Pubdate: Sun, 21 Dec 2003 Source: Pensacola News Journal (FL) Copyright: 2003 The Pensacola News Journal Contact: http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1675 Author: Ed Middleswart Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n000/a416.html Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/sandshaker AMERICAN GOVERNMENT HAS DECLARED WAR ON ITS CITIZENS It is a shame when we read that our government has essentially declared war on its own citizens. Thus seems to be the case in the "Sandshaker bust." Much can be said about the "drug war," but the recent arrests illustrate, better than any words, the problems associated with this hypocritical, wasteful and generally wrong- headed effort which erodes our civil liberties and ruins the lives of citizens who, for the most part, are productive and constructive members of our community. Sure, one can argue these people (if the allegations are true) made personal choices to use cocaine. Cocaine is a mild intoxicant which can reportedly create problems of addiction for about 15 percent of the people who use it. But these are personal decisions similar to the personal decisions people make to smoke tobacco products, consume alcohol-containing beverages, and ingest carbohydrates laced with sugar. In fact, these three behaviors, which the vast majority of Americans do daily, are responsible for the three leading causes of death in this country. Tobacco-related health problems lead the list, but obesity is right up there, killing hundreds of thousands every year. And we are all too familiar with the problems of alcohol abuse. But the federal government even subsidizes the production of sugar and tobacco. How many people die from cocaine abuse? Few to none according to the statistics. How, exactly, were the personal choices of those arrested hurting people other than possibly themselves? We might ask why these disparities exist. Is it because of the monetary rewards associated with the status quo? After all, who truly benefits from this wasteful bureaucracy? Not those persecuted. Not the public. Just the system - those who traffic, and those who profit from the forfeiture of some of the huge profits involved. This is the same system that supported the prohibition of alcohol before it was repealed in 1933. But whatever the driving forces, when our local, state and federal authorities take it upon themselves to prosecute people who, in all other aspects, are positive contributors to their community, we should all take offense. We fret and spend billions of dollars on the "war on terrorism," but we should be aware that maybe the most harmful threats to our freedoms stem from the actions of the representatives of our own government, operating in our own back yard, and needlessly persecuting citizens otherwise innocent of any crime. If most of us really believe in the basic conservative philosophy that a small, efficient government is better than a nanny state, that a government that governs least will most likely govern best, we need to speak out against this mindless extension of the opposite. And, if we believe in our Constitution, which embraces the basic human rights to privacy and security in one's own home, and the freedom to pursue personal happiness without harming others, we should all be deeply offended by this whole absurd mess. Ed Middleswart is the founder of the Center for Individual Responsibility and Freedom (cirf.web.com). It is an informal political discussion group organized around libertarian principles. He is a resident of Pensacola. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin