Hello, I’m Hannah. I’m majoring in nursing right now but am going to switch to baking soon. The article is talking about how the American military wants to help Mexico cut down on the drug war, its mixed reactions from Mexico. Some believe it’s a great idea that the troops will learn a lot and will have better weapons to fight the drug war. The other side believes the troops won’t be strong enough and will give training information, and take bribes from the drug dealers. Hannah D.
I am a student at Indiana University Southeast, with a undecided degree plan. I'm currently enlisted serving in the U.S. Army Reserve, at the same time training to become a officer. In the article it states that the U.S. has allowed the Mexican marines to use out blackhawk helicopters and surveillance drones. There are some worries that the Mexican marines may become corrupt and give a way some of our military tactics. Should we be involved? Yes, because ultimately it is going to affect our country in the end. Should U.S. troops train Mexican marines? Yes, up to a certain point so that there is a better chance for a successful mission but not so much training that it could be turned back on us if they become corrupt. Dhiyaan S.
This article talks about how the United States gave Mexico military hardware to help them. It also talks about how they are working to get rid of the drug cartels in Mexico and how the United States is helping them to do so. But some of the Mexican Marines have to think what will happen to their families if they are to help. With the help of the U.S with training the Marines were able to take out some of the cartel bosses.
Hi my name is Deanna; I’m a student at JCTCS with a currently undeclared major…but leaning towards the Pre-pharmacy field. The article seems to be debating whether or not the U.S. should be so involved in Mexico’s drug war problems. If our country did not step in and help out, these issues would likely become much worse. It is with our help training their armies and providing equipment that the Mexican marines and armies are keeping the country under control. There is much debate on if our training the Mexicans could backfire on us, or that their personnel will become contaminated themselves. There is always a possibility of this; but, the expectations of good outweigh the bad. The drug wars are affecting us some currently; and, if we let the problems go it could become much worse even in our country. Deanna S.
It is a great thing that we can help train these young Mexican Marines to combat the cartels, and also that this training can help save their lives. Having said this I have to agree with a point in the article that said how do we keep these guys from going to the other side? If they do choose to go to work for the cartels they take a lot of specialized training and possibly high tech tools with them, which could really negate any advantage that they may have gained. I suppose it’s a double edged sword with no clear victory in sight. At least for now it is keeping more Americans from having to fight another war that I am not really convinced we can win. Until we can find a way to curb the demand for the cartels’ products I don’t really see an end in sight for this ongoing epidemic.
Hello, my name is Michaela and I attened JCC DT campus for nursing. This article was very intresting to me because both sides of the argument have strong views. I have to say that I agree with Dhiyaan S though, to a certain extent help form the U.S. is very much needed but the aid should not go unsupervised. I do believe that, in the wrong hands that help could end up hurting us and the members of the Mexican Military are right to be worried. This is a huge problem in Mexico and a huge problem in U.S. and the idea to help the Mexican Military is a quick fix if it can be opperated by a more powerful group than the cartels. But you have to stop and think of the costs also, in the past billions have been given in aid but we see little progress in the process of cleaning up the streets of Mexico.
Hello Group! You all have raised some excellent points; you each exhibited an understanding of the article's concepts and seem to already begin forming opinions on the issues presented in the article. Both Chris and Hannah mentioned that training Mexican Marines is a divisive issue, and Kayla brought up a good point in regard to the possible dangers *being* a Mexican Marine presents to families of these Marines. Deanna and Michaela noted that the problems surrounding drug cartel crimes aren't getting better and need to. Michaela also bounced off of Dhiyaan's comment regarding the availability and training that the US has given Mexico, and both believe that US supervision is important - like many of the rest of you - yet none of you seem to think getting directly involved is a good idea.
