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Sad to read. The US has a big problems, but nothing like the total breakdown of order that seems to have occurred in Mexico. It's an enormous humanitarian crisi

Sad to read. The US has a big problems, but nothing like the total breakdown of order that seems to have occurred in Mexico. It's an enormous humanitarian crisis, and our response is to build a wall. No, we should legalize drugs, and undermine the economic power of the cartels. I'd love it if someone more familiar with Mexican culture could explain the nature of almost universal institutional corruption.

muninn_ 9y ago
In addition to legalizing drugs we should look to reduce drug usage itself. Nobody, period, should be doing heroin or cocaine or whatever. Legalization stops the punishment, which I am in favor of, but does not stop the underlying root cause which is the usage itself. Why do Americans seem to have a particular problem with drugs, why doesn't, Singapore, or Japan for example? Naturally they have their own issues but why don't they have an opioid or heroin crises?
jjawssd 9y ago
In order to make the most of your travels, you need to first understand that, throughout much of the Third World, there is a smoothly functioning “system” in place that has evolved over centuries. From the First World perspective it is a “corrupt” system, and indeed, at the higher levels there is no other word for it, and this blog’s purpose is to remove the brutality and horror of such high level corruption. At the lower levels, however, the system contains an element of grace and humanity, and this lower lever is all that most people will ever encounter. You might still call this lower level “corruption”, but that’s not a helpful word if you want to acquire the most effective attitude for dancing with it. I prefer “negotiable”. It focuses the mind on the true task at hand when dealing with officialdom and removes any unpleasant subconscious connotations. So if you can view the following tools and tips as negotiation guidelines it will help bring the necessary smile to your face when the situation requires one. Source: http://www.whoismcafee.com/the-travel-guide/ http://www.whoismcafee.com/the-travel-guide/
- toomanybeersies 9y ago
  I have been to enough developing countries to know that "the system" does not work. It's just a bunch of jackbooted thugs, who got lucky for some reason and somehow became police officers, extorting money from everyone because of some arbitrary state power entrusted in them. I've seen cops in Vietnam make hundreds of dollars a day in bribes, when the average Vietnamese person makes $5 per day. Sure, they're making a lot of that bribe money from tourists, but I can guarantee you that they're not reinvesting that money in the local community. There is no grace and humanity in these systems. It's greed, it's capitalism at its most pure, if you have the money, you can do whatever you want, as long as you don't draw the ire of the powers that be. It is not a fair system, the poor just get fucked over harder, why is the government worker going to process your paperwork faster when the person next to you is willing and able to pay more to get it done?
- notfromhere 9y ago
  I never would have imagined someone idealizing third world corruption. Shits corrupt and prevents these places from developing functioning institutions and governance; the first world used to have the same type of arrangement until stable democratic institutions took over. Pretending its some stable existence is a weird idealization of a shitty scenario.
  - slededit 9y ago
    John Mcaffe isn't really idolizing it. His guide is explaining to otherwise hapless western tourists. Of course since he wrote this he had to return to America to flee a murder investigation so you should take everything he says with a grain of salt.
  - selimthegrim 9y ago
    He's far from the first to do so, although Ashis Nandy had different reasons https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-nandy-affair https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-nandy-affair
supreme_sublime 9y ago
Why not both? Why can't we have strong border security and legalize drugs? I'm hoping with the recent Sessions announcement that he will be enforcing federal law in states where marijuana is "legal" that will put pressure on congress to legalize it. Or at least repeal all federal laws on it and truly leave it up to the states. This is a pretty good short video about how building a wall can help Mexicans. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLv8Z6bsI24 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLv8Z6bsI24
- notfromhere 9y ago
  Congress is going to do diddly squat about legalization while the GOP runs the place.
  - cryptonector 9y ago
    You say that. I'm not so sure, and I'll make no predictions. But when the Republican Congress decriminalizes marijuana ahead of the mid-terms, I'll be back to check what you have to say then. I think these guys have the power to think outside the box and surprise you. I agree with grandparent that Sessions' action will tend to increase pressure for federal decrim., and that might even be Sessions' (and/or President Trump's) goal. What would the effect of Federal decriminalization be on the mid-terms? Don't you think it would help Republicans? Do you think they don't think so? Of course they think so. I don't know if it will pass, but my guess is that a reasonable bill would decriminalize marijuana possession and trade, but would keep it illegal for interstate commerce (this would be a sop to those States that want to keep it criminalized). Sort of like the 21st Amendment, but as a statute. Such a compromise would help Republicans in States where legalization is popular and... would not hurt them in States where it is not. It would also help with the federalist types. This should all be blindingly obvious. The only reason I wouldn't make a prediction is that Republicans sure know how to shoot their feet off.
    - throwawayjava 9y ago
      > But when the Republican Congress decriminalizes marijuana ahead of the mid-terms With what votes, and what leadership? The entirety of the GOP house leadership opposes any form of legal cannabis. Messer, the policy committee chair, even opposes medical cannabis for vets prescribed by their VA doctor and residing in states where medical cannabis is legal. Concretely, which GOP representatives do you think will vote for decriminalization? I'm incredulous, but curious to hear a rational argument that this is a remotely reasonable expectation.
rayvd 9y ago
There have been walls along the US/Mexico border for decades, not to mention other international borders. To even implicitly imply that some causal relationship between border security (irrespective of how effective you think a wall is to this end) and Mexico's inability to govern itself is highly misleading.

