Immigration and Arizona Senate Bill 1070

There has been much in the news lately about Arizona Senate Bill 1070. The key to dealing with the situation along the Southwest US border is identical to the key to US-Latin American relations in general. Simply put, cooperation, not conflict is the way to the future.

Centuries and millennia ago, when cultures clashed, often one would try to simply eradicate, push out or sack and pillage the competing culture. Forced migration, genocide, cultural imperialism and rape & looting were considered normal (Vikings, Huns, Arabs, Western settlement of the Americas). In times past, these events were seen as natural occurrences, albeit man made. Now while these things still occur today in somewhat milder forms, the concept of cultural competition still underlies the problems today.

Why did the illiterate, smelly hordes of Genghis Khan invade China? They couldn't get any good Dim Sum for Sunday Brunch? To some extent, yes! They had certain powers, military organization and strict training, and they wanted to trade them, so to speak, for literacy, government, wealth and stability which the Chinese had. So, lots of people got killed and displaced then the two cultures underwent a meaningful and useful exchange of ideas and resources.

Now history is absolutely littered with such incidents, each with its own particular details. The lesson we should learn though is:

ONCE THE BLOODSHED AND SUFFERING SUBSIDES, THE CULTURAL EXCHANGE TAKES PLACE AND LIFE RESUMES ITS NORMAL PATH. SO, A SANE PLANET WILL SEE PAST THE VIOLENCE AND EMBRACE THE EXCHANGE KNOWING THAT IT IS BOTH BENEFICIAL AND UNAVOIDABLE!

With North America and Central America, the time for strengthening ties is long overdue. The uneven advances in economic and environmental planning brought by NAFTA are a start, but the people of North and Central America need to begin to see their future together. An American Union similar to the European Union should be in the future for all of us. This American Union should be one with high standards of societal organization meant to benefit all, not particular special interest groups, be they old money, ethnic identities or whatever.

We need to stop looking at genetic differences as barriers and instead look at the wide range of human potential. On the one hand, the proponents of Arizona Senate Bill 1070 seek simply to enforce the laws that are already on the books, which is sensible. However, it is the laws on the books that are the problem. If instead, the proponents of the Bill would unzip their suits of corporeal clothing and change them for the suits of Guatemalan farmers, they would immediately see the hopes and dreams that drive these people to action. Then they would recognize these hopes and dreams as their own . The same heart that pulls people in the US to work for a better life and a better world beats in the chests of our neighbors. The people on all sides of the issue are part of a human drama, played out in history time and time again. It is not the actors in this drama that need to change, it is the drama itself, the dynamic of interaction.

Our neighbors are just that, neighbors, not enemies. Let us work together for integration and cooperation while actively minimizing the conflict and suffering that artificial barriers promote. Let us dedicate time, resources and energy throughout Canada, the US, Mexico and Central America to education, economic cooperation and the monitoring and enforcement of high standards in government, business, environmentalism and the evolution of human culture.

We will gain more from cooperation than conflict, more from schools than walls!

Arming the Bad Guys - Drugs, Gangs and Crime Rates

A recent report by the Justice Department's National Gang Intelligence Center has suggested that up to 80% of US crime is gang related. See the article in USA Today.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-01-29-ms13_N.htm

This disturbing, even hard to believe statistic should alert us again to the underlying socio-economic dynamic created by legal prohibitions against drugs. Now while I would not recommend anyone to become involved with drugs, the simple fact is that many people do so in spite of drug laws and decades of aggressive law enforcement activities. Human nature being what it is, this situation is not likely to change in the short term. For the most part, people drawn to drug experiences are not dissuaded by logic or sometimes even the negative experiences of others. They crave such experiences and many of them in time will seek them regardless of the risks or social disapproval.

As such is the case, it is necessary for the larger society to examine closely the adverse effect that vainly trying to control substances has had. In short, it has created the world's largest government subsidy for gangs of criminals who deal in illegal drugs. Any time that something is suppressed in one way, it comes out distorted somewhere else. This is exactly what has happened with drug use over the last century. Prior to the modern era of the "War on Drugs," drug use and international drug trafficking certainly existed, but the organization of the groups involved was a mere shadow of what it has grown to today. Now while part of the change is due simply to the advance of technology, much more is not. Simply put, if most controlled substances were legalized, the price of drugs would decline, greatly reducing the income and hence the power of drug gangs.

Business as usual for Drug Gangs

Now what does this have to do with crime rates in general? In the era before the war on drugs and the corresponding large drug gangs, much more "everyday" crime such as robbery, assault and murder was committed by individuals for individual reasons. These individuals could be much more easily identified by police and apprehended thus bringing "closure" to the crime. Now however, these secondary crimes are simply business as usual for the drug gangs. To maximize their profits, as any good corporation does, illegal businesses uses illegal means. If you carry illegal drugs, guns, large sums of cash and hide from the police, what is it to you to intimidate, steal or even kill? Not much more at all. In fact, it becomes a lifestyle - sociopathic "achievements" that gang members pride themselves on.

Because of the continual recruiting of the gangs at the organizational level and the continuing allure of significant financial gain, arrests of individuals or even their deaths are trivial. When one gang member is eliminated, another takes his place whether it be at the highest or lowest level. If the CEO of Disney retires, does that mean that the company will close down? No, the demand for Mickey Mouse continues just as the demand for marijuana does. As long as drug laws pump money into the "gang business," there will be gangs, and they will become more sophisticated and organized over time.