What might be helpful to think about as you go toward your next posts is to think about our current level of involvement in Mexico as stated in the article. We already have, according to the article, "CIA operatives and American military contractors were recently posted at a Mexican military base to advise directly on operations, according to The New York Times." We often send "advisors" into countries that do more than "advise," so it might be interesting to find out exactly how much the US military is doing alongside the Mexican DEA. Furthermore, we need to be careful in our handling with our neighbors, not only because they are so close by, but "the rising American presence has caused consternation in Mexico, a strongly nationalist country that annually celebrates the ninos heroes, child soldiers who died fighting the U.S. in 1847." Also, since we've trained at least one cartel member (cf. the Zeta member mentioned via WikiLeaks in the article), perhaps there's something we can do to screen applicants? And could we bring Mexican Marines into the US to train in order to better be in control, or would that open possible doors to more problems? How do you think we can work *with* the Mexican government and people in order to make not only the drug violence dissipate, but also improve our relations with them? What role, if any, should our military have, in your opinion?
"could we bring Mexican Marines into the US to train in order to better be in control, or would that open possible doors to more problems?" Think by training the Mexican Marines into the US increases the chance for more problems to occur. Former members of the Mexican special forces formed a cartel called Los Zetas Cartel with is the second most powerful drug cartel in Mexico. If the US military trains the Mexican marines there is a chance that something similar could happen. Dhiyaan S.
"perhaps there's something we can do to screen applicants?" A way to screen the Mexican troops before training would be a good idea. You could tell all of them that the training group confiscated some drugs, and then tell them where they were put, when there really are no drugs. Then if any one goes to sneak into the room where they think the drugs are, they are automatically kicked out. A way to better our relationship is we could offer some of our military officer to escort or guard their higher ups, like president or governmental figures. Hannah D.
"If the drug efforts were failing there would be no violence," a senior U.S. official said Wednesday. There is violence "because they are flailing. We're taking these guys out. The worst you could do is stop now." Reading this article has somewhat opened my eyes. Before, I was thinking that we aren't doing any good in their country and that we're not even slowing down the process. But as you can read they are being affected, even if just a little. U.S. involvement with this issue in Latin America can be a sticky situation but in my personal opinion: yes,we should be involved because this directly affects us...the drugs are being trafficked through our country as well. We just need to be smart about how we are involved, and screening applicants before they can be trained is a terrific idea. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123439889394275215.html#project%3DSLIDESHOW08%26s%3DSB123437311373233749%26articleTabs%3Darticle Deanna S.
Hello everyone. My name is Evan Allen. I go to Indian University Southeast. I am currently working on getting a bachelor degree in Clinical Laboratory Science. I hope to one day be a Medical Technologist or a Doctor. I think the whole article is about how even though the US‘s intentions are good they may not be doing more good than what they planned. It talked about how that the attacks from the US is causing more violence to occur. Some soldiers trained by the US have become involved in the organized crime. If those soldiers switch to organized crime like the article talked about then they could take with them some of our technology and weapons as well as the training the US provided. I thought this article was really great because they displayed both sides of the argument in equally strong portions. Evan A.
Hello my name is Chris M. I think that bringing Mexican Marines here to train would not be the best idea because we have no way of telling if they have been "tainted". I suppose we could continue to train them, but there should probably be some type of agreeing process instituted. The idea of sending more American troops to Mexico that Erin brought up is not one that I would endorse. The in country " advisors" can continue to help train the Mexican troops and provide any assistance they might need. Once we have a good core group they can then train their brothers in arms and that helps keep our presence down. As well as "advising", the teams that are already in Mexico can act as ambassadors and provide realtime intel on how we can strengthen relations with our southern neighbors.
Hello group. I honestly think that the United States should stay out of it. Don’t get me wrong I like to help people, but I think the United States is causing more problems then what we are trying to help out with. Like they say in the article it is causing more violence to occur, as well as that some of the soldiers the United States trained have switched sides. The ones who have switched sides have the same training that the ones that we are helping making it even harder to win the war. So the United States is helping both sides indirectly, which is not what the United States intended on doing. Our help is causing negative effects. That’s why I don’t think the United States should continue to help them because it is causing more harm than good. The only way the fighting is going to end is if all the sides come to a decision that is beneficial for all parties involved. Fighting is not the solution. Evan A.
Hello, I’m Hannah. I’m majoring in nursing right now but am going to switch to baking soon.
