Stretched by wars, military retreats from drug fight

[maddezmom]

~snip~
Since 1989, Congress has directed the Pentagon to be the lead federal agency in detecting and monitoring by air and sea illegal narcotics shipments headed to the United States and in supporting Coast Guard efforts to intercept them. In the early 1990s, at the height of the drug war, U.S. military planes and boats filled the Southern skies and waters in search of cocaine-laden drug vessels coming from Colombia and elsewhere in South America.

But since 2002, the military has withdrawn many of those assets, according to more than a dozen current and former counter-narcotics officials, as well as a review of congressional, military and Homeland Security documents.

Internal records show in the past four years the Pentagon has reduced by more than 62 percent its aerial surveillance flight hours over Caribbean and Pacific Ocean routes that are used to smuggle in cocaine, marijuana and, increasingly, Colombian-produced heroin. At the same time, the Navy is deploying one-third fewer patrol boats for detecting and catching smugglers.

The Defense Department also plans to withdraw as many as 10 Black Hawk helicopters used by a multi-agency task force to move quickly to make drug seizures and arrests in the Caribbean, a major hub for drugs heading to the United States.

And the military has deactivated many of the high-tech surveillance "aerostats," or radar balloons, that once guarded the southern border, saying it lacks the money to restore and maintain them.

more:http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/nation/16557367.htm?source=rss&channel=twincities_nation

[ClintonTyree]

1. Yet another Bush success story.

The Bush administration has cut the smuggling of drugs into our country to a trickle thus freeing up those important resources for the more important "war on terra". :sarcasm:

Congratulations, pResident Bush! :applause: :woohoo: :applause:

Yet ANOTHER war being lost by the oaf in office. I'm sure there are other, more sinister things being smuggled into our country besides drugs because Bush has stretched our resources to the breaking point with his Iraq war. Is there anything Bush can't fuck up? :shrug:

[EST]

2. Bush the idiot and his Reagan/voodoo economics strikes again.

A double favor for the wealthy-tax cuts plus their drugs are cheaper and more plentiful.

[jody]

3. Opium production in Afghanistan is at record highs under Bush and defense against drug smuggling

is at record lows under *.

If Bush can't simultaneously fight a War on Drugs and a War in Iraq, then why is he letting Israel goad him into a War in Iran?

[90-percent]

4. "war on drugs"

uhhh, not for nothing, I'm against this, so this another unintended consequence created by Bush is a good thing.

The USA "war on drugs" is just soooo bogus, I'm glad he's losing this one.

-85% Jimmy

[jody]

5. I support legalization of drugs. I believe "war on drugs" was used by Nixon in 1971

and subsequent presidents.

I used "War on Drugs" and "War in Iraq" and the failure of both because Pentagon strategy is typically to be funded and equipped to fight two wars.

In this case, congress gave Bush everything he requested for the military and he has failed.

[lebkuchen]

6. Poppy cultivation has increased, what, 60% on Bush's watch?

Our "war on terror" is as "successful."

[ShortnFiery]

7. Yes, but fear not we still have the FEDs to beat up on sick Grandmothers

Yes folks, I'm sure the DEA is completely beefed-up and chomping at the bit to raid all those EVIL clinics where chronically ill or terminal cancer patients receive their marijuana. "To hell with your pain, nausea and vomit! WE the Federal Government rule over your silly State Laws." :grr: :thumbsdown:

To all the swaggering HE-MEN and heartless women, it's sport to help those who suffer, suffer more. They have a point the prove (Government is all-powerful). :eyes:

[hack89]

8. This is a good thing

Having spend months on counter drug patrols I know what a waste of time and money they were. They were never popular with the military. The only reason they went along was to protect budgets after the Soviet Union fell - by looking for new missions they could fend off radical force level cuts.

[Big_Mike]

9. Frankly, I have long thouhgt

we should just legalize and tax the living hell out of drugs. Personal responsibility is a great thing. If someone wants to drink themselves to death, we have doctors, counselors, clergy, and others to try to help those folks change their ways. If they don't change, they die. OK by me.

If someone wants to OD on drugs, go the above routes. If they still succeed in killing themselves, that's OK too. But let's stop this stupid waste of time and money, and receive some money from it.

If nothing else, it should lower the crime rate, and our prison overpopulation will cease as soon as we stop punishing people for seeking the cheapest escape they can find in crack cocaine.

[NorthernSpy]

10. I'll drink to that!

we should just legalize and tax the living hell out of drugs. Personal responsibility is a great thing. If someone wants to drink themselves to death, we have doctors, counselors, clergy, and others to try to help those folks change their ways. If they don't change, they die. OK by me.

If someone wants to OD on drugs, go the above routes. If they still succeed in killing themselves, that's OK too. But let's stop this stupid waste of time and money, and receive some money from it.

Right on!

:toast:

I'm especially fed up with people whose rationale for supporting the War on Drugs is that the prospect of criminal penalties might eventually force their junkie hooker niece into treatment. In other words, we must imprison millions for years on end, turn our cities into gang-ruled free fire zones, spends hundreds of billions of dollars, shred the Constitution, and sacrifice innocent grandmas to botched police raids -- all to save some horrid little twit from herself.

And I've actually been told that I'm heartless for feeling this way!

:eyes:

[90-percent]

11. usa DRUG LAWS

History will show that our thinking about this since the late 1930's was medieval and moronic and a tragic waste of good productive human LIVES.

-85% jimmy

incarceration for using drugs is like treating dandruff by decapitation, to quote frank Zappa

[gratuitous]

12. Will the base like this?

I thought Republicans were really, really against illegal drugs. How, oh how, will Rush Limbaugh spin this as a Bush triumph? Oops, probably a bad spokesperson for the GOP war on drugs. Maybe Seanie? Or Billo? Somebody will have to explain to the lizard brains how this isn't Bush's fault.