Monday, June 05, 2006
War on Terror = War on Drugs
"With the tremendous escalation of the drug war over the last few decades, the United States has been more concerned with what crosses the border than with who crosses the border. Despite the enormous resources allocated to prevent drugs from entering the country, the United Nations estimates that only a fraction of the total drug imports are being confiscated. The world drug trade remains robust, earning approximately $400 billion annually. This number is especially troubling when one realizes that terrorist organizations have profited tremendously from the drug trade in the past.
The Taliban have controlled as much as 96% of the opium growing area in Afghanistan, supplying around 90% of the opium in the United States for a total drug revenue of over $50 million that has at least indirectly aided al-Qaeda in their attacks against the United States. These statistics indicate that the "war on terror" significantly overlaps with the "war on drugs." p. 554
. . . "Despite the fact that 77% of Americans believe the government is not doing enough "to control the border and to screen people allowed into the country," and 68% want the government to militarize the border, [p576] pressure from powerful lobbying groups and a fear of losing the Hispanic vote seem to trump public opinion politically. The Latino population in the United States numbers around 38.8 million, making Latinos the largest minority group in the nation. As such, Latinos carry substantial voting power, particularly in key political states, such as California, Texas, and Florida. President Vicente Fox of Mexico continues to pressure President Bush to find more ways to ease Mexican access across the U.S. border."
"SLAMMING THE DOOR ON TERRORISTS AND THE DRUG TRADE WHILE INCREASING LEGAL IMMIGRATION: TEMPORARY DEPLOYMENT OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY AT THE BORDERS," by BRIAN R. WAHLQUIST, Georgetown Immigration Law Journal, Summer, 2005. p.551
This article has extensive notes [233], references to which I've removed in these excerpts.
The Taliban have controlled as much as 96% of the opium growing area in Afghanistan, supplying around 90% of the opium in the United States for a total drug revenue of over $50 million that has at least indirectly aided al-Qaeda in their attacks against the United States. These statistics indicate that the "war on terror" significantly overlaps with the "war on drugs." p. 554
. . . "Despite the fact that 77% of Americans believe the government is not doing enough "to control the border and to screen people allowed into the country," and 68% want the government to militarize the border, [p576] pressure from powerful lobbying groups and a fear of losing the Hispanic vote seem to trump public opinion politically. The Latino population in the United States numbers around 38.8 million, making Latinos the largest minority group in the nation. As such, Latinos carry substantial voting power, particularly in key political states, such as California, Texas, and Florida. President Vicente Fox of Mexico continues to pressure President Bush to find more ways to ease Mexican access across the U.S. border."
"SLAMMING THE DOOR ON TERRORISTS AND THE DRUG TRADE WHILE INCREASING LEGAL IMMIGRATION: TEMPORARY DEPLOYMENT OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY AT THE BORDERS," by BRIAN R. WAHLQUIST, Georgetown Immigration Law Journal, Summer, 2005. p.551
This article has extensive notes [233], references to which I've removed in these excerpts.
# posted by Norma : 6/05/2006 03:31:00 PM
