Posted on 02/17/2008 12:37:20 PM PST by goorala
The Republican Party is crumbling. They lost congress in 2006 and will lose more ground in 2008 because they offer nothing new, nothing original, and nothing positive. We have seen the party of entrepreneurship, small government, and personal freedom become the party of fear, war, and police power. After the party leaders mocked, sneered, and cackled at those of us who believe in a limited constitutional republic, they now ask us to hold our nose and support John McCain.
(FYI - I was involved in the Republican Party for almost 20 years):
John McCain recently said the U.S. Government should step up the drug war. This is indicative of why the Republican Party is crumbling, they don’t think things through and smart people are catching on.
I don’t care if you are on the right or the left, rich or poor, Christian or Atheist, black or white, if you value your personal freedom, it is time to stand together and question these people.
I have readers asking me why I won’t tow the Republican party line, and support John McCain. I’ll tell you why. I don’t agree with John McCain on much of anything. One of those disagreements is the about the drug war.
We’ve had almost 40 years of failed drug policy. In the past, when it was clear our efforts were failing, the politician’s solution was to escalate the war, increase police powers, and further restrict individual liberty. We’ve seen this pattern repeated for decades… escalate the war, the problems grows, react with more escalation, the problem continues to grow, react again, more escalation…
And now the Republican front-runner tells us, once again, that we need more of what hasn’t worked. Isn’t that insanity defined?
The modern war on drugs officially started in the late 60s. The results are in: Abject failure.
Whenever an elected official uses the word war, pay attention, because freedom is the first casualty of war. During the US Civil War, Lincoln suspended Habeas Corpus for the ‘common good.’ After the war ended, it was restored. During the First and Second World Wars, the government suspended almost every personal and economic liberty. After the wars ended, most of our rights were restored.
Those wars had clear beginnings and ends, but today we have wars which never end. How do we win the war on drugs? How do we win the war on terror?
Meanwhile our leaders tell us we must accept every new encroachment on our personal freedom, because it serves a greater public good. Where will this end? How much freedom are we willing to sacrifice for safety? Why isn’t anyone in power asking these questions?
Right now we have over 2 million people incarcerated in the US, more than any other nation in the world including Russia and China. How many people are we willing to incarcerate to win the war on drugs? 4 million? 10 million? 20 million? We are fast approaching a point when we will imprison more people than Stalin or Pol Pot.
And how much money are we willing to spend? 100 billion? a trillion? 10 trillion? Are we willing to go bankrupt because we are too stubborn to accept that there might be a better solution?
In Stillwater Minnesota, in the late 1980s, the US Federal Government seized a family home because a fifteen year old boy sold a hit of acid to a friend in his basement bedroom. This was a kid, not a kingpin. His parents worked their entire lives to pay for that home, and while suffering the anguish of their teenage son’s drug abuse, the government showed its compassion by stealing their home. Back in the day, it was big news, because this gross abuse of power was new. Most people knew it was insane, but they did nothing, and today property seizures have become so common the news doesn’t even report them.
The drug war and the war on terror are stripping us of our civil liberties, and when we protest, politicians like McCain sneer and call us dangerous and crazy. You know what’s dangerous and crazy? Quietly accepting a government which steals from it citizens.
There are five high level steps for planning and executing anything:
With the war on drugs, the US government skipped step #2, #3, and #4 and went straight to #5.
Like this:
1. Drugs appear to be hurting some people. We have a moral responsibility to do something.
5. Police action
And when these actions didn’t create the desired result, did they regroup and brainstorm? No, they pushed for more of the same. If you listen to John McCain you’d think we are failing because we haven’t imprisoned or killed enough people.
What is McCain’s vision for the war on drugs? Does anyone know what desired outcome would look like? Is it a world without drugs? Is that realistic? If so, is it a world without every drug or just some drugs? Who will decide which drugs to eliminate from our lives, us as individuals or a committee in Washington? Maybe his desired outcome is a world without drug users? Or a world where every drug user is locked in a cage? Mao would be proud.
My vision is a day when drug and alcohol use is treated as a potential health issue and not a moral failing.
On a closely related note… Some of my Republican readers can’t understand why I’ve said that Barack Obama may be preferable to McCain.
I’ll tell you why…
The Republican leadership hasn’t adopted a new idea in almost 30 years, and John McCain is the problem personified. He himself said he doesn’t know much about economics and economic policy is the only reason I’d vote for a Republican. I lean libertarian, and McCain fails every test of personal liberty. I can’t think of a single reason to vote for him.
I’m simply warning the mainstream Republicans that they are losing the libertarian wing of the party and it may lead to an Obama victory in November. I have not ruled out voting for Obama. I have ruled out voting for McCain and so has almost every other libertarian leaning voter I’ve met.
I am a delegate to the local Republican convention, and I will support Ron Paul, but don’t kid yourself, he isn’t going to win the nomination. Mark my words… when the national convention comes to Saint Paul, the Republican elites won’t even let Ron Paul speak and I predict that Ron Paul signs won’t be allowed inside the event. Ron Paul supporters will be fenced in outdoors blocks away with all the other protesters in the ‘free speech cage.’
I can’t believe I’m saying this, I abhor socialism, but right now, Obama seems to be our best hope for a positive outcome in the ‘08 presidential race. Let’s hope it leads to open minds and better ideas in 2012.
Thanks for reading,
Every time I try to wash my hands of politics, it just gets more interesting.
Don’t forget to subscribe to this feed. I’ve got some fun surprises in store.
Universal health care is not a libertarian idea, unless you are Ron Paul.
MR. PAUL: The president ran on a program of a humble foreign policy, no nation-building, and no policing of the world. And he changed his tune, and now we are fighting a war, and our foreign operations around the world to maintain our empire is now approaching $1 trillion a year.
MR. BLITZER: Thank you.
MR. PAUL: That’s where the money’s going, and that’s where it has to be cut so we can take care of education and medical cares that are needed here in this country. (Applause.)
I’m leaving the Republican party after my state’s primary. I haven’t decided whether to go Independent or Libertarian. I want the government to stay the hell out of my business and pocketbook, so maybe I’m leaning more toward Libertarian.
At this point, I’ve decided to vote for Ron Paul in the primary. I will never vote for John McCain.
Open borders and abortion... note the “Big L Libertarianism” as opposed to small l.
This is nothing but self promotion from the fool that wrote this.
Legalization of dope again. Meanwhile, tobacco smokers are demonized and harrassed each and every day.
I think what he was saying is that if we didn’t waste our treasure arming/supporting and then invading other countries (the Jack Palance/Wilson of foreign policy), we could think about social programs. At least that’s what it sounded like to me... then again Ron Paul in a soundbyte debate is like Johnny Unitas in a homerun derby.
“We have seen the party of entrepreneurship, small government, and personal freedom become the party of fear, war, and police power.”
Its distressing to witness conservatives give praise to the practice of torture by US servicemen and the removal of habeus corpus rights for US citizens. The Bush bots will one day rue that mindset. Till then, they’ll just oooh and aah on the daily dose threads.
And he's right. In debate after debate, he warned that the GOP was shrinking.
The Republican Party is about to get annihilated this Fall. That's why a lot of Republican Congressmen aren't running for re-election. The writing's on the wall.
What exactly does this Einstein believe constitutes free markets?
WHO IS JOHN MCCAIN, AND WHAT IS HE DOING TO THE REPUBLICAN PARTY?
Obama is drawing crowds of 20,000 plus.The war is popular here at FR. Out in the world nearly 7 of 10 Americans oppose it.
Democrats are showing up to vote 3-1 over Republicans.
iacta alea est
The die is cast.
The neoconservatives will be repudiated this election.
They learned nothing from the elections of 2006....
They can keep the Republican Party.
They won't be able to do much with it though.
“Universal health care is not a libertarian idea, unless you are Ron Paul.”
He never once mentioned Universal health care. Those are your words. Are you aware that our VA is horribly underfunded? Are you?
I think Ron Paul would be supported, even by me, if his foreign policy beliefs weren’t so isolationist.
I predict that the Republican Party will fare better than Free Republic. I predict that this site will end up as a backwater sanctuary for a bunch of drug-addled sour-pusses bitching and moaning that we’re all doomed because we don’t accept Ron Paul as our Lord and Savior.
whaaaa? wtf are the democrats selling? I mean, before they changed the name of it into "hope and change?"
“He believes the 2nd amendment guarantees the individual the right to own firearms”
The author might want to re-think this one. Obama thinks that individuals do have a right to own firearms; but that governments can also impose basically any restrictions on the right that they decide is fitting, up to and including outright bans on gun ownership.
With double-speak like that it kinda makes you wonder if the Obamanation understands the meaning of basic words.
You forgot that Obama is a Constitutional scholar and actually taught Constitutional law.
I doubt McCain would know the difference between the Constitution and Charmin. The Constitution would only be an obstacle to overcome.
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