Thread: ARE MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS SETTING CALIFORNIA FIRES?

ARE MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS SETTING CALIFORNIA FIRES?

By Michael Cutler
August 18, 2009
NewsWithViews.com

An article that appears on the CNN website http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/08/16/california.fires/ that includes a link to a broadcast version of the news report concerning the fires that are plaguing California, threatening massive destruction of property and endangering lives.

Succinctly stated, some of these dangerous fires are apparently being traced to the cultivation of large numbers of marijuana plants by members of the Mexican drug cartels operating inside our country. The news report I watched on CNN today also noted that often these cartel members are known to be heavily armed. The news report went on to talk about how these individuals use propane tanks to cook their food because they fear that a traditional campfire would generate smoke that would be easy for law enforcement to spot. It is theorized that one of these fires got out of control resulting in at least one of the major fires that fire fighters are battling.

The news report makes clear the amount of damage that the fire started by the drug gang members has caused- to quote from the article:

In Southern California's Santa Barbara County, a weeklong blaze has charred more than 84,000 acres, investigators said. The fire originated at an illegal marijuana camp believed to be run by a Mexican drug organization, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Narcotics Unit said in a news release Saturday night.

In addition to damage that these fires have caused, imagine the huge financial costs associated with the valiant efforts of the firefighters to combat the fire that has burned more than 84,000 acres, especially at a time when California is already suffering insolvency.

The report further noted that these cartel members were growing millions of marijuana plants inside our national parks! Stop and think about this- while this is not a new situation, the idea that drug traffickers would be inhabiting our national parks, growing marijuana and carrying weapons while their mere presence in our country is a violation of law is nothing short of an outrage!

These criminals are heavily armed in order to protect their crops. Imagine what would happen if a hapless family stumbled upon these thugs and found themselves staring down the barrels of their guns. I cannot imagine such a situation would result in a "happy ending!"

Our nation has been and continues to be infiltrated by criminals from various countries owing to a failure of our nation to secure its borders and create an immigration system that has the resources and the commitment to enforce the immigration laws from within the interior of our nation.

As I have often noted, "A nation without secure borders can no more stand than can a house without walls!"

When will the time come when the concerns of the citizens of our nation will be taken into account by our elected "representatives?"

I would remind you that the difference between an immigrant and an illegal alien is comparable to the difference between a houseguest and a burglar!

In less than two years each and every member of the House of Representatives is up for reelection.

In less than two years more than one third of the members of the United States Senate will have to face their constituents. They need to be reminded that they work for us, We the People!

To borrow a phrase: The politicians are either with us, or they are against us! There is no "wiggle room" here- not when the stakes are so high!

The large scale apathy demonstrated by citizens of this nation has emboldened elected representatives to all but ignore the needs of the average American citizen in a quest for massive campaign funds and the promises of votes to be ostensibly delivered by special interest groups. There is much that we cannot do but there is one thing that We the People absolutely must do- we must stop sitting on the sidelines!

The collective failure of We the People to get involved in make our concerns known to our politicians have nearly made the concerns of the great majority of the citizens of this nation all but irrelevant to the politicians.

I implore you to get involved!

http://www.newswithviews.com/Cutler/michael168.htm

Get Ready America Within 10 Year! The way California goes so will we.

Mexican drug smugglers tied to California fire

Reuters – The La Brea Fire in southern California is pictured in this image taken August 12, 2009 by NASA's … .By Steve Gorman Steve Gorman – Mon Aug 17, 9:12 pm ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Wildfire investigators in California are looking for marijuana growers tied to a Mexican drug cartel whom they suspect ignited a blaze that has charred more than 87,000 acres of a national forest.

The La Brea Fire, which erupted August 8 in the Los Padres National Forest in the remote Santa Barbara County mountains northwest of Los Angeles, is believed to be the first major wildfire in the state caused by drug traffickers, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Jim Turner said on Monday.

A joint statement issued Saturday night by the Santa Barbara County sheriff's office and the Forest Service said the blaze was sparked by a "cooking fire in a marijuana drug trafficking operation ... believed to be run by a Mexican national drug organization."

"Although the La Brea Fire started more than one week ago, there is evidence that the unburned marijuana garden area has been occupied within the last several days," the statement said.

Sheriff's spokesman Drew Sugars said investigators found tens of thousands of marijuana plants growing in the area. No arrests have been made, he said.

Authorities said firefighters were warned the growers were likely still in the area and trying to escape on foot.

"The suspects are still at large," Turner said. "We've closed the area to the public ... so if anyone is likely to encounter them, it would be the firefighters, and of course those people have all been alerted and are on the watch."

Illegal cultivation of marijuana in California's forest lands has been a significant problem for several years, prompting federal and local agencies to step up eradication efforts, Turner said.

He added that some but not necessarily all the marijuana gardens had been connected to the Mexican cartels.

The fire, which is about 75 percent contained, was the largest of several wildfires burning in the state in recent days, including one near the northern surfing town of Santa Cruz, which forced the evacuation of more than 2,000 people.

(Editing by Paul Simao)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090818/us_ ... _marijuana

And, consider this. California wants to make pot legal. Think of who they will decide to be "legal" then. Will it be about letting the biggest, most productive drug cartel be a "legal" citizen because they are contributing so much to the tax base.

I can hear it now:
"Your honor, I know he killed six people, but please consider the fact that he is a legal citizen of the state of California and he contributes three million dollars a year to our tax coffers. He didn't mean to kill those people. They just got in the way of his conducting his business dealings. They should have known better. I implore you to set the bond at zero dollars so he can continue to be a legal citizen of our state and continue to conduct his business here so we can continue to get more tax revenue so we can continue to import more poor Mexicans and South Americans to work in jobs Americans won't work in."

Originally Posted by laughinglynx

And, consider this. California wants to make pot legal. Think of who they will decide to be "legal" then. Will it be about letting the biggest, most productive drug cartel be a "legal" citizen because they are contributing so much to the tax base.

I can hear it now:
"Your honor, I know he killed six people, but please consider the fact that he is a legal citizen of the state of California and he contributes three million dollars a year to our tax coffers. He didn't mean to kill those people. They just got in the way of his conducting his business dealings. They should have known better. I implore you to set the bond at zero dollars so he can continue to be a legal citizen of our state and continue to conduct his business here so we can continue to get more tax revenue so we can continue to import more poor Mexicans and South Americans to work in jobs Americans won't work in."

If they legalized weed, the drug cartel would be put out of business, since our govt, would regulate who grows what and how it is distributed legally and safely. And anyone would essentially be able to grow their own, taking away the need for weed from a dealer. I think it would take away the drug cartels funding big time and they would have to resort to something else.

The government could package and sell. But the drug dealers goes to prison.