Drug Czar: Tide Turning in Drug War

Fox News ^ | Wednesday, February 18, 2004 | By Peter Brownfeld

[TKDietz]

WASHINGTON

[tpaine]

"The federal government is encouraging the militarization of local police forces by giving away weaponry and providing advisers," Barr said, commenting on general trends in policing, not only on anti-drug policies."

______________________________________


It's incredible that these Fed fools don't realize what a dangerous game they are playing..

Do they really believe that the American people will just sit back and accept a police state based on perpetual 'wars'?

[TKDietz]

I don't believe it myself. I just thought the article might spark some interesting discussion. I suspect the numbers Walters is citing are bogus as well. We'll see though I suppose.

[jedi]

We have two examples of our gov't's equal application of our publicly-espoused moral and societal standards to every country:

1. The massive increase in opium acreage now that the Taliban are out of power. After all, the CIA is friendly fwith those war-lords.

2. Pakistan's sale of nuclear technology and materials.

I wonder why all those people don't believe "our" gov't?

[NewRomeTacitus]

We need a "War On Government Waste" headed up by Martin Gross. This former Democrat has been on this case for many years. Here's an interview from 1995:

http://www.geoffmetcalf.com/qa/19630.html

[takenoprisoner]

You're a starship?

And no it wont' end. Still, I wonder why local police departments need M-16s? To use against the town's people?

This is getting scary. What sort of war are they preparing for anyway? A war against the town's people?

There must be something big planned down the pipeline for this sort of preparation.

[HiTech RedNeck]

I'd be real curious how he thinks he is getting anywhere close to an accurate audit (to a smaller degree of error than the 10% or so he's claiming) of teen marijuana usage. It's mostly clandestine so it's hard to measure.

[LaraCroft]

I assumed my point is obvious. Aside from the infringement of my constitutional rights and having to live in a police state, they pour billions of dollars a year into the 'drug war', and they are, for the first time in decades, trumpeting a small decrease in the amount of crime.

It's like this, you see. It doesn't really matter WHY they take your rights away, it only matters that they have. Of course, there are some who are brainwashed, usually people that use drugs themselves... coffee, alcohol, nicotine, but are convinced that the drug war is a good thing and are willing to give up their rights for their perceived safety. Old Ben Franklin had a saying about people like that. Why did you write me again?

[Clock King]

Tobacco, second-hand smoke, meat, fast food, MP3s, ... old people at airports (they could be terrorists).

[Clock King]

I'd like to know what drugs Walters is taking. I mean it. I bet he and a LOT of cops and drug warriors are doing illegal drugs and using their positions to shield themselves. Just like some of the child porno cops were the biggest purveyors of it. Wonder how much he and his ilk assist in the trafficing of it too?

[LanaTurnerOverdrive]

Calling All Economists!!!

I don't know jack about economics....but if the drug war were to be truly successful, and those hundreds of billions of dollars being traded and trickling down were gone....it seems that it would be cause for a global economic wound. Do you think the "powers that be" are aware of this? Dam right. The war on drugs isn't being prosecuted for results because we can't afford the results of a real victory.

Again, though, if a FReeper economist could give me an indication as to what it might be like if the illegal drug trade ceased to exist completely, it would be greatly appreciated.

[Imal]

Victory is Just Around the Corner.

[OXENinFLA]

America is achieving historic successes in the war on drugs,

LOLOLOLOL!

[AmericanVictory]

This account makes the classic mistake of assuming that the factors it is concerned with are the reasons for the reduction in use when there are other factors not taken into account and not controlled for.

The most prominent one would be the absence of a leisure drug culture in positions of high office centered on the president and his pals such as Tyson. We will never know the full damage done by the Little Rock orgy and drugs culture that grew up around Clinton and his pals being plugged into the nation's highest offices with all of its defensive, lying accusations (i.e., it wasn't us because we lied about it being the Bush brothers so you would never look at us and then we used our power to make sure the FBI would never be able to use its background-checking power to find out the truth). But it is for sure the case that having George W. and Laura Bush in the White House and a president who actually believes rather than one who swings a Bible as a cover for BJ's with interns has done an enormous amount to reduce drug usage. Further, having a real enemy, an enemy that must be led against to be defeated, with such a President in charge, tends also to elimiinate the moral and spiritual vacuum that leads to much of the drug use contributes.

[Vigilantcitizen]

"Former Rep. Bob Barr (search), R-Ga., now a civil liberties advocate, said that on a recent visit to a small West Georgia police department, the chief showed off several shiny new M-16 rifles provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (search)."

Oh good. Now I feel safe from all the gang bangers with automatic weapons that roam the streets out here in rural west Georgia.

I wonder if the police will use their own ammo shooting those M-16's off duty at the chiefs spread while drinking up a few beers. (The chiefs nephew works with me and has a big, braggert mouth.)

[JohnGalt]

You forgot the "humor alert".

[jmc813]

WOD Ping

[AmericanVictory]

Then you must believe that Clinton's behavior had no effect upon them. Are you serious?