Open Post #5: Coast Guard Seizes One Billion Dollars Worth of Cocaine!

LA Times- The U.S. Coast Guard dropped off more than $1 billion in cocaine in San Diego on Monday that was seized in one of the most successful seasons of patrolling off the Central and Southern American coasts, authorities said.

The cargo: more than 66,000-pounds of cocaine worth an estimated $1.01 billion, the Coast Guard said. It was the biggest single offload of narcotics in Coast Guard history and the result of 23 separate confrontations with drug smugglers in the Pacific, officials said.

“There is still work to be done,” Adm. Paul Zukunft, commandant of the Coast Guard, said in a statement. “We must increase already hard-earned momentum to curb the rising tide of crime, violence and instability in our hemisphere.”

For the current fiscal year, which runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, the Coast Guard has seized more than 119,000 pounds of cocaine worth more than $1.8 billion and apprehended more than 215 alleged smugglers. That amounts to more than the previous three years’ total combined and the most in a single year since 2009, officials said.

Monday’s offload included bales of cocaine seized in two interdictions in June and July, Coast Guard officials said.

On July 18, the crew aboard the 418-foot Coast Guard cutter Stratton seized more than six tons of cocaine worth an estimated $181 million from a partially submerged vessel in the Pacific Ocean, the agency said last week.

The bust occurred in international waters 200 miles off the coast of Central America, after a Navy maritime patrol aircraft spotted the vessel and alerted the Alameda-based crew, which was patrolling the area, Petty Officer Michael Anderson said.

Video of the confrontation shows armed Coast Guard crew members opening the vessel’s top — the craft is floating at the surface — and demanding its crew to climb out.

“Afuera! Afuera!” a Coast Guard crew member yelled.

One by one, the four men in the vessel climbed out. They were taken into custody and will be prosecuted by the U.S. attorney’s office, officials said. A list of charges was not immediately available.

Inside the vessel was 16,000 pounds of cocaine in hundreds of bails and bricks, Anderson said.

The smuggling vessels act like low-tech submarines, which are mostly submerged with only a cockpit and an exhaust pipe above the surface. They’re extremely difficult to detect and dangerous to operate, Coast Guard officials say.

In June, they stopped another partially submerged vessel carrying 5,460 pounds of cocaine.

There have been 25 known semi-submersible interdictions in the eastern Pacific since 2006. The patrols are a joint effort between the Coast Guard, the U.S. Navy and cooperating governments in Central America, officials said.

       Unfortunately there are not any pictures that capture the sheer mass of all the cocaine seized at once, however just a couple of quick thoughts.

       First, Great job by the Coast Guard on taking this down. This is definitely a drug bust to write home about. Not a bad day at work when you snag enough coke to make Tony Montana weak at the knees (sorry if you didn't catch that Scarface reference).

       Secondly, What happens to all of those drugs? I'm assuming there are warehouses across America where they keep these things but that is a lot of drugs to be keeping in once place. I would be a little nervous transporting a billion dollars worth of drugs. 

       Lastly, on a more serious note, this type of bust is just a small dent in the drugs imported into the USA every year. For every billion seized I'm sure another ten billion get through no problem. The United States has a serious drug problem that cannot be solved with just busting transports at docks. What they have to do to keep drugs out, no one knows.

Prompted Post #6: The House I Live In

       As you may have been able to tell by two of my previous blogs, I enjoy watching CJ documentaries. Not only are the interesting and relevant, but they also give my an excuse to sit in my bed and watch Netflix for two hours and call it "homework". With that being said I find these documentaries insightful to the future application of my education as a CJ major. The topic I'm writing about (yes its supposed to be for next week but oh well) is to find something that makes an argument about your field. Whether it be a book, scholarly article, or documentary, find something that brings up something about your field and see what they have to say. The House I Live in, produced, directed, and featured in by Eugene Jarecki, makes one of the biggest and controversial arguments in the American Criminal Justice System today: the War on Drugs has been a huge failure. They in fact say it has done more harm than good, destroying communities while the drug trade is as strong as it was forty years ago when it was created. And I agree with them, it has been a failure.

