They're looking more and more like Islamic Terrorists all the time....Bridge Hangings, Car Bombings, Beheadings...Learning the best terrorist techniques in exchange for using the Drug Cartel Tunnels into the U.S. ???

Cartel leaders are cowards and the Zetas pussies!

Bet you wouldn't give them your full name and address then make those statements to them.

At least we are winning this War on Drugs.

dman-353357...(#1.2)....I'm not the only one that thinks so...

"Mexican Drug Cartels Resort to Jihadist Terror Methodology by Using More Car Bombings"

http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/notitas-de-noticias/details/mexican-drug-cartel-resort-to-jihadist-terror-methodology-by-using-more-car/4574/

I wouldn't have a clue how to make a car bomb, but you think it must be easy....how many have you made this year ??....

Zip my own fly ???......Yeah, that was a real grown up statement....

Over 50,000 dead in 5 years?

We can go to Mexico, but can't go to Cuba. Go figure.

and all fueled by competition for drug money

Mexico's main problem is that they have the highest wealth disparity in the world. The world's richest person is Mexican. But there is a significant portion of the population that has no incentive to be part of society. They either illegally emigrate to the US or join the drug cartels.

You must really like blood and guts to do something like this and yet the men who did this are still walking about in a free country, free to come here..

Didn't Obama supply them with enough guns to prevent something like this from happening? Instead of beheading people they should be just shooting them now! Wasn't that the plan??

More and more when I see stories like this I believe we should be Isolationists.

Ok, lets abandon the middle east. It was a lost cause before we went there. Lets take our troops, and eliminate this threat that's at the back door.

Mike just won the most idiotic statement of the day award. Stupid is as stupid does.

The sad thing is that you have poor people who are caught in this nightmare. The Mexican government is going to have to commit to an all out military assault, but that will be hard until they purge their ranks of corrupted members. I do not see myself ever going to Mexico in my life time, because I have no faith that this will be cleaned up. As far as the war on drugs, that has been lost decades and decades ago.

A presidential candidate platform that speaks to closing the border, a non-interventionist foreign policy, no undeclared wars, strong defense of THIS country, legalization of drugs to stop the drug war in America which costs us billions of dollars, reining the federal government in to its limited scope per the Constitution which is the law of the land, and honoring individual freedoms instead of segmenting people into groups, producing sound money in America, letting our own free market work instead of regulating us to death - that's pro American. That's a Ron Paul platform, and it's recognition and acceptance is growing expotentially throughout the country. An old turkish saying actually speaks truth we should be listening to: No matter how long you've been going down the wrong road - turn around.

I think we would all be safer visiting Afghanistan than Mexico, what a shame. Mexico has a chance to become one of the best in the world and yet look at them. It says a lot about a country when they prefer to come to the US and pick our fruit, clean other peoples homes rather than stay in their own country and help it grow.

Prohibition - I guess he's just following Bush's lead on dealing with this problem?

but at the end of the day, we cant stop mexicans from killing mexicans, any more than we can stop americans from killing americans.

we have our own issues with gang violence, our own issues with domestic violence, and our own issues with violence in general...we have little room to criticize another, poorer nation...when we waste our wealth on blowing up foreigners in the middle east to no end and no gain.

yes, stupid is as stupid does...and America the Great, is just as stupid as the rest.

regardless of who is president.

don't forget ron paul's homophobia and anti-abortion and anti-birth control status. limited government EXCEPT in the bedrooms of gays and women. let's not forget that he is a staunch catholic and has no qualms about forcing that dogma on the rest of us. so much for limited government. ron paul is an isolationist and while sometimes that may seem a good idea, it is unrealistic in today's world. mr. paul segements people all the time. he can't hide form his previous racists attitudes unless he's will to come out and say yes, that's what he used to think but he has changed and grown, but instead he denies knowledge of the words that came out of his mouth. and how can he honor individual freedoms while he's trying to take away freedoms from women and gays. sorry, no ron paul now or ever. p.s. his son is worse.

My name is Pancho. I live on a rancho. I earn 5 pesos a day. I go to see Lucy. She give me some........coke. And take all my money away.

@ Janmekan: I am afraid you didn't read "Prohibition doesn't work"'s comment. This guy thinks the War on Drugs began with Obama and 2008... never mind the fact the "War" began with Nixon (a GOP) in 1971. Also lets forget the Iran-Contra affair since Iran and Afghan is a major supplier of Opiates. Can't blame Retardicans Republicans for failure: The GOP is ALWAYS RIGHT!!1!11 They are Gods....Sorry I can't say that with a strait face anymore.

Obviously something needs to be done before this spills over to the States... Oh. Too late.

The only solution I see is a rather easy one, legalization. While it will come with consequence i see no other solution.

Obviously!! those people are sick. Why in the world do people do these kinds of things?

I keep hearing that legalization of drugs is the answer to the drug war, and I'd have to agree that would solve that problem. Here's the rub, which drugs get legalized? Do we really want meth or crack legal? These two among others are addictive almost from the 1st use. So if all drugs aren't legalized, then the dealers will deal those that are still forbidden. But my biggest concern with legalization is abuse. There is a segment of the population that is able to use certain drugs recreationally and avoid addiction just as 10s of millions use alcohol responsibly. However my fear is more people will become addicted thus a burden on society and a drain on resources (money for treatment programs) used for treatment of addiction, more so than would be collected for such treatment through the sale of legal drugs. This is the conundrum. God Damn, God Damn the Pusher Man!

Bet you wouldn't give them your full name and address then make those statements to them.

I bet you are correct.

NOTE TO MSN: bullet point headline "18 Beheaded Bodies Found," bullet point underneath "The Best BBQ Sauces to Buy"..... really?

It baffles me why anyone would want to go to Mexico on vacation. While it might be a cheap travel destination, what price can you put on having your head attached to the rest of your body?

I say we teach the Mexicans a lesson and we boycott Taco Bell!

Who's with me?

AnIndividual...are you willfully ignorant or actually that uninformed? You use an example of "Bushs WMD excuse to invade Iraq". Do you forget (or not know) that it was Bill Clinton and his investigators that first stated that Iraq had WMD's? That is was the one who announced that the US' primary goal was to bring down Hussein, no matter what means? Did you forget to read the papers on the days that he came out in support of Bush, up to the end of Bush's presidency? Do you ever let actual facts get in the way of your thoughts?

Taco Bell is American and tastes nasty compared to authentic tacos

I bet it's hard to gather enough players for a good game of "Duck, Duck, Goose".

Grow the pot HERE ! In the good ol' USA ! Great income for America's poor small farmers ! Sell it in liquor stores, tax the HELL out of it... RESULTS ? Badly needed revenues for local & state governments, fewer DRUNK drivers on the roads, way less domestic violence, huge boost for the "munchies" industry, and you take 75% of THE DRUG CARTEL'S INCOME OUTA THEIR POCKETS ! Simple freekin' solution !

The violence in Mexico is a result of our appetite for illegal drugs in the US. Most of the killing is for control of routes into the US. I have lived in countries where you can go into a pharmacy and buy any drug and they don't have the drug problems we have here. They don't have the street gang problem we have either. Drug addicts have proven they will get their drugs, no matter what it takes, so why not take the criminal element out of it? The cost of the War on Drugs is staggering and not winnable. So the solution is the legalization of all drugs.

northernlights,

You wrote "Yes, I'm partisan but I recognize evil when I see it." That is a typical democrat response; no thought just a kneejerk reaction.

All this violence will continue until we find ways to legalize most drugs. Seriously, the legality of a drug doesn't prevent people who want to get high from looking for drugs.

Time to end this huge waste of money known as "The War on Drugs"

Betcha this will not change the "Welcome to Guadalajara" tourist flyers, after all el Presidente will say it is safe for sun and fun and the violence is America's fault.

I live 45 minutes from this hell hole 8(

The War on Drugs is Epic Fail

Legalize Drugs and this problem goes away it's so simple to understand just look at history and how much violence happened during prohibition era..

Prohibition will never work it didn't work in the 30s and it will not work today.

The leaders in both main parties are completely @!$%#ing stupid when it comes to this.

Maybe their President can come to are Country and blame are Congress and Senate again, then Obama can say how sorry he is that we caused this to happen. According to Homeland Security we are safe to go to Mexico and are boarders are safe which means nobody that doesn't belong in this Country is getting into this Country, right. Lets give him4 more years after all he will tell us anything you want to hear after all he has figured out it's about the economy, and now he will fix that right what did he do the first 4 years, give us health.

Thanks to all you drug heads, you all have blood on your hands... And don't talk like legalizing drugs are gonna stop this.... These people will move on to other horrific ways of getting money.....

Here's something you druggies can try.... stop taking drugs!!! Or we should just lock up the ones that do for a very long, long time instead of a slap on the wrist... They are the ones who are stealing anything that's not nailed down from hard working folks to feed their greedy selfish little habbits..

Legalizing drugs may work, especially for the Mexican 'farmers'...who will offer their 'crops' in a dignified and profitable manner. But then government regulation steps in, then standards are applied to the crops...then corporate Monsanto gets its paws all over these crops...and...oh forget that! ....isn't sole proprietorship a beautiful thing? Smh!

Best Spring Break EVER!!!

Ask their President if this is because we are arming the gangs with guns from here. Probably our fault. Probably Bush's fault.

@ Back East

Alcohol is a drug and so are Cigarettes.. They are both legal

The only douche bags who have blood on their hands are the Republican and Democrat politicians and DEA since they keep fighting a War they will never ever win.

It's human nature to change your reality get over it.

On Average 100k die each year from prescription drugs and Big Pharma gets Rich 8(

How many people have died from smoking pot ZERO

Now hard drugs well they are already being synthetically made by Big Pharma and are used regularly by doctors prescription...

And people still criticize Arizona and other states bordering Mexico for wanting tougher laws.

I say we blame Bush.

Alessa, what does your rant about abortion, and wah wah wah...have to do with anything about this article??

Go back to your pro Washington post board and argue your bs

BackAss:Thanks to all you drug heads, you all have blood on your hands... And don't talk like legalizing drugs are gonna stop this.... These people will move on to other horrific ways of getting money.....

It seems that what you are saying is that these scumbags will be scumbags no matter what. So why is it the fault of someone smoking week up in New York? Per your own words, if you take away drugs, these dirtballs will still have the same actions

Your comment is just like those few individuals left that try to make this argument....Ridiculous and no real sense into it.

I'd hat to tell Back East but illegal drugs have been going on since the 20's. We have had illegal drugs supplied in this Country from Nam and the Middle East not just Mexico it's world wide my friend it is just that they are sooo violent about it so tell me how do you stop that. I have one idea you stop violence with violence.

Mexican culture is a criminal culture. Drugs have only provided the Mexicans with the money that allows them to do these things on a mass scale. At least keep them south of the US border.

Michael_from_Bishop

Mexican culture is a criminal culture.

Yeah and our culture is innocent of never doing anything malicious to anybody. The native americans would agree we never did anything bad to them.

Si Patron, come to Mexico, nice country, really cheap housing. Just watch not to lose your head.

Legalizing it isn't going to stop any killing. It will just change, and add to, the ways the killing is done. There will be some doped up loser mowing you or your child down in the street dragging them 100 feet down the road under their Prius. However he/she wont get the chair like they deserve because when tried by a jury of their peers they will walk with little or no punishment. Like they do with alcohol now. Because your drugged up and drunken peers don't want you to go to the electric chair if they get caught.

