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| Asa Hutchinson's Great Crusade |
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Posted by FoM on August 09, 2001 at 11:08:18 PT By Pat Lynch Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 
Sometimes a virtue can become a weakness. Patience evolves into indifference. Courage grows into aggression. Frugality becomes miserliness. Persistence may launch into obsession. With that in mind, let us consider Asa Hutchinson, the former 3rd District congressman who has just been confirmed as director of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. He has a fine reputation for honesty and sincerity. The brother of U.S. Sen. Tim Hutchinson walks the walk of moral conviction. Asa has been scolded for attending Bob Jones University, which had observed a seemingly antiquated policy under which interracial dating was not allowed within the student body. There has never been a trace of evidence that Asa left that fundamentalist fortress with personal prejudice. Asa was appointed by President Reagan as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Arkansas at age 31 and served during much of the 1980s. Talk about earnest! Asa was right there and personally negotiating when a small, well-armed band of oddballs known as the Covenant, Sword and Arm of the Lord were besieged and subdued by government agents. It went nothing like Waco or Ruby Ridge. His actions, or lack of them, in connection with alleged drug smuggling at the Mena airport are less clear. Did Asa have a special relationship with reported international drug trader Barry Seal? There are questions about this hazy chapter in the Hutchinson saga, but you may be assured that, as always, he has a clear conscience. Asa paid the price for his elevation into the administration of President Bush by, among other sacrifices, offering himself up against the unstoppable U.S. Sen. Dale Bumpers, who easily won re-election in 1986. A decade later, after several political misfires, Asa was elected to succeed his brother Tim in the U.S. House. When President Clinton faced an impeachment trial before the U.S. Senate, Asa was among the so-called "House managers" who presented evidence in the historic proceedings. That bit of nastiness could hardly be called a trial, which typically includes witnesses. Republicans had no stomach for bringing down a popular president, but what transpired on national television must have surprised the former prosecutor. Asa's organization of facts and articulate presentation on the opening day of the Senate process almost caused one to wonder whether the president might be in serious trouble. The whiny, petulant arguments of such non-luminaries as Bob Barr and Henry Hyde set Asa apart because of his professional detachment and lack of animus. If there was a winner in the impeachment battle, it was Asa Hutchinson. As a congressman, Asa tended to vote mostly with the Christian Coalition and against the ACLU positions. He has supported campaign finance reform, which, while representing a constitutionally suspect restraint of free speech, does show a healthy tendency toward independent thinking. He has been a proponent of a national commission on privacy. Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District now has an open seat and a special election will be called sometime this fall. Why is Asa doing this? Not for the money. There is a $12,000 annual cut in salary to head the DEA, which wastes $1.55 billion each year. Perks include the media spotlight. Reacting to news of his confirmation, Asa declared, "It is difficult to leave Congress, but I am excited to have the opportunity to serve Arkansas and the country by beginning our great national crusade against illegal drugs." You heard it. He said "beginning." Incredible. Asa knows well the price that has been paid by Americans both in dollars and in personal liberties since what is often called the war on drugs began around 20 years ago. When he talks about a "great national crusade," he might be serious, and we should be very afraid. Federal prisons and local cemeteries are nearly filled with the victims of an ill-conceived drug policy that serves only an ever-expanding law enforcement community, armies of prosecutors, greedy drug test vultures and a spreading, coerced treatment industry. The result of more policing and harsher penalties has been higher prices for illicit drugs and bigger profits for the professional criminal wholesalers. Asa, in the fashion of another internationally famous Arkansan, always knows how to say the right thing for the moment, such as in his confirmation hearing. He gave all the proper reassurances to an adoring U.S. Senate committee. He is compassionate, hates racial profiling, and claims to support counseling and treatment for addicts. The man from Fort Smith is very sincere and most convincing. If you think the incoming DEA head is a compassionate conservative, you are dead wrong. Asa is against the medical use of marijuana, a humane policy recently adopted by the Canadian government for suffering citizens. John Walters, the Bush pick to lead the Office of National Drug Policy, is worse than Asa, so proponents of limited government may be in for hard times. Walters embraces harsh sentences, more vigorous law enforcement and a general intensification of two decades of failed drug policies. It is conceivable that Asa will assume the "good cop" persona of moderation and responsibility, but you should not count on it. Much depends on whether the sincere and honest Hutchinson believes that his country is well served by more government intrusions on individual dignity and building larger federal prisons. Asa Hutchinson's "great national crusade," left unchecked, might easily unfold into a grand inquisition. Related Articles: Hutchinson Moves Eagerly Into New Drug Job Drug-Agency Chief Expects Progress in Enforcement New DEA Chief Suggests 'Compassionate' Policy DEA Nominee Won't Outline Plans for Marijuana Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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Comment #3 posted by reality on August 10, 2001 at 17:49:56 PT:
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| The government is driving up the cost of marijuana. An ounce around here is about $12o. If the government would stay out of it I could grow it for almost nothing. Yes the government has an effect on prices. DAAA. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by qqqq on August 09, 2001 at 17:07:00 PT |
| In my opinion,,Hutchinson is a perfect example of the type and breed of politician,,,that makes the American government of today,,as dimented and out of touch as it is.....I read a thing by Joel Miller last nite,in which the Hutchster said that,"billions" of kids had been kept off drugs because of the drug war,,,,,,most peculiar when one considers there are only about 270 million or so people........If one looks into the numbers and statistics that are commonly tossed about by the DrugPigs,,it becomes immediatly clear that this governmental sham and drug war scam is purely conjured up,and its intent is nothing less than CRIMINAL,according to the Constitution, and Bill of Rights! .............................qdqdqdqd [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by aocp on August 09, 2001 at 15:56:40 PT |
| The result of more policing and harsher penalties has been higher prices for illicit drugs and bigger profits for the professional criminal wholesalers. So you're saying that the gov't's policies are Looks like the jihad has some answering to do about [ Post Comment ] |
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