Thread: For Mexicans, Fast and Furious conflict confirms U.S. role i

For Mexicans, Fast and Furious conflict confirms U.S. role in Mexico's violence

July 31, 2011

By TIM JOHNSON
McClatchy Newspapers

While a gunrunning sting known as Fast and Furious draws criticism in Congress for losing track of weapons that were smuggled into Mexico, Mexicans say the controversy confirms their conviction that the U.S. gun industry profits off of bloodshed south of the border.

As new details of the U.S. undercover operation emerged last week in congressional hearings in Washington, many Mexicans said the scandal demonstrates how easily crime gangs obtain large quantities of assault weapons from U.S. gun shops near the border.

Fast and Furious - the code name given by the Justice Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to its gun-smuggling investigation - allowed an estimated 2,000 weapons to enter Mexico unobstructed. That, however, accounts for only one-tenth of the weapons found at Mexican crime scenes in recent years that originated in the United States, according to available statistics.

The bureau's acting director, Kenneth Melson, wrote in a recent letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., that of the 29,284 weapons recovered in Mexico in 2009 and 2010 and submitted for tracing, 20,504, or 70 percent, came from the United States.

"All of the available evidence shows that the weapons come from the U.S.," said Sergio Aguayo, an academic and newspaper columnist.

Mexicans have been closely following revelations about Fast and Furious. A congressional report made public last week said that on at least 48 occasions, Mexican investigators found Fast and Furious weapons at crime scenes. At hearings last week, it was revealed that one U.S. buyer obtained more than 700 weapons for the Sinaloa Cartel, believed to be Mexico's most powerful crime group.

The revelations have evinced an I-told-you-so attitude here about the role U.S.-based weapons play in Mexico's drug violence, and reinforced long-held Mexican beliefs that the gun trade retains a powerful sway over U.S. political life. Mexican commentators see the Fast and Furious political brouhaha - with no similar discussion of how to stop the flow of powerful weapons to the cartels - as a sign of that.

"It kind of reinforces the perception that U.S. policy in general is to support arms dealers around the world," said Ana Maria Salazar, a former Pentagon official who now is a security consultant in the Mexican capital.

Salazar said Mexicans see a double standard in Fast and Furious, in which U.S. agents allowed weapons to "walk" across the border in their quest to take down a major weapons trafficking ring even as it became apparent the guns were turning up at crimes.

"Would the United States have done this type of operation, for example, in Afghanistan knowing that there was a likelihood those guns would kill American soldiers? They would've never done it," she said.

Aguayo went further, saying the operation revealed "underlying racism."

"U.S. society and the U.S. government don't care about Mexican lives," he said. "I have studied U.S. foreign policy. One American life is worth more than 50,000 Mexican lives. This case is another ingredient in a cultural attitude of contempt toward Mexicans."

Pinning down the extent of illegal weapons trafficking from the United States to Mexico is a controversial endeavor. Advocates of tougher restrictions on U.S. gun sales say Mexican criminal gangs shop for most of their weapons in the United States. U.S. gun advocates say that's untrue.

New evidence continues to arise, however, that Mexican crime groups, whose battles over drug routes and other criminal activities have claimed 40,000 lives since 2006, shop north of the Rio Grande for their firepower. Their favored firearms are variants of the AK-47 and AR-15 assault weapons, legally available at U.S. gun shops near the border.

In a video released earlier this month, a Mexican army defector who allegedly rose to become No. 3 in the brutal and powerful syndicate known as Los Zetas was asked by a police interrogator where Los Zetas obtain their weapons.

"From the United States," Jesus Rejon Aguilar, who was arrested by Mexican authorities on July 4, told his off-camera questioner. "All weapons come from the U.S."

Arturo Zamora Jimenez, a legislator from the Institutional Revolutionary Party, made it clear in a telephone interview that he understands that many Americans firmly believe that their guns can protect against tyranny, and that they have the right to own and purchase them under the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

But he said lax U.S. gun laws are priming violence in Mexico.

"We know that the manufacture and sale of guns is a major economic activity for the people of the United States," he said. "But when these guns are used by rival organized crime groups abroad, the situation really changes because they are used in crimes that affect the lives and property of many people."



How much the Mexican government knew about the Fast and Furious operation remains unclear. Alejandro Poire, the top security spokesman for Mexican President Felipe Calderon, insisted last week that his government was not aware of the operation.

"If we had known about it, it would have been stopped," Poire said.

But the federal attorney general's office acknowledged that it had been informed of aspects of Fast and Furious.

"This gives you an idea of the lack of coordination within the Mexican government as well," said Javier Oliva, a national security expert at the National Autonomous University.

Opposition legislators are pressing for a further accounting of how much Calderon's government knew.

