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Articles Posted: 15; Links Seeded: 1411
Member Since: 2/2006Last Seen: 11/28/2009

Reefer Madness: El Paso council slapped for questioning drug war

News Type: Event — Seeded on Fri Jan 30, 2009 2:02 AM EST
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In El Paso, there are some public-policy questions that are not up for discussion.

At least that's the message the El Paso City Council has received from a handful of elected officials – including U.S. Rep. Silves tre Reyes and the five members of the city's Texas House delegation – who sent a pair of letters informing the council that it is unwise even to broach the topic of drug policy and, more specifically, that it could be bad for the city financially if the council were to call for an open debate regarding the legalization of drugs.

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{"commentId":5076411,"authorDomain":"spiffie"}
spiffie
El Paso's Texas House delegation – led by Democratic Rep. Joe Pickett – was even less subtle: "There will be state agencies, state legislators and others in state government who will see this resolution as the City of El Paso supporting the legalization of drugs," reads the letter, signed by Reps. Pick ett, Norma Chavez, Chente Quinta nil la, and their freshmen colleagues, Marisa Mar quez and Joseph Moody. "Funding for local law enforcement efforts and other important programs to our community are likely being put in jeopardy, especially during a time when state resources are scarce."

Hm. Is that a threat?

{"commentId":5076411,"threadId":"485880","contentId":"2372608","authorDomain":"spiffie"}
  • 4 votes
Reply#1 - Fri Jan 30, 2009 2:04 AM EST
{"commentId":5076500,"authorDomain":"chasing"}
Chasing

I've got to say, threats have got to feel almost positive compared to the total neglect the city is used to.

{"commentId":5076500,"threadId":"485880","contentId":"2372608","authorDomain":"chasing"}
  • 3 votes
#1.1 - Fri Jan 30, 2009 2:21 AM EST
{"commentId":5076515,"authorDomain":"spiffie"}
spiffie

Hm, kind of like a nerdy class clown? At least it's attention.

{"commentId":5076515,"threadId":"485880","contentId":"2372608","authorDomain":"spiffie"}
  • 3 votes
#1.2 - Fri Jan 30, 2009 2:23 AM EST
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{"commentId":5076490,"authorDomain":"chasing"}
Chasing
"More people were killed last year in Juárez than in Baghdad," said O'Rourke. "And not just murdered – mutilated, tortured, heads cut off. It's literally terrorism. It's ... brutal terrorism that we're witnessing on our border."

Seriously.

{"commentId":5076490,"threadId":"485880","contentId":"2372608","authorDomain":"chasing"}
  • 4 votes
Reply#2 - Fri Jan 30, 2009 2:19 AM EST
{"commentId":5076968,"authorDomain":"dungbeetlemania"}
dungbeetlemania
All these issues, on the U.S. side, deserve serious debate." And he added, any "threat to state or federal funding just for debating an issue is wrong."

Agreed, what business does the US have telling Mexico what they can debate? Too much power :(

{"commentId":5076968,"threadId":"485880","contentId":"2372608","authorDomain":"dungbeetlemania"}
  • 3 votes
Reply#3 - Fri Jan 30, 2009 5:12 AM EST
{"commentId":5084602,"authorDomain":"chasing"}
Chasing

El Paso is a US city. The debate is already going on in Mexico - just as it's already going on here. El Paso just had the "gall" to officially ask that these questions be asked on an official, policy-driven level. The threat is stupid because it would take money away from one of the poorest cities in the nation. It's also stupid because the city is already poor. Talk about mean-spirited.

Silvestre Reyes used to be in charge of the Border Patrol in that region. He instituted Operation "Hold the Line", wherein a virtual fence of agents blocked off the border, there. It worked, people cheered, he got elected.

And then he moved on.

And now it seems he's forgotten where he came from. Insult on top of injury.

{"commentId":5084602,"threadId":"485880","contentId":"2372608","authorDomain":"chasing"}
  • 2 votes
#3.1 - Fri Jan 30, 2009 2:13 PM EST
{"commentId":5111112,"authorDomain":"dungbeetlemania"}
dungbeetlemania
El Paso is a US city

Whoops, my bad!

{"commentId":5111112,"threadId":"485880","contentId":"2372608","authorDomain":"dungbeetlemania"}
  • 2 votes
#3.2 - Sun Feb 1, 2009 2:42 AM EST
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