Followers

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Addiction

Good morning, Class: Okay, so here's the deal. Joe Biden said, within the last news cycle, that Afghanistan is getting worse, not better. I agree, completely. How do we solve this problem. A.) We shift troops from Iraq to Afghanistan and use all of the tactics that haven't worked there to the same effect--and, btw, afford the MujahideenAlqueTaliban in Pakistan a terrific recruiting inducement. B.) We kill all of 'em--all the sortabrowns, and let GOD sort them out. C.) We try using our heads. The taliban are very, very nasty people. They are just as nasty as were the Iriquois, the Mohicans, the French and the English (along with their new colonists) in the King Phillip and Revolutionary wars. They're fighting for something that a lot of them believe in--and the ones that don't are probably the top commanders who are your usual messianic, nationalist nutjobs. The taliban have instituted Sharia law wherever they are in control and it is pretty grim living under such a "legal" regime. They outlaw most music and dancing, women being seen in public--without a burqa--and all liguor and drugs. In fact, in areas they've taken over, which include some pretty notorious poppy growing areas, they have eradicated that agriculture and replaced it with the growing of food crops. Oh, what's that I hear? They haven't done that, exactly? Oh, that's right. They initially outlawed all poppy cultivation and processing until they found out that it was a lot better way, than holding flatbread bake sales, to raise money for buying arms and ammo. But why would they do that, don't they know that drugs kill people and cause untold misery? Well, yes, they do. In fact they count on it. See, they know that some Afghans will do drugs (they can be beheaded when necessary--or convenient) but the bulk of their drugs go to other countries and a lot of them wind up here in the USA, USA, USA!!! Due to our War On Drugs, which has even less to do with reality than our War Against Iraqis Who Had Fuck All To Do With 9/11, the street price for good smack is much higher than it used to be. Therefor they get double the bang for the buck. They generate a lot of cash to buy nice things like swords, AK's, RPG's and IED's (not to mention some "weapons grade" plutonium, if the intelligence guys are to be believed) and they get to fuck up our society and create a tremendous strain on already strapped healthcare resources, social services agencies and the legal system. Howsabout we try something really whack, here? I'm just spitballing, mind you; but what if we just decriminalized drugs and treated drug abuse like, oh, I don't know, alcoholism? We could make the drugs which are currently expensive and often very dangerous (no QA to speak of) and untaxed into a product that is safe, reasonably priced and a revenue enhancer. Now, I know that some of you are going to say, "Well, if we legalize drugs like that, everyone will turn into drug-crazed zombies who will steal, rape and kill for their next "fix""! Regrettably that is very true. Addictive, intoxicating substances ALWAYS cause that sort of behavior. Why, I can't even have a couplea brewskis without wanting to off my neighbors, murder their kids and rape their wives--never mind what might happen if I drink a little vino, do a shooter of herradura or smoke a ciggie. It's frikkin' scary what drugs do to folks. Of course the other thing is that, even if you make drugs cheap, legal and safe; the junkies will still want to score their drugs illegally because they're just scum and that's the way they like it. But, damn it, I think it's time we just said the hell with it and cast caution to the winds. I think it's time we started placing more emphasis on fighting the War Against the Drug Profiteers. Whoopsie, I hope that didn't sound like I have an axe to grind with Big Pharma or anything like that. Now, if we can only convince Joe B. that punitive measures against users and street level dealers are a COMPLETE FUCKING WASTE OF TIME AND RESOURCES then perhaps we can get on with doing something positive. I'm not holding my breath.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Demo, you say “complete fucking waste of time and resources” like it’s a bad thing. How do you think I make a living.

Anywho, I’m all for legalizing things – especially pot. I wish I could recall which comedian it was who said something like, “Nobody every gets high and goes and robs a liquor store. If anything, they get high and forget to go rob a liquor store …” Or words to that effect.

On a personal note, one of my brothers just spent the last several months battling lung cancer (mercifully, he’s cancer-free at the moment), but I will say this: People who oppose legalizing medical marijuana might just wanna stay the fuck away from me these days. ’Cuz I saw what it’s like to deal with chemo and radiation without the benefit of a little weed now and again, and it is, in a word, inhuman to make people go through that. In-fucking-human.

the Rev Jerry Gloryhole said...

