Topic: Constitutional Issues
The War on Drugs and Terror Aside from Ron Paul, the GOP's position on the drug war is unconstitutional. We must end these wars before we have nothing left to fight for.by R.K. Chase
(Libertarian)
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Undoubtedly, the libertarian movement has been gaining momentum with Ron Paul's candidacy for President. It very well could be the beginning of a serious ideological realignment of U.S. politics. However, there is a caveat of libertarian political philosophy that has been ignored in the recent revival - the war on drugs.
Of all the authoritarian, unconstitutional domestic policies, drug prohibition is the most detrimental. It is largely economic in nature, which is why Ron Paul opposes it. Prohibition of a highly demanded commodity will result in the emergence of black markets, regulated by guns rather than judges. The U.S. government spends over $60 billion dollars annually, incarcerating over 500,000 non-violent offenders. The DEA, by its own admission, only intercepts 30% of the cocaine smuggled into our country, far short of the 75% they estimate is needed to dent profitability. Drug use has not decreased in the last 35 years, and the drugs themselves have become more potent and addictive in an attempt to raise profits. Drug prohibition has played out just as alcohol prohibition did in the 1920's gangs, stronger products, increased government bureaucracy and widespread disregard for the law.
A striking difference between drug and alcohol prohibition, one that Paul points to as a Constitutionalist, is that the prohibition of alcohol required a Constitutional Amendment. However there is no Amendment prohibiting drug use.
How do we account for this difference?
In examining this question we also see an eerily similar trend in the current war on terror. The drug war was a response to fear. Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan both used the racist and convoluted fear of 'cocaine crazed black men' and 'Mexicans high on marijuana' to push through legislation that destroyed civil liberties. The fear exploited by the Bush Whitehouse during war on terror has been used to justify the Patriot Act and torture, once again destroying civil liberties.
If the American people continue this practice, unconsitutionally ceding power to the government to solve problems that scare them, then the future of our Union is dim. Abraham Lincoln prophesized, "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Fear of drugs, fear of terror - what war will we fight next and what freedoms must we sacrifice to fight them? Drug addicts need medical help, not prison and pepper spray, and the solution to terror is not invading sovereign nations and imposing democracy through the barrel of a gun. To preserve our freedoms we must change our thinking and restore the Constitution.
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2008 R.K. Chase, all rights reserved.
Published: Sunday, January 27, 2008
Last modified: Sunday, January 27, 2008
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For some reason the war on illegals is popular right now. Announcing that you would end the war on drugs kind of shoots yourself in the foot. Americans by large think that a lot of our trouble is caused by drugs. I hate this just as much as you do, but hey we have a dumb society that hates people if they are "illegal", what makes you think that they will take kindly to drugs that are "illegal"?
Sir, the border is constitutional. Protecting it is constitutional. Illegal aliens are just that, illegal. Of all the goofy things to complain about, people against illegal immigration?
Tell me this is a parody post or something.... Jeez!
its not just illegal drugs. prescription drugs are abused by high school student more than all drugs, excluding marijuana, combined. that is going to be a difficult war to wage, war on mom's medicine cabinet!!
i agree on the illegal immigrant thing to, hopefully we don't start using SWAT on them too.
Some RP supporters think that ICE should raid private employers to get rid of the "illegals" how sickening that they hate human beings for ignoring a legal process that they didn't have to go through themselves.
Staist, then find a way to state things in a positive light. Again you are probably correct but complex ideas are difficut to explain.
What are people who understand these ideas to do ? Tell Ron Paul to put a sock in it and not be the person that we who support him want.
He needs his adviser to understand when to do that. He has taken positive steps by bringing new blood into the campgain. By getting 2 well known economic advisors they can start handling his economic platform.
He really needs some image consulants and make up people and he needs to be walking the walk and talking the talk so to speak.
For instance some things to change:
Fruits of your labor should become all you hard earned money.
Forget pointing out the War in Iraq unless asked.
We need to come home because economic policy is linked to forgien policy should change to: we need to repartiate our brave men an women so that their familes and loved ones can see them and get to know who they are, so they can watch their kids grow up, so that they can coach little league games , so that they can be come the productive parts of America, so that they can build bridges and roads here and not in a place that is so far away from their famlies, a place where the road may lead them to nowhere instead of back to their families.
Not everyone in the military wants to be back home. Some servicemembers reenlist so that they can go overseas. Not every servicemember wants the US out of Iraq. Not every Vet has been to Iraq. Not every member of the Navy, Army, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or Air Force has been to Iraq. Also if they don't want to come back they can not re-up, they can go AWOL to Canada, and they can medically disqualify themselves.
Your idea that people can't go a whole 8 months without seeing thier families is silly. Our military is not a bunch of home sick worry warts. Some of them actually enlisted so that they could get the hell away from home. I did.
"Not everyone in the military wants to be back home." Agreed.. send them overseas at their expense.
"Not every service member wants the US out of Iraq." Agreed... leave them there and take the one who want to be out, out, I am sure the Iraq government can pay them with Iraqi tax dollars.
