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The War on Drugs:
On April 23, 2001, as reported by ABC Evening News, two missionaries
were murdered in Columbia. The aircraft in which they we traveling
was deliberately shot down. The Columbian who murdered them contended
that he thought the aircraft was transporting drugs. The Columbian
government and the United States government are cooperating, so
they say, in this war on drugs. The missionaries happened to be
in the wrong place at the wrong time. They became casualties of
the war.
Just so you will not misunderstand, I have never had a great deal of respect for people who attempt to propagate religious dogma in an alien culture. My respect decreased dramatically after I read the Poison Wood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. However, if Cracker style arrogance and stupidity were justification for execution, we would have to execute most of the people in our government. These people were not murdered because they were missionaries. They were murdered because an over zealous, American trained butcher made a fatal error. Of course, we only assume it was an error. We can never be sure.
There was much uproar, outrage, and generalized hoopla expressed in the media over this incident. This expression came because the victims were Americans. Can we guess that Columbians are being murdered every day in this stupid, so called, war? No one seems to care about that. Columbian deaths are not reported in our media. Perhaps the assumption is, Columbian peasants are expendable.
We (The United States of America) are spending billions of dollars in Columbia, prosecuting this war. We are murdering people and trying to intimidate them every day. This war would be marginally justifiable if it were actually working. In the current situation, it is simply unconscionable.
This alleged war is a complete and total failure. It has been from the get go and will continue to be. Anyone it the United States, who wants them, can get drugs anytime they want them, at reasonable prices. These costly murders and intimidations, in Columbia and other places, have had no effect whatsoever on the supply of drugs.
How in the world can the government apologists call this a successful operation? That can only be a deliberate, bare-faced lie. The war on drugs has not achieved the only reasonable goal it could possibly have. It has not stemmed the flow of drugs into the United States. It has not even slowed the flow down, and it never will.
The truth is, so long as there is a market demand for drugs, someone will act to fill that demand. The government cannot prevent that. We have historical evidence of that. Just for fun, let's recall the Constitution of the United States, Amendment XVIII:
Section 1. After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.
Section 2. The Congress and the several states shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Section 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several states, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the states by the Congress.
A while later, after much crime, racketeering, and general chaos we realize we could not enforce that law. We would have to have another amendment. That was Amendment XXI:
Section 1. The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.
Section 2. The transportation or importation into any state, territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.
Section 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several states, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the states by the Congress.
Did we learn anything from that fiasco? It seems not, for we are again trying to enforce morality. We are spending billions of bucks trying to enforce morality. It did not work in the past and it will not work now. The money is being wasted. Let's look for better ways to spend those bucks to achieve the same goals.
Some folks contend that we should be putting much more money into addiction treatment programs. I do not object. Perhaps we could rehabilitate some of the addicts. That is one route. However, I have another route to suggest. That route is education, starting with kindergarten children.
I have seen some effort in the education arena. These were television spots and were of the nonsensical "Just Say No" genre. They were very poorly done. They would not even convince five year old kids, and that is the problem. My guess is that they were scripted and designed by government do-gooder amateurs. I insist that this is an effort which demands professionals of the highest caliber. We are talking about recovering the health of our culture.
I suggest that we take the billions we are pissing away in South America and give it to Steven Spielberg and/or Mel Brooks. Then give them carte blanche to create a full range, convincing, anti-drug, education program for our young people. These guys are professionals at influencing the minds of people of all ages. The have demonstrated that. Have them start with kindergarten kids and continue forever. In 20 years we would have a nearly drug free society.
Is that too long? Okay, suppose we just continue what we are
doing now. What kind of society will we have in 20 years?
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