Pubdate: Thu, 13 Jun 2002 Source: Daily Iowan, The (IA Edu) Copyright: 2002 The Daily Iowan Contact: http://www.dailyiowan.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/937 Author: James Eaves-Johnson PUT THE DEA THUGS OUT OF BUSINESS DEA Thug-in-Chief Asa Hutchison visited Iowa on Monday; he brought a posse. Sen. Tom Harkin, Sen. Chuck Grassley, and Director Bruce Upchurch of Iowa's Office of Drug Control Policy took the opportunity to talk tough about the perils of methamphetamine in Iowa. No doubt, meth use is a problem for many people. People who fail to control themselves and to use the substance only in moderation can create problems for themselves and their families. The same is true for alcohol. But, people who want to intrude on your life as much as these thugs-in-suits are not so myopic that they fail to see the light on alcohol. The biggest fascists in government have the sophistication to see that alcohol should be legal despite the family violence, drunk driving, and general nuisance that accompanies it. Why is it that so many of us, and so many politicians, become paranoid about drug use once tobacco and alcohol are off the list? Just take a look at what some of our politicians said Monday. Are any of their comments unique to meth? Do they really justify an atrocious War on Drugs? Hutchison said, "Whenever you see it impacting the community health with the danger from meth labs, the toxic chemicals that come out of it E these are broad-based problems that affect all of Iowa society." But why do we see meth labs in our residential communities, where they pose such a health risk? Other dangerous chemical ventures do not start operations in people's basements and kitchens. If meth were legal, it would be manufactured in places where it did not pose health risks. Legal operations are worried about tort litigation. Meth-lab operators are worried about execution under federal drug kingpin statutes. Until drugs are legal, meth lab operators will never worry that they create hundreds of toxic waste sites every year in Iowa alone. Harkin pointed out, "Let's not forget we have a terrorist threat right here in Iowa as well, and it's called methamphetamine." Really? If there is any terrorist threat, it is the U.S. War on Drugs. It has done more to erode the Bill of Rights, it has killed more people internationally, it has broken into more people's homes, and it has reduced more people to slavery than any terrorist organization in existence. What use is the Fourth Amendment protection against "unreasonable searches and seizures" when a DEA agent can kick down your door unannounced, slam you on the floor, and steal your property before you have a chance to defend yourself in court? What use are Fifth Amendment protections to not be deprived of your "property without due process of law" when the government can take all it wants from you, then you have to sue and prove the property has no relation to some drug crime before you get it back? People such as Hutchison and Upchurch are a more serious threat to the average Iowan than Osama bin Laden. Grassley pontificated, "If we're going to win this, it isn't just the federal, state, and local government. We're going to have the total involvement of the community." Of course, that is what people said about alcohol in the earlier part of the last century. They thought alcohol was bad enough that the Constitution should be amended to prohibit it. But, look at what happened then. Prohibition funded massive criminal activity, built a federal police state, and created havoc. It was bad enough that for the only time in history people repealed a constitutional amendment. Drug prohibition is worse. It has funded terrorism, destroyed most of our civil liberties, and turned our cities into war zones. We should take a lesson from those brave enough to oppose prohibition. Finally, Upchurch reported, "Once they get addicted to these drugs, they don't care if their children are exposed. When that happens, they become very, very dangerous to their children." If it were not for the context, one might think he was talking about alcohol. But, Upchurch, and his government, practically stands by while alcoholic fathers terrorize families. Meanwhile, he and his posse kick down doors, raid people's homes, and shred our Constitution when some teenager makes unsatisfactory choices about staying up for a couple days partying. Our politicians are nothing more than thugs trying to claim the moral high ground. Shame on us for electing them and buying their lies. If we cannot see through the lies they spread Monday, then God help us. We might just deserve to live in the hellish police state we are creating with the War on Drugs. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth