Editorial
Obama the Wuss!
Here is why President Obama is a wuss. He has never shown much taste for the war on drugs yet he has done nothing to stop it. He could save a bundle of money (certainly vital in these times) and, more importantly, get people out of jail and prison who shouldn't be there if he urged its end. It would strengthen America's reputation as a bona fide free country. It would embarrass the Republicans – maybe even many Tea Party people – by showing them up for the petty tyrants they are by backing this insane "war."
Yet, what does Mr. Obama do? He lets the feds raid even medical marijuana clinics in California as a show of force. He misses showing the Republicans up for their hypocrisy about states' rights and federalism, two principles they keep championing in the abstract but betraying in practice, in this case for sure.
Of course, the main issue shouldn't be one of showing up the other party for being hypocrites. The main thing should be getting rid of the despotic policy and here Obama could even count on his base, many of whom are supporters of people's liberty to consume drugs of any kind, even those that may well harm them. (After all, a free citizen is one who may exercise his or her liberty by engaging in bad practices, like producing rotten works of art and worshipping false idols.)
Sadly, while in some matters the current crop of Republicans are favoring human liberty, in others they do not. They keep rationalizing their war on drugs by reference to phony theories about how drug consumption is not a victimless crime after all since the perpetrators sometimes harm others under the influence. If that's so, prosecute and punish them for violating the rights of others, not for being under the influence. (People can embark on violating the rights of others for hundreds of highly varied reasons which cannot and ought not be the target of laws, only of education and persuasion – that is the civilized way of dealing with people's bad habits!)
The president is very fond of giving speeches and answering press conference questions by stating what he wants people to do. You know, "Pass this bill," which is actually an order and not becoming of the presiding officer of the government of a free country. But if he is so inclined, why not order the abolition of the villainous war on drugs? Go out and rally his team to do something worthwhile.
It seems that despite the widespread acknowledgement of the disaster of the country's experience with alcohol prohibition, history is being repeated almost perfectly. What a shame that is. As a refugee from a Draconian tyranny, the so-called communism (actually fascism) imposed on Eastern Europe and my original country, Hungary, I am truly disgusted and saddened by America's drug war. Who do these people think they are to throw people in jail for taking huge risks with and even ruining their lives? (People take risks all the time, e.g., when they drive or go skiing, or ... well anyone can fill in the rest of this sentence with but a minimum of thought and observation!)
A few years ago I made a friend from Bulgaria, a former commie country and one that still suffers much from that disastrous episode in its history. Yet places of entertainment in Sofia, the capital city, can stay open much longer than ones in America. That may not be very important to some folks but it does illustrate just how often Americans are willing to tolerate various tyrannical measures in their midst, which allows its enemies to point a finger at how many people linger in prisons for various victimless crimes. It allows its detractors to discredit the country's supposed exceptionalism.
For those of us who love liberty and used to love America for a system that was at least approximating the free society and had gotten rid of slavery, the most blatant contradiction of its free heritage, this situation is really distressing. Hopefully, it will turn out to be yet another fading legacy of the governmental habit.
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Posted by Merridth80 on 10/09/11 07:03 AM
Hey People, we are going back to the 30's, and you know how that ended.
Stupid people do stupid things, some don't survive. Let's get our noses where they belong--- At Home! Let's tend our own garden, there are weeds enough to keep us busy! If someone wants to take drugs till they expire, that is their business. Most people are smart enough to realize, they aren't getting the attention they want and will stop of their own will!
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Posted by clark on 10/09/11 02:46 AM
There's nothing naive and simplistic about this article, it's exactly right.
Most People act all high (uppity/snobby) and mighty and say there's a problem with car drivers. Psft. How about road design?
For decades, a busy hyway near me used to have fatalities almost every weekend, then they built a four lane Divided hyway and the accidents are almost Zero. Perhaps the roads need to be improved?
Cities refuse to build pedestrian overpasses because they are "ugly" and all the cities in the U.S. seem to be putting up electronic speed sensing devices that display your speed and tell you to slow down while driving through school zones. But do they consider building concrete walls between the street and the sidewalk to reduce the potential for pedestrians being struck by cars? No. ... Why? It's all about power and control, not safety.
Some People go on about how drivers under the influence are dangerous, yet laws prevent them from driving 5 M.P.H. or on the road shoulder lowering the chances of an accident. Such laws increase the likelihood of accidents.
"They" might as well ban driving after a Person is 40 years old because their reaction time might be too slow, or their eyesight too bad, in fact, why not ban everyone who wears eye glasses from driving because they might take their glasses off and drive?
For that matter, everyone who owns an I-Pad or cellphone should be banned from driving because they might use it while driving and cause an accident? Or maybe they laugh too much and cause an accident?
Oh, wait, that's what "they" are doing now, the march to fascism. Nothing that is not permitted is Not allowed!
"having increasing problems with gangs supplying and it" Psft, it's because it's made illegal. Goberments might as well be applying strobe lights and balloons while telling children to try it, that's what it means to tell children and young adults they can't have something because the goberment says so, as if the goberment were King of Everyone!
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Posted by tsunami on 10/08/11 11:35 PM
Jeanna In the Netherlands they have legalized MJ and now we read that they are having trouble with gangs who are selling the drugs on the blackmarket to kids.
The trouble is that the potency of the legal drugs is reasonable but the illegal stuff is a lot more potent which is what the gangs sell and the druggies want the most powerfull.
They have injections site here where they allow druggies to shoot up and provide new needles etc. and where they can get MJ and I think some other stuff as well but it does not stop the drug trade.
I wish there were good answers to this but nobody seems to have the answer.
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Posted by Jeanna on 10/08/11 02:13 PM
The Republicans I've heard argue against legalizing drugs talk about how addictive cocaine, heroine, and meth are, and they must prevent another child being born addicted to these drugs.
The argument assumes the gov't can control people. Control is an illusion. Anyone who wants to use these drugs can get them. The laws are not preventing anyone from becoming addicted.
I have seen the other side - the father or mother or sibling who are killed by the drug cartel for interfering with drug "trade" while trying to protect their family. The war on drugs creates the black market, which creates the criminals, who kill our loved ones.
The war is profitable to the government, which confiscates private property through prohibition laws. The war is profitable to the dealers and manufacturers who get to charge high prices for their product. The war is profitable to the elite who encourage the flow of drugs into the country in order to drug the population, keeping the people complacent and ignorant.
It is unprofitable for the rest of us, who are probably in the minority. The Tea Party and Republicans have to realize someday that prohibition doesn't work.
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Posted by tsunami on 10/08/11 11:45 AM
Tibor I personally could not care less what people choose to do to themselves provided it does not impact me and I don't have to pay for it.
My hope is that the druggies find a bridge somewhere and jump as it is a lot quicker and if they do it at ebb tide they go to sea and we do not have to waste resources looking for them.
Here we have injection sites when we supply clean needles, nurses and a lot of admin. people.
The other issues is the MJ is now getting stronger and stronger and many of these clowns are on the road and so smacked they are a danger to everybody.
I note that the Netherlands is now banning the nire potent MJ and in several towns on the Dutch/German border you have to show proof of residency in Holland before the pub will sell you any.
In Holland while quasi legal they are having increasing problems with gangs supplying and it is inflitrating the schools for public school kids.
Your article is a bit naive and simplistic.