Image Credit: Philks.com

       With that big of a statement, you have to have some proof to back it up. Well, here it is. Jarecki interviewed almost everyone connected to drugs in America. Narcotics officers, normal police officers, corrections officers, prominent members of the media, doctors, professors, judges, and even (alleged) drug dealers, past and present. They all say pretty much the same thing. The war on drugs cannot be won, and it often does more harm than help in the long run. But at one time, the American people thought it was a wonderful idea. And the idea itself is good, to get rid of drugs in America. That's what Richard Nixon thought, and in 1971 he officially coined the term "War on drugs". The 1960s was a time of radical change, with civil rights, Vietnam, and the rebellion of a whole generation who were labeled as "pot smoking hippies". Human nature and society is reactive, not proactive, so naturally the American people wanted to get some law and order. Enter Nixon condemning drugs as the "primary enemy of the USA". It at first was good, primarily because the majority of the money was going towards rehabilitation, not law enforcement. Drugs were on the decline at the turn of the decade, enter Ronald Reagan. Reagan was seen as very tough on crime, and with the mass hysteria of the new dangerous drug crack cocaine (cocaine heated up with baking soda and water), he approved Congress' new mandatory sentencing laws involving drugs. Here is the root problem to the war.

       Law enforcement was arresting non violent drug offenders and putting them away for decades purely because the law said they had to. This caused a severe spike in incarceration, specifically for blacks in the 1980s due to crack. Soon after in the 1990s when methamphetamines became the new crack, whites saw an equal boom in their prison population. The vast majority of these being lower class males who either lost their jobs or grew up in a place where jobs were almost nonexistent. 45 million arrests and one trillion dollars later, there has been no change.

       So if it isn't working, why keep pouring time, money, and lives into a war that cannot be won? This problem is bigger than law enforcement arresting everyone with weed in their pocket, it goes higher up to Washington. Both sides of politics, liberal and conservative, have supported this war for decades because there is money to be made somewhere. Private prisons have popped up all over, offering jobs to the town it resides in and money for everyone. However in order for their to be money, there needs to be bodies in the cells. It creates an irrational demand for prisoners, continuing the vicious cycle. Someone grows up in a bad neighborhood without good influences and then they get into drugs. They have kids along the way. And when they get caught, they go to prison for decades, leaving their kids without parents. Rinse and repeat.

Image Credit: Illinois Times

       Overall I thought that the argument presented worked because it had primary accounts from both sides of the "war on drugs". And both the enforcement side and the drug side said that it doesn't work, and only leads to distrust between law enforcement and their communities. Hopefully legislation can work towards putting money in the community to prevent drug use, not just for putting the drug users away. And in no way shape or form do I think violent drug offenders should get this treatment. I am very okay with locking them up for good. It was a great documentary and I recommend it to everyone in America, because we are all in this war in some way.

All facts and statistics were taken from "The House I Live In"

                           

Prompted Post #4: Blogs vs: Books. Compare and contrast

      There are many different types of writing styles. Whether it be a blog similar to this that is mostly based around the opinion of the writer, or a scholarly article or journal that uses facts to draw conclusions. No matter what the style is, there always is a message to a certain audience that the author or researcher is trying to get across. Here we will compare and contrast two different styles of writing in Criminal justice. The first is a blog from the Second City Cop, written by current and former Chicago Police officers. You can read their latest article (February 27th) on the recent controversies after the LaQuan McDonald shooting. It was a response to a Chicago Tribune article on the increased hostilities between the Chicago PD and the community. This writing style is pretty easy to understand and follow. There are abbreviations and other slang that would suggest that the audience would be current and former law enforcement officers. Biased? Yes, but what are you going to expect from a CJ blog written by police officers? They are trying to show their side of issues in a mainly liberal, pro-peoples' rights mainstream media, who often condemn entire professions (I.E. law enforcement) for the actions of few. The officers in Second City have insights on some of the politics behind the policing, specifically Mayor Rahm Emmanuel of Chicago.
       Overall I find this blog to be trustworthy. Being police officers, they have very credible sources (Themselves often) when talking about issues in law enforcement and everything that surrounds it. I think their message is to talk about current events in law enforcement while providing insight on why events may occur and how they deal with them.

Image Credit: Law Enforcement Today

       I'll be honest, for this next one I did not have to look far. After Googling "Criminal Justice" in Google Scholar, I clicked on the first one that popped up. However after looking at numerous professional articles and books I decided that the first one I saw was the best. "The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison: Ideology, Class, and Criminal Justice" by Jeffery Reiman and Paul Leighton offers a look into what their title is about. Both men are professors at universities, American University and Eastern Michigan University respectively. The book itself contains lots of theories and studies to prove a point on why the justice system in the USA is class biased. It has lots of facts and stats to back up their statements. I suppose their audience is anyone interested in the justice system or people who are interested in their civil rights as people. I find this source also trustworthy because of its numerous sources to back up their statements. This takes a more liberal stance on the justice system, a contrary to the blog above, which is relatively conservative.

       Overall I think you have to trust both. The Second City Cops have the advantage because they have been in the field and have seen firsthand what it is like to protect our great country. However, they can be understandably biased on issues, because often criticism of the justice system is directly pointed towards them. The book has the advantage of using studies and other repuatable sources to prove their thesis. However where they lack is hands on experience in the field. Have either of the authors been involved in law enforcement? Either way I think these are two sources that can be taken seriously. Let me know what you think.

• Reiman, Jeffrey H. The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison: Ideology, Class, and Criminal Justice. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon, 2007. Print. 
• SCC. "Looking Fetal." Second City Cop. 27 Feb. 2016. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

Open Post #4: Reviewing A&E's "The Farm: Life Inside Angola Prison"

       Spread across 18,000 acres of farm land, Louisiana State Penitentiary is the largest prison in America. Better known as "The Farm" or Angola Prison, it is home to some of the most dangerous criminals in America. Almost 85% of them do not get out alive. The film, produced by Liz Garbus and Jonathan Shack, went inside the prison to examine and follow six men inside. They told their stories, and opened up their everyday lives to cameras. Here they are.

George Crawford: First seen at the beginning of the film, he is the youngest of the six. He was just brought in for first degree murder, where he will serve a life sentence without parole. Dropping out of school in 8th grade, George says that he did some bad things in his life, but he never killed anybody.

Eugene "Bishop" Tannehill: One of the oldest inmates, he was imprisoned in 1959 for murder. His sentence was also life without parole. Eugene, however, found Jesus and became an ordained minister. He spoke at Sunday services for the inmates every week. In the film, he had a pardon letter sitting on the Governor's desk. He just needed his signature. The Governor at the time, Murphy J. Foster Jr., had never signed a pardon letter in his term as Governor.

Logan "Bones" Theriot: Sent to The Farm in 1960, Logan was serving life without parole for the murder of his wife. He explains to us that his wife was physically abusive to their child. And after warning her that if she did it again he'd kill her, Logan did. He was a sickly man and was in the hospital wing the entirety of the documentary.

Ashanti Witherspoon: Ashanti had the shortest sentence of the six, which was seventy five years for armed robbery. He also shot two police officers in the process, but they survived. Ashanti, like Eugene, took advantage of the programs the prison had to offer and became a prison trustee. He spoke to at risk kids and other sorts of events.

Vincent Simmons: 100 years for double rape. He maintains his innocence, and was in the appealing process during the documentary. He was however denied appeal after his new evidence was not enough to bring it to trial again.

John A Brown Jr: John was on death row since 1986 after murdering and robbing a man for drug money. He stabbed the man thirteen times off a cocaine high. His death date is close, but was appealing for a stay from the Governor.

       The film itself, while a little dated, did a wonderful job at getting what life is like inside a prison. Angola, a former plantation, was turned into a prison after the Civil War. It had a reputation for being the most dangerous prison in America for a long time. It is called the farm because the main form of labor at the prison is tending to the multi million dollar farm around the prison. The scenes from the documentary looked eerily like a pre civil war plantation. The inmates, mostly black, worked hard labor while guards, mostly white, rode around on horses watched over them. The prisoners made anywhere between four and twenty cents an hour working the land seven days a week.