You chose to get too high and drive, or accidentally discharge a gun while pointing it a someone, or endanger a co-worker, or commited a murder/suicide and you would be somehow better than some guys that hack off someones head.

If these cartels were smart, or if it was really going to ruin them, why wouldn't they come to the US and start beheading these legalization losers. Oh thats right I forgot it's nearly impossible to get into the US illegally. Especially if your mexican.

Would the government sponsored and taxed product really cost less? Of course it would and I think obama is a good president HAHAHAHA. Would cartels then just import it legally, cook the books, and sell it under the table for less? Of course not because they are good honest folk. Would the kids that take three days to find a gram of pot buy it more often and steal to get more when they run low? Of course not if we gave out all the drugs and alcohol free there would be no crime or addiction and all would be safe, disease free, and prosperous eutopia of a world.

Weird thing is some joker tried to tell me it was easier to get Vodka in Russia than it was to get bread. Dang liars all of them.

Legalization will just give idiots a chance to say I only use legal drugs. And pot is dangerous. I've seen many people drive, work, and do many things on pot and it is far from harmless. Please save your remarks. I used it too so I sure as heck know what I'm talking about.

And they are crossing our border and coming here to do the same thing yet our President will not allow the bordering states that are currently being effected to block them from coming in. It's election year and we had all better remember this article. They are coming here and they will do the same thing to us

Let em keep coming in, if anyone doesn't think this is going to happen here better think again. It's only a matter of time before the US border states get so bad we will abandoned them. But the prez says its OK

securing our borders ? yeah right, you mean like it's OK for gay mexicans to get married ?

This @!$%# was happening waaaaay before you even heard of Obama

I am so sick of this argument. Every president in recent history has absolutely failed when it came to dealing with illegal immigration. That doesn't change the fact that it's the sitting presidents responsibility to deal with it. When Bush was in, he was the person to yell at. Next year Romney will be the one to yell at. But right now Obama is failing at protecting the borders. And he's actively opposing the people that are picking up his slack.

Obama shouldn't get a free pass because Bush sucked.

You can yell at Romney all you like.....it just won't be President romney!!!!

What's more amazing is how many Americans want to go to Mexico for a vacation. Despite these atrocities near resorts some still blindly waltz down there in denial.

Yes let's blame Obama for Mexico's problems. Makes sense. Border security is being dealt with but if he put all his effort into that you'd be bitching about something else so whatever. Haters gonna hate.

Spencer - what you say is true.

But the reality is, republicans stop yelling the minute THEIR GUY gets into office - whether it's about border security, rising debt, out of control spending, YOU NAME IT.

it's reality, and a reality the right refuses to acknowledge.

hypocrit is what it makes them. PLAIN AND SIMPLE.

the shoe fits, where the damn thing.

You know last year I spent probably about 6 weeks or so down there for work. I was told I didn't have to go but they wanted me to. I speak the language and everywhere I went I went with Mexicans. I was OK but I also don't do drugs or in anyway put myself close to that culture. You keep a very low profile and don't be a loud mouth American and your fine.

I would go there on vacation but I wouldn't strike out on my own, stay where you are told to stay and remember your blue passport doesn't mean anything when you are in another country. There are millions of Americans living in Mexico, and millions more travel there for work everyday and if we don't the Chinese or the Europeans or somebody else will. You just have to know how to travel.

But the reality is, republicans stop yelling the minute THEIR GUY gets into office -

Where were you 4 years ago? People from both sides of the isle yelled at Bush nonstop. Bush had it 10 times worse than Obama has ever had it.

And he absolutely deserved it.

The idea that Obama is getting picked on more than anybody else is just stupid.

When Bush was president the idea was that "it's my civic duty to question the president, and call him out when I disagree". But you can't complain about Obama without people crying that you're picking on him.

Politicians across the board are liars and crooks. The idea that Obama is somehow special is just wishful thinking.

We keep the government in check by questioning them at every turn. The day we stop questioning our government, and calling them out on every thing they do is the beginning of the end. And we're getting dangerously close with Obama.

Jessica...., while immigration issues have been ongoing for decades, don't think for a moment that our outrage at lack of enforcement is purely due to Obumers party affiliation. As a conservative I can assure you had things played out just as they had, the only exception being, the last 3.5 years were Bush's 1st or 2nd term, I'd be just as emphatic he deal with the issue NOW! Furthermore I promise I will be holding President Romney's feet to the fire when he's elected this November. Keep in mind the current state of affairs are far different than for all but the last 4-5 months of Bush's last term. That is why we want action.

jon,

"lancepilot...your a retard." That would be YOU'RE not your. Excellent grasp of grammer and spelling.

caribbeanslim

Mexico is a very scary place these days for sure ,,,,,,,,,,!

Many US cities as well because of the illegal drug market

Wish we could legalize drugs and end this pointless war

Where were you 4 years ago? People from both sides of the isle yelled at Bush nonstop. Bush had it 10 times worse than Obama has ever had it.

And he absolutely deserved it.

The idea that Obama is getting picked on more than anybody else is just stupid.

As something of an outsider (I'm not a citizen, I don't get to vote) I don't think this is true. Bush got a lot of stick, which I felt was warranted. However, the worst name I generally saw him called was dubya. The constant slating of Obama by calling him Odumbo or whatever other petty and stupid name people can think of is, frankly, disturbing. Why? Because it's more than just a criticism or disagreement, it's just a pure lack of respect that we should have for other people. It's as bad as reading someone being called a "libtard' or "repugnant". You're not disagreeing, you're just trying to insult. All you're doing is stopping any potential for meaningful conversation and exchange of ideas. In short, this is why we can't get things done, and you're part of the problem.

Rob80-4249854,

Very well said!

Mexican culture is a criminal culture. Drugs have only provided the Mexicans with the money that allows them to do these things on a mass scale. At least keep them south of the US border.

