California home of freebies for illegal immigrants

[SunsetBengal]

(02-06-2024, 12:50 PM)KillerGoose Wrote: Mexico has deployed their military. The Mexican Naval Infantry Corps (i.e. Marines) fight the cartels throughout the country. They are one of the few branches that haven't been widely corrupted. However, fighting them at a level like this simply won't work, even if the United States becomes involved. It is a failing plan from the beginning. These organizations have massive reserves that range from the citizens in abject poverty to those who glorify what they do. Millions of people. You can find numerous articles detailing firefights between the marines and cartel members that often end in a decisive victory for the Mexican military but it makes no difference. You kill 10, 20 more arrive. It is similar to Vietnam in this sense; you could go through the entire conflict and win every single engagement but still lose the war. 

The only way to defeat the cartels or significantly decrease their power would be to remove their main source of revenue, which is drugs. If the United States legalized the sale of hard drugs, cartel finances would be devastated. I think we all know that the chances of that happening are zero.

I get what you're saying, I really do. Pretty much all of Central America and Northern South America's chief source of revenue comes from cocoa production.  I recently read an in-depth article that focused on the plight of the poor cocoa farmers who are suffering as the cocaine markets have plummeted in favor of the opioid markets.  The problem with what you're suggesting in the bolded is that literally, entire Countries and Regions are dependent upon that revenue.  It seems like the only way to successfully cut off the drug supply, would be to show the producers another way to make a better living.  That, and well, dry up the demand for those products.  But we all have seen how successful that endeavor has been over the course of my lifetime..