Image credit: Solitary Watch

       While one may start to feel sympathetic for these men while watching the film because of the harsh conditions, we have to remember that these men were convicted "beyond reasonable doubt" for their crimes. I'm not saying they are all guilty for sure, because the justice system in America obviously isn't perfect. However for the most part they do their job and get the man that was guilty. That being said some of the conditions in the prison were quite harsh, and judging by the scenes with the parole board, it is evident that racism in America, particularly in the deep south, is still alive and well. It is frustrating to watch how carefree and casual these men decided the prisoners' fate without taking much thought. I would think when deciding whether or not a man has to stay the rest of his life in prison, these officials would take time and justly make a decision, not just off the fact that the prisoner is an uneducated black man and was probably "making it up". Day by day however, the justice system in this country gets better and better, which is all we as Americans can ask for.

       Where they are today. Ashanti was released in 2000 after twenty eight years in prison. The bishop was pardoned in 2007 and now is in New York as a preacher. These two were the only ones to get out. George Crawford and Vincent Simmons are still in prison, both maintaining innocence. Logan, a sickly man, dies in prison at the end of the documentary. His friends and family buried him at the prison cemetery. John A Brown Jr was not granted a stay and was executed on April 24th, 1997 with a lethal injection. 

      Overall I thought the documentary was great. It showed what life in a state penitentiary was like and the mindset of criminals who for the vast majority, would be leaving in a casket. There was no acting, and everyone seemed to speak like there wasn't a camera there. Overall I highly recumbent watching it.

Prompted Post #3: Exploring Communication

       Jobs in the field of Criminal Justice come in all shapes, sizes, and salaries. There are many CJ jobs you can get out of college and the following years after, however the amount of jobs for the 18-21 year old demographic were slim. However I decided to interview my best friend since I was a little tyke, Will, who has worked security at multiple music festivals and is currently a bouncer at a bar. These might not be the first things you thought of as CJ jobs, but I wanted to go for the angle of CJ for college kids (hence the name of my blog). Security might not be the highest level CJ job out there, but it still qualifies. We sat down via Skype to have a nice chat.

S: Hows it going man?
W: Pretty good man how about you?
S: Not too bad thanks for asking.

S: Okay so you have had and currently have some positions in security, whether it be concerts or bars and things like that, correct?
W: That is correct. I've been doing this for over a year and a half.

S: First question: What do you write, and how do you write it? I know it's kind of an odd question for someone with your job but it's required.
W: No I get it no worries. Well working at festivals you don't really write anything down. As a bouncer you know the people that aren't allowed back in the bar, but I know some bars have lists so i suppose you'd write their names down to keep them out. However for the most part I do not write much of anything down.

S: That makes sense. Alright next question: What are some misconceptions about people who work security, specifically bouncers or doormen, and how do you as a profession use communication to dispel of disprove these rumors?
W: A lot of people think we like to use physical force or we look for fights, but we really just looking out for the well being of the general population. We never use force as a first option. We always give people verbal warnings and then tell them if they don't stop then we will use physical force. However when alcohol is involved it can get out of hand quickly, usually because the bar patron or the concert attendee is belligerent and doesn't listen. So many bouncers get a bad rep for just doing their jobs. Its hard to shake the stereotype but there are signs in the places that we work saying what we can and can't do, so both the patrons and the bouncers know what can and will happen in an altercation.

       I chose to interview Will over another profession in the CJ field because for a blog targeted at young adults, this can give an accurate viewpoint of the potential jobs one could have in college and right out. These jobs are a good way to build resumes and get some hands on experience into the field of security.

Open Post #3: Federal Agency Power Rankings Part 2

       This is part two of two in the Federal Agency power rankings, where you will get to see the top five and some honorable mentions. Here they are:

5) FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)

EST: 1908

Employees: 35,664

Budget: 8.3 Billion USD

What they do: Protect the United States from threats foreign and domestic. They protect against everything from terrorism to public corruption and civil rights. They are essentially the United States Police Department. 

Why: Arguably the most recognizable agency on the list, the FBI is similar to the US Marshalls in that they have a hand in almost all federal law enforcement. However their size allows them to take center stage in many federal cases.