Michael_from_Bishop

Mexican culture is a criminal culture

Yeah, all other cultures, including ours, has an angel's halo over them

The government gets paid by the cartels as well as the military, so don't expect much action any time soon

the cartel is the govt, thought everyone knew that. i wouldnt go to mexico for any reason

And perhaps more importantly, when will OUR government take real action? This bloodshed is largely due to the cartels fighting over trade dominance. And we're the consumers! If there wasn't such a steep demand there wouln't be such a serious problem. Mexico's government, along with its military, is fighting a losing battle. Sure, they can do raids and they can capture the occasional cartel leader, but that won't make the root of this problem go away. And that root is demand for the products, coupled with their illegality. We either have to lessen the U.S. demand (not bloody likely since we all want our drugs so badly) or, we have to legalize their usage so as to bring it all out from the shadows of the black market. This idea isn't new I know, ant it may not sit well with some people, but the alternative is a Mexico that will continue to bleed. And the bloodshed will cross our border more and more frequently. And please don't tell me the answer is border security! That's just an attempt to absolve yourself of any sense of responsibility.

Also, not all of Mexico is this bad, we just only here about the bad. There are plenty of areas (away from the mainland---read non-Baja---border and away from established drug-routes) that are fairly safe. My parents have retired to Rosarito for example, and have never once had a problem. The city is beautiful and peaceful. I suppose if they tried driving up the road to Tijuana and walking around aimlessly at 3am they could find trouble...but then, that can be achieved that in most modern cities if you're stupid enough.

You don't think the cartel money isn't paying our elected officials to not really secure the border? If we only secured the border by 80%, that would reduce drug related crime in our country by 80%. How many murders, shootings, assaults, etc. would that total? The next time you intelligent people smoke a joint, think about all the innocent men, women, and children the cartels, and our street gangs had to murder in order to bring you their product!

You have no concept of supply and demand. If you secure the border to a level of 80%, you will NOT reduce drug crime by an equal amount. What you will do is temporarily reduce supply, which in turn will drive up the price (since demand will remain the same). That price increase will result in more violence (as violence tends to increase with perceived value or cost to be gained). Well done!

Also, not all of Mexico is this bad, we just only here (sic) about the bad.

And not all convicts are bad.........but that doesn't make me want to vacation in a prison yard where they all have guns and knives.

Seriously? How many guns do you think the guards let them have during yard breaks? Maybe a strict limit to two handguns, or one full-auto? Sure, the occasional sharpened toothbrush is bound to happen...but let's not get ahead of reality Darth.

Brenda, you are spot on. Mexico is government of the drug dealers, by the drug dealers, and for the drug dealers. Because the Mexican government is such a cesspool of corruption, perversion, and filth, it poses a major national security threat to the US. The majority of Mexican law enforcement and military personnel also happen to be on the personal payroll of the cartels.

Before anyone starts the bandwagon for US military action in Mexico, a word of warning: for at least the past few years the foremost military and tactical publications on the planet have been warning about cartel-affiliated "sleepers" infiltrating the US military to gain access to not only weapons and training, but highly classified information. These "sleepers" are either US citizens or foreign nationals looking to serve in the US military to gain US citizenship. They have no record of arrests or gang/cartel affiliation; this includes tattoos which would signify gang/cartel membership. I certainly wouldn't complain if the US took military action to remove the Mexican government and crush the cartels, but such an operation is at high risk of being compromised by well-placed "sleepers"; the cartels' tenticles are that long and poisonous.

Seriously? How many guns do you think the guards let them have during yard breaks?

You missed my point. I didn't say that prison yards have guns and knives. I said that not all prisoners are bad, but I wouldn't want to vacation in a prison yard with prisoners that had guns and knives.

The poster said not all of Mexico is this bad. Would you want to take the chance?

Well said Scott Chrisman, if these yoyos would even take the time and look up LEAP or even watch some of their videos they would see that drugs due need to be made legal. The members of LEAP are the ones that have been doing the fighting against drugs-all of their members are current or ex law enforcement that have come to their senses. Look it up leap.cc and if you don't feel like reading they have many videos on youtube

Scott Chrisman,

I understand the concept of supply and demand. I also understand that if the supply is not there, you reduce usage! Are people driving less with the increase in gas prices?

Scott, before this thread dissolves into the ridiculous debate it seems to be traveling towards...you are correct, but not entirely. The answer is direct involvement and enforcement by the US on the border. It is the ONLY answer.

Unfortunately, the demand will never wain on our side. Our society has a 'stick it to the man' mentality when it comes to illegal drugs, along with our economy propagating the economical necessity of dealers, when no other income source is available in many scenarios. We won't win if we focus on the demand side of this issue. It is too deeply ingrained in our society and culture. No amount of arrests, education or tolerance will solve the issue on our side. The problem is monumental.

On the supply side, things are more fluid and manageable, no matter what the 'doves' of our society believe. There is corruption on both sides of the border, rampant corruption.

Want to illegally immigrate to the US? No problem. But, since the cartels control the immigration routes, no longer is it an issue of just wading across the river. Now, you're a mule for our drugs and if you fail to deliver on the other side, we will kill your entire family.

Border Patrol Agent getting a little feisty? No problem. Tell one of the snipers to take him out while he works his post.

Government agent on the southern side not being cooperative? No problem. Assassinate him. Even if he does hold dual US citizenship.

All of these things have happened and continue to happen. There is no solution except locking the border down, by whatever means necessary. It is unfortunate, but true. Sever the path, supply and demand cease to be an issue.

Scott Chrisman

And perhaps more importantly, when will OUR government take real action?

The ONLY thing I want our government doing is securing the border. We have NO business in Mexico. EVERY place OUR government has gone into in the past 60 years has turned into a quagmire for our military and a hell hole for the nation we leave behind. Grenada might be a minor exception but I would state we are arguing degrees of shiithole. Granted Mexico is pretty much a dump already but it would end up being much worse and a more significant mistake if we poke our noses where it does not belong and we are not invited.

