cannabisnews.com: Like Vietnam, Drug War is Futile Like Vietnam, Drug War is Futile Posted by FoM on May 26, 2001 at 06:43:59 PT By Frank Lingo, Special To The Star Source: Kansas City Star Truth is among the casualties of war, observed Samuel Johnson over 200 years ago. The truth is still taking a beating now in the war on drugs, just as it did in the government's Vietnam propaganda. Here's a look at the plentiful similarities between these two police-actions: * None of our business: Which form of government the people choose in a country 10,000 miles away is just flat not our fight. Likewise, it's none of the government's business what form of recreation or self-destruction we choose to engage in. * Unwinnable: Only fools would fight a land war in Asia, especially one involving guerrilla enemies. Despite the war on drugs and decades of eradication and enforcement efforts, illicit drugs are still available and cheap. * Millions of victims: An estimated 3 million Vietnamese people died in their 30-year civil war. We dropped more bombs on that backward little land than had been dropped by all sides in World War II and we still lost. Now at home, America has almost 500,000 prisoners of the drug war -- not to mention their ruined families; and abroad there's countless farmers we've terrorized by torching their land in a scorched-earth rampage that manages to have a negligible effect on the drug trade. * Treachery by the trenchcoat gang: There's mountains of evidence that the CIA facilitated the pipeline of drugs through Southeast Asia. Reportedly, CIA operatives fueled the crack epidemic in America to fund the contras in Nicaragua, according to former San Jose Mercury-News reporter Gary Webb's book Dark Alliance. * Gestapo tactics: The revelation about Sen. Bob Kerrey's killing of women and children in Vietnam is just the tip of a long-hidden iceberg. American soldiers committed atrocities there. We may never know all the details. Our very prosecution of the war was an atrocity. In the drug war, paramilitary cutthroats in Colombia and other countries receive U.S. government support and supplies. Meanwhile, on the home front, the rights of innocent families are often savagely violated and people sometimes are killed in drug raids, including when police have rammed down the door at the wrong address. * Lack of public support: Despite uncritical news coverage for the first three years of our major deployment in Vietnam, public sentiment against Vietnam mushroomed. Folks figured out that we were wrong to be there. Similarly, despite decades of drug war baloney -- ranging from the deranged killers in "Reefer Madness" to the miserably failed DARE program -- a majority of Americans know we should be trying treatment over incarceration. In nearly every voter initiative yet (eight states so far), the people have chosen treatment instead of prison for drug cases. Politicians' bullheaded belligerence. When President Nixon inherited Vietnam from President Johnson in 1969, we'd been bringing home our boys in body bags for years. Nixon faked peace plans right on through his re-election in 1972, but it was all a sham. In the 2000 election, the drug war was a nonissue because both major political party candidates were committed to continuing this crazy cruel anti-drug crusade. President Bush revealed his intentions early by nominating a fanatic as his drug czar. John Walters is so militant that outgoing Gen. Barry McCaffrey said Walters is "focused too much on interdiction" and "needs to educate himself on prevention and treatment." Although Bush himself admitted to drinking heavily until the age of 40 and is alleged to have had a cocaine habit (read the suppressed book Fortunate Son by J.H. Hatfield if you can find it), there's no empathy in his enforcers. The spin from the Bush administration is aimed at assuring America that Walters will be fair and balanced. Fairness from someone like Walters, who favors mandatory minimums (which most judges oppose) such as New York's 15-years-to-life for nonviolent first-time offenders? Our "compassionate conservative" commander in chief also got his way recently when the Supreme Court ruled that federal law does not allow a "medical necessity" exception to the prohibition of marijuana distribution. People with AIDS, cancer and other diseases and who say the herb makes life more bearable will find no relief from persecution when they seek relief in a reefer. The pity is palpable. After our long hard war on drugs, it's high time to smoke the pipe of peace. Frank Lingo's column usually appears on alternate Tuesdays. To reach him, send e-mail to: franklingo earthlink.netSource: Kansas City Star (MO)Author: Frank Lingo, Special To The StarPublished: May 25, 2001Copyright: 2001 The Kansas City Star Contact: letters kcstar.com Website: http://www.kcstar.com/ Related Articles:This Drugs War is Just Like Vietnam http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9010.shtmlAnother Vietnam?http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6967.shtmlCannabisNews Articles - Waltershttp://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=Walters Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #3 posted by New Mexican on May 26, 2001 at 13:18:45 PT The Tide has turned! Great Article! I see the last gasp of a dying dinosaur, and the damage will continue, but the shift with Jeffers and Shrub has massive ramifications. War is Over! -john and yoko [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on May 26, 2001 at 09:42:51 PT Good Way of Putting It Idealistic in the morning!Realistic at night! [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Robbie on May 26, 2001 at 09:33:41 PT Drug War on the run Wow. Now there's a slam.I'll say this, I don't think I would see an article so rabidly anti-Drug War/riors even 5 years ago. Opinion against shrub and his wrong-way policies, his minions John "punish everyone except my nephew" Ashcroft and John "today is a good day to incarcerate" Walters, and the general disgust we're seeing of late is somewhat encouraging.Maybe this anti-anti sentiment is truly gaining a little ground. Maybe we can finally swing "mainstream" America to our side.It must be early, I'm being idealistic ;-) [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: