Georgia Libertarians condemn school drug raid

LP ^ | 11/18/03 | LP

[freedom44]

A commando-style police drug raid on a high school in South Carolina was "a new low" in America's War on Drugs, Georgia Libertarians have charged.

"Police entered a school and intentionally terrorized over 100 innocent children, all in the name of a War on Drugs we all know to be an abysmal failure," said Georgia LP State Chair Helmut Forren.

"[The War on Drugs has] trampled the rights of law-abiding citizens, and now jeopardizes our most precious resource, the lives of our children. America hit a new low in the War on Drugs."

On November 5, about a dozen police officers and drug-sniffing dogs burst into Stratford High School in Goose Creek, South Carolina. With guns drawn, they wrestled students to the floor and restrained 14 students with plastic handcuffs. No drugs were found and no arrests were made.

The incident was filmed on school security cameras and broadcast on news shows around the world, sparking harsh criticism of police tactics.

But such raids are an inevitable byproduct of the War on Drugs, said Georgia LP Legislative Director James Bell.

"This can and will continue to happen in our schools as long as our nation continues to treat drug use as a police matter rather than a health issue," he said.

Goose Creek police defended their actions, saying they had not "intentionally" pointed guns at school children.

However, such excuses won't heal the trauma students felt when being confronted by a swarm of armed officers, said Georgia LP Vice Chair Garrett Michael Hayes.

"Once again, the drug war brings violence into our schools," he said. "This time, though, it's the police, waving guns in the faces of children. If we worry that children are becoming desensitized, we don't need to blame video games; the real-life authorities are doing enough on their own.

"When are they going to realize that their medicine is worse than the disease -- a disease that should be treated as a public health issue, not a criminal one?"

Goose Creek, which has a population of 30,000, is about 15 miles north of Charleston, South Carolina.

[A CA Guy]

On no, Harry said that about concerning the CHILDREN as well?
What area of hell did this demon and his party escape from?

This is the opposite of conservative as far as I am concerned. Excellent DU associates as I see it.

Have the Libertarians ever associated with the ACLU? Say it isn't so. Liberals claiming conservatism, oh my.

[Cultural Jihad]

What was it that Claire Wolfe said again?

Probably some hopeful words for the salon Bolsheviki, thinking themselves as some sort of freedom fighters when actually the root of their ideology is based on traumatic toilet training episodes early in life.

[A CA Guy]

Thank you for the truth, those liberals the libertarians can't be trusted in anything I guess...sigh!

[Cultural Jihad]

On no, Harry said that about concerning the CHILDREN as well?

The words of that Browneshirt are shown on my profile page.

[A CA Guy]

Thanks for the rest of the story.

[richtig_faust]

Well well well. It would appear that the goobermint schools are good enough to tell your son and daughter that homosexuality is good and fisting is fun but just can't stand it when federal drug laws are upheld.

[A CA Guy]

Got it, thanks.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/images/june00/harrybrowne.jpg

Q: You have some interesting views on the war on drugs.
A: The war on drugs is a disaster. It has elevated drug use. Drug use is far greater than it was when the drug war began in earnest in the late 1960s. It has turned the drug business away from the pharmaceutical companies and put it in the hands of the illegal drug dealers in the cities. These people have no concern for your children. Pharmaceutical companies would not send representatives to school yards to hook kids on drugs. Criminal gangs have no qualms about it whatsoever. Criminal gangs settle their problems with gang violence and drive-by shootings. Pharmaceutical companies don’t do that. Criminal gangs terrorize our cities.

Q: How would that be reversed by legalizing drugs?

A: Bayer used to sell heroin as a pain reliever and sedative. Nobody thought it was a danger. Before the First World War, a 10-year old child could walk into a drugstore and buy heroin. They didn’t because they didn’t have an interest in it. It wasn’t forbidden fruit. They didn’t want to go behind the barn to see what is was all about and nobody was pushing it on them.

Q: Isn’t there a role for reasonable regulation of the sale of drugs to minors?

A: When you pass laws against consensual activities, whether for adults or children, you never get the result you want. When the drug war ends, which I think will happen in the next five years, I hope the federal government will stay completely out of it and different states will pass different laws. Perhaps all states will ban it for children. I don’t think that’s the best thing to do. It will have some perverse results. And some children will probably die. When you buy a legal drug, you know what it is. You don’t take an overdose by mistake. Heroin, incidentally, is not a particularly addictive drug.

http://www.detnews.com/EDITPAGE/0010/06/oped/oped.htm

[richtig_faust]

Thank you for the truth, those liberals the libertarians can't be trusted in anything I guess...sigh!


BINGO !!

[coloradan]

In other words, the L.P. would make it a crime to discourage or thwart recreational drug use.

Please cite where in the Libertarian platform or in any of their press releases, this comes from - that they want to make it a crime to discourage or thwart recreational drug use.

You can't, because they didn't, and you're lying (as usual) about them. Why must you misrepresent their position? If it were without merit, why can't you argue against it as it is?

[microgood]

Goose Creek police defended their actions, saying they had not "intentionally" pointed guns at school children.

This is so typical. The government does something stupid. They stay silent for a while. Then they push back and usually blame the accusers (not in this case). Next step after the pushback - the lawsuits.

[ThinkDifferent]

Have the Libertarians ever associated with the ACLU?

Yes. As has the NRA and abortion opponents on occasion. Your point?

[cajun-jack]

don't want this happening to your kids??? then get a "script" for prozac, drown them in a bathtub and cry on t.v. and N.O.W. will come to see you, hire you a really good attorney, write you a book, you can cry on t.v.(often) and be famous!!!!!!!!!

what a deal!!!

[_Jim]

those liberals the libertarians can't be trusted in anything I guess.

Not when there is 'mileage' to be made from selectively reporting such an event; it makes for a nice newsletter stuffer and 'fundraising' keynote ...

[mrfixit514]

Is there anything Libertarians don't condemn? They remind me of the immature teenager who can't understand why we have laws and rules and why we have to keep order. I think most Libertarians just have a personality problem. They are consumed with negativity and most are just a**holes.

[Gunslingr3]

If you lived in South Carolina then you have a say on how your local police conduct themselves, and which laws are on the books. This press release has no 10th Amendment Constitutional argument in favor of state's rights (being ludicrous that the Georgia L.P. is commenting on a local issue in South Carolina).

Libertarians can have their say on any issue, like anyone else. Among the purposes of requiring Republican governments among the States is that citizens would be able to observe the folly, and escape the tyranny, of bad State governments. Without the ability to build 'Berlin Walls' around their States (the Constitution maintaining free trade and immigration amongst the States by keeping it a Federal matter) States have to be careful about their policies, or witness Californian results.

[Cicero]

You don't have to be a Libertarian to think that raiding a school with drawn guns is wrong and stupid.

Many libertarians seem to think drugs are OK. I don't. And I don't see any problem with police going into a school to search for drugs, either. But they don't need to go in with drawn guns. That's where almost anyone would draw the line.

[IMHO]

Is there anything Libertarians don't condemn? They remind me of the immature teenager who can't understand why we have laws and rules and why we have to keep order. I think most Libertarians just have a personality problem. They are consumed with negativity and most are just a**holes.

You appear to have learned all there is to know about libertarians from this website. If this is correct, you should know that you are deeply misinformed. Please keep looking into it.

(and keep up the positive attitude! :-))

[MileHi]

If you lived in South Carolina then you have a say on how your local police conduct themselves, and which laws are on the books.

Horsehocky! You yourself champion the FedGov overriding local rule on such issues. At least your hypocracy is consistant.

[jmc813]

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