Pubdate: Tue, 12 Jun 2001
Source: Galveston County Daily News (TX)
Copyright: 2001 Galveston Newspapers, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.galvnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/164
Author: Myron Hollingsworth

WAR ON DRUGS ASSAULT ON LIBERTY

Truth to tell, the drug warrior politicians, officials, media and
civilians (secretly) don't list victory as an objective in their
expensive and oppressive trillion dollar war.

When they do spout their "zero tolerance-total victory" rhetoric, how
many of your readers actually believe them? How many actually believe
that this year's multi-billion-dollar drug war budget will be the one
that will achieve total victory after decades of billion-dollar budgets
have totally failed?

Just remember that the drug czars' job depend on the perpetual
prosecution of, but never a victory in, the drug war.  Also, remember
that the politicians depend on the drug war and its rhetoric to scare up
votes (by scaring voters).

The politicians also rely on the drug war to sustain their constituent
industries that depend on the economics of prohibition in order to make
generous profits and campaign contributions that keep the drug warrior
politicians in power and, therefore, keep themselves in business.
Remember what H.L. Mencken said: "The whole aim of practical politics is
to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety)
by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them
imaginary." The drug war promotes, justifies and perpetuates racist
enforcement policies and is diminishing many freedoms and liberties that
are supposed to be inalienable according to the constitution and bill of
rights.

Myron Von Hollingsworth
Forth Worth
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MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk