-Caveat Lector- ----Original Message Follows---- From: Colombian Labor Monitor <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: undisclosed-recipients:; Subject: Colombia & the "Drug War": Reconsidering Prohibition Date: Wed, 29 Sep 1999 16:40:32 -0500 (CDT) [NOTE: Stanley Crouch is a right-wing commentator that, while ill-informed on Colombia, has some interesting arguments and colorful images in his commentary. -DG] Monday, 27 September 1999 ************** * COMMENTARY * ************** The drug war is being lost -------------------------- By Stanley Crouch THERE is a very big story brewing concerning the nation of Colombia and the need for this nation to reconsider the legalization of drugs. Because of what is happening in Colombia, we have a chance to rethink our drug policies and make some brave national decisions that could bring the nation out of the hole illegal drugs has pulled it into. We are edging closer and closer to military involvement in Colombia. That is happening because the drug dealers there have made so many billions of dollars that they are able to finance armies on both the right and the left to protect their product. The product constitutes somewhere between a quarter and half the cocaine sold in the shadow world of U.S. crime. This is something that has no precedent in modern society. What does have a precedent is America's stumbling and bumbling its way into a situation that cannot be settled easily. The situation is the result of a long history of troubles that have embittered the people of Colombia to such an extent that all the corruption works in favor of the drug dealers, men who have shown they are willing to murder anyone who threatens them. White House drug policy adviser Barry McCaffrey adamantly opposes drug legalization. He thinks we can win the war on drugs. But he does not understand that our propping up the government of Colombia with $ 550 million in military aid will not do the job at all because the drug dealers will outspend us. In fact, they probably have already. Leftist rebels control half the nation. Now the rebels have cut a deal with the dope dealers just as members of Colombia's right wing did earlier and are being paid to guard the dealers while battling the government. If we get into this mess, somebody's bird is going to be cooked, and I don't doubt that the American eagle will be on the menu, with Vietnamese spices and dressing. The war on drugs cannot be won on the U.S. end of the traffic, either. There is just too much money out there. When one person goes down, others immediately rush to take his or her place. Police departments have to fight the internal corruption wrought by drug-money bribes. Lower-income communities have to suffer the dangers that go with young people seeking out swift riches in a business where life is cheap and terror expansive. Drugs need to be legalized, privatized and taxed. That would bring plenty of legal money into society and provide enough funding for rehabilitation. What happened with liquor should happen with dope. Just as the nation didn't become a land of hopeless alcoholics with the end of Prohibition, it will not become one of helpless drug addicts. That goes against human nature. It will take substantial courage on the part of Bill Clinton or George W. Bush or Bill Bradley or Al Gore or whoever finally steps before the microphone to talk about all this. But there has never been a better opportunity than now, because we can so easily see that continuing the war on drugs by trying to stop imports just isn't working. Of course, if drugs were legalized in order to destroy their business, those Colombian drug billionaires would know what to do. First, they would finance lobbyists to oppose the legalization. After they lost, they would go on to do what all robber barons have done. In their case, they could buy plenty of stock in pharmaceutical companies. 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