"It is lamentable that with the weapons brought into the country through this operation, there are thousands of dead Mexicans and the federal government can't give an explanation of its responsibility," said Dolores Padierna Luna, the secretary general of the leftist Democratic Revolutionary Party.

www.miamiherald.com

But he said lax U.S. gun laws are priming violence in Mexico.

we dont have lax gun laws; there are over 20,000 gun laws currently in place

Mexican and American citizens would have never have known; but ROGE OFFICIAL's in the U.S. Government got CAUGHT

1. Did these Officials in the U.S. Government Traffic weapons to Canada as well; if so was it under G.W. Bush's Gun Runner Program or Obama's Gun Runner Program.

2. This has all of the appearances of Guns for Narcotics; are there rogue officials in the U.S. Government Trafficing Narcotics into the U.S.

3. These guns that walked went to the worst of the worst Cartel Familys in Mexico; given the appearance that preferential treatment was given to one cartel over the others creating a civil war effect in Mexico.

New evidence continues to arise, however, that Mexican crime groups, whose battles over drug routes and other criminal activities have claimed 40,000 lives since 2006, shop north of the Rio Grande for their firepower. Their favored firearms are variants of the AK-47 and AR-15 assault weapons, legally available at U.S. gun shops near the border.

4. Upto 40,000 Mexicans are now dead and that number will continue to rise; these guns are high endurance and will be around for years; 2 U.S. Federal Agents are now dead and untold Americans are also dead. This did not happen because of our 2nd Amendment and 20,000 U.S. Gun Laws on the Books. It occurred because of criminal elements in the U.S. Government went Roge and these people (Whomever it is) I dont care if its Bush; I dont care if it was Obama or any of the flakey gooney goo goo Idiots like Napolitano, Holder; Chertoff or any others are involved... they are solely responcible for the Genocide of the Mexican people; its police force; its military and its political officers.

5. All claims (Law Suits) need to be directed at these individuals involved; we have NO LAWs on our books that can justify this absolutely Insane Policy "NONE". The American People will not pay out these claims; all involved need to be put on trial and any and all assets siezed to pay any claim by the Mexican People; I am not paying for Roge Officials Actions

6. Was this part of the Globalists plans for a north American Union in addition to NARCO Smuggling / Weapons Trafficing; its time to find out

7. Illegal Aliens getting drivers licences in the U.S. from New Mexico and any other state played a role in this; some Illegal Aliens that guns were sold to would have been sent out of the gun shops with nothing; but they were allowed to walk those weapons right out of the store.

8. Some Illegal Aliens have been caught with upto 7 drivers licence's; each one showing that that individual had a clean record in the U.S. of course; even if they were a Cartel member, no one would ever know until they got caught doing a crime. Even then they get out of jail and have a clean record on a new drivers licence with a differant name

9 This ALL go's back to ROGE elements in the U.S. Government and NOT the American People

10. People are going to PRISON and its time to find out who

11. Is this part of another U.S. Depopulation program America and Mexico have not been told about. The intent was to kill people with these guns; not go dear hunting

12. The Mexican Cartels have a lot of money so it is not out of the question of U.S. Government Officals were bought off and used a Roge Operation to assist the cartels and sell out America for a few gold trinkets

13. This also has the appearance of using this Operation to wipe out the 2nd Amendment so any dictator could take the reins of the U.S. of A. I dont put anything past these Roge Officials... Absolutley nothing; so they will NOT get the benifit of the doubt

14. Integrating the North American into one country would then be so much easier for the globalists dont ya think

who ever did this can be charged in Mexico; the U.S. as well as in the world court

fair trials for all; if you are innocent; you have nothing to worry about

If you are willing to take the fall for Rogue officials as in a cover up then you deserve all that is coming your way

this was genocide and the trials aint going to be pretty

We have laws and safety measures in place that are supposed to prevent this. These were purposely shut down (with sinister purpose that is) so that they may be bypassed and guns could leave the U S for Mexico. It was done to mount an attack on the U S Constitutions 2nd Amendment..

Both Mexicans and Americans should be absolutely furious since our Constitutional Rights were targeted at the expense of Mexicans (and some Americans as well)

This was an absolute criminal scheme on a grand and international scale.

Added to the homepage
http://www.alipac.us/article-6452--0-0.html

This issue is more about the failure of open border policy rather than gun sales. If illegals couldn't easily gain access to the United States they couldn't take advantage of citizen's freedom in gun ownership.

They're outraged at Fast & Furious, rightly so, but pretend they know nothing when their government prints comic books instructing their citizens how to sneak into the U.S. How many U.S. citizens deaths have resulted from that policy.

related


OPERATION GUNRUNNER Information Collection Point
http://www.alipac.us/ftopic-233906-0-da ... rasc-.html