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Two Mexican drug cartels came to dominate America’s fentanyl supply

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Re: Two Mexican drug cartels came to dominate America’s fentanyl supply

#51
post #13

You cannot have dominant players in a supply chin if there is no demand

Quoted post unavailable.

"Please respond to the strongest plausible interpretation of what someone says, not a weaker one that's easier to criticize. Assume good faith."

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re: Two Mexican drug cartels came to dominate America’s fentanyl supply

#52

Quoted post unavailable.

And it's rotten to the core. Just ask the DEA about why they returned the former Mexican Secretary of Defense with apologies for the inconvenience.[0]

[0]https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/18/americas/mexican-defense-secr...

Re: Two Mexican drug cartels came to dominate America’s fentanyl supply

#53
post #50
post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Military actions have purposes , which do not include acting out your nightmare scenarios and being as horrible as possible. There’s a reason regular armies don’t do that kind of thing; it does not aid their purpose. And I don’t see how such an action could ever aid the cartels. War is not a game where each side gradually loses their “restraint”. Instead, each side carefully considers each possible action and its con…

Hold on amigo, have you seen how cartels operate? They actually do just do as horrible of a thing as possible, just because the top people want to be monsters and show their enemies they can slaughter them. They hang their gutted enemies off bridges, or decimate a whole neighborhood, or you name it. I think you assume they would play by your rules in a war. They might just decide to erase Houston so they can watch th…

> They actually do just do as horrible of a thing as possible

Yes, the do that when their enemies are individual people, since that tactic works on those. I doubt the same tactics would work on armies or nation states.

> so they can watch those people die in a gas cloud.

You still seem to think that the cartels do things merely for their own cruel amusement. I, on the other hand, believe that cruel amusement is luxury which they allow themselves only as long as it works.

Re: Two Mexican drug cartels came to dominate America’s fentanyl supply

#54
post #51
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

" Please respond to the strongest plausible interpretation of what someone says, not a weaker one that's easier to criticize. Assume good faith. " https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

To be fair, I personally could not arrive at another interpretation of the GP's unspoken meaning other than the tactics pursued by some governments of disappearing drug users via prison or killing. I'm sure I'm just blanking, though.

Re: Two Mexican drug cartels came to dominate America’s fentanyl supply

#55
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The cartels are also extorting avocado farmers for a cut of their profits. It turns out that, if you have a lot of bad people in power, they find ways to do bad things for personal enrichment.

I stopped buying avocados for this reason. Its the only way to win.

Why? You are punishing the avocado growers more than the cartels.

Corruption is rife. Every single transaction you make in an economy contains a percentage of evil (example: surely you disagree with some of what your government does): how did you decide that avocados are beyond your limit and carrots are not?

Re: Two Mexican drug cartels came to dominate America’s fentanyl supply

#56
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You think that if a thousand cartel guys showed up at a nuke plant with the intention of melting it down that armor and airstrikes would help matters? I think that would just help them actually.

Do you think a thousand people will make it that far? Intelligence services will detect and stop them before they reach such a size. This isn’t something the government hopes doesn’t happen: it’s something they actively work hard at everyday to ensure doesn’t happen.

I absolutely do think they could. They operate vast smuggling networks in the US right now with near impunity, as one proof of this capability. Also, US intelligence is pretty bad when it counts. It didn't catch 9-11 or the fall of Afghanistan or the Soviet Union. Why would it detect a raid on a nuke plant?

Re: Two Mexican drug cartels came to dominate America’s fentanyl supply

#57
post #51
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

" Please respond to the strongest plausible interpretation of what someone says, not a weaker one that's easier to criticize. Assume good faith. " https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Dang, the guy said "You cannot have dominant players in a supply chin if there is no demand". What would you take that to mean? I honestly think he's talking about removing the demand (users). I asked him for clarification, but it sounds pretty macabre to me.

Re: Two Mexican drug cartels came to dominate America’s fentanyl supply

#58
post #53
post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hold on amigo, have you seen how cartels operate? They actually do just do as horrible of a thing as possible, just because the top people want to be monsters and show their enemies they can slaughter them. They hang their gutted enemies off bridges, or decimate a whole neighborhood, or you name it. I think you assume they would play by your rules in a war. They might just decide to erase Houston so they can watch th…

> They actually do just do as horrible of a thing as possible Yes, the do that when their enemies are individual people , since that tactic works on those. I doubt the same tactics would work on armies or nation states. > so they can watch those people die in a gas cloud. You still seem to think that the cartels do things merely for their own cruel amusement. I, on the other hand, believe that cruel amusement is luxu…

> You still seem to think that the cartels do things merely for their own cruel amusement. I, on the other hand, believe that cruel amusement is luxury which they allow themselves only as long as it works.

I agree with you on this. I also think it would absolutely work, just like it works in Mexico. I also think it would be the first choice of people accustomed to it working.

Re: Two Mexican drug cartels came to dominate America’s fentanyl supply

#59
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think legalizing fentanyl is a good idea at all. Look at how many people were killed by easy access to Oxycodone. It's said that one use of heroin will turn someone into an addict, and something like 2% of opioid addicts die per year. Legalizing drugs may make things safer per person, but it will also increase the number of users. Legalizing fentanyl would just flood the streets with something even more poten…

When will we learn that not legalizing things is not the same as preventing them from occurring? Usage happens today, but with impurities and a supply chain that causes its own death beyond the end users. If there were a legal fentanyl clinic down the street from you, would you use it just because it was legal? Doubtful. But someone intent on using it would get it anyways so why not get a pure form in a safe place wh…

That’s simply not true because, generally, as cost goes down, demand goes up. It’s like expecting tobacco usage to be the same whether it’s easy or hard to get - if it’s illegal, fewer casually interested people will try it.

Re: Two Mexican drug cartels came to dominate America’s fentanyl supply

#60
post #58
post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They actually do just do as horrible of a thing as possible Yes, the do that when their enemies are individual people , since that tactic works on those. I doubt the same tactics would work on armies or nation states. > so they can watch those people die in a gas cloud. You still seem to think that the cartels do things merely for their own cruel amusement. I, on the other hand, believe that cruel amusement is luxu…

> You still seem to think that the cartels do things merely for their own cruel amusement. I, on the other hand, believe that cruel amusement is luxury which they allow themselves only as long as it works. I agree with you on this. I also think it would absolutely work, just like it works in Mexico. I also think it would be the first choice of people accustomed to it working.

> I also think it would absolutely work, just like it works in Mexico.

I feel that the U.S. Army would not respond favorably to terrorism.

> I also think it would be the first choice of people accustomed to it working.

Well, that may be true; they might be stupid enough to do that. I couldn’t really say; I’m just a random person on the internet without any special knowledge of their psychology.

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