Source: FBI

4) CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

EST: 1924
Employees: 60,000+
Budget: 13.6 Billion USD
What they do: They protect the United States from dangerous goods and people from entering the country. They also promote and maintain legitimate trade between countries. Their main responsibility is the US-Mexico border, however they also are stationed along both coasts and the US-Canada border.
Why: These agents are on the front lines of the violence that results in drug trafficking, primarily in the south. They are responsive for keeping the lucrative drug trade to a minimum, a fight that is often more dangerous than the ones in Afghanistan and Iraq. They have one of the most dangerous jobs a federal agent can have.
Source: CBP

3) CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) 
EST: 1947
Employees: Not open to the public
Budget: Not open to the public
What they do: To uncover and protect against foreign threats to the United States by gathering intelligence and using covert operations authorized by the President. They also keep the deep national secrets that are vital to national security.
Why: While there always is a cloud of speculation on what the CIA actually does (I.E. aliens in Area 51 or assassinating political targets around the world) they are the ones abroad that keep us safe at their own expense. They have to live their whole life quietly and as someone they are not. While there are controversies surrounding some of the ethical tactics used in interrogating suspected terrorists, they are great at what they do. We may not know what they really do, but the fact that there has only been one major attack on the USA since it's inception shows that they are active in fighting terrorism to the highest levels. They also have that reputation that if you are a suspected terrorist you win an all expenses paid trip to Guantanamo Bay detention camp for an indefinite amount of time. Scary stuff.
Source: CIA

2) DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency)
EST: 1973
Employees: 5,000
Budget: 2.02 Billion
What they do: They are responsible for carrying out any illegal drug related laws of the United States. That involves the seizure of any drugs and taking the lead in any crimes that have ties with illicit drugs in them.
Why: I personally strive to be a DEA agent somewhere down the road in my life. I think the war on drugs is one of the hardest to fight, especially with cartel violence coming north of the border. I also think it would be very interesting to learn in depth about how the cartels work and why they are so successful at what they do. Plus Hank from Breaking Bad earns them some bonus points.

Image Credit: KKCB

Before we unveil the number one, here are some that didn't make the cut:
NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service)
US Park Rangers-Law Enforcement
USMP (United States Mint Police)
Federal Reserve Police

1) NSA (National Security Agency)
EST: 1952
Employees: According to Deputy Director John C. Inglis "somewhere between 37,000 and one billion." Lets go with somewhere between 30,000-40,000.
Budget: Not open to the public (However the Washington Post reported that both the NSA and CIA requested military spending budgets of well over ten billion dollars each.)
What they do: To be honest the official NSA website is pretty vague. It says they specialize in Cryptology to support the nation and its allies. However it is a relatively well known fact that they spy of people using technology.
Why: While this agency is often seen as the least ethical of the bunch, specifically because they have access to every phone call, email, google search you do every day. They could be very well reading this blog right now. The information is stored in a large facility in Utah for safekeeping, however it is enough to bother people. The NSA is numero uno on this list because they have the most covert and intelligence power out of all the agencies in my opinion. Plus they are always watching what you do (allegedly), but it is done in the name of protection of our country, which I am okay with.

While all these agencies have different jobs and reputations, they all have one common goal. To protect and defend the United States from threats foreign and domestic, by whatever means necessary (and legal hopefully). Every single agent takes an oath to do so and for the vast majority of the time do a great job. So hopefully after reading this you get an insight on what they do and why. If you thought my list was good, horrible, or somewhere in-between feel free to comment your thoughts.

Prompt Post #2: Defining Ethics

 

     

ChicagoPD-

The Law Enforcement Code of Ethics is adopted as a general standard of conduct for all sworn members of the Department. It states:

• a.

  “As a law enforcement officer, my fundamental duty is to serve mankind; to safeguard lives and property, to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder and to respect the Constitutional rights of all men to liberty, equality and justice.”

• b.

  “I will keep my private life unsullied as an example to all; maintain courageous calm in the face of danger, scorn, or ridicule; develop selfrestraint; and be constantly mindful of the welfare of others. Honest in thought and deed in both my personal and official life. I will be exemplary in obeying the laws of the land and the regulations of my department. Whatever I see or hear of a confidential nature or that is confided to me in my official capacity will be kept ever secret unless revelation is necessary in the performance of my duty.”

