Mexican Cartel Beheads Another Blogger 536
sanzibar writes "The Zetas killed and beheaded an Internet blogger Wednesday in Nuevo Laredo, the fourth slaying in the city involving people associated with social media sites since early September. '"This happened to me for not understanding that I shouldn't report on the social networks," advised a note left before dawn with the man's body at a key intersection in the city's wealthier neighborhood. The victim, identified on social networking sites only by his nickname — Rascatripas or Belly Scratcher — reportedly helped moderate a site called En Vivo that posted news of shootouts and other activities of the Zetas, the narcotics and extortion gang that all but controls the city.'"
They should hire a social media consultant with th (Score:5, Informative)
Possibly not (Score:5, Informative)
uhmm... they are the mexican authorities (Score:4, Informative)
the drug cartels have infiltrated the local police, the federal police, the media, and the politicians. the mexican authorities arent going to 'launch war' against their own agents.
as for the US authorities... i just... they are utterly incompetent. you have to realize the guys we are supporting in afghanistan "against the taliban" are drug lords (the taliban are also drug lords).
we are basically propping up the same guys we want to kill in mexico, its called 'realpolitik'. in other words, nobody cares if a bunch of bloggers get beheaded as long as the 'larger US strategic interests' are protected.
for Mexico, that means cheap labor in mequilladoras (for products we can ship) and cheap immigrant labor (for labor that has to be done on site).
Re:If they're going to do this shit anyways (Score:5, Informative)
As a Mexican, I say: THIS. A MILLION TIMES THIS.
However, legalization of drugs in Mexico wouldn't work. The USA would have to legalize at the same time.
Re:If they're going to do this shit anyways (Score:5, Informative)
The news was real big on reporting the story that "Anonymous has backed down on their threat against the Zetas". But what half the news stories -- maybe more -- did not say was that they only backed down AFTER their member was released.
Do you need me to answer that? (Score:5, Informative)
Do you really need me to answer that?
It was available for legal purchase OVER THE COUNTER until 1914. And yet our country survived those terrible, terrible cocaine fueled years.
Re:If they're going to do this shit anyways (Score:5, Informative)
The news was real big on reporting the story that "Anonymous has backed down on their threat against the Zetas". But what half the news stories -- maybe more -- did not say was that they only backed down AFTER their member was released.
Emphasis yours
Very interesting indeed.
Care to cite your source?
Re:If they're going to do this shit anyways (Score:5, Informative)
Re:corner ? (Score:2, Informative)
Rascatripas != belly scratcher. (Score:5, Informative)
rasca = to scratch tripas = guts. rascatripas = gutscratcher. which is Mexican slang for guitar player.
Also with regards to guns and bullets (Score:5, Informative)
First it is extremely stupid to think that the US is the one and only source, or even the primary source, for weapons. Even if the US was able to implement a 100% effective ban, they'd have no trouble getting guns because they are made all over the place. The most notable example would be the ever popular AK-47. It is principally built by Izhmash which as the name implies is not a US firm, it is Russian, since that is the origination of the weapon. However other companies build knockoffs either under license or not. There are around 100 million in existence.
You think the Russians, with their massive levels of corruption, will stop selling to Mexican gangs?
That aside, many weapons come from other places, including places like Europe. Take what are probably the top two most popular brands of handguns with law enforcement: Glock and Sig Sauer. Neither are US brands. Glock is Austrian, Sig is German, but owned by Swiss Arms. Yet they supply most of US law enforcement, local state and federal, with their sidearms. Some other examples would be Heckler and Koch (German), FN Herstal (Belgian), IMI (Isralei), Tauras (Brazilian), Benelli (Italian), and so on. None of these are me stretching for names either, these are all gun makers you can easily find in gun shops, and the companies that make things like military hardware.
Bullets, well shit those are so easy not only can you make them yourself, people DO. Handloading is a popular activity in the US. Partially it can help you save money if you shoot a lot, but also some people just find it fun and like to make the ammo they shoot. Regardless, it isn't something you need a machine shop for (as you do to produce a quality firearm), it is something that is easily done by individuals with only a small amount of equipment.
I think some people have the misconception that the US is the source of all the guns in the world. Not at all true. The US does have a bunch of firearm manufacturers, but then so does the rest of the world. The US could shut down all domestic weapons production and there'd still be plenty made and sold.
Re:They should hire a social media consultant with (Score:4, Informative)
Legalize drugs, and let their income of blood money vanish.
If you think legalizing drugs will stop their reign of terror, you've got another thing coming. They'll just find some other extremely lucrative (and therefore most likely illegal) market to attempt to corner, and their thuggery will continue.
There is no other market of the same scale available to them. Legalizing drugs will cut off the money supply, and within a few years they'll shrink to a tiny fraction of their current size.
False. (Score:3, Informative)
No, Bush claimed that Iraq was trying to get yellow cake uranium from Africa. Interestingly enough, after the invasion it was discovered that Iraq had a small supply of yellow cake uranium.
False.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/yellowcake.asp [snopes.com]
Re:If they're going to do this shit anyways (Score:3, Informative)