Caught in the gears

In Tijuana recently there was a massive pot bust that netted around 140 tons of marijuana, some of it shown above. They burned it all, in order to "prove" to the drug cartels how serious they are about stopping this evil scourge:

The local cartel said their response would be swift. Indeed - a few days later, 11 people were killed in a drug rehab clinic (ironically tragic, eh?), and then 15 more at a local car wash. I linked to a site in the previous post with some images from this drug war. Here's one of the tamer ones:

 Those are the body parts of 4 people. And at least in Mexico, this is what really takes this drug war to another level - the sheer depravity of the violence. There are beheadings, indiscriminate mass murders, shootings at schools and hospitals... it's completely out of control. And for what?

1. Because the profits to be made in America are so great, these cartels are willing to go to great lengths to protect their business interests. When a commodity is illegal and you cannot rely on contracts or legal remedies, violence becomes the language of business. This in fact is what society is supposed to do - substitute orderly proceedings to remedy conflicts that would result in violence. Hence my assertion that the Drug War is actually ripping at the foundations of our societies.
2. To stop these people:

 Hippies and fellow travelers. This pic is from a 420 celebration in Colorado this past April. That's all pot smoke.

When one of the main political parties in America deals in fear, then you can see how beneficial the Drug War can be to them - another avenue in which to scare people. And to make a profit.

You have rich people on both sides profiting, and as always, it's the little people in the middle who pay all the costs. In many cases, this cost is their lives.

And there's no winning in sight. The only way to win is not to fight. And perhaps we're almost there...