ReplyDeleteThe article is talking about how the American military wants to help Mexico cut down on the drug war, its mixed reactions from Mexico. Some believe it’s a great idea that the troops will learn a lot and will have better weapons to fight the drug war. The other side believes the troops won’t be strong enough and will give training information, and take bribes from the drug dealers.
Hannah D.
I am a student at Indiana University Southeast, with a undecided degree plan. I'm currently enlisted serving in the U.S. Army Reserve, at the same time training to become a officer.
ReplyDeleteIn the article it states that the U.S. has allowed the Mexican marines to use out blackhawk helicopters and surveillance drones. There are some worries that the Mexican marines may become corrupt and give a way some of our military tactics.
Should we be involved? Yes, because ultimately it is going to affect our country in the end. Should U.S. troops train Mexican marines? Yes, up to a certain point so that there is a better chance for a successful mission but not so much training that it could be turned back on us if they become corrupt.
Dhiyaan S.
Hi I’m Kayla and I am majoring in nursing.
ReplyDeleteThis article talks about how the United States gave Mexico military hardware to help them. It also talks about how they are working to get rid of the drug cartels in Mexico and how the United States is helping them to do so. But some of the Mexican Marines have to think what will happen to their families if they are to help. With the help of the U.S with training the Marines were able to take out some of the cartel bosses.
Hi my name is Deanna; I’m a student at JCTCS with a currently undeclared major…but leaning towards the Pre-pharmacy field.
ReplyDeleteThe article seems to be debating whether or not the U.S. should be so involved in Mexico’s drug war problems. If our country did not step in and help out, these issues would likely become much worse. It is with our help training their armies and providing equipment that the Mexican marines and armies are keeping the country under control.
There is much debate on if our training the Mexicans could backfire on us, or that their personnel will become contaminated themselves. There is always a possibility of this; but, the expectations of good outweigh the bad. The drug wars are affecting us some currently; and, if we let the problems go it could become much worse even in our country.
Deanna S.
Chris M. Major-Engineering
ReplyDeleteIt is a great thing that we can help train these young Mexican Marines to combat the cartels, and also that this training can help save their lives. Having said this I have to agree with a point in the article that said how do we keep these guys from going to the other side? If they do choose to go to work for the cartels they take a lot of specialized training and possibly high tech tools with them, which could really negate any advantage that they may have gained. I suppose it’s a double edged sword with no clear victory in sight. At least for now it is keeping more Americans from having to fight another war that I am not really convinced we can win. Until we can find a way to curb the demand for the cartels’ products I don’t really see an end in sight for this ongoing epidemic.
Hello, my name is Michaela and I attened JCC DT campus for nursing. This article was very intresting to me because both sides of the argument have strong views. I have to say that I agree with Dhiyaan S though, to a certain extent help form the U.S. is very much needed but the aid should not go unsupervised. I do believe that, in the wrong hands that help could end up hurting us and the members of the Mexican Military are right to be worried. This is a huge problem in Mexico and a huge problem in U.S. and the idea to help the Mexican Military is a quick fix if it can be opperated by a more powerful group than the cartels. But you have to stop and think of the costs also, in the past billions have been given in aid but we see little progress in the process of cleaning up the streets of Mexico.
ReplyDeleteHello Group! You all have raised some excellent points; you each exhibited an understanding of the article's concepts and seem to already begin forming opinions on the issues presented in the article. Both Chris and Hannah mentioned that training Mexican Marines is a divisive issue, and Kayla brought up a good point in regard to the possible dangers *being* a Mexican Marine presents to families of these Marines. Deanna and Michaela noted that the problems surrounding drug cartel crimes aren't getting better and need to. Michaela also bounced off of Dhiyaan's comment regarding the availability and training that the US has given Mexico, and both believe that US supervision is important - like many of the rest of you - yet none of you seem to think getting directly involved is a good idea.
