'DRUG WARS' FUELS COMMUNITY BUZZ

Dr. Buddy Lee didn't know what to expect from Tuesday night's
premiere of "Drug Wars: Silver or Lead."

The movie documents the Mexican drug war and its violent spillover into Texas.

The Victoria dentist walked away from the film disturbed, he said,
and disgusted by wealthy Mexican drug cartels and the violence they employ.

"I think it's a terrible example of what money and evil can do," Lee
said. "The disturbing thing to me is the callousness and vacancy in
the eyes of those guys who are doing all this stuff. It's like they
don't have a conscience. That's a dangerous animal to have around."

So many were around for Tuesday night's Victoria premiere that
organizers held a second screening to accommodate the massive turnout.

Lines of moviegoers wrapped around the Leo J. Welder Center for the
Performing Arts in downtown Victoria. Once the theater filled,
hundreds were turned away, told to return for the impromptu encore
later that night.

"I thought it was very well done. I think it's going to open the eyes
of a lot of people in our community," said Richard Castillo, a
Victoria County constable-elect. "Actually, it opened my eyes, and I
have 23 years in law enforcement."

Tali Villafranca, a Victoria defense attorney, said he was pleased to
learn that about 800 attended the screenings.

"It's frightening that it's so close to home," Villafranca said. "I'm
hopeful that people who saw it will go home and talk about it with
their children. The turnout shows we're concerned. Hopefully, we can
turn those concerns into actions."

Options for turning concerns into actions were discussed during an
expert panel discussion held after the second screening. The panel
was a mix of law enforcement and civilian experts.

"We need to be proactive," said Victoria County Sheriff T. Michael
O'Connor, who said federal lapses forced Texas sheriffs to unite in a
fight against traffickers.

Texas border sheriffs - Hudspeth County's Arvin West and Zapata
County's Sigi Gonzalez - said more funding is needed to fight
ever-evolving drug cartels.

Rusty Fleming, the Dallas-area filmmaker, said this complex problem
requires a complex answer.

"There is no solution outside of securing our border and outside of
men like this here," he said, pointing to the sheriffs on stage.
"It's time to discuss this issue. What we've been doing for 36 years
hasn't worked."

Those on stage debated the effects of legalizing marijuana, placing
U.S. soldiers on the border and the importance of fighting drug abuse
in Victoria.

The insatiable American appetite for drugs is fueling the
never-ending supply, they said.

"Our government isn't doing anything about it. We have to do
something about it," said the Rev. Stan DeBoe, pastor at Our Lady of
Sorrows Catholic Church. "It's across the street. It's next door. It
may even be in the next room."

Laredo's William Slemaker pleaded with moviegoers to take action. A
Mexican drug cartel kidnapped his 27-year-old stepdaughter, Yvette
Martinez, in 2004. She's still missing.

"Drugs affect every single individual here today," Slemaker said.
"You need to say, 'You know what, not in my backyard.' Stand up for
what's right. I ask you, please, be a willing participant to protect
your loved ones and neighbors."

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IF YOU MISSED THE MOVIE

To buy a copy of "Drug Wars: Silver or Lead," visit
www.DrugWarsTheMovie.com DVDs are $19.99.