Overgrow the mafia.org

Mexican army success mixed so far in combating drugs

vegantoker@overgrowthemafia.org (VeganToker) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:03:00 PDT

Thanks to: UPI.com

The Mexican army is claiming progress in battling drug cartels siting the arrest of a suspected cartel leader in Cancun and the separate detention of 25 suspected traffickers dressed as soldiers.

However other reports speak of gang members dressed as Mexican soldiers harassing and burning villages. 53 inmates even broke out of a jail with the help of a convoy of trucks. Prison guards were held for questioning afterwards because security camera footage reveled guards doing nothing to stop the prisoners from leaving.

As much as I hate to say it the worse things get down there the better it will be for getting marijuana legalised in this country. That may even be true for us as well, the worse it gets here legalization of marijuana will only look like a better option.

I'll keep my first real post in a wile short, let me close by reminding you to call your congress people and let them know that marijuana legalization is important to you. The sooner we fix the law in the US equates to less suffering for the Mexican people caught in the middle of a pointless drug war.

I'll Be Right Back!

vegantoker@overgrowthemafia.org (VeganToker) — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:39:00 PDT

I want to apologise to all of the people who started following this blog recently. Lexi is home now and she has to stay downstairs because of her broken legs. The computer, of course, is upstairs and because of this I have not even turned it on in the past four days. I borrowed a second hand router to solve that problem but it doesn't like vista and I haven't had the time to fix it.

I plan to continue this blog at the publishing frequency it was at before this accident. I have no idea when that will be, but at worst it shouldn't be any longer than mid June. I'll post what I can in the mean time.

Anyone who has dealt with caring for someone, human or animal, after a major injury knows how physically and emotionally draining it is so thank you for your understanding.

Keep up the fight to end marijuana prohibition and I'll talk to you all as soon as possible.

Peace,

-Vegantoker

Please help Lexi!

vegantoker@overgrowthemafia.org (VeganToker) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 21:01:00 PDT

I know this is not what this site is about, but our wonderful pitbull terrier Lexi fell off a 20-30ft bridge last night onto asphalt. She broke both right legs, shattering her rear leg and requiring amputation. Her front leg is fixable, thankfully. Neither my girlfriend or I have much money, as a matter of fact just getting by month to month can be tough. Now, $7,000 in vet bills (at least, we don't know the final amount yet) later, we don't know what we are going to do, besides whatever we can do to help our dog.

I understand no one has money right now but anything you could do, even a dollar would be greatly aprecated. Please email me if you would be willing to help in any way, or have some idea as to how to go about paying for her bills.

Thank you all so much for reading this. I will post some pictures too as soon as we get them off our phones.

--------------

UPDATE: We heard from the vet yesterday (Monday) and he said Lexi will be able to keep her rear leg! Turns out the back leg will be easier to fix then the front. Her Surgery is today, so wish her luck!

P.S. that's the bridge she jumped off. 36ft from the asphalt to were her feet left the ledge. A human person might have died, let alone a 60lb dog. She's a miracle puppy.

Undercover Mexican drug agents killed

vegantoker@overgrowthemafia.org (VeganToker) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 03:00:00 PDT

Thanks to: BBC News

Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is probably to blame for the two agent's deaths. A note reading, "Neither priests or rulers will ever get El Chapo" was found with the bodies. The Mexican government has issued a 2 million dollar reward to informants that help arrest the 24 most wanted drug kingpins in Mexico.

"The note may represent a major change in the drugs war in Mexico which has seen 8,000 people killed in the past two years as drug gangs fight for territory amid government crackdowns."

The only change I see is the drug gangs showing the government in no uncertain terms that they are ready for a fight. Obviously not much of a change at all. The United States and Mexico's policy regarding the Mexican drug cartels' is like fighting a fire with gasoline instead of water. What makes it even more insane in this case is the fire hydrant full of water is two feet away from the gas, and it costs less too.