Seized Drug Money

Why should the decent people of society continue to subsidize this nonsense? When controlled substances are legalized, over time crime rates and the nature of crime will return to normal. When people inclined to commit crime no longer have the unifying force of drug profits, their ability to organize and persist in the face of law enforcement will decline sharply. At the very least, studies of the market in marijuana should indicate clearly that an amount of money in the BILLIONS is presently available to many groups who have no compulsion against committing a wide range of crimes including very violent crime. See the article in BNET.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0254/is_n4_v53/ai_16433984/?tag=content;col1

The time to start dismantling the illegal drug corporations from within is now! They live and die by the financial subsidy of drug laws. Let us change that for a better future for all!

Mexican Border Drug Murders

Everyone with any sense at all was completely aghast at the outrageous murder of 15 mostly young people in Cuidad Juarez on January 31^st. More than just another story of drug gang violence, this horrific event encapsulates a serious social and economic problem here in North America. Within Mexico and Latin America, the power of drug gangs has grown to such an extent that it is now in the open on the doorstep of the American southwest. Though 7 suspects have been arrested and 1 killed, these arrests are virtually meaningless as they were only accomplished by members of the Mexican military who often have to wear masks to hide their identity.

Now while horrible violence takes place in the US not so infrequently, it is not the case that those officials and investigators pursuing the culprits have to hide themselves. The hunters do not fear being overwhelmed by their prey. However, more and more in Mexico this is the case. The power of the drug cartels in many places rivals or exceeds that of the official government. This situation is not, however, mostly a tactical or logistical problem. The police and military in Mexico do not need better training, technology and management. What they need is the support of the “local people” in turning the tide against the drug cartels. It is undoubtedly the case that most people truly accept drug cartels as a matter of fact, a necessary evil.

But we should not point a finger at the common people of Mexico or Latin America, but rather at the primary customers of the drug cartels – Americans and Canadians. As long as there is an overpowering amount of money to be made in the illegal drug trade, people will be enticed into it. The avalanche of related crimes will continue – murder, kidnapping, assault, extortion, intimidation of government officials, bribery, theft and so on. It is only through removing the financial incentive that drug gangs will lose their power. It is only through legalization of most if not all controlled substances that the tide can be turned in the short term.

Some might argue that because the market in controlled substances in the US does not produce such outrageous violence, it should also be possible to achieve a similar level of “acceptable criminality” in Mexico. However, this is clearly not the case. The overall economic development of the US is sufficient to provide most people with an acceptable legitimate means of earning a living. That is, the allure of making money through crime is not enough to overcome the risk. However, in parts of Mexico and Latin America, this is precisely the case. In areas where meager education and employment opportunities exist, “un cuerno de chivo” (assault rifle) and late model vehicle is much more enticing than manual labor and a donkey.

If the people of North America truly wish to eliminate drug violence and restore power to elected officials in Mexico, they must redirect their use of resources in addressing the problem. After legalizing controlled substances, the vast amount of money spent on the DEA, local and federal police, the Border Patrol and the Mexican police and military to fight fire with fire can be redirected into education and economic development in Mexico and Latin America. The people of those countries are no different than those of Canada and the US. They want a better life for themselves and their families. Why do we pay them money to commit crimes, murder and debase each other?

Regarding the effects of the legalization of controlled substances, it is certainly a problem that can be managed. In order to prevent an increase in drug use, all formerly controlled substances should be grouped under a classification of potentially harmful substances such as alcohol and tobacco. In order to buy or sell them, persons should have to take a simple educational course and pass a test thus receiving a license. The process should be similar to obtaining a driver’s license, but the course should graphically depict all the possible negative effects of drug use. In addition, the revenue generated from the licensing procedure could be used for anti-drug awareness campaigns.

Initially, there should be no tax or duty on formerly controlled substances as it is necessary for their prices to drop as far as possible in order to weaken and thus normalize the drug cartels. Without pressure from authorities, the drug cartels could then begin to operate openly with less need for violence and illegal tactics. Within a few years, market forces would begin to reshape the structure of the drug business.

The only initial regulations of the drug business should be that transporting vehicles should adhere to laws regulating other commercial vehicles, that no weapons would be allowed on these vehicles and that drivers and passengers of the vehicles should have no serious criminal records. This process would then begin to inject a moderate element into the business whereas before many of the more sociopathic personalities were drawn to the drug trade. Then slowly over time, government inspections of drug producing lands and facilities could begin to enforce normal business practices. Eventually taxes on sales could begin and could even be used to influence the cost to consumers, making the drugs much more expensive without delivering more profits to the producers and distributors.

Simply consider the state of affairs in areas of the world where drugs are less controlled. Powerful anti-governmental gangs of uneducated thugs do not run rampant, killing and destroying as they please. The business and sub-culture of drug use exists there but without the attenuating evils of violence and corruption. Until the demand for drugs subsides (possibly as it has with tobacco), the supply will continue. Why should we subsidize drug prices and give control of the trade to mindless criminals? I think the families of the 15 young people murdered in Juarez might ask the same question.