About a month ago, I was talking with a co-worker of mine who has lived and studied in Mexico. I was probing him for helpful advice on living in Mexico. Within our conversation he mentioned that he had recently heard an Interview on NPR about the book El Narco by Ioan Grillo. That afternoon, I went to the public library, checked it out, and breezed through the first 70 or so pages. It only took me a week to complete the remaining 220 pages and pass the book along to Sam.
On the back cover of the book, Dan Rathers states: "What is happening [in Mexico] has explosive potential consequences for every American, and Ioan Grillo's book shows you why." I too believe that each and every one of us has an obligation to read this book. If you are the occasional pot smoker who buys a bag of weed, a person who believes in the right to bear arms, a U.S citizen who has voted in a state or national election, or an optimist who believes world peace is possible...you play an important role in the drug war! In my opinion, we all have a huge responsibility to this important issue.
On the back cover of the book, Dan Rathers states: "What is happening [in Mexico] has explosive potential consequences for every American, and Ioan Grillo's book shows you why." I too believe that each and every one of us has an obligation to read this book. If you are the occasional pot smoker who buys a bag of weed, a person who believes in the right to bear arms, a U.S citizen who has voted in a state or national election, or an optimist who believes world peace is possible...you play an important role in the drug war! In my opinion, we all have a huge responsibility to this important issue.
Click Here to Listen to the NPR Interview With Ioan Grillo
http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=141650194&m=141677881
http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=141650194&m=141677881
How Savvy Is Your Drug War Knowledge?
Answers:
(according to El Narco and it's 10 pages of notes siting the book's sources)
1. What is the annual income earned by Mexican drug cartels selling meth, marijuana, cocaine, and heroine to American consumers? An estimated $30 billion.
2. Who was responsible for kick-starting drug trafficking to the United States in the early 1920's? The Sinaloan mountains were filled with poppies and Chinese immigrants and their descendants had the vision and connections to kick-start Mexico's first drug trafficking operations.
3. Sinaloan opium output rose dramatically in the 1940's due to? According to the Mexican Defense Department and it's official records, a mystery customer paid American dollars for vast loads of poppies. The Conspiracy theory is that the U.S. needed opium to make morphine for it's wounded soldiers since the main supply line for this medicine, from Turkey, was cut off due to the war. There was so much opium being supplied to the United States that the Sinaloan baseball team was known as the Gummers (referring tot the gum-like paste made during the process).
4. How many guns are supplied to drug cartels from the United States? Mexico has almost no gun stores or weapon factories and gives away few licenses. Almost all guns used by cartels are illegal. Guns confiscated by the Mexican government have been traced through their serial numbers and have also been tracked by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to determine 5, 114 of the nearly 6,000 guns seized in 2008 were traced to American gun sellers. Between 2009-2010, a reported 63, 700 firearms were seized and traced to U.S gun stores. A large number of guns are also stolen from Mexican security forces and the Guatemalan military.
5. How does Arizona play a big role in the drug war? To buy a gun in Arizona you must be a resident. However, drug cartels pay $100 and can easily find people willing to purchase guns for them. .50 caliber guns are considered weapons that should only be in military hands and used for war, however, they are available in Arizona stores and are becoming increasingly popular among cartels. Mexican officials report .50 caliber guns being able to fire through armored vehicles. The global production and sale of small arms has been a large component in making criminal revolutionaries so lethal. The AR 15 assault riffle is a gun built by Colt and sold freely in Arizona (along with the AK-47).
(according to El Narco and it's 10 pages of notes siting the book's sources)
1. What is the annual income earned by Mexican drug cartels selling meth, marijuana, cocaine, and heroine to American consumers? An estimated $30 billion.
2. Who was responsible for kick-starting drug trafficking to the United States in the early 1920's? The Sinaloan mountains were filled with poppies and Chinese immigrants and their descendants had the vision and connections to kick-start Mexico's first drug trafficking operations.
3. Sinaloan opium output rose dramatically in the 1940's due to? According to the Mexican Defense Department and it's official records, a mystery customer paid American dollars for vast loads of poppies. The Conspiracy theory is that the U.S. needed opium to make morphine for it's wounded soldiers since the main supply line for this medicine, from Turkey, was cut off due to the war. There was so much opium being supplied to the United States that the Sinaloan baseball team was known as the Gummers (referring tot the gum-like paste made during the process).
4. How many guns are supplied to drug cartels from the United States? Mexico has almost no gun stores or weapon factories and gives away few licenses. Almost all guns used by cartels are illegal. Guns confiscated by the Mexican government have been traced through their serial numbers and have also been tracked by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to determine 5, 114 of the nearly 6,000 guns seized in 2008 were traced to American gun sellers. Between 2009-2010, a reported 63, 700 firearms were seized and traced to U.S gun stores. A large number of guns are also stolen from Mexican security forces and the Guatemalan military.
5. How does Arizona play a big role in the drug war? To buy a gun in Arizona you must be a resident. However, drug cartels pay $100 and can easily find people willing to purchase guns for them. .50 caliber guns are considered weapons that should only be in military hands and used for war, however, they are available in Arizona stores and are becoming increasingly popular among cartels. Mexican officials report .50 caliber guns being able to fire through armored vehicles. The global production and sale of small arms has been a large component in making criminal revolutionaries so lethal. The AR 15 assault riffle is a gun built by Colt and sold freely in Arizona (along with the AK-47).
For Mexico to change, you have to believe and invest in the youth of the country! Hip hop is one way the youth are uprising!
A Short Documentary on Hip Hop (the Alternative Language to Violence), the Neither-Nor Generation, and Lives Worth a $100, Barrios Beats and Blood by Ioan Grillo is an 18 minute documentary filmed in Cuidad Juarez.
A Short Documentary on Hip Hop (the Alternative Language to Violence), the Neither-Nor Generation, and Lives Worth a $100, Barrios Beats and Blood by Ioan Grillo is an 18 minute documentary filmed in Cuidad Juarez.