muninn_ 9y ago

In addition to legalizing drugs we should look to reduce drug usage itself. Nobody, period, should be doing heroin or cocaine or whatever. Legalization stops the punishment, which I am in favor of, but does not stop the underlying root cause which is the usage itself. Why do Americans seem to have a particular problem with drugs, why doesn't, Singapore, or Japan for example? Naturally they have their own issues but why don't they have an opioid or heroin crises?

jjawssd 9y ago

In order to make the most of your travels, you need to first understand that, throughout much of the Third World, there is a smoothly functioning “system” in place that has evolved over centuries. From the First World perspective it is a “corrupt” system, and indeed, at the higher levels there is no other word for it, and this blog’s purpose is to remove the brutality and horror of such high level corruption. At the lower levels, however, the system contains an element of grace and humanity, and this lower lever is all that most people will ever encounter. You might still call this lower level “corruption”, but that’s not a helpful word if you want to acquire the most effective attitude for dancing with it. I prefer “negotiable”. It focuses the mind on the true task at hand when dealing with officialdom and removes any unpleasant subconscious connotations. So if you can view the following tools and tips as negotiation guidelines it will help bring the necessary smile to your face when the situation requires one. Source: http://www.whoismcafee.com/the-travel-guide/ http://www.whoismcafee.com/the-travel-guide/

toomanybeersies 9y ago
I have been to enough developing countries to know that "the system" does not work. It's just a bunch of jackbooted thugs, who got lucky for some reason and somehow became police officers, extorting money from everyone because of some arbitrary state power entrusted in them. I've seen cops in Vietnam make hundreds of dollars a day in bribes, when the average Vietnamese person makes $5 per day. Sure, they're making a lot of that bribe money from tourists, but I can guarantee you that they're not reinvesting that money in the local community. There is no grace and humanity in these systems. It's greed, it's capitalism at its most pure, if you have the money, you can do whatever you want, as long as you don't draw the ire of the powers that be. It is not a fair system, the poor just get fucked over harder, why is the government worker going to process your paperwork faster when the person next to you is willing and able to pay more to get it done?
notfromhere 9y ago
I never would have imagined someone idealizing third world corruption. Shits corrupt and prevents these places from developing functioning institutions and governance; the first world used to have the same type of arrangement until stable democratic institutions took over. Pretending its some stable existence is a weird idealization of a shitty scenario.
- slededit 9y ago
  John Mcaffe isn't really idolizing it. His guide is explaining to otherwise hapless western tourists. Of course since he wrote this he had to return to America to flee a murder investigation so you should take everything he says with a grain of salt.
- selimthegrim 9y ago
  He's far from the first to do so, although Ashis Nandy had different reasons https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-nandy-affair https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-nandy-affair

supreme_sublime 9y ago

Why not both? Why can't we have strong border security and legalize drugs? I'm hoping with the recent Sessions announcement that he will be enforcing federal law in states where marijuana is "legal" that will put pressure on congress to legalize it. Or at least repeal all federal laws on it and truly leave it up to the states. This is a pretty good short video about how building a wall can help Mexicans. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLv8Z6bsI24 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLv8Z6bsI24

notfromhere 9y ago
Congress is going to do diddly squat about legalization while the GOP runs the place.
- cryptonector 9y ago
  You say that. I'm not so sure, and I'll make no predictions. But when the Republican Congress decriminalizes marijuana ahead of the mid-terms, I'll be back to check what you have to say then. I think these guys have the power to think outside the box and surprise you. I agree with grandparent that Sessions' action will tend to increase pressure for federal decrim., and that might even be Sessions' (and/or President Trump's) goal. What would the effect of Federal decriminalization be on the mid-terms? Don't you think it would help Republicans? Do you think they don't think so? Of course they think so. I don't know if it will pass, but my guess is that a reasonable bill would decriminalize marijuana possession and trade, but would keep it illegal for interstate commerce (this would be a sop to those States that want to keep it criminalized). Sort of like the 21st Amendment, but as a statute. Such a compromise would help Republicans in States where legalization is popular and... would not hurt them in States where it is not. It would also help with the federalist types. This should all be blindingly obvious. The only reason I wouldn't make a prediction is that Republicans sure know how to shoot their feet off.
  - throwawayjava 9y ago
    > But when the Republican Congress decriminalizes marijuana ahead of the mid-terms With what votes, and what leadership? The entirety of the GOP house leadership opposes any form of legal cannabis. Messer, the policy committee chair, even opposes medical cannabis for vets prescribed by their VA doctor and residing in states where medical cannabis is legal. Concretely, which GOP representatives do you think will vote for decriminalization? I'm incredulous, but curious to hear a rational argument that this is a remotely reasonable expectation.

rayvd 9y ago

There have been walls along the US/Mexico border for decades, not to mention other international borders. To even implicitly imply that some causal relationship between border security (irrespective of how effective you think a wall is to this end) and Mexico's inability to govern itself is highly misleading.