Pubdate: Thu, 11 Mar 2010
Source: Ventura County Star (CA)
Copyright: 2010 The E.W. Scripps Co.
Contact:  http://www.venturacountystar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/479
Author: Lyn McLaughlin

GANGS AND MARIJUANA

If the government were serious about ridding U.S. public lands of 
Mexican gangs and balancing the budget, here is what it would do.

Recruit one SWAT officer from all the cities that have low-key crime, 
and form a "Blackwater" type mercenary team.

They go through rigorous training, which is filmed for future use. 
They attack the forests, with cameras. They hunt the gangs down.

Their incentive to succeed is the competition to get as many bad guys 
and claim the billions of dollars' worth of pot revenue said to be being grown.

Instead of creating more pollution by burning the pot, they take it 
out, just like the gangs could, they hire out-of-work people to 
process the plants, they sell it at Social Security offices, post 
offices and any government place that needs revenue.

You not only put people back to work, who can then consume more, but 
also have a budget-filler and an award-winning documentary film on 
how America handles its terrorists on home ground.

And if we nip it in the bud, maybe Americans can go on vacation and 
not fear running into the Mexican mafia or any other unsavory force.

How about really keeping the public safe, and get over the marijuana 
legalization stigma.

Lyn McLaughlin,

Simi Valley
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom