Endless Evil: The Drug War’s Continuing Collateral Damage, Part 1

Future of Freedom Foundation ^ | October 27, 2011 | Radley Balko

[bamahead]

In the 1970s, only a handful of police departments had SWAT teams, and they were deployed only a few hundred times per year across the entire country. That number soared to around 4,000 per year by the early 1980s, and to an incredible 50,000 per year by the mid 2000s. There are now 130–150 SWAT raids per day in America.



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[E. Pluribus Unum]

The only reason anyone would be against the War-on-Some-Drugs is because they are a closet-druggy.

</sarcasm>

[MileHi]

Folks will be along shortly to explain why all of that is a good thing.

[HiTech RedNeck]

It gets gnarlier yet when foreign (e.g. Mexico) narco gangs get involved in the picture.

I don’t recommend people use street drugs even if it’s possible to get them in a more or less legal manner. I believe that physicians should rightfully be involved with the administration of medicines that have serious side effects or which can be habit forming.

At some point, however, one has to wonder whether banning a particular medication outright — the dent that puts in its usage — is worth the unintended consequences in crime and in deadly Keystone Cop operations. Virtually all the crime goes out of the trade of a banned item once it is no longer banned.

[MrEdd]

It takes a hopelessly burnt out drug wasteoid not to be able to look at the entire history of mankind and realize that Governments have a natural pattern of usurping the rights of citizens.

Generally the excuses they use to do before they have the power for tyranny to sustain itself have been legitimate.

But if your mental.faculties are heavily damaged by the drugs you pump into your cranium, your reasoning ability becomes too feeble to comprehend this, even if you still possess good verbal skills.

Sad really.

[Ken H]

See my tagline. That is what will do in the twin pillars of the nanny/welfare state - the war on poverty and the war on drugs.

[FlingWingFlyer]

I will admit that having the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service create a SWAT team to raid Gibson guitar manufacturers is a little over the top. Holder is one wild and crazy guy.

[GeronL]

When a child dies of overdose, these people remain silent.

They sure cry tears for drug dealers though.

[the invisib1e hand]

right. drug war is evil, ergo legal sanction of drug use is good.

Prostitution, too, right?

A libertarian is a liberal without a conscience.

[Ken H]

So where does the Constitution delegate authority to fedgov to impose national prohibition, in your personal opinion?

[truthguy]

The 18th Amendment enacted Prohibition in 1920. So there was popular sentiment in the country to end the production and distribution of alcohol. Just 13 years later in 1933 Prohibition was repealed with the 21st Amendment. What is striking is that the people of the United States had the good sense to understand that Prohibition was a horrific mistake. Then they were able to do a quick 180 and rectify their foolish and dare a say stupid mistake.

Fast Forward a few decades. We have had this war on drugs for about 50 years (more or less) and the results have also been horrific. The damage has been noted and is ongoing. But the American Public just doesn't have the good sense today in 2011 as we had in 1933. It's one thing to make a mistake. It's another thing to correct a mistake (and quickly). But to go on with this insane Drug War as we have is essentially madness. Now I know drugs are different from alcohol. But the types of people who destroy themselves with drugs are gonna find another way to do it even if we could keep drugs away from them.

End the madness!

[the invisib1e hand]

So where does the Constitution delegate authority to fedgov to impose national prohibition, in your personal opinion?

Non sequitir.

[logician2u]

Thanks for posting this devastating article. I wish I could say it might change some minds here, but I suspect not. You'll notice that the keyword vandals have already been here, with more of their kind likely to follow.

The drug war will end only when the nation can no longer afford it, just as the other wars will end when we're bankrupt. Common sense is all too uncommon among the political classes.

[coloradan]

A drug warrior is a nazi, except without a conscience.

[KEVLAR]

End it? No, they will kick it up a notch or two.

Armed SWAT “surveillance” drones will be the next step.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2799979/posts

Taking big brother to a whole new level.

[Ken H]

Look what I just found...

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

______________________________________

So where, in your opinion, does the Constitution delegate to fedgov the power to impose national prohibition?

[bamahead]

A drug warrior is a nazi, except without a conscience.

One who tacitly approves the senseless murder of pastors and missionaries by his jackbooted heroes too I might add.

Not to mention our veterans:

Arizona SWAT Team Defends Shooting Iraq Vet 60 Times
A Tucson, Ariz., SWAT team defends shooting an Iraq War veteran 60 times during a drug raid, although it declines to say whether it found any drugs in the house and has had to retract its claim that the veteran shot first.

The brainless cynicism truly shows only love for authority...not liberty.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

When a child dies of overdose, these people remain silent.

All indications are that the WOSD has increased the trafficking and abuse of drugs.

[Charlespg]

were does it all end though ? you all ready have stuff Salvia divinorum which was the big bugaboo a few years back ,plus what they call bath salts now.they will aways be people looking for a way to get high

legitimize the stuff and just have severe penalties for drug related crimes