Bring The GWOT Home

I was stunned when I read the USA Today Headline:

Gangs Behind Up To 80% of US Crime

Think about that for a minute... 4 out of every 5 crimes are due to gang activity.

Criminal gangs in the USA have swelled to an estimated 1 million members responsible for up to 80% of crimes in communities across the nation, according to a gang threat assessment compiled by federal officials.

Last year, 58% of state and local law enforcement agencies reported that criminal gangs were active in their jurisdictions, up from 45% in 2004.

So 0.33% of the population (one of every 300 of us) holds the rest of us hostage. Safety and security are the most basic needs, the lack of which quickly leads to societal dysfunction. We see it on our streets and in our schools.

Blowing tax dollars on pie-in-the-sky community development and dubious education giveaways is futile if we don't eradicate the crime that undermines our safety and security. If you don't take care of the crime first, you're building a house on a rotten foundation.

Time to Bring the GWOT to North America.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-01-29-ms13_N.htm