When President Otto Perez of Guatemala proposed legalization of drugs, an interesting question was how and whether the U.S. would respond. Well, the U.S. is actually sending someone to talk with him about legalization!
US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will visit Guatemala next week for talks on President Otto Perez’s bold proposal to legalize drug production and consumption, authorities said Saturday.
Wait.
Who?
As Sanho Tree tweeted: “Why not someone from State? Is CentAm part of US homeland?”
Personally, I have always found the name of that department somewhat creepy. Giving it global reach doesn’t help.
I think her bureaucratic empire may be the only one with any budget left for the plane tickets.
Bwahaha! Thanks I needed a laugh today and you highlighted one of the positives of going Weimar Republic Version 2.0, the end of nannystate programs due to the lack of funds. The only drawback to going Weimar is that it usually brings someone like a Hitler to power.
Weimar 2.0? Interesting idea…could you elaborate a bit more on your thinking here–i’m genuinely curious. An excellent novel I recently read called “Archangel” compared the (pre-Putin) Russia of the late 90’s to the Weimar republic.
BTW, hello Pete and Kaptin & anyone else who may know me from this blog, though I am hardly a prolific commenter. I am happy to be free again after doing 5 months in the county, and happy to see DrugWarRant still fighting the good fight. Here in San Diego county we are witnessing a frightening dismantlement of much of the progress we’ve made in the last few years in regards to MMJ. Amazing…
welcome back to the “free” world . remember what diane jacob said: you must grow your own medicine in sandy eggo. and don’t hang around a dispensary looking healthy. gives medicine a bad name if the patients look healthy. damn malingerers.
We’re sending Napolitano as our representative for a drug legalization discussion? That’s great! Oh wait… who the hell is Janet Napolitano?
Believe it or not Janet is Judge Nap’s cousin.
That must make her meth.
Creepy? Yes it is. Very creepy. And I am sure the Honduran’s have questions as well. It appears that HS has funding in place for international efforts, including grants. If Honduras is a recipient of some of that terror/drug war pork, I think that may explain her trip.
I am sure she is just carrying the big stick,,trade sanctions and foreign aid losses,,,they will send some of the cartels laundered cash with DEA agents carrying it if more cash is needed.
Das Homeland is the Hopetopia where mommygov will take care of every need. Who pays for all that you ask, why the magic money fairy in the sky hands down buckets of currency. Mommygov will keep us safe from evul doers who we hope never go nookular.
You can make an argument since Homeland Security’s mandate includes border security and his proposal is regional so it affects U.S border security. The jurisdiction issue is minor in comparison to what her visit indicates. I’d say its almost guaranteed that she will threaten to “decertify” Guatemala and any other country that enacts this hands off policy. Essentially that would end most trade with Guatemala as tariffs would rise to levels that would make it impossible to trade with the U.S. This has been the default U.S response to Latin American countries that flirt a little too closely with drug policy reform. What will be interesting is if Perez can consolidate regional support and call that bluff. It’s hard to say what the administration would like less. A real conversation about drug policy during an election year or hurting the economy (and damaging his reelection prospects) by cutting off trade with important trading partners.
Napolitano will visit Guatemala to show president Perez photos of his prison cell in America should he cross them on core American policy.
Let’s see if he remains unpersuaded after her visit.
Napolitano will most certainly promise President Perez more money directed to Guatemala and will finally approve Temporary Protected Status to Guatemalans living in the U.S. It’s a good start to dissuade Guatemala. It shows that President Perez answers to no one. It certainly caught the U.S. off guard and Napolitano’s trip sure was made on short notice. The U.S. is absolutely frightened of a united Central America enacting a drug legalized zone and wielding that much power and they should be.
Guatemala isn’t even inside NORTHCOM. (Interesting enough, Mexico is).
Very strange, indeed. Somebody’s cage got seriously rattled…
Yup. more poking our nose where it don’t belong.
What. The. Fuck.