ReplyDeleteWhat might be helpful to think about as you go toward your next posts is to think about our current level of involvement in Mexico as stated in the article. We already have, according to the article, "CIA operatives and American military contractors were recently posted at a Mexican military base to advise directly on operations, according to The New York Times." We often send "advisors" into countries that do more than "advise," so it might be interesting to find out exactly how much the US military is doing alongside the Mexican DEA. Furthermore, we need to be careful in our handling with our neighbors, not only because they are so close by, but "the rising American presence has caused consternation in Mexico, a strongly nationalist country that annually celebrates the ninos heroes, child soldiers who died fighting the U.S. in 1847." Also, since we've trained at least one cartel member (cf. the Zeta member mentioned via WikiLeaks in the article), perhaps there's something we can do to screen applicants? And could we bring Mexican Marines into the US to train in order to better be in control, or would that open possible doors to more problems? How do you think we can work *with* the Mexican government and people in order to make not only the drug violence dissipate, but also improve our relations with them? What role, if any, should our military have, in your opinion?
"could we bring Mexican Marines into the US to train in order to better be in control, or would that open possible doors to more problems?"
ReplyDeleteThink by training the Mexican Marines into the US increases the chance for more problems to occur. Former members of the Mexican special forces formed a cartel called Los Zetas Cartel with is the second most powerful drug cartel in Mexico. If the US military trains the Mexican marines there is a chance that something similar could happen.
Dhiyaan S.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Zetas_Cartel
"perhaps there's something we can do to screen applicants?" A way to screen the Mexican troops before training would be a good idea. You could tell all of them that the training group confiscated some drugs, and then tell them where they were put, when there really are no drugs. Then if any one goes to sneak into the room where they think the drugs are, they are automatically kicked out.
ReplyDeleteA way to better our relationship is we could offer some of our military officer to escort or guard their higher ups, like president or governmental figures.
Hannah D.
"If the drug efforts were failing there would be no violence," a senior U.S. official said Wednesday. There is violence "because they are flailing. We're taking these guys out. The worst you could do is stop now."
ReplyDeleteReading this article has somewhat opened my eyes. Before, I was thinking that we aren't doing any good in their country and that we're not even slowing down the process. But as you can read they are being affected, even if just a little.
U.S. involvement with this issue in Latin America can be a sticky situation but in my personal opinion: yes,we should be involved because this directly affects us...the drugs are being trafficked through our country as well. We just need to be smart about how we are involved, and screening applicants before they can be trained is a terrific idea.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123439889394275215.html#project%3DSLIDESHOW08%26s%3DSB123437311373233749%26articleTabs%3Darticle
Deanna S.
Hello everyone. My name is Evan Allen. I go to Indian University Southeast. I am currently working on getting a bachelor degree in Clinical Laboratory Science. I hope to one day be a Medical Technologist or a Doctor. I think the whole article is about how even though the US‘s intentions are good they may not be doing more good than what they planned. It talked about how that the attacks from the US is causing more violence to occur. Some soldiers trained by the US have become involved in the organized crime. If those soldiers switch to organized crime like the article talked about then they could take with them some of our technology and weapons as well as the training the US provided. I thought this article was really great because they displayed both sides of the argument in equally strong portions.
ReplyDeleteEvan A.
Hello my name is Chris M.
ReplyDeleteI think that bringing Mexican Marines here to train would not be the best idea because we have no way of telling if they have been "tainted". I suppose we could continue to train them, but there should probably be some type of agreeing process instituted. The idea of sending more American troops to Mexico that Erin brought up is not one that I would endorse. The in country " advisors" can continue to help train the Mexican troops and provide any assistance they might need. Once we have a good core group they can then train their brothers in arms and that helps keep our presence down. As well as "advising", the teams that are already in Mexico can act as ambassadors and provide realtime intel on how we can strengthen relations with our southern neighbors.
Hello group. I honestly think that the United States should stay out of it. Don’t get me wrong I like to help people, but I think the United States is causing more problems then what we are trying to help out with. Like they say in the article it is causing more violence to occur, as well as that some of the soldiers the United States trained have switched sides. The ones who have switched sides have the same training that the ones that we are helping making it even harder to win the war. So the United States is helping both sides indirectly, which is not what the United States intended on doing. Our help is causing negative effects. That’s why I don’t think the United States should continue to help them because it is causing more harm than good. The only way the fighting is going to end is if all the sides come to a decision that is beneficial for all parties involved. Fighting is not the solution.
ReplyDeleteEvan A.