Mexican official says army will fight drug war until 2013

vegantoker@overgrowthemafia.org (VeganToker) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:06:00 PDT

Thanks to: Reuters

"Monte Alejandro Rubido, who recently joined President Felipe Calderon's National Security Council as a technical director, said troops would stay at the core of the war on drug cartels who have slaughtered nearly 2,000 people so far this year, mainly rival smugglers and police." (italics mine)

Facing a corrupt Mexican police force that, understandably, has in many cases chosen to supplement their income providing protection for the cartels', the Mexican government has resorted to using their army to fight the cartels' and retrain and modernise the police. Now Mexican officials are on record saying the Mexican army will be involved until at least 2013. The first question that comes to mind is how does Mexico plan to pay for this war? With a global recession that is showing no signs of ending, Mexico's defence budget will almost certainly have to be cut between now and 2013. The cartels' on the other hand have no shortage of cash flow and could in theory continue battling the Mexican army indefinitely wile simultaneously continuing their drug smuggling operation.

As I highlighted in the above quote the cartels' violence is mainly directed at those who stand in the way of profits. Most of the violence began as infighting between cartels' competing for the best smugging routes and landing strips. As the government of Mexico has tried to quell the fighting they have also become targets.

"Several high-profile arrests, including that of a presidential guardsmen who allegedly received $100,000 a month to track Calderon for drug traffickers, have also revealed drug cartel infiltration inside the military." (italics mine)

I love this part for so many reasons. Mainly the fact that it is the very last sentence of the article. Anyways, Hey guess what? The army is on it's way to becoming just as corrupt as the police force! I don't think that might be a bit of a problem in waging a 4 year against the same drug gangs that are "infiltrating" the army, do you?

Well, do you?

Signs point to Mexican government in cartels' pocket

vegantoker@overgrowthemafia.org (VeganToker) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 07:00:00 PDT

Via: LA Times

"Reporting from Mexico City -- In the tense state of Durango, Roman Catholic Archbishop Hector Gonzalez announced over the weekend that the fugitive drug trafficker who tops Mexico's most wanted list was living nearby.

And everyone knows it, he added. Except, it would seem, the authorities, who fail to make an arrest.

A shocking revelation indeed. But in Durango, most local newspapers and television stations declined to report the comments, and for some reason national papers that contained the remarks did not appear on many newsstands."

When stories like this come out it's pretty apparent we already lost this war before the US even gets actively involved in fighting it. If the Mexican cartels' can simply buy off Mexican political leaders and police forces then they have already won any increased armed conflict that the policies of the United States regarding the Mexican drug war may incite.

Free the herb this 4/20!

vegantoker@overgrowthemafia.org (VeganToker) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 23:16:00 PDT

It's time for society to ask what are we accomplishing by keeping marijuana illegal? We lock up productive otherwise law abiding citizens by the hundreds of millions, most for simple possession, deny tens or even hundreds of billions in tax revenue, spend billions on maintaining the war on marijuana, allow a black market to run wild that with no legal means to settle disputes must turn to violence to expand or defend turf, and thousands a year are being murdered in Mexico in drug war violence.

You would think with sacrifices like these there must be some benefit to marijuana being illegal, but I challenge you to specifically prove what that is. Kids can get pot easier than cigarettes, and more US citizens smoke now then ever.

Plain and simple Prohibition is a failed policy. It was with alcohol and it is now. It's not a matter of if marijuana will be legal again, it's just a matter of how long it will take for those it Washington to admit they were wrong.

Vote for us!

vegantoker@overgrowthemafia.org (VeganToker) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:00:00 PDT

overgrowthemafia.org is nominated for a bloggers choice award in the catagory of best blog about stuff. Go vote for us and help us end the drug war!

Mexico's government sends 10,000 more soldiers to border city

vegantoker@overgrowthemafia.org (VeganToker) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 02:00:00 PDT

Mexico seeks tighter lockdown in drug war city

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico, April 16 (Reuters) - Mexico's government is hiring more police and sending federal agents to the bloody border city of Ciudad Juarez, where it already has thousands of troops trying to quell drug violence.

President Felipe Calderon, who has made crushing drug gangs a central goal of his government, sent 10,000 soldiers and federal police into Ciudad Juarez in March.

His government says drug murders in the city have since dropped by 80 percent. But police corruption and complaints of rights abuses threaten to undermine early gains and the federal attorney general's office is sending more agents, recruiting more police and appointing a general as an aide to the city's mayor, the army said on Thursday.

"People are asking what will happen if the army leaves Ciudad Juarez. Well, the army's presence here is permanent, but we are also strengthening all areas of security," army spokesman Enrique Torres said.

So let me get this straight, Mexico has to bring in their army to police the streets permanently in Ciudad Juarez to reduce drug war violence in the city and President Obama is praising Mexico?
What kind of solution is that? Based on this I guess Mexico and the United States are willing to become police states before they would allow the legal market to regulate the sale and production of Marijuana. This will result in an unacceptable loss of freedoms and privacy for all citizens just to keep some people from using a plant that they prove
time and again they are going to use
anyways.

We couldn't ask for a better illustration as to why working to end the war on drugs
sooner, rather then later will make the transition easier for every sector of society to
accommodate. The longer the drug war rages in either country the farther we could
descend into a paramilitary police state designed to protect us from the same violence
that was created by bad drug policy in the first place. I don't think the US or Mexico can
afford to continue this path for long, it remains to be seen how long the Mexican cartels'
can hold out.

What are you doing on 4/20?

vegantoker@overgrowthemafia.org (VeganToker) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:00:00 PDT

I was just surfing around and I found this cool blog at 420-now.blogspot.com. 420 guy wants to know what your doing this weekend. Go share your planned festivities with the world!

Go vote in the CNN poll

vegantoker@overgrowthemafia.org (VeganToker) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:11:00 PDT

Yeah I'm board, so what?

Go vote!

CNN POLL

As of this posting:

Do you think the United States should legalize drugs?

No way	10%	302
Yes, all drugs	46%	1458
Only marijuana	44%	1405
Total Votes: 3165

Obama's off to Mexico

vegantoker@overgrowthemafia.org (VeganToker) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 07:33:00 PDT

President Barack Obama is on Air force One heading to Mexico today to meet with Mexican President Felipe Calderon. This will be President Obama's only stop before heading off to Trinidad and Tobago for the Summit of the Americas tomorrow. Topics of expected discussion between the two leaders will center, unsurprisingly, on the drug related violence and immigration issues.

Many Mexican leaders are calling for the US to reinstate the assault weapons ban, lifted under former President Bush in 2004. But even the mention of reinstating the ban earlier this year was met with opposition by both Democrats and Republicans. Since then Obama's administration has made the decision not go any further with the the reinstatement of the ban.

What Obama has done is ask congress for $350 million for US - Mexico border security, and send hundreds of Federal agents and drug sniffing dogs to help fight the Mexican drug cartels. The leaders will meet today to show the United state's solidarity with Mexico as it confronts the cartels and will try to come up with more effective means of battling them.

Let's hope they come to the conclusion that they can't fight these guys with guns. We could bankrupt the cartels by dissolving their marijuana market, but I'm not sure enough people would die if we do it that way...

Were gaining currency!

vegantoker@overgrowthemafia.org (VeganToker) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:09:00 PDT

See it says so right at the end of this story! in Mexico anyways...

"Mexico's Congress also is debating legalization of marijuana, a political long shot that is gaining currency. Calderon has proposed offering treatment instead of jail time, but would not legalize possession."

Obama brings new tone to Mexico, aiding drug war via AP

How to end mexican drug violence

vegantoker@overgrowthemafia.org (VeganToker) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:03:00 PDT

Check out this video I just found. It does a good job of explaining the Mexican drug war

and what we can do about it.

Especially good for those of you too ADD to read static text on a page :D

-VeganToker

US guns arm violent drug cartels

vegantoker@overgrowthemafia.org (VeganToker) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 13:51:00 PDT

Select quotes from Washington AP

"Stopping the flow of money and weapons from the United States into Mexico is critical to dealing with the violent drug cartels creating havoc on the border, the Mexican ambassador to the U.S. said Sunday."

"The key issue right now is how can the United States help to shut down those guns and shut down that bulk cash that is providing the drug syndicates in Mexico with the wherewithal to corrupt, to bribe, to kill," Sarukhan said on CBS's "Face the Nation."

"Tightening border security through fencing and similar means has not had an impact on guns and drugs, Sarukhan said."

"We will be able to control our border if we can control illicit traffic in moving both directions, the drugs moving north, the weapons and the cash moving south," he said. "We will have to work together. And it behooves Mexico to ensure that this common border is secure, that we're doing things on both sides of the border to jointly ensure that the border is secure, that the well-being of our citizens on both sides of the border is being protected."

Is anyone ever going to acknowledge the 200 bazillion pound elephant in the room? No one is offering any real solutions to this problem. The best we've gotten from those in charge is the recycling of old ideas wile simultaneously telling us how these same ideas have failed in the past.

