BajaNomad - Scary article on MSNBC...

Scary article on MSNBC...

bajajudy - 3-16-2008 at 07:48 AM

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23656496/

[Edited on 3-16-2008 by bajajudy]

Bernardo - 3-16-2008 at 08:10 AM

Legalize drugs and this will not happen. Hey, marijuana could be our new "bio-fuel" of the new century. Legalize and prices will drop - falling prices will reduce the crazy profits of the drug cartels - putting a tax on legal drugs will reduce our deficit. No more drug profits means no more money to buy police and no more incentive for gangsters (Mexican or otherwise).

And, border cities will become fun again - then it's back to the good ol days in Tijuana - booze and broads. Just like it was when I was stationed at Ream Field in the 50's.

DENNIS - 3-16-2008 at 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bernardo
Just like it was when I was stationed at Ream Field in the 50's.

Where was Ream Field? Is there anything in this world I'm too young to know or remember?
Please say Yes.

HotSchott - 3-16-2008 at 08:52 AM

From the MSNBC article:

One of every two police officers murdered in Mexico today is directly involved with drug gangs, according to estimates by police officials, prosecutors and drug experts.

Capella, nicknamed "Tijuana Rambo" because he fought his way out of an assassination attempt shortly before taking office, estimates that 15 percent of the city's 2,300 police officers work for drug cartels, earning a monthly stipend as body guards, kidnappers or assassins. In Baja California
alone, Mexican justice officials estimate that 30 percent of the local and federal police force is on a cartel payroll.

This is the part that really sticks in my head:

...In response, authorities in Baja California and several other border states have begun giving police lie-detector tests. The questions range from the innocuous to queries such as "Have you ever worked with a drug trafficker?"

Rommel Moreno Manjarrez, Baja California's attorney general, said in an interview that out of every 1,000 officers tested, 700 fail.

"It's impossible for the narco to succeed without the help of the police," he said. "The success that the narco has been having is because of the police."

Nothing too wierd about that! 700 of every 1,000 officers tested fail a lie detector test. I always figured it was bad, but 70%???

The guy that posted all the crapola about "Death in the Media" complete with statistics a while back should read this. Actually this is probably exactly what he was talking about huh? When a country that is highly dependent on tourism expects visitors to run the gauntlet every time they cross the border, isn't there something very wrong? There are no comparisons to the police in the USA. There are problems here, but not to the extent that 70% of the cops are working for drug money. It is what I don't know that scares me. My gut tells me the problem is much deeper and pervasive than what shows up on the news.

I love Baja. I miss my regular visits. I am disappointed that I have waited until I could afford to purchase property there only to see the borders turn into a war zone. There is no way in hell I would dump my savings into a piece of real estate down there now. There is alot that has to change before I will be risking what I have worked so hard for.

DENNIS - 3-16-2008 at 08:57 AM

Interesting. Thanks, Gene.

Bernardo - 3-16-2008 at 09:36 AM

Gracias Hose A.

With HU-1 Six months on and six months off carrier

Six months off at Ream Field

Great Liberty!!!

1956 - 57

The good ol days!

bajasol - 3-16-2008 at 09:51 AM

These are very interesting times for Baja California and her northern border towns.

Bernardo brings up a point that has been battled over for many years and will be for many years to come: legalizing drugs. In theory and on paper it would work. It is human nature to want what you cannot have. Be it drugs, sex, whatever. And if you make the want easy and cheap to obtain, the want and need and killing craving to get it, vanishes. (unless individuals have a personal problem)

As history tells us, Tijuana was the major city in the world that opened their doors during prohibition and served up beer and tequila to thirsty northern patrons with pockets filled to the rim with greenbacks to have what they can't have back home. The world is looking back to Tijuana to see how they will "take care of business" in this latest barrage of bad press for B.C.

We all know there is more corruption going on in other cities and countries, especially in the United States, than there is going on in Baja California. Just by looking at the pharmacuticals that are being obtained by Americans crossing over the southern and northern boarders of the US for cheaper prices has opened the eyes of the business people and company heads wondering what the future holds for them.

