Ibero-American News Digest

Argentine Court Rules for Soros Drug Decrim

Jan. 24 (EIRNS)—Any attempt to decriminalize drugs for personal consumption, as a Buenos Aires federal court did on Jan. 22, is an act of "genocide" against Argentina's children, said Claudio Izaguirre, president of the Argentine Anti-Drug Association.

Following Nazi-collaborator George Soros's drug legalization agenda, three judges of the federal court ruled unconstitutional Article 14 of the national drug law, which criminalizes drug possession for personal consumption. This prohibition is "an unreasonable restriction of personal freedom," which will inhibit citizens' free access to health care, the magistrates argued.

Moreover, they charged, the drug law violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as Article 19 of Argentina's Constitution. The latter states that the "private actions of men, which don't offend public order or morality, or do harm to third parties," are not punishable by law.

This is genocide, Izaguirre said. "There are little ones, nine or ten years old, out on the street consuming, or who offer oral sex for 10 pesos so they can buy drugs," he said. Current law mandates that anyone arrested with small amounts of drugs is immediately sent to a treatment center. But, should the government ram through a bill decriminalizing drug possession for personal use, "that addict will now be left out on the street," Izaguirre warned. The only beneficiary will be the retail drug vendor, who can be seen selling drugs right out in the open throughout the capital.

In February, Argentina's Supreme Court is expected to rule that the current legal prohibition of drug possession for personal use is unconstitutional. With that imprimatur, the government of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner then plans to submit a bill to Congress for full decriminalization.

Mullen Urges U.S.-Mexico Cooperation vs. Border Drug Violence

Jan. 28 (EIRNS)—During a Jan. 27 press conference with foreign media, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Adm. Mike Mullen thoughtfully answered the question raised by a reporter from Mexico's Reforma daily, about the drug violence afflicting Mexico, and the U.S. response to it.

The reporter asked Mullen whether it were a fair assessment to say that Mexico is a country "at risk of failure," as recently put forward in a report by the Joint Forces Command. He also asked about Mullen's own assessment of the U.S.-Mexican border region, regarding the drug war.

Mullen responded that he was "extremely concerned about that border and the drug war," and that the number of murders and kidnappings in recent years in that region, "has all of our attention." Echoing the concern that former Clinton "Drug Czar," Gen. (ret.) Barry McCaffrey, had expressed in a December memo on the Mexican drug situation, Mullen explained that "the United States and Mexico, and others, but certainly the United States and Mexico, with that border in particular ... in common, need to do as much as we can to work together to eliminate that threat.... We want to do as much to assist and support our neighbor in that regard, as we possibly can."

Mexico's Ambassador Asks U.S. To Stop Weapons Flow

Jan. 27 (EIRNS)—In an interview published Jan. 26 by Associated Press, Mexico's Ambassador to the U.S., Arturo Sarukhan, urged the Obama Administration to take immediate action to stem the flow of contraband weapons that enter Mexico, and end up in the hands of the drug cartels.

Stating how "frustrated" Mexico had been with the Bush Administration on this issue, Sarukhan underscored that were the U.S. to enforce existing laws against purchase of certain types of weapons, and take action to cut off the flow of weapons, money, and "other resources" across the border, this would greatly affect the drug cartels' ability to wage war on the Mexican state. He reported that President Felipe Calderón would urge President Obama to increase funding to the ATF and the Immigration and Customs Service to permit expanded intelligence work to identify who is moving the weapons and who receives them.

The ATF reported that 7,000 weapons sold in the U.S. in 2008 ended up in Mexico. Ninety-five percent of the weapons captured from drug traffickers in Mexico originate in the United States. The majority are transported in small quantities, hidden in cars or other vehicles that often aren't inspected when they enter Mexico.

"Unless we understand that this is a bilateral challenge, and is an issue that requires realistic policies," said Sarukhan, "we shall all fail."

LYM Brings PLHINO to Mexican Congressional Discussions

Jan. 30 (EIRNS)—LaRouche Youth Movement organizers in Mexico managed to inject at least something of the much-needed concept of turning to big proposed development projects, like the Northwest Hydraulic Plan (PLHINO), into an otherwise floundering forum on the world financial crisis at the Mexican Congress yesterday.

The second session of the forum centered on how Mexico could grow its economy. As the session ended, two LYM organizers jumped onto the stage, held up a big banner on the PLHINO project, and demanded that people listen up, as they gave a five-minute briefing on what Mexico needs to do: implement the PLHINO, to bring jobs, electricity, and expand agriculture and industry, as the only serious answer to the world collapse, and to the drug cartels taking over the country.

The national daily La Jornada published a picture of the two LYM members with their banner, as the illustration for its coverage of the Congressional forum. La Jornada painted the forum as a bust, and concluded its article on the event by commenting that "To top it off, a group of ineffable LaRouchista youth climbed onto the stage at the end of the second session, to speak out in favor of a so-called [sic] Northwest Hydraulic Plan," gaining the attention of journalists, before security moved in.