The one and only thing that will end this insane drug war that has already taken the life's of thousands of Mexican, and American citizens is to legalize marijuana. People in increasingly higher levels of public office have started calling for legalisation of marijuana because of drug war violence spilling into their border towns. It's up to us to help get their voices heard nationally. Marijuana Prohibition must end on a Federal level for it to be most effective in crippling the Mexican drug cartels.

-VeganToker

Americans spend $9 billion a year on Mexican pot

vegantoker@overgrowthemafia.org (VeganToker) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 09:11:00 PDT

According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Americans spend about $9 billion a year on Mexican marijuana. This $9 billion dollars make up 62 percent of the Mexican cartels total profits.

These two simple statistics illustrate a simple yet profound point, if weed was legal tomorrow 62 percent of the Mexican cartels' profits would be gone within a year tops. A business that looses 62 percent of it's profitability would be crippled at best as a result.

It's a pretty simple choice really. We can either ignite an all out war on the southern border with Mexican cartels wile meanwhile they continue to make that same $9 billion dollars a year that they can use to fight the US and Mexican armies. Or we can legalize cannabis in this country cut off 62 percent of the cartels' profits and resources to fight with.

What option leads to fewer deaths and less money wasted? You be the judge.

-VeganToker

Growing Tips Blogger Wanted

vegantoker@overgrowthemafia.org (VeganToker) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 07:21:00 PDT

Overgrow the Mafia is looking for a experienced grower to write an at least weekly article on all things cannabis growing. If you are interested in applying for this position please send a brief description of your experience (nothing too specific please for your safety and mine) and an on topic writing sample to vegantoker@overgrowthemafia.com . In addition please contact me if you have an idea for ongoing feature that would incorporate well into the site that you would like to write.

It's almost 4/20, what are you doing to celebrate?

-VeganToker

Some disturbing staticstics

vegantoker@overgrowthemafia.org (VeganToker) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:50:00 PDT

So far the conflict between Mexico and US forces and the Mexican drug cartels' have produced the following results:

10,475 Killed (December 2006 - March 2009)

2,477 Killed during 2007

5,630 Killed during 2008

1,744 Killed during 2009 So far.

meanwhile...
45,000+ Drug cartel members have been detained

These numbers only further illustrate my point. As long as demand is strong, supply will be present regardless of any policy of the Mexican or United States government. There is always someone else willing to risk their life for the possible fortune the illegal drug trade provides those involved. Once again we arrive at the same undeniable truth. Americans addressing American demand for marijuana equals no profit for Mexican cartels trading in marijuana and that would put an end to the cartels' quicker than any other method we currently have at our disposal.

Testing, Testing!

vegantoker@overgrowthemafia.org (VeganToker) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 07:19:00 PDT

Welcome to overgrowthemafia.org! Since this is the very first blog post let me tell you whats going on here...

We have a serious problem on the southern border, Mexican drug cartels are importing very large quantities of drugs across the border into the United States. In return, guns and money travel back to Mexico were they are put to work for ruthless drug gangs that are proving a serious risk to the stability of Mexico as a nation. The United States government has mobilised troops, and extra border agents to the region hoping this will lessen the violence and keep any problems out of our side of the border.

What I fear we will find however is the Mexican mafia has enough money, guns and drugs to keep up this fight for longer than some suspect. We however, with two wars already commanding our resources cannot afford a third. High ranking Obama administration officials are on record stating that we are partially to blame. Hillary Clinton acknowledged that the US bears some blame for the crisis because of its "insatiable" appetite for illegal drugs and its role as a supplier of weapons that are smuggled into Mexico to arm the cartels'.

So demand is here to stay. At least according to the Secretary of State. The Drug war in America has tried to teach this nation many things but one of the most obvious is no matter how many drug dealers you arrest, as long as there is demand for the product, there will always be more drug dealers to arrest.

This is a pretty complicated problem, it's a really good thing the solution is so simple.... LEGALIZE MARIJUANA. Of course we aren't quite there yet and that brings us to the whole reason this blog was born and the message I would like to leave you with today; If we can't end demand (and I sure as hell don't want to anyways) then what we can do is change who controls the supply. There is no reason that otherwise law abiding citizens of this country could not grow their own marijuana in order to supply themselves and other responsible adults and in doing so cripple the Mexican mafias' profits. In fact that is exactly what I'm here to ask you and help you to do. Our brothers and sisters on the southern border are being killed because of this drug war. lets start working logically to end it and maybe the politicians will catch up.

-VeganToker