The near future will be amazing to see what happens.

DENNIS - 3-16-2008 at 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by lencho
You think there is more corruption going on in the United States than in Baja California?

That's the same lame justification line of crud that permeates the arguement. The BajaTimes new addition is dedicated to that premise that it's as bad or worse in the states, along with the US press sensationalising the occurances of crime toward tourists. What they're saying is that it all happens but, not to tourists so, c'mon down. What garbage.

I moved out of the states at a time when it was a means to a more peaceful environment. If I had known it would catch up with the crime stats up north, I'd have stayed there.

[Edited on 3-16-2008 by DENNIS]

Bernardo - 3-16-2008 at 01:46 PM

One man's (woman's) corruption is another man's (woman's) "free market" opportunity. If you take away the incentive (quick profits, massive money, payoffs afforded by $), the problem solves itself.

We have had (and maybe still have - in the US) historical periods of crime (the Irish Mafia, the Italian Mafia, wholesale cop payoffs (LA, Chicago, NYC to name a few)) and killings (St Valentine's day killings - Mr. Clyde and Ms. Bonny and others).

Today we are just killing outside our borders.

gibson - 3-16-2008 at 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS

I moved out of the states at a time when it was a means to a more peaceful environment. If I had known it would catch up with the crime stats up north, I'd have stayed there.

[Edited on 3-16-2008 by DENNIS]

couldn't you just move back?

rpleger - 3-16-2008 at 03:35 PM

I think that key to all of this narco crime is the police...

Pay them and make them more professional with adequate training and most of this will go away...

DENNIS - 3-16-2008 at 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by gibson

couldn't you just move back?

Yeah...I will, just as soon as I sell the house that I'm building. I look forward to rejoining a culture who's law enforcement is inadaquate rather than involved.
I also look forward to ridding myself of you as a pest.

DENNIS - 3-16-2008 at 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by rpleger
I think that key to all of this narco crime is the police...

Pay them and make them more professional with adequate training and most of this will go away...

For some, they don't get involved.
For some others, they involve themselves for a pittance.
For the rest, they are the problem. Crime prevention is their life and crime is their life at the same time.

You won't be able to reason to a hoar why she should work for nothing. I doubt that your self-rightous kiss would change her mind.

gibson - 3-16-2008 at 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS

Quote:

Originally posted by gibson

couldn't you just move back?

yea good luck with that :lol:

DENNIS - 3-16-2008 at 04:49 PM

Whatever that means.

Gadget - 3-16-2008 at 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bernardo
Legalize drugs and this will not happen. Hey, marijuana could be our new "bio-fuel" of the new century. Legalize and prices will drop - falling prices will reduce the crazy profits of the drug cartels - putting a tax on legal drugs will reduce our deficit. No more drug profits means no more money to buy police and no more incentive for gangsters (Mexican or otherwise).

I don't know. I can't agree with this. Look at the commercials on TV, the spam we get on our computers about every drug concoction imaginable for any and all ailments along with all the side effects. We are a society of addicts trying to mask lifes pain. Throw more drugs into the mix and I think we are doomed to become a bunch of weak minded noodle brains.

All the stuff out there that is illegal is really hard on the human body. The big drug companies will only get richer selling society more crap to hide even more symptoms from taking the other stuff, if you follow my drift. I mean, what percentage of society drinks alcohol? Now how would it be if that same percentage now shot up heroin because its legal. That could be real bad, don't you think?

It seems to make sense to me, but then I did alot of drugs back in the day

bajaguy - 3-16-2008 at 05:49 PM

I can't wait to get on an airliner when the crew has smoked grass (or took something else) sometime before takeoff

From a Recent (2008) Purdue University Study

Gypsy Jan - 3-16-2008 at 06:33 PM

"Aspartame accounts for more than 75 percent of the total adverse reactions to food reported to the U.S. Federal Drug Administration. Hundreds of airline pilots have reported symptoms of memory loss and confusion, headaches, seizures, visual disturbances and gastrointestinal reactions as a result of consuming sweeteners. If pregnant women consume large quantities of diet sodas to avoid weight gain, their placenta may accumulate methyl alcohol, causing mental retardation in the fetus. They also risk maternal malnutrition because of the gastrointestinal problems and diarrhea associated with sweeteners."

Sorry, tried to post the link. If I find it, I will edit the post.

DENNIS - 3-16-2008 at 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gypsy Jan
They also risk maternal malnutrition because of the gastrointestinal problems and diarrhea associated with sweeteners."

Is this the birth of the great, new Diarrhea Diet?

Iflyfish - 3-16-2008 at 09:19 PM

Bernardo has it right. We have already been through this with Prohibition, same game, different drug.

Worry? Go to Amsterdam. Have they deteriorated into the sort of mess we are reading about here? No! They have sorted out how to integrate drug use and prostitution into their society and are doing just fine thank you. Things are much worse now in Mexico than in the worst nighmares of those living in Holland. Give me Amsterdam over TJ any day!

The problem is that fear tends to breed more rigidity and reactivity and that just feeds this particular beast. Escalating violence will not resolve this unless the military takes back over the distribution of this valuable comodity. Legalize, tax and regulate.....we were almost there in the 70s till Nixon and Agnew decided that a War on Drugs by the Silent Majority would polorize the country and undermine those who were agents of social change and get them re-elected, they were right. They got elected. Then we forget......and forget....and repeat history....same with The Trusts....which are now International Corporations.....and we forget...

Iflyfish

Woooosh - 3-16-2008 at 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gypsy Jan
"Aspartame accounts for more than 75 percent of the total adverse reactions to food reported to the U.S. Federal Drug Administration. Hundreds of airline pilots have reported symptoms of memory loss and confusion, headaches, seizures, visual disturbances and gastrointestinal reactions as a result of consuming sweeteners. If pregnant women consume large quantities of diet sodas to avoid weight gain, their placenta may accumulate methyl alcohol, causing mental retardation in the fetus. They also risk maternal malnutrition because of the gastrointestinal problems and diarrhea associated with sweeteners."

Sorry, tried to post the link. If I find it, I will edit the post.

So the 30% of non-corrupt police officers in TJ had mothers who drank too much diet coke. Now I get it. The other 30% were just to stoooopid for the gamg to trust,

Spin is Always Spin

Gypsy Jan - 3-16-2008 at 09:35 PM

Governments mount campaigns to preserve the status quo. An informed populus is the best.

Iflyfish - 3-17-2008 at 12:02 AM

Gypsy says:
"Governments mount campaigns to preserve the status quo. An informed populus is the best."
Having driven extensively through the South West and Southern US and Gulf States this winter I can tell you that much of what people hear is FOX and Religious broadcasting, often the only media available. That explained a lot to me. It depends upon who is informing the populus.
Iflyfish

vandenberg - 3-17-2008 at 08:32 AM

Just to keep the MSNBC article in perspective, here a second page article in a Sacramento paper. A weekly, if not daily occurance in any sizable California city.

3 discovered dead in Linda are identified
Last Updated 12:53 am PDT Monday, March 17, 2008
Story appeared in METRO section, Page B2

Print | E-Mail | Comments (1)|

LINDA – Identities of three men found dead Thursday in an east Linda apartment were released Sunday by Yuba County Sheriff Steve Durfor.

Autopsy results show that brothers Jesus Arreguin- Card##as, 37, and Jose Arreguin-Card##as, 31, and Manuel Robles-Basurto, 27, died of gunshot wounds, according to Durfor.

Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Melanie Oakes declined to say where the wounds were located on the bodies.

All three men "originated from outside the Yuba-Sutter area," said a statement from the sheriff. "Detectives are attempting to determine what brought these men to Linda and their connection to the apartment where they died.