Browsing while the busts started - Two busts on my block tonight

The sound of a grenade is not something one is exposed to on a daily basis. I heard my first one earlier this evening as I browsed the web. I opened my front door to investigate and found my block covered in red and blue lights and well armed policemen.

Mostly hovering a few doors down, a major drug bust was happening. I put on a pot of coffee and went outside to peruse the goings on. Swat had been called in and enough squad cars to effectively shut down the entire block. The words "Search warrant for 1010" rang out over the police P.A. for about 5 minutes while the home was surrounded and subsequently invaded.

I stood on my lawn for a while just watching. In the night air, I found it necessary to go after my jacket, smokes and some of the fresh brewed coffee that I was sure was ready by this time. Neighbors gathered in my yard and we chatted with the officer standing perimeter nearby. You've never seen people so happy to see police doing their job, nor officers happy enough to be doing it.

This neighborhood and my street in particular has had a great deal of traffic for a 'quiet' part of town. It appears quiet to the unknowing. But when the traffic begins, people stay inside. A neighbor's boy had been shot in his own yard then dragged in his house and robbed some time ago. "They come to your door, knock, put a gun in your face and rob you" one neighbor stated. "Everyone's afraid. It's good they're doing this.."

The effects were immediately noteable. Others on the block stood complaining and perhaps wondering when the explosion at their door would come - followed by the serving of a warrant. One can hope it will be sooner than they can prepare for. The police were professional and handled the situation well. A force to be proud of.

It was a drug bust. I was a spectator rather than a journalist; so, I didn't get the numbers, merely the reaction and the general view. And I made a friend. I talked for a while with an officer on the street and found we knew some of the same people. We graduated two years apart and from the same school. This is a guy not even working narcotics - just there to lend a hand. And did a good job IMO.

As swat prepared to leave, vehicles that regularly visited our street only for a few minutes at a time rolled up on the scene, did abrupt u-turns and sped off. Time to go finish dinner.

As I sat at my computer once again trying to enjoy my steak, "Booom". Another concussion grenaide. Hooaah. I put my contacts back in, got my gear back on and found my new friend standing perimeter again. A few more houses down, the floor was littered with bodies in cuffs face down on the floor while swat secured the location and detectives moved in. Nice time to chat and get to know the officer better. Great guy - hope I see him again when I can buy him a cup of joe. He turned down fresh brewed at about 10:30 - "I gotta sleep sometime tonight," he grinned. understandable.

The scene has cleared now and no shots fired - no injuries other than prides of those who have dealt drugs and terror to the neighborhood seemingly without challenge up to now. They aren't the only ones and I doubt they'll be the last. I know little of the goings on other than instincts and what I've heard from the neighbors. Tonight I learned more about my surroundings than I thought I could in 4 hours. And I reinforced my understanding of just how screwed in the head libertarians are on this subject. They see a "harmless drug" and discount the damage done by those who push them. But then, one defends what one generally likes despite the protestations that they don't use.

Because of the actions of a lot of cops just doing their duty, a lot of good people are breathing and sleeping easier tonight. Hats off to KPD! The war on drugs came to my street tonight. And I'm glad it was here - though I'm sure some will attempt to disposess me of the notion that these druggies are bad. The real bad guys are the boys in blue, they'd proffer. Patent nonsense, the real bad guys are the druggies and those who enable them and rally to their cause. I wonder how many libertarians and democrats went to jail tonight.. I too will rest easy.

< generic chance rant >

I think what the problem is that many have with the WOD is based in a much deeper fear of the government and it's powers. I know that seems almost obvious, but it explains the force with which the subject matter is discussed here.

Criminals are made by laws stretching out along deeper lines than what many feel they should be, to wit - rape, as you mentioned, is illegal, but viewing movies with rape in them (or porn in general is not). If we link those things with rape than we might also seek to outlaw them as well, making a whole new breed of criminals (and many millions more).

Given that people tend to think the violence and problems that come from drugs are related to their being illegal, not the drugs themselves. Since doing them already makes one a criminal they might as well rob and murder while they are at it. Is the consequence of the law what leads to these things? That is a question to investigate.

Now overall, people are responsible for the actions they do. That does not however preclude us from examining why some people do and others don't do things which lead to illegal activities. The simple underlying fact is that some people will do something whether it is legal or not - which we already knew, but in some cases those people make up a large population. Like speeding or not wearing a seatbelt versus murder and kidnapping, a few will murder, many many more will speed. It is more logical to put restrictions on the few for the evil crimes than on the many for not wearing their seat belts. (and a note on the speeding thing, not saying the laws are bad, but they are almost impossible to apply to all those that break the law, you simply cannot catch them [yet, that is being fixed with black boxes as I posted earlier] - but it does make speeders criminals, much like the avg pot head is one - but only if caught of course).

The idea behind making an activity punishable by law is that the activity is a menace to society if it is not somehow restricted or discouraged. It may not always be bad (like speeding) but on the whole it has been found to cause problems.

Drugs. Now we have to wonder, do they, or would they, cause a greater harm to society being legal than illegal? What is the cost to soceity as a whole - but that question is, alas, a loaded one. If we stretch it out forever, than we might as well give up all our rights. What should be looked at is short term effects (like murder, as soon as you do it the effect of it is felt on society, plus those effects last for all affected by the crime).

Are there short term effects which can endanger the safety and well being of society in general from drugs? We look at alcohol for the answer. A few beers or so and most people are ok, so we allow alcohol. If you do something while under the effects of alcohol you can be charged with a crime, because the effects can be immediate (eg driving, flying, and so on).

But we do not ban the consumption of it, we will punish deeds done while under it's effects though. So what is different with drugs? One might argue (and would be well to do so) that most the drugs out there today put you at a point where your ability to logically function and reason is degraded to a point that it is equal to a load of beer. ie, it like alcohol in a pill (or a pipe) that is X times stronger.

Is that true with pot? I have no idea, I have never smoked it to be honest, just never cared to. I am sure some here could discuss what the effects are on them though when they do. I do know, from direct experience as a deputy, that many drugs have a serious effect on the mind and people lose control. I have seen people who had no idea where they were, and they were like that for hours (and many were very violent and needed restrained). I for one don't want drugs which do that to be legal, I don't want my neighbor going insane on something simply because he was not responsible enough to have a grip on reality. It is a danger to people.

All that said though, I still am not sure about SOME drugs, like pot. I am not expert on it. I do smoke Marlboros and camels though :) And as far as drinking I like a glass of wine here and there. The government has a vested interest in controlling some things, but the more we let them control the less freedoms we have. As we give in more and more to 'it is better for you and for society' we lose more and more.

We need to keep things simple, but the more liberals and lawyers involved the more people are willing to cave. As far as the WOD, my opinion is quite simple. If the government wanted to put a crimp in it they could have long ago. More people die from drugs flowing into our country than in any terrorist attack, yet old Uncle Sam has not went hard core after foreign suppliers. Nor have they tried to stop illegals from getting in here. I would rather they spend my taxes and resources cutting things off from the source than going after our own people - yet they refuse to dry up the major suppliers. And until they do so I hold them as responsible for the drug problems in this country as I do anyone else.

The WOD created a black market, the same as happened with prohibition. It wasn't the "users" who were killing people; it was the ones who profitted by the selling of an illegal product to the users. From all that I have read, marijuana is no different from alcohol, except that marijuana users become more laid back and are less inclined to violence, unlike many who get drunk on alcohol, who beat their wives or children. And marijuana is not a spiral drug, wherein one has to use more or something stronger to get the same high as before.

I don't know if legalizing selective drugs -- with restrictions similar to those of alcohol -- is the answer, but I do know that our current WOD has done little more than create a black market that is a repeat of the years of prohibition. If nothing else, marijuana should at least be decriminalized.

And before you flame me with an attempt to discount my views, please know that I have never smoked marijuana or experimented with any other drugs.

And BTW, I am glad that you and your neighborhood are more safe.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.