Here’s a key number to keep in mind—101. This is the number of gangs now operating in Montgomery County as reported Monday evening by Sheriff Phil Plummer. Sheriff Plummer was the guest speaker at the South Montgomery County Liberty Group addressing the important community threats of gangs and illegal drugs.
Sheriff Plummer has made the gang and illegal drug issue a key law enforcement priority. In particular, he has formed a drug task force to increase law enforcement intelligence gathering and coordination among multiple local and federal law enforcement agencies. (This does not yet include the Dayton Police Department—a surprising fact considering the large billboards in the downtown Dayton area warning of the threat of heroin.)
Gangs and illegal drugs are symptoms of key federal policy failures deemphasizing the Rule of Law and personal/parental responsibility, and the discouragement of private enterprise-driven job growth. For example, a primary reason for the recent growth of the illicit drug trade—especially with the resurgence of heroin—has been the growing numbers of illegal alien gang members entering America across the intentionally porous U.S.-Mexican border. Drug gangs in Mexico are sending these members into the U.S. to distribute their drugs to local gangs. Literally, Mexican gang members are walking across the border, surrendering to border agents, often lying about their age so that they are processed as teenagers, and then having the Federal Government pay to transport them to where the gangs want them to go. Dayton, a law-breaking sanctuary city for illegal aliens makes a perfect destination. Consequently, the heroin-warning billboards are a direct consequence of such progressive social policies.
Sheriff Plummer recently spent two days on the border near El Paso, Texas, to gain a better understanding of the impact of this drug trade. He reported that the real world of the porous southern border and all of the havoc this brings to the border communities and states is not being effectively presented by the news media. The drug cartels effectively own Mexico near the U.S. border and are trying to extend this into the U.S. through intimidation, attacks, and bribery aimed at U.S. law enforcement and border residents. He explained examples of the extreme acts of violence the Mexican gangs are using to intimidate people—acts that make the recent beheading acts by ISIS pale in comparison. (Note the sharp contrast in the actions of the Obama administration to bomb terrorists in Iraq and Syria, which have done comparably little to Americans directly, while entirely ignoring the daily savagery and intimidation of Americans that goes on along the Mexican border.) How many Americans die each year from the drug wars and illicit drug use facilitated directly by the failure to control our borders? Does this indicate a pervasive and unchallenged invasion of our political system by illicit drug money from Mexico?
The progressive attempts to legalize marijuana are morally wrong.
There is a growing progressive push, even here in Ohio, to legalize marijuana. This despite the clear medical concerns of the serious harm this does to adolescents. Progressives are inclined to dismiss such concerns as their moral compass points in another direction. Of special note is their dismissing of the concern of marijuana being a “gateway” drug to more addictive and harmful drugs. Sheriff Plummer reported a growing trend among drug dealers is to make sure that marijuana is, indeed, a gateway drug to other drugs, especially heroin. Dealers are spiking marijuana with heroin and giving free capsules of heroin to get more people, especially young people, hooked on heroin. All it takes is one hit of heroin and many people’s lives are ruined. The often stated myth that marijuana is safe and benign and should be made legal fails against the hard reality of the actual drug trade designed specifically to create more addicts. The moral failure of those advocating the legalization of marijuana is obvious.
How big is the drug trade in the Dayton area?
Sheriff Plummer’s task force has recovered about $2 million in drug money in north Montgomery County in recent months. Obviously, the drug trade here is quite large. In part this reflects the fact that the greater Dayton area is a leading market for heroin and other drugs—just as the billboards downtown remind everyone. Progressive social policies promote illicit drug use and associated crimes.
One fortunate aspect of all of this is that much of the violence associated with drugs is violence generally against rival drug gangs. Still, the need for heroin addicts to get cash to feed their addiction has brought a growing number of break-ins looking for jewelry and such that can be easily sold. The M.O. is to ring the door bell or knock. If there is no answer, the thief goes around the back, kicks in the door, grabs a pillow case, and fills it with whatever of ready cash value he can find. In and out in three minutes.
All of the policies that promote gangs, drugs, and a lawless society can be reversed through the election of government officials, at all levels, that share traditional American values including support for the Rule of Law and the promotion of personal responsibility. Voting Your Values is how problems such as these are corrected—starting in 2014. What candidates share your values and have demonstrated the political integrity to earn your vote?