(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The GOP wants to invade Mexico [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-04-10 Fentanyl Fentanyl is a killer. It is fabricated in Mexico from precursor drugs made in China and, ironically, in the U.S. The finished drug is smuggled into America by Mexican narcotraffickers. The GOP thinks we can stop the rash of fentanyl deaths here by bombing drug gangs in Mexico. It makes sense to Chuck Norris. Trump, a self-acclaimed military expert — “I know more about ISIS than the generals do, believe me” — is tumescent dreaming of waging war on non-English-speaking, brown people. His fellow dead-enders have joined the dear leader in this macho approach to addiction remediation. Politico reports . In recent weeks, Donald Trump has discussed sending “special forces” and using “cyber warfare” to target cartel leaders if he’s reelected president and, per Rolling Stone, asked for “battle plans” to strike Mexico . Reps. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) and Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) introduced a bill seeking authorization for the use of military force to “ put us at war with the cartels .” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said he is open to sending U.S. troops into Mexico to target drug lords even without that nation’s permission. And lawmakers in both chambers have filed legislation to label some cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, a move supported by GOP presidential aspirants. The stupidity of the military option Some more sophisticated thinkers understand military strikes against a neighbor and ally are a crap idea. John Bolton, the most gung-ho of all war hawks, said unilateral military operations “are not going to solve the problem.” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Mike McCaul (R-Texas) says he “has concerns about the immigration implications and the bilateral relationship with Mexico.” The idea that America can reduce the number of fentanyl deaths at home with military raids into a neighbor is a triumph of id over intelligence for people who do not understand the military. And for those who do — Crenshaw and Cotton wore the uniform — the attraction has to be a political advantage trumping common sense. Both of these Republicans served in Afghanistan. Both are well-educated. Neither can honestly think that the US military will surgically take out the drug labs etc. and stop the flow of fentanyl into the country any more than it defeated the Taliban. People who think the military is the answer should consider the Northern Ireland Conflict, aka ‘The Troubles’. For 30 years, the British army fought the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA). They did not defeat them. The British failed even though they had the support of a majority of the Northern Irish and the assistance of paramilitary units like the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and the Ulster Defense Association (UDA). Would any Mexicans support American raids in their country? Maybe some tacitly. I doubt any actively. The Mexican drug gangs are well-financed and well-armed — and will kill any civilian to send a message and strangle dissent. The US military will end up playing whack-a-mole. Just as in Vietnam, they will broadcast statistical victories while getting no closer to their goal. The reality of drug smuggling For the sake of argument, let us pretend that the military option does shut down the flow of fentanyl from Mexico. Would that solve the issue? No. The Mexican border represents a small percentage of our total contact with the rest of the world. There is the Canadian border and thousands of miles of Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coastlines. And smugglers will find somewhere to bring drugs in. In 2016, a RAND Corporation study estimated Americans spent $146 billion on illegal drugs. Attempts to shut off the supply when there is that much money involved will be as effective as Prohibition was in preventing drinking. Even if the authorities sealed all the borders, fentanyl production would be ‘onshored’. Chemistry teachers will be breaking bad all over the country. And it need not be fentanyl. Chemists will create another artificial opiate. Or a drug like the animal tranquilizer xylazine — aka ‘tranq ’ — will be repurposed and added to the illegal recreational drug supply. Tackling drugs realistically Not many VHS movies are sold in the US today. The reason is evident — there is hardly any demand. The same market forces explain the lack of a market for buggy whips or the reduced sales of Sunny D, Crisco, cottage cheese, instant coffee, and even can openers. While at the same time, the amount spent on chain store coffee, delivered meals, and tequila has exploded. As long as there is demand for illegal drugs, dealers will supply them. The only ways to reduce demand is to have fewer people start using drugs — something professionals have yet to figure out — and to have users stop using. To support that, we should decriminalize simple possession of all drugs — and stop sending users to prison. It is the height of fiscal and medical folly to spend a fortune locking people up — especially without access to drug treatment. Drugs are often consumed by people who are self-medicating against mental pain and stress* and what is more stressful than a jail sentence? However, we will not likely see a reasonable approach to drug addiction and fentanyl deaths anytime soon. Conservatives are rarely interested in programs that work. They love policies that look muscular — and if people get hurt, so much the better. And whenever a conservative talks solutions, we should ask which of their corporate sponsors are going to make money. * Notes During the Vietnam War, thousands of American soldiers used heroin. Yet when they returned home the vast majority quit without rehab. Many addiction specialists think that points to a successful strategy for tackling drug abuse. Identify the trigger. Maybe they are on to something. Also, there are the infamous rats that, left alone in a cage with a drug supply, would rather drink cocaine water than eat. However, further research showed that rats in cages with other rats — i.e. rats that could have sex and hang with their rodent homies, largely ignored the drugged water. 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