U.S. to Blame for Much of Mexico Violence: Clinton

Source: Reuters

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday that an "insatiable" appetite in the United States for illegal drugs was to blame for much of the violence plaguing Mexico.

"We are. How could anybody conclude any differently?" Clinton told reporters in response to a question during a flight to Mexico for a two-day visit likely to be dominated by a drug war that killed 6,300 people in Mexico last year.

Clinton's visit comes as Washington has announced plans to ramp up security on the increasingly dangerous U.S.-Mexico border. Fears are growing that the spiraling violence in Mexico will spill over into the southern United States.

"Our insatiable demand for illegal drugs fuels the drug trade. Our inability to prevent weapons from being illegally smuggled across the border to arm these criminals causes the death of police officers, soldiers and civilians," Clinton said. "I feel very strongly we have a co-responsibility."

Clinton will meet with Mexican President Felipe Calderon and discuss a broad range of U.S.-Mexican issues, including immigration and trade. Her visit also includes a stop in the northern business city of Monterrey on Thursday,

Clinton said the Obama administration was making progress on resolving a trucking dispute with Mexico and expected the U.S. Congress to be receptive to its ideas.

She also sought to address a belief among many Mexicans that the United States does not take sufficient responsibility for the $40 billion in illegal narcotics smuggled in from Mexico each year. Some feel the plans by Washington to better patrol its border are long overdue.

U.S. officials on Tuesday announced a $184 million program to add 360 security agents to border posts and step up searches for drugs, guns and money being smuggled by powerful cartels.

Under former President George W. Bush, the United States committed to a three-year $1.4 billion aid package to buy drug-fighting equipment for Mexico and Central America.

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE52O5RF20090325

Sheesh.

s

I mean the FDA has to have some say in what does and doesn't require a doctors prescription. Also I don't exactly want the food industry throwing this stuff in my food. These substances need to be placed back into the normal drug regulatory process. Which is slightly different than total legalization.

Spend more money to continue losing the drug war, which is what funds the cartels in Mexico and elsewhere.

didn't help either.

and break the power of the drug gangs worldwide.

Warlords in Afghanistan would be among the first to topple.

Immediately you have put ALL the drug dealers out of business. They don't deal because they are 'evil', they deal because they want 'MONEY', big money, not little money.
dc

It is really quite simple. The people who benefit the most from drugs being illegal are the black market drug dealers. Take out the criminal aspect, the criminals will go broke.

would be a good idea.

Also, the March 19 issue of Rolling Stone quoted some US agents and they blamed BushCo's approach for why things have gotten so bad.

Part of it is that the Cartels go to--guess where?--the US to get armed.

Too bad there isn't some other solution... Gee, whiz-- let me scratch my head and think about that for a while.

I have nothing in particular against Clinton, but she's (mostly) full of shit on this point.

:thumbsdown:

... right along with 99% of the rest of Congresscritters...


Stop the phony war on drugs then legalize, regulate and tax them. Everyone would benefit from this and it would wipe out the drug lords.


Idiots! :eyes:

expect her to advocate legalizing drugs and that's the problem. NOBODY wants to step out there and commit what they consider political suicide. But, I certainly agree with the remainder of your statment.

Either drop the drug war, or if its such a big problem that the border is so porous, then do something REAL about it. That may not be the most popular thing to say around here, but shit if so many problems are resulting from drugs coming this way and guns going that way, and they're not willing to end the drug war that's causing it all, then close the goddamned border. How much would it cost? A billions dollars? Two billion? Twenty-five billion? Even at twenty-five billion, how can they claim its too much? Considering how much taxpayer money (trillions) is being distributed to keep criminals wealthy right now, why not spend a little chump change on something worthwhile?

This meme of the month about how the 'iron river of guns' is supplying the drug cartels is just a pretext for new restrictions on the personal freedom of Americans. If they meant to solve the problem, marijuana would be legal and regulated for retail sale already. There are too many weasels in Congress whose pocketbooks are fed by the cartels and the drug war industry (which includes the law enforcement lobby) to ever let the drug war end.

Keep it up Clinton. Every dollar spent on prohibition is ten dollars sent to drug lords.