• c.

  “I will never act officiously or permit personal feelings, prejudices, animosities, or friendships to influence my decisions. With no compromise for crime and with relentless prosecution of criminals, I will enforce the law courteously and appropriately without fear or favor, malice or ill will, never employing unnecessary force or violence and never accepting gratuities.”

• d.

  “I recognize the badge of my office as a symbol of public faith, and accept it as a public trust to be held so long as I am true to the ethics of the police service. I will constantly strive to achieve these objectives and ideals, dedicating myself before God to my chosen profession . . . law enforcement.”

         Ethics in law enforcement has been a controversial topic in the past few years, mainly due to the deaths of civilians such as Mike Brown, LaQuan McDonald, and Freddie Gray. These have been mostly racially based protests, and has brought all of law enforcement under the microscope. People are questioning whether it really is just a couple of bad apples, or is it more? The code of ethics in each department differ from each other, but they all have the same foundation: to serve and protect the citizens of the United States. The City of Chicago is one of the most violent and dangerous in the country. These officers have it harder than most, but overall they do a great job. Above is their code of ethics.
         After reading these, I strongly agree with all of them. One of my goals in life is to make a difference in the community I live in, and protecting them from crime is what I've always wanted to do. As a police officer you are held to a higher standard, and I think this would be beneficial because it would help me be the standard for being a father and husband, not just my job. This day and age is a very hard time to be a police officer. Many people blame the whole profession for the wrong actions of a few, and while law enforcement is held to a higher standard, they still are humans. I can't wait to go into law enforcement to make a positive difference and help build trust between the community and the police force.
  
  Image credit: Englewoodportal.org
  
  

Open Post #2: Federal Agency Power Rankings Part 1

       In the United States, there are over seventy armed federal agencies that are under US payroll. Ranging from the Central Intelligence Agency to the Amtrak Police, each agency has its own role in keeping America safe domestically and abroad. There are too many to list and talk about in detail, so here are my top ten most interesting/badass agencies Uncle Sam has to offer. This first blog is 6-10, while the top five and honorable mentions will come later. These are the agencies that made the cut:

10) ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
EST: 2003
Employees: 20,000
Budget: 6 Billion USD
What they do: Immigration enforcement, investigating the illegal trade of drugs, guns and humans, and preventing terrorism. One specialization is human and sex trafficking, and returning cultural treasures to their rightful homes. 
Why: While they are a relatively young agency, dealing with human and sex trafficking is quite important, although gruesome. I found that that responsibility warranted a spot on the list. ICE is like the young rookie that is full of potential for the years ahead of them.
Source: ICE

9) USSS (United States Secret Service)

EST: 1865

Employees: 7,000

Budget: 1.8 Billion USD

What they do: Physical protection of the nations highest leaders, foreign dignitaries, and other VIPs at public events. They also investigate counterfeiting to protect from fraud and other money crimes.

Why: As a kid, the guys protecting the POTUS in cool sunglasses and ear pieces were the coolest people ever. However, they do much more than that, having its own police service and desk jobs would be naming a few.

Source: Secret Service

8) BOP (Bureau of Prisons)

EST: 1930

Employees: 39,951

Budget: 8.5 Billion USD

What they do: Responsible for maintaining federal criminals by keeping them in a variety of secure facilities while they serve their sentence (prison)

Why: While a lesser known agency, the BOP plays a huge part in the organization of these federal facilities. As a community we seem to identify each prison as independent, however the BOP has to keep track of all these places and is responsible for the safety of both prisoners and citizens.

Source: BOP

7) ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives)

EST: 1789

Employees: 4,803

Budget:1.18 Billion USD

What they do: They help regulate firearms and explosives for the general public and investigate crime involving interstate commerce of alcohol and tobacco.

Why: One of the oldest federal agencies, they have roots back to the revolutionary war. This was the collection service for one of the oldest federal taxes on alcohol, tobacco, and firearms. If I was a betting man I'd guess thats where they got their name.

