industry. How in the world would brick Mexican garbage weed cartels (who rake in billions) compete with any of the stuff breeders grow when it comes to quality? And if there is no cartel to fight, how would the thousands of government DEA agents (and the BILLIONS of U.S gvnt dollars that fund them) flow through the system? I'm afraid to say that the powers at be are far better organized and control access to capital and resources, the only way for change is to continue to get the message out and for sensible, educated and peaceful people to continue to protest and rally over the injustice that is the U.S cannabis policy... I really feel for the Mexican community, for them, it's truly a David vs. Goliath struggle.

correct. the drug war powers the prison system, big pharma, big tobacco, big guns, and big alcohol.... and the most scary, big government!

[HopefulNewb]

sad situation all around :(

[Mizzafishkilla]

I say,first, build a fence to keep out all smugglers AND illegal workers. Think of the BILLION of dollars that are being transferred out of the US economy to Mexico based on the drug trade and the illegal workers. Supposedly, Mexico's second highest source of income, after oil exports, is from illegal aliens here in the the US transferring funds back to Mexico.

Now think of the billions of dollars being spent on illegal aliens by state and federal governments here in the US. I live near a "campo" here in Oregon, a collection of about fifty 16 X 16 sheds that not a single "legal" worker lives in. In the morning, no less than 40 kids line up for the busses that take them to their elementary, JR High, and high schools. Multiply that by the average $10,000 the school gets per year per ESL student, and that that camp gets $400,000 of OUR tax dollars to educate these illegal alien kids - from just one little camp. This is just for education.

Our current government (both parties) is NOT our friend. Their hands are constantly in our back pocket taking $$$ out to pay for for DEA, schooling, jailing, public assistance, etc for Illegal aliens. We can't ask for proof of citizenship when a new non-English speaker shows up at the school doorsteps looking for a taxpayer funded education(more $$ out of our pockets). It takes just a utility bill to register to vote in Oregon (loss of sovreignty). Between the taxation to support the illegals that are here, the $$$ sent to Mexico by illegal workers, and $$$ from the drug trade being sent back to Mexico, were talking hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars.

Close the boarder, implement E-Verify, check citizenship of every K-12 student, loosen weed laws, allow for weed growth here, tax us less, keep more US $$$ in the US and not allowing them to go to Mexico based on the drug trade and illegal worker trade.

[GL_Guerilla]

our founding fathers warned us about what would happen if we let private corporations overthrow and squander our goverment.
they also told us the only way to take it back is through force.
we the people, need to say enough is enough, rally up, and head to washington. im afraid in this day and age and seeing stuff like this happen in mexico and NOTHING being done about it, means the very worst, the corporate take-over of america is complete. the cartels own mexico, and the corporations own the cartels.....There is more money to be made in our country off of death, and duping the american sheeple into bending over, and giving it all up. we have no rights, we have no power, or so they think....the last bit of power over the government we have lies in the internet. so spread the message and educate as many people as you can.....
i think its time to call to arms, stand up for whats right, and take america back from the beauricratic theives that have raped washington and our constitution into shreds...
the time is NOW.

"When a government betrays the people by amassing too much power and becoming tyrannical, the people have no choice but to exercise the original rights of self defense - to fight the government." - Alexander Hamilton

"The ultimate authority resides in the people, and that if the federal government got too powerful and overstepped its authority, then the people would develop plans of resistance and resort to arms." - James Madison

"This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing Government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it or their revolutionary right to dismember or overthrow it." - Abraham Lincoln

[binaryfission]

Great Reporting and nice link VTA.

I hope we can see more of this type of reporting, Shine some light on whats happening down there.

FYI, Bush Sr. took Noriega's money. Look it up.
Jeb did the same thing in Florida, during the early "Cocaine Cowboys Era."

Think big money. Drugs keep the populace dumb AND large amounts of cash just a SWAT team way. Its like what the top .05% use as an atm. Plus all the prison complex kickbacks.

oh shit, short on cash? lets rob Noriega.