Am I mad as hell and not going to take it any more?

[privado]

yes, it is interesting when you start doing some digging. who do you think funds the US and the UK's MI6 black ops? do you ever see "black ops" budget listed anywhere? well, let's see - no, because black ops don't really exist even tho we know they exist. as long as there's turmoil, there's a need for a lot of things - military, for instance, and they in turn have the second biggest needs, the first biggest being black ops. and speaking of military, what if there were no border war, what would all those people working on it do for a job? it's unfortunate, but war is money. think about it for a moment. if suddenly there there were peace in the middle east and all of our soldiers were brought home, what would they do? what would all those pilots fly? there's no jobs in the airline industry. what would all the mechanics do? no jobs here for them. there just wouldn't be enough work for all of them, and the unemployment rate would be 100 times worse than it is now. there would be no need for companies to build fighter jets and other war equipment and all the little bits and bobs that go with it, so those companies would have to reduce their workforce as well, further adding to unemployment. without war we would need less government, so more unemployment (that part would be really good). do i favor war? of course not. i don't know what the answer is but i do believe the public is having the proverbial wool pulled over their eyes and as a nation of sheeple, what can we do about it anyway. i'm sure you and i could have some terrific conversations/debates about this and when i move to lakeside i'd love to do that. also, think about this - if we can fire a missile that can hit a target within a 3 foot square, why can't we control our borders? if a satellite can read a newspaper from space, why can't we use that satellite to help control our borders? why did we waste 1 billion+ (and the time) on a fence that got nowhere because it was decided it wouldn't work? why are we not providing the equipment and manpower to control our (own) borders? personally, i'm ready to move to lakeside and enjoy life and not worry about the rest of the world since i can't do anything about what's going on anyway. my only concern is that there seems to be some "cracks" appearing more often in the serenity of the area with regard to crime. nonetheless, at this point i'm still willing to "pay my money and take my chances". here's an interesting post from 2009 on afghanistan that has to do with the drug trade and there are hundreds of similar articles if you want to research them.

In Afghanistan US/NATO put blame on Taliban for the poppy cultivation in Afghanistan for financing their resistance to allied forces. Ironically, it was only in Taliban era when the world had seen a sharp decline in opium crop in Afghanistan.

Taliban banned opium cultivation nationwide. A more important question is how and when this business of drug production and trafficking started in region?

CIA has been using drug money since long to generate money to support its operations all over the world. It did not start in Afghanistan it was brought here after experimenting somewhere else. This is something which is not a lead story in international media for obvious reasons despite the fact it is harming millions of lives around the globe.

1. CIA's secret Operations

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on of the most active and dynamic intelligence setups in the world needs massive amount of money to carry on its clandestine operations all over the world. It has happened when CIA used local sources to conduct a coups, assassinations, regime change, etc. As US has a long history to support democracy by hook and crook measures, until and unless a dictator is ready to serve US interests to prolong its rule.

Operations like the one completed in Iran in 1953 to remove Prime Minister Mussadaq and backing Shah's regime by using assets in civil society, or in Iraq in 1975 to arm Iraqi Kurds to destabilize Pre-Saddam in Iraq or more recently using its assets in Pakistan to pave the way of direct US intervention in Pakistan under pretext of hunting Al-Qaeda.

These kinds of operations need a lot of financial input. Usually CIA arranges revenue from its own means for this kind of operations where expenses can't be predicted by any measure. Funds from Whitehouse always need a complete audit and detailed reports about usage of these funds. There are numerous occasions when CIA never shared details of operations with its own analytical wing nor with any other public office in Washington. Most of the time it is drug money that compensates these expenses.

CIA operations are not only single expenditure fulfilled by drugs there are also other deficiencies which are compensated with this money like financial institutes and banks in current financial crisis. UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa based in Vienna revealed that drug money often became the only available capital when the crisis spiraled out of control last year.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime had found evidence that "inter bank loans were funded by money that originated from drug trade and other illegal activities," Costa was quoted as saying. There were "signs that some banks were rescued in that way."

It is not only CIA anymore in trade for using it as gold mine to finance its illegal operations all over the world but US economy also need some liquidity in its banks, it doesn't matter if it is coming by drug trade.

2. Drug Production & Consumption

Afghanistan is the largest producer of heroin's main ingredient; opium and opium is nothing new in this part of the world. In Afghanistan and FATA, Pakistan it is being produced since centuries; used as remedy for various diseases. Commercial production of opium began just during the Russian invasion in Afghanistan where it is estimated to produce some 8250 metric tons (Source: AmericanFreePress.net, November 24, 2008) of opium per year which makes 85% to 90% of the world's supply of opium. This also contributes towards Afghan warlords' wealth directly. This is what CIA brought to the region: Opium production without a brand name obviously. Today's world opium production map is as under;

http://i39.tinypic.com/2i6fbtg.jpg

Above: Demand and trafficking of drugs globally. US is one of very high concentration drug trafficking territory thanks to Regan's National Security Council who turned a blind eye towards South American cocaine socking into US in 1980 when CIA was backing all the drug traffickers of Contra movements in Nicaragua.

Markets for these drugs stretched world over from Western Europe to Far East, From Canada to Latin America and From China to Morocco, Africa. Profits related to this business also vary along with market's location.

This business enriches not only the United States-friendly Afghan warlords but also elements of the Northern Alliance, the US key ally in the country. More disturbing is fact that this money also contributes in CIA's operations against Pakistan as well.

3. Contra Movements (1980)

In Asia demand for heroin is more than any other drug but it is not the case world over. Cocaine is favorite drug which is consumed the most. Cocaine was nothing new in South American countries but it was only during Nicaraguan contra movements against the then dictator it got shoot up. It was again CIA's regime change operation to bring "democracy" in Nicaragua. It was during this period when the whole region saw an unprecedented surge in cocaine trafficking in 1980. This has been investigated none other than but by CIA's inspector general in later years.

Was CIA a part of this?

Answer is not only CIA was aiding these cocaine traffickers and money-launderers but Ronald Reagon's National Security Council also turned a blind eye towards these drug trades despite the fact that later these very drug traffickers brought cocaine to mainland US. According to CIA's inspector general report, published in online magazine The Consortium magazine, Oct. 15, 1998, it was Reagan's National Security Council which cleared proven drug traffickers and CIA inspector general Frederick Hitz confirmed long standing.

http://i41.tinypic.com/2py9bpe.jpg

Above: Armed men of Nicaragua insurgency during 1980, armed with CIA's sport and financed by drug money.

Allegations of cocaine traffickers.

The NSC's covert airline was the main transportation mean to do this trade in safest possible way.

Most stunning part of all this contra movements and CIA involvement is methods these movements used to dismantle the then Nicaraguan government including bombing and killing of civilians and CIA withheld all evidence of contra crimes from Justice Department, the Congress and even its own analytical division just to conceal its connection with drug traffickers.

Can't blame it all on drugs- The NSC's Oliver North reportedly had an office 2 doors down from Regan's and ran the infamous Iran-Contra Arms Sales that financed this whole mess- Not only was he a terrible governor of Calif --NOw we hear what many always suspected- Regan already had sysmtoms of Alheimers in his first term in office- according to his son- and it was obvious to many that he was being manipulated by those around him in the White House.

[augsksa]

Just my two cents, but since when did it become better to keep drug gangs "employed", rather than removing the reason for them in the first place?

it's not better for us - the normal people - it's better for the people that are keeping them employed.

[solajijic]

A tad too Vince Flynn and Mitch Rapp ...

[augsksa]

Can't blame it all on drugs- The NSC's Oliver North reportedly had an office 2 doors down from Regan's and ran the infamous Iran-Contra Arms Sales that financed this whole mess- Not only was he a terrible governor of Calif --NOw we hear what many always suspected- Regan already had sysmtoms of Alheimers in his first term in office- according to his son- and it was obvious to many that he was being manipulated by those around him in the White House.

I rest my case LOL - you can't trust the government - any government. you'll only know what they want you to know and if someone gets the truth out, the govt puts their disinformation and attention redirection depts into action. that way anyone who actually speaks about the truth will sound like a whacko because most sheeple just can't wrap their mind around the fact that our govt is just as corrupt as any other country, maybe more so.

[the walkers]

check out the ajijic connection to this story--"compromised:bush, clinton and the cia" by terry reed. he worked under ollie north and lived here in ajijic.

Can't blame it all on drugs- The NSC's Oliver North reportedly had an office 2 doors down from Regan's and ran the infamous Iran-Contra Arms Sales that financed this whole mess- Not only was he a terrible governor of Calif --NOw we hear what many always suspected- Regan already had sysmtoms of Alheimers in his first term in office- according to his son- and it was obvious to many that he was being manipulated by those around him in the White House.

[RVGRINGO]

Let's see; the western world broke into China trade using opium, a very long time ago. Things haven't changed much since and China remembers, as do others.

[Trailrunner]

Good posts, augie. Bienvenido.

[osuespirit]

Borderland Beat has just published an excellent article on the violence in Mexico

For those of you that don't want to take the time to read it - and it is probably a 5 minute read - the article suggests that the following steps MUST be taken before Nacro violence can come to an end -

All of that and the US needs to go after users, movie stars, the wealthy, all of them. Then close down the gun shows along the US/Mexico border. However, with the hatred for Mexicans it would be very hard to do that. Obama has said he would "talk" about legalizing drugs. Think about what those taxes could mean to the national debt.

Edgardo Buscaglia, the expert on drug-related crime, and his team studied 17 countries that have successfully fought organized crime. He says that all of them took the same four important steps.

First, says Buscaglia, comes a reform of the judicial system. Second, laws are needed to fight corruption in politics, because 70 percent of all election campaigns in the country are partially financed with drug money.

Third, Mexico must investigate the flow of funds from the drug trade into the economy. According to Buscaglia, 78 percent of the Mexican economy has ties to the drug cartels.

Finally, social programs are needed for young people, as the Colombian city of Medellín has demonstrated. Such programs are meant to turn young people's attention away from a life working for the cartels -- a life that can end quickly

Here is the link to the complete article - very definitely a worthwhile read - http://www.borderlan...o-violence.html

[Arroyo Grande]

I am linking another article discussing narco violence and the government's response to it. The English translation appeared in Borderland Beat in two parts, but the original Spanish language article was published in Nexos en Linea, a respected literary magazine based in the DF.

12 Myths of the War against the Drug Cartels--Pt. 1

12 Myths of the War against the Drug Cartels--Pt. 2

Doce Mitas de la Guerra contra el Narco

[VSOP]

The analysis by Villalobos makes the situation seem more hopeful, at least to me, than I had previously thought. Thanks so much, Arroyo Grande, for the links . . . and also for your always clear, level-headed and knowledgeable contributions.