Source: ATF

6) USMS (United States Marshall Service)

EST: 1789

Employees: 5,410

Budget: 1.2 Billion USD

What they do: Tracking down fugitives, protection for members of the U.S. court system, asset forfeiture, prisoner operations and transport, and operation of the Witness Security Program.

Why: While getting extra points for being the nations oldest federal agency, the wide variety of tasks they perform are essential to federal law enforcement. I see the USMS as the utility player on a baseball team. He can play outfield, third base, and even to pitch if you need him to. A very interesting agency.

Source: U.S. Marshalls

       That concludes the first part of the list. You might be able to see that some big agencies have not yet been mentioned (stay tuned for part two). However the purpose of this blog is to educate the American people about these federal agencies and what they do. They are all small cogs in a wheel that is the Federal Government which cannot work without all these agencies doing their jobs to the best of their ability. Feel free to comment with any questions or predictions on the top five.

Open Post #1: Review on A&E's "Cartel Land"

       I, like many college students across the country, occasionally watch Netflix in my free time. Translation: I watch A LOT of Netflix every day. It consumes more time in my life than I'd like to admit, however there are some films and shows that have substance and meaning for the viewer. I recently watched Cartel Land, directed by Matthew Heineman, that gave an intimate and raw view of the Mexican drug cartels and their counterparts. It was shot from multiple view points of leaders from anti-cartel militia groups from both Mexico and The southwest United States, as well as short clips from meth cooks at the beginning and end of the documentary. So, here are some of the cast and who they are.

       Dr. Jose Manuel Mireles

Image Credit: McClatchy

        Mireles' day job is a physician in Michocatán, Mexico for a small town. He, however, is famous for being the leader of the anti-cartel militant group the Autodefensas. They began in 2013 going from town to town flushing out members of the Knights Templar, one of the most dangerous drug cartels in the world. He is a charismatic speaker and is a vigilante hero to many Mexican civilians that have felt the violence of the Knights firsthand. However, he is not a great person and it is seen later in the documentary that he cheats on his wife on occasion. He is no saint, but the his intentions with the Autodefensas are good.

       Tim "Nailer" Foley

Image Credit: oathkeepers.org

       Tim is the American side of the anti-cartel resistance in southern Arizona. An ex military man, Tim was a hardcore drug addict until he turned his life around after a bad car accident. He is the founder of Arizona Border Recon (ABR), a militia aimed and keeping cartels out of southern Arizona. His tactics are less aggressive than Mireles, however he and his group are well armed and willing to kill. But unlike in Mexico, the vast majority of Americans do not support these groups and condemn them as radicals and racists.

        Papa Smurf 

Image Credit: SBS

       Estanislao Beltran, or Papa Smurf as he is known around the Autodefensas, is Mireles' second in command. SPOILER ALERT: his intentions are not very good, and ends up flipping sides after he makes a deal with the Mexican Government to work for them. He is corrupt and quickly becomes the head of the government sanctioned Autodefensas that is littered with secret cartel members.

     
       Those are the main protagonists in the documentary. The  first two men both are fighting for a good cause, but have character flaws that hinder their progress to defeat the brutal cartels. As for the documentary itself, the on site approach to investigating these groups provides a unique angle that most drug related films do not have. Where it is lacking in statistics and studies, it makes up in records of day to day life in these militias. Some would argue that is is narrow minded and portrays both the Mexican and US Governments in a bad light. While it seems that the Mexican Government does not have an answer for these cartels (possibly because of wide scale bribery from the cartels), the film does not interview or film anyone from the bureaucracies. 

       However, the film was concise, clear, and gives a very realistic account of the situation down south. There are not heroes and villains, just humans that have strengths and flaws. It also gave some insight into the minds of the cartels. "What can I say?" the cook says at the beginning of the film. "We know we do harm with all the drugs that go there (The United States). But what are we going to do? We came from poverty. If we start paying attention to our hearts, we are going to get screwed over... I mean, some way, some how, everyone has gotten corrupted. We're the lucky ones, for now." Overall I think this is a must watch documentary if you are interested in the war on drugs.