Combined force in Río de Janeiro

[Zulu Two Six]

*sarcasm* WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING!!!!! burt is never wrong! why would you question him

[BurtReynoldsMoustache]

Originally Posted by Zulu Two Six

*sarcasm* WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING!!!!! burt is never wrong! why would you question him

Take a moment to think about if this was happening here in the United States. This isn't a bunch of police officers making arrests, this is a military operation. They are literally at war with their own citizens.

[Excalibur]

It can't happen in this US without major political backlash against the government and as you know, the US government likes to keep it's constituents happy so they can vote them into office.

[k9870]

In brazil cops are killed on a regular basis and there crime situation IS A WAR. Its different than america. And burt, seriously, what do you say we do, legalize all drugs and dish out welfare checks like halloween candy?

[BurtReynoldsMoustache]

Originally Posted by k9870

In brazil cops are killed on a regular basis and there crime situation IS A WAR. Its different than america. And burt, seriously, what do you say we do, legalize all drugs and dish out welfare checks like halloween candy?

Drugs, yes. Welfare checks, no.

[k9870]

You do know those gangs dont just traffic drugs, theyve got gun running, human trafficking, chop shops and stealing valuables, right? There a threat, a bigass threat, to everyone and seeing them wiped out is good.

[BurtReynoldsMoustache]

Originally Posted by k9870

You do know those gangs dont just traffic drugs, theyve got gun running, human trafficking, chop shops and stealing valuables, right? There a threat, a bigass threat, to everyone and seeing them wiped out is good.

You're missing the point that running into a shantytown guns blazing isn't really a solution to any of those problems. Legalize drugs (and guns) and you've delivered a tremendous blow to the gangs' abilities to organize and resist. Yes they'll still be up to no good with human trafficking and property theft, but the real money is in drugs. You can't finance an army with the profits from a chop shop, and it's alot easier to maintain the moral high ground (and therefore garner public support) when you're up against people who prostitute children as opposed to people who sell some powders to consenting adults.

[Excalibur]

Drugs? Maybe Pot, but none of the other illegal drug serve a purpose but to addict people and kill them.

[BurtReynoldsMoustache]

Originally Posted by Excalibur

Drugs? Maybe Pot, but none of the other illegal drug serve a purpose but to addict people and kill them.

There are lots of drugs (mostly psychedelics) that are neither addictive nor particularly lethal. For example MDMA (ecstasy) killed 63 Americans in the year 2000. That same year saw 85,000 Americans killed by alcohol and 435,000 Americans killed by tobacco.

[MT2008]

Everyone stop acting so stupid, or this topic gets it. How many times have I asked y'all?

Originally Posted by BurtReynoldsMoustache

Take a moment to think about if this was happening here in the United States. This isn't a bunch of police officers making arrests, this is a military operation. They are literally at war with their own citizens.

Except that Brazil is nothing like the United States. Our drug dealers haven't killed dozens of cops with weapons like HMGs and RPGs. In terms of their weapons and tactics, the favela gangs are far more comparable to paramilitary or insurgent forces than they are to the Crips and Bloods. So it is necessary for BOPE to act like a military force (and, in this op, work with actual military personnel) in order to fight them.

I suppose you also feel the same way about Mexico (Mexican troops have been deployed to fight the cartels on countless occasions)?

Originally Posted by BurtReynoldsMoustache

Drugs, yes. Welfare checks, no.

Neither of these is going to happen anytime soon (and Brazil has no control over American drug laws, anyway), so you might as well deal with reality. As long as there is a problem, BOPE has to deal with it.

Originally Posted by k9870

There a threat, a bigass threat, to everyone and seeing them wiped out is good.

Although I disagree with Burt that it's wrong for the Marines to take part in this operation, you are wrong about this last part. They aren't going to be able to "wipe out" the drug gangs. As long as there is poverty and drugs are illegal, the gangs will always exist. By occupying the favelas, the BOPE and Marines will be able to repress the gangs, but it won't be permanent. As soon as they leave (which they'll have to do eventually, because military occupations are expensive, especially for a country like Brazil), the gangs will return.