Pubdate: Mon, 18 Feb 2002
Source: Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan (SD)
Copyright: 2000 Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan
Contact:  http://www.yankton.net
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1046
Author: Myron Von Hollingsworth
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n194/a08.html

NO ONE REALLY BELIEVES DRUG WAR CAN BE WON

This is in regards to the article, "Authorities Say I-90 Becoming 
West-To-East Drug Corridor" (Press & Dakotan, Feb. 4).

Truth to tell, the drug warrior police, politicians, officials, media and 
civilians (secretly) don't list victory as an objective in their expensive 
and oppressive trillion dollar war. When they do spout their "zero 
tolerance/total victory" rhetoric, how many of your readers actually 
believe them? How many actually believe that this year's multi-billion 
dollar drug war budget will be the one that will achieve total victory 
after decades of billion dollar budgets have totally failed?

Just remember that the drug czars' and warriors' jobs depend on the 
perpetual prosecution of, but NEVER a victory in, the drug war. Also, 
remember that the politicians depend on the drug war and its rhetoric to 
scare up votes (by scaring voters). The politicians also rely on the drug 
war to sustain their constituent industries and institutions that depend on 
the economics of prohibition in order to make generous profits and campaign 
contributions that keep the drug warrior politicians in power and, 
therefore, keep themselves in business.

Remember what H.L. Mencken said: "The whole aim of practical politics is to 
keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by 
menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."

Maybe the corrupt politicians and media are required to adhere to the party 
line of prohibition because law enforcement, customs, the prison and 
military industrial complex, the drug testing industry, the "drug 
treatment" industry, the INS, the CIA, the FBI, the DEA, the politicians 
themselves, et. al., can't live without the budget justification, not to 
mention the invisible profits, bribery, corruption and forfeiture benefits 
that prohibition affords them. The drug war also promotes, justifies and 
perpetuates racist enforcement policies and is diminishing many freedoms 
and liberties that are supposed to be inalienable according to the 
Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Myron Von Hollingsworth, Fort Worth, Texas
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager