Dead-End Wars

False premises

My daily morning read is the Washington Post.....today there was an article entitled "Drug-Free Zones Off-Target, Group Says". Its always interesting to see what releases from which thinktanks and advocacy groups the Post deems newsworthy. The point of the study was that harsher penalties for illegal drug selling around schools has effected a greater proportion of minorities than arrests not school-zone related (no surprise here as urban density is greater thus school density is greater. And of course a greater percentage of minorities live in cities than not).

So failed War Number One is the drugwar. When both liberals and conservatives agree on a public policy issue it is usually a good idea to re-evaluate that policy. Which brings us to Failed War Number Two; the war in Iraq (when actually did this become a war? I thought it was nation-building, at least it has the right nomenclature now). And again both "sides" are saying its now time to re-evaluate our Iraq policy as well.

Both of these Wars have false premises. People will use drugs no matter what the law is. So its a bad law. Drugs only harm the user (like alcohol), so the government is not protecting anyone from harm, just spending money needlessly and limiting freedoms. And destroying generations of our inner-city youth. The Bush Doctrine of pre-emptive strikes abroad is also a false premise. What happened to do no harm? And minding your own business? These are the ideals on which our country was founded, as reaction against empire not more of the same. Again our war machine is killing poor youth, set-up by misfounded incentives for lack of better opportunity. When will they ever learn?