If it's a War on Drugs, let's bomb Philip Morris.

I was musing the other day, it was, on the hypocrisy of the War on Drugs being waged by citizens high on coffee, cigs, sugar, blood pressure meds, Xanax, aspirin, beer, and on and on...I mean, really. Kids watching tv get a stream of heavenly blue ads pushing drugs that don't even say what they're supposed to combat.
Oh, wait. I'm a Reverend.
Are communion wafers a drug?

knowdoubt said...

I spent vacations in Pakistan and traveled thru the Khyber pass to Afghanistan during the early eighties. Both countries and their populations are very aware of the hypocrisy involved in our "war on Drugs."

The whole thing is absurd and no doubt the drug kingpins have their lobbyists in Washington filling our representatives coffers and ensuring their enormous profits which depend on us keeping drugs illegal. Their wealth is greater than that of the countries they inhabit and capable of corrupting whole countries like Mexico.

The DEA and our drug policies are one huge failed delusion costing the country a fortune while at the same time we're going bankrupt. The medicinal uses for combating the side effects of chemo is another huge benefit being denied sick people and I lay it along with some other things at the feet of the born again evangelicals amongst others. I was just trying to talk reason to one today bemoaning the abortion performed on the nine year old girl and mourning the two innocent babies lost. Can't grasp that bearing children is life threatening for nine and twelve year old girls. It makes me want to spit and this guy is a public school teacher encouraging twelve year old girls to have babies when they get pregnant. Did I digress there?

Anonymous said...

I'm a boring square ass lamo but I totally agree - Legalize it. And legalize Prostitution too. But not together or a joint won't be the only thing to get rolled.

democommie said...

Knowdoubt & Heartbreaktown:

I will be putting up a post on my travels, soon. In the meantime, thanks for your comments.

The WOD is a clusterfuck that enriches so many, on both sides, of the lines that it is difficult to know who benefits more by it's continued conduct. It is, of coure, quite easy to see those who are ruined by it.

Anonymous said...

I think, as a general principle, we must stop declaring war on nouns. Y’ know, War on DrugsWar on Terror … Anytime our Robot Overlords declare war on a noun, it means (a) the thing they’ve declared war on will get worse, insteada better; and (2) they will waste every last nickel in the federal treasury, leaving the country, metaphorically speaking, sans a pot to piss in.

If I were President, I think I’d declare war on pork chops. Not that I have anything against pork chops, mind you. It’s just that a war on pork chops would probably be more effective than wars on drugs, terror, pornography, whatever …

solerso said...

The chucklebut tone of the post and most of the responses is fun and all, but consider the cost the WOD against this 1 piece of info.in the late 19th century, when EVERYTHING was legal including Heroin,etc.,the national addiction rate ran about 1.5%. TOO HIGH! said they, and criminalized use and possesion. in the early 70's the addiction rate was was running about 1.5%. TOO HIGH so nixon declared the WOD. after trillions,of dollars millions of wrecked lives and the virtual shredding of the bill of rights, the addiction rate runs? about 2.1%...see! the WOD DID make a difference.

knowdoubt said...

I lean toward a war on cows. The government needs to over a meaningful substitute and we need to be at war on something. What would we do if we weren't, take away the all those war powers that the government enjoys like reading your email, listening to your phone calls, searching your homes without a warrant or a knock? I think a more credible substitute would be cows, they are known to give off more methane than pigs and I've quit eating beef, anyway.

Anonymous said...

Demo, thought you might find this interesting: Rick Steves, the PBS travel guy, offers his view of U.S. marijuana laws:

“The fact is, the marijuana law in the U.S. is a big lie. It’s racist and classist. White rich people can smoke marijuana with impunity and poor black people get a record, can’t get education, can’t get a loan, and all of sudden go into a life of desperation and become hardened criminals. Why? Because we’ve got a racist law based on lies about marijuana.”

Whoa!