"Not every Vet has been to Iraq. Not every member of the Navy, Army, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or Air Force has been to Iraq." Agreed... send them there and bring the guards home.
"Also if they don't want to come back they can not re-up, they can go AWOL to Canada, and they can medically disqualify themselves." Disagree; Canada will not take them not at Canada's expense in any case.
Valid criticism of my comments by certainly nothing near a good suggestion on you part.
"Some of them actually enlisted so that they could get the hell away from home. I did." Good for you.. Then you should be the first over there and should have no ticket back since that is what you want. If that is the only solution you have to getting away from home, you need a life and I am afraid nothing I can or anyone else can say can help you.
Like you said, Canada AWOL crap.. It is not the official position of the government of Canada.
So name calling when your argument don't go your way.. Hmmm..
Unfortunately, your informal fallacy argument by construing a false dilemma that I don't do x because of y just doesn't work.
So come on, a solution for Ron Paul since you perceive that everyone one is wrong except you and that Ron Paul must change.
Or is it Ron Paul must support the Iraq war before the statist will say he is someone to vote for and in fact you just want to give you negative opinion.
Go ahead and say I want 100 years of War so I stay away from home. (PS. This is a False Dilemma and I don’t think it would be a reasonable statement even for you. However it is inline with your conclusions.)
Ron Paul can do whatever he wants, but he won't get elected if he doesn't play the game.
Also, the war is at a down turn. There are more and more Iraqi Army and Police officers patroling more areas. The US will have most of our troops out of here by 2012 and Baghdad, Anaconda, and various other places will become a permanent duty station just like Kosovo, Germany, Japan, Diego Garcia, South Korea, and other external military bases are today.
Now if Ron Paul wanted to get elected he would have watched himself a little bit better and got Rush Limbaugh's support. Ron Paul screwed himself. I can't say I that I don't like 85% of his positions, but he will not be able to defeat the Democrats.
I would vote for Ron, but he won't get the nomination. I hate to say it, but libertarians should spend more money on local guys and state representatives. Ron Paul would be overan in the whitehouse. Congress would rebel against his vetos.
I don't know who I will be voting for. I really don't know. I just challenge the Ron Paul worshipers to have real debate, and to recognize the power of uninformed and emotional voters.
Statist, I never voted for anyone but democrats. I didn't like Ronald Reagan. I love Al Gore, Denis Kucnich and Mike Gravel. I voted for Clinton and that crap about Monica was just republican bull. Clinton was much better than GW.
As for the war slowing down because of fewer casualties this is just foolish. Take a look the IED are being adapted to hit the new vehicles and deaths due to IED are starting to rise. This is a game of whom is better at the moment.
Let’s see how much money the US will have to continue its bases when it can't meet it future payments or the price of gas is $20.00 per gallon because the value of the dollar has fallen so low.
Ron has enough support from people that the MSM questions. Now you are suggesting a vile hate spewing, drug addict like Rush!!!
If he was endorsed by Rush ( I need my next fix) Loudmouth, I would suggest that there is really something wrong with Ron. Are you kidding me.
The only thing worse than some of the informal fallacies that you present is that Ron Paul will win, if all of those that claim they are informed and unemotional will vote for him.
If you marginalize your vote and vote for who you think can win then you get what you voted for in the case that who you voted for wins or who you voted for loses because you didn't vote for anyone.
Ron Paul should win or lose based upon who votes for him. and the delegates he can convince to vote for him. Right now Paul biggest opponents are the people willing to gamble on the winner that they construe via the false dilemma that they construe or have others construe for them and false dilemmas such as you construct, like the belief in bases and peace by attrition. By the way you forgot to mention Vietnam and what happens when people choose to fight for their freedom. Where are the bases in Vietnam? Where are the bases in Italy?
The Irony is that I would never have looked at Paul except that he stood up against the entire republician party. I would vote for a Ron Paul republician. Not the idiot neocons in power now. Paul is correct they are transplanted Democrats (The ones the Democrats didn't want) and certainly not for anyone who has anything that is remotly close to this foolish Republician President and the Republician congress before. They are drunken sailors with cheap booze and unlimited credit.
Posted By: patrick henry
Date: 2008-01-28 11:42:13
STATIST,
You continue to show your utter lack of anything remotely nearing intelligence. If you are truly in the box, I bet above all bets your are a stinking FOBbit. I hear the likes of your kind talkin all kinds of bullshit rhetoric. Go get blown up oh say 1 to 23 times. Hold the remains of your friend in 100 bloody peices after you got blown up, all after delivering air conditioners to the local Iraqi hospital only to get shot at by the IP and IA. Do us a favor, leave the FOB, put your LPCs on ruck up and move out. Look a man in the face and shoot him. You have not the guts nor the position/RIGHT to talk any shit about whats going on over there. OBTW this is the deadliest year since "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" so the "surge" is working?
Get your head out of your 4th point of contact and shut your phluckin pie hole and go join the USMC
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2008 R.K. Chase, all rights reserved.