The Mexican government is not going to do anything to stop the drug war. They want it. They are getting very wealthy. The ONLY thing that can happen that can cure the drug war is too.....yep you guessed it right. LEGALIZE IT! And honestly...it would cripple the Mexican cartels and the goverment too. Same reason why we are still in Afghanistan. The governments hold the power of all drug trades and wars. And they dont want it to stop. $$$$

Well said Scott Chrisman, if these yoyos would even take the time and look up LEAP or even watch some of their videos they would see that drugs due need to be made legal. The members of LEAP are the ones that have been doing the fighting against drugs-all of their members are current or ex law enforcement that have come to their senses. Look it up leap.cc and if you don't feel like reading they have many videos on youtube

I second what Mr Fishman says about LEAP.
Also, Dear President, with all the violence from the smuggling of drugs from Mexico, why do you crack down harder than ever on medical marijuana in states where it is legal? I'll bet your presidency that 99.999999% of medical marijuana is grown in the US by people who do not do violence and want no part of violence.
Doing so just increases the black market demand which likely will be filled by a violent drug cartel.
Use your head!

First to Darthfrodo: Sorry if I missed your point. Beyond that, in answer to your question, yes, I would take the chance. And I have repeatedly. As I've said earlier, my parents even retired there (and are alive and well). My point is that no all Mexico is bad, I'm not stating that there's a game of roulette to be played here, I'm stating that some areas are bad, no question, and some areas are not, verifiable even. The trick is to be able to identify which are which, and not to assume that all is bad because you failed to investigate properly. There are areas of the U.S. that I wouldn't travel either, especially at the wrong time of day, or while telling every other person I'm looking to get high.

Second to TomSawyer: Thank you for your response. My only concern is that no amount of border security will ever be tight enough to control what the people on our side do in response. If the demand is there, the product illegal, and the supply cut off, then people will find another source (or create their own). This problem will not go away until either side is resolved, it's basic math. Either then demand must abate, or the use be legalized. Without one of those solutions you will never see an end to bloodshed. I would love to be wrong, but I'm fairly certain that I am not. I welcome your response though.

Lastly, to trust_verify: Please see response to TomSawyer. I really don't think you grasp the severity or reach of the problem. It is not simply a Mexico thing. The problem is every bit as much ours as it is theirs. Please consider what people here will do when you remove Mexico as a source, will they just say, "Oh well, guess I'll try sobriety now?"

Megpie2

This is truly horrific! When is their government going to do something about these murders!

If you haven't been sleeping for the last decade, you would have known that 5 years ago, Mexico declared war on these cartels and has actively pursued them. Only problem was that this caused escalated violence, which is what we're reading right about now.

But how can any government (US as well) stop a $300 billion dollar industry? To make matters worse, the labor to fuel this market comes from countries that live on a few dollars/day and price mark-up percentages in the thousands!

The US has the power to end this war on drugs through legalization. Prohibition never works

Willliam Root - what kind of REAL stoner smokes Mexican dirt weed??! The best pot is grown right here in the good ole U.S.A! (this is NOT sarcasm). I don't believe in legalizing all drugs but certainly marijuana is long overdue. Even Mexican cartels are growing pot in our national forests. Their crops are being found quite frequently:

Thanks for your response Scott. I do know (and have heard from others) that not all of Mexico is dangerous. I have no doubt that there are many beautiful scenic places where people are friendly and courteous towards others. It's unfortunate that the bad news dominates Mexico's press. I know that most of the murders are gang and drug related, so tourists are usually not in danger, but personally, I'd only take my chances at the cruise ship cities, not in unknown parts.

Gary...that is a poor argument for legalizing drugs. Alcohol is legal and so are cigarrettes...Moonshine is still run illegally and cigarrettes are sold on the black market to avoid taxes...the criminal element will still operate regardless and you drug addicts are still going to kill for your dope. So don't try to bring the rest of the country down with your poor rationlizations. Keep drugs illegal and keep drug dealers in prison.

Marijuana is illegal. it will stay that way. Show me 5 congressmen that will vote to overturn the legislation banning it. No politicians will fall on a sword to legitimize Snoop Dogg or Willie Nelson. So, fire up a doobie and realize that if you get caught, you are going to prison with the cartel members. Long hair goes well with prison orange.

Right on!

Gary, do you truly believe the violence and drugs in Mexico will Miraculously end if the US legalizes Pot? Get real.

I'm a fence sitter on the pot issue. I don't care. I don't use it. But I don't believe for a minute that it will end any crime either in this country or Mexico.

What we need to do is secure the borders. Keep the Illegals and the cartels out of here. THAT is the only way to end drugs here. Cut the distribution network.

Jack, there are different types of crime. Selling cigarettes or alcohol "under the radar" as it were, is hardly at the same level as taking someone's head off with a machete. Right??? You say that Gary's previous response is insufficient argument in favor of legalization. Fine, but where's your counter-argument then? If the best you come up with is that moonshine is illegal (not always technically true, but whatever), then you're a long way from convincing me that our current system (and Mexico's) is working splendidly.

KimZee,

I'm 65, and you're not playing with a full deck!

Do you really believe our government would handle the additional revenue any better than they're handling our taxes? Or like the additional revenue from the lotto's that were supposed to save our educational systems? In case you didn't know our educational systems are broke!

Who would regulate marijuana? You don't think there would be criminal penalties for selling it to underage children, lacing it with other drugs, smuggling it across the border to avoid paying taxes (which will be high), etc?

We're back to square one on that, aren't we?

Put the cartels out of business? That's funny. As long as our border remains unsecured they'll be smuggling their real profit makers, heroin, cocaine, people, etc. More money for less volume equals less risk, and more profit! Not to mention the marijuana to avoid taxes!

Natural, safe? Who are you kidding?

http://druglibrary.org/special/goode/mjsmokers8.htm

Will you believe me if I tell you that I know junkies after twenty-three years of living in the gutter with them? Will you believe me when I tell you that I don't know any junkie that started on horse, that they all started on pot?

I don't know statistics, but I know a thousand junkies, and I tell you that they all started on marijuana. Using drugs is sheer stupidity.

Get your head out of your backside, and wake up! Sure there's medical uses for marijuana, there's also medical uses for morphine you want to legalize that for street purchases too?

Every time you roll a doobie, you're supporting the people who commit these terrible crimes against innocent men, women, and children! And you people have the nerve to say it's not addictive?

William Root -

People like you are one of the major problems with politics in our country. Smart, energetic people produce good (or at least potentially promising) ideas and then you and your kind come out of the woodwork shouting "that won't/can't work because I have seen things in my life that make me think they won't work."

Sure, you're old, got it. You've made it this far and change is uncomfortable for old farts like you. I get it. But you can't say something like "our education system is broken" and then shoot down every idea for change. What are your suggestions? I see questions in your post...great. Are you listening to the answers people provide?

Seems to me like you're just going to shoot those down with more negativity, put your fingers in your ears, shout "la la la nothing will fix this ever, so don't even try," and wait to die. We'll never get anything accomplished as a society if we never change. And we'll never change if we negate every idea as implausible based on your limited observations.

You are wrong Jack "azz". The criminal intent will always be their. No different in any other products or businesses. I think we need to jail all the people who think pot should (stay)be illegal. At least our jails wont be as full.

Legalizing 'pot' will never work and this is why . . . it is a 'weed' and grows very easily. If it were legal there would be no way to tax it or regulate it. Making it illegal was the only way to give it intrinsic worth. Mexico has a history of corruption that goes back as far as its own existence. We are not perfect but Mexico is quite literally a cesspool. Until it cleans up its own act we have no hope of securing our borders short of a really tall, and very expensive, fence that is avidly patroled 24 hours a day. When that is done Mexico will implode and we will be stuck with the fallout.

@William Root- I to have known many junkies, crackheads, and tweakers. Every single one of them started with ALCOHOL. Well, to be really truthful, they started with tobacco, but that is beside the point.

Human beings like to get high. It is a simple biological thing that can't be disputed. The problem is, under today's laws, if you want to get high on something other than alcohol and decide to smoke pot let's say, the person you get your pot from works for people who also sell all of the other much worse evils. You are then exposed to that element who for profit's sake will do anything in their power to get you to "just try" their other poisons; the ones they know are harder to walk away from.

I would also like to say that addicts are only a very small percentage of the people who ever smoked pot, or got drunk. Most people who use pot do not go on to become junkies, just like most peope who drink beer do not go on to become alcoholics. There is a biological component to addiction, not everyone has it. I personally know hundreds of people who have or do still smoke pot. Many of them for 50yrs or more. They are not addicted and do not sit around high all day. They have been and are still productive members of society. They simply understand the plant in its NATURAL state is beneficial for one's mental well-being as well as having some other pretty darn good medicinal properties.

The problem is that those people are not contributing to "big pharma", so they must be destroyed. (sarc)

So back to the original post. I am guessing that most of you have forgotten who the Zeta's are. They were the Mexican military's version of the Army Rangers. WE TRAINED THEM! And after we trained and armed them, they decided that it was pretty stupid to work for the Mexican army where no one is paid very regularly. They decided it was much better to take over one of the largest cartels through violence and make their money the old fashioned way. And since that worked out so well for them they decided that hostile takeovers throughout the country were a sure bet, (economics 101) and proceeded to expand their territory.

As for securing our borders...it ain't gonna happen. Not the way that so many of think you would like anyway. We could build a 100ft tall double fence all along the border, with moats, and alligators and electrical charges. It would only serve to cut wildlife off from the predominant water source in many areas. As well as keeping rancher's cattle from using the same water. It might slow down a few people crossing on foot. It will not stop those intent on smuggling. They will find a way. They have the money to play with. Build a wall; they buy a ladder or build a tunnel. Fill up a moat; same thing. And you all seem to forget that we have two very long coastlines on both sides of our country; mostly unsecured.

There is a great book called 'The Art of War'. The author explains that a small guerilla force with determination and perserverance can defeat a large standing army every single time. Unfortunately this is lesson that the US has never learned, neither at home or away.

In order to defeat these drug lords, we have to be smarter and more determined. Just throwing more money and force at them will not make them go away. And they have more disposible income than we do.

It is a complicated problem. There will be no simplistic fixes.

I only buy my pot from a guy I know who grows it. So I am supporting him and his wife and three kids, not some murderous cartel. I've been smoking weed for over 30 years, usually on weekends and holidays or special occasions. I'm not a junkie, I work for a living and I could care less if they legalize it or not because I can always find grade A stuff grown by someone I know.

Automatic motion detected high powered gun turrets every 100 feet along the border, that's what we need.

We all know how well prohibition worked. IT DIDN'T!! It also gave the Mafia it's start. Before prohibition the Mafia was nothing, but thanks to the bootlegging industry they became huge. We now have the same thing with illegal drugs that have enabled the drug cartels to grow and gain power. It's interesting to note that cocaine, morphine and marijuana were all legal until around the '30's I believe. The two forces that got drugs made illegal were the alcohol lobby (because drugs were cheaper) and the religious groups (because getting high was a sin). Talk about your strange bedfellows!!! We need to make drugs legal, tax them, have distribution centers so ID's can be checked, and inspections to maintain quality control. As the old saying goes, "forbidden fruit is the sweetest". If the drugs are legal they won't be nearly as enticing and you won't have scumbags on every corner and in every school pushing them to the kids. We need to wake up and realize that just because something is illegal doesn't mean people don't want it and won't get it by whatever means possible. THE WAR ON DRUGS HAS FAILED PEOPLE!!!!!

Its a freedom issue with me.I dont see pot as being any worse than beer.If someone wants to smoke pot,let them.It should be legal and anyone who wants to should be able to smoke it.

Now we need to find out what theyre on in washington!

Please Understand,

I still don't see any answers to my questions in your post! Change for the sake of change only, and not improvement does not make sense to me. The way things change for the better is to discuss the pro's and con's of an idea. My "limited observations"? Again you claim knowledge, when you really don't have it!

Kathy Stuart,

"I would also like to say that addicts are only a very small percentage of the people who ever smoked pot, or got drunk."

What are your credentials that allow you to make this statement as gospel? Did you click on the link to where I got that statement about pot? How about providing a few links that show studies which back up that statement? You claim it's not addictive. O.K. I'll bite! How about all the people who smoke, but are not addicted giving up buying/smoking pot for 6 months to protest the killings of innocent men, women , and children by the cartels, and our street gangs who profit from its sale?

Let's see how much truth there is in your statement!!!

If you don't see the answers to your questions in my post then you are simply incapable of comprehending the subtext. Change for the sake of change? When did I say that? I'm talking about change for the sake of improvement. How will we know what specific change will bring about improvement without trying new things?

Where did I claim knowledge? I claim only that we as people have limited observations, meaning our experiences. Unless we are willing to try new things, keep what works and learn from what doesn't, then we are doomed to perpetual degradation. Conservative views like yours are the cause of these problems. All the talk in the world does not solve problems. Change solves problems.

Go ahead, William, tell everyone else that they are wrong. I'm going to try new things and broaden my horizons. At 65, sadly, your time for moving forward appears to be over.

Please Understand.

O.K. I'll bite.

What's your plan for regulating the legalization of drugs? How would you handle taxing, smuggling to avoid payment of those taxes, sales to children, legal enforcement of those regulations, etc.? Or is your idea of change to just flood the country with now legal drugs, and work it out as we go?

Sorry, but that sounds like a child who's mad at his parents for making him follow rules they live by. And runs away to be free of those rules. They usually don't do that well do they? Especially if they're not found in time to save them from the real evil those rules protect them from!

Drug legalization can and will work. Sure there will be bumps in the road of change but when has there never been?

If we continue with the same failed policies things will only get worse. We need to try a different approach to the drug problem. Legalization is the only answer. Prohibition is doing more harm and damage than the drugs themselves. It's not rocket science; it's drugs!

We can regulate pot like tobacco. If someone want s to grow their own, make them get a grow license where there are rules for number of plants grown, etc. Or if people don't want to take he time and effort to grow good weed then they can buy it at the local store.

See, there. An idea put forward for legalizing weed. That wasn't hard. And if that doesn't work then alter the system to what does work.

What isn't working are the same old failed policies. Something has to change. And locking up pot smokers isn't the answer.

OneDirtyRat,

"Drug legalization can and will work. Sure there will be bumps in the road of change but when has there never been?"

You know how to make God laugh? "Tell him/her your plans".

Tell us your plan for legalizing drugs. And how that would be an improvement over what we have now! If you can't, you're just talking without saying anything, aren't you? Don't worry, you're not alone from these posts I've read.

William Root-

Bite what? I'm pretty sure you have reading comprehension issues. I never claimed to have a plan to legalize drugs. In fact, I never even mentioned it. My posts have been about you shooting down every idea that comes up on this board.

Dirty Rat gave you a plan with specific details (licenses like tobacco, etc.) and mentioned how that plan would be an improvement (less people locked up in prison). You proceeded to ask him for a plan and how that would be an improvement...

I'm done talking to an old brick wall.

William Root said:

You know how to make God laugh? "Tell him/her your plans".

Here's my question to you, William... are you saying God, the almighty father in heaven, creator of all things, made a mistake? Hemp is a naturally ocurring plant.

Furthermore, I think we, the human race, made the mistake of outlawing this plant in the first place. We are, after all, only human.

My apologies to Dirty Rat! That may be a good idea. Start in California, and see what happens. But you'll still need to secure the border to prevent "unlawful pot" from coming in to avoid taxes, or flooding the market to get rid of what the cartels have on hand. I'd say give it a shot only after the border is secured by our military that has the experience to do so.

I never thought putting people in prison for smoking pot (a non violent crime) with murderers, rapist's, etc. was right! In fact all prisons should be segregated into those for violent offenders, and those for non violent offenders. If those in non violent prisons get violent while serving their sentence, send them to the other ones.

Thereal Deal,

So is Hemlock a natural occurring plant! Go gnaw on some, and tell me what you think about that!

If you're enough of an idiot to do something that could and probably will kill you, that's your own fault.

The same with all the other hard drugs coming out of Mexico, if you're fool enough to endanger your own life taking a highly addictive and deadly drug, or one that will permanently alter your being, you deserve the consequences of your actions.

God will sort out the righteous and the evil, it is not our place to judge or question his divine plan. All we should strive for is what he teaches us, peace on earth and goodwill toward all men.

"God will sort out the righteous and the evil, it is not our place to judge or question his divine plan. All we should strive for is what he teaches us, peace on earth and goodwill toward all men."

Nice words Thereal Deal, but God isn't doing any "sorting" among the living as of yet. I believe that's why we have laws that are based on the Ten Commandments!

Cozumel is one of the safest places in the Caribbean.

I'm taking my family to the Yucatan in September. Am I worried about cartel violence? Not any more than getting killed for my wallet in any big city in our own country.

Bob is a schill who is paid by the Mexican government to post this kind of crap. Mexican culture is a deeply entrenched criminal culture. Drugs have only provided the Mexicans with the money that allows them to do these things on a mass scale. At least keep them south of the US border.

Michael_from_Bishop is a @!$%#ing retard.

You are correct!

Exactly! Bad guys killing off the bad guys. I fail to see a problem with this.

We need more St Val Day Massacres in USA

Can not be worse than current "war on drugs"

That's good in theory, but there's always collateral damage and innocent people seem to get in the cross fire and get killed. If it was only bad guys getting killed, I would have no problem with it. But I have a problem when innocent people do.

Dindo

Bad killing Bad = Good

FYI, many people involved in stopping the drug trade have been killed too: police, lawyers, politicians. Even innocent bystanders

Like Arnold said in True Lies:

"Yes, but they were all bad"

Please; for an old man's sake, open up your dictionary and learn the difference between "boarders" and "borders" and use the two words appropriately.

Hard to take someone seriously when they don't know that a boarder is not a geographical boundary.

you are being funny RIGHT?

yeap, you have to have some fun are you will errr lose your head

I hear ya, instead of a chicken in every pot it should be a pound of pot in every stash.

you guys are making me crave a smoke. I might have to take a walk out of the office here in a bit...

They may actually have to arrest and prosecute people and holder doesn't believe in that.

Not mentioned because we don't deal in machetes...we provide free guns and hall passes to the cartels.

I didn't realize the Mexican violence just started in the last 3 years nor that Mexico was part of the United States now. Thanks for enlightening us all.

That's not fair play Steve. He's tied up prosecuting baseball players and rewriting the Constitution.

Ahh Turpinator, if either of those statements were true it would lend you so much more credibility when you babble.

The directions are : Do not approach. When opportunity arises, run for your life. Do not look back.......

Great Song

Not to mention our own people...you know, the one's placing the delivery order? Or is this all to be the fault of those filthy Mexicans? Surely without their influence we 'd all be righteous, upstanding citizens yes? Gag.

Yes because clearly the only export that Mexico has is cocaine. They see a demand for drugs and HAVE to fill it. Theres clearly NOTHING else that Mexico can export to pay their bills. Those Americans that need drugs are clearly FORCING Mexicans to produce cocaine and hack off the competitions heads. Please. These cartels are animals just like the "freedom" armies in Africa.

Yes, that's right, absolve yourself of any responsibility. Surely the matter is as one-sided as you make it out to be, how could it not?

So your logic is "Because people want drugs, Mexico will have a cartel problem." The problem is you've got a group of control freaks with Machine guns. Look at Africa....diamonds....control freaks....machine guns. Maybe there are just some people who really like to kill and will fund themselves however possible.

Not at all, my logic is that so long as people want something that they're not allowed to have, and refuse to give it up, then someone will inevitably step up to supply it, there's just too much money to be had to do otherwise. Africa is a perfect example of this, thanks much.

We don't need no stinkin' Mexican pot....Our friends in CA could supply the nation

But AMAZINGLY, Obama has allowed the DOJ to go after the hemp shops about taxes and shut them down. They were cutting into the drug cartel's profits. Obama is putting Americans in danger.

Except people will not stop buying diamonds, and people will not stop buying drugs.

thatguydownsouth: I think that was the point yes. Apparently we agree on something then? hehe.

lol

Mexican Export, GM car parts.

How is it that everyone of these stories devolves into someone screaming about illegal immigration? I read the entire article and saw nothing in it to lead me to believe that any of these 18 headless people tried to cross the border illegally.

Also, the Zetas don't just kill rival cartels. They kidnap extremely young girls, rape them, and kill them when they are done. Perhaps you could at least feign some sort of compassion for those innocent little ones, but you won't, nor will you ever care about someone other than yourself. I apologize if my post comes across as rude

I was just there last weekend, had a fabulous time. The cartel violence is not everywhere in Mexico, most of the country is safer than most cities here. But I would avoid Guadalajara or any of the Mexican states that border on Texas.

There are areas of Mexico that are just fine, no beheadings, just normality (as we would see it). And, there are areas of the U.S. that are scary as #@%!. The trick is to be able to identify good areas from bad, and not to assume all areas in a given country are one way or the other. We're not perfect, and they're not hopeless.

Ok, you folks are always talking about securing the border, so tell me, how do you secure a 2000 mile invisible line?

Same way all other Countries do it. Threat of death. Put up land mines and snipers. Oh wait that's mean isnt it?

My problem isn't that's it's mean, only that it won't be effective. If the idea of drawing a moat, putting up a pair of electrified fences with a no-man's land laden with landmines between them helps you to sleep at night that's cool. Just remember that cutting off the supply there (assuming you can) doesn't prevent people already here in the U.S. from picking up the slack. Where there's sufficient demand...there will always be someone to supply. Always.

Well unfortunately theres two ways to eliminate the demand. You can either politely request that all habitual drug users cease using drugs on the moral grounds that some people really far away are killing each other. Or you can legalize it. And Im sorry...but I am NOT cool with legalizing crack, meth, cocaine, heroine, ecstacy..etc. Ive seen what it does to the body. Pot is thrown out there as a drug that should be legalized because its glorified tobacco. But not the other street drugs.

I think we can agree then that the demand will not go away. What then do you propose? Remember, people will find a way to get it at any cost...even through death (as we can see from this story).

No idea. Theres really no right answer to the drugs issue.

Im not saying mexico is a bad place but when a guy jumped out on the road with an Uzi and wanted us to stop(no he wasnt a cop)We went off road and dusted the guy out.

Almost every year they show some bodys car that was stolen being driven in mexico.I remember a stolen blazer being driven by a mexican police cheif,it still had the arizona plate on it.

Ive never seen the war on drugs stop drugs from being here and being sold.

is a drone a human

Mostly because the folks half way across the planet, wouldn't have the opportunity to vote in a US election.. The people coming in from Mexico... well that's up in the air.

Yes take some of the 30000 drones on order to our border.Shoot illegal aliens crossing our border and target cartels.

Would stop some problems.