Every year the War on Drugs sends over a million people to prison for non-violent crimes, wastes billions of dollars, and perpetuates the cycle of violence in our cities.
Why is it still going on? And what can be done about it?
Five thousand current and former police officers have the answer and spell it out in this video.
“The guilt, regret, and introspection apparent in these former cops is striking — and admirable,” wrote Cato Institute policy analyst Radley Balko.
It’s time to admit the War on Drugs was bad policy then, is bad policy now, and needs to end, and the sooner the better, says Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.
Ending the War on Drugs would virtually eliminate the violence from our streets overnight, ending the shootouts between police and drug dealers, as well as wrongful police raids on innocent people, not only saving money but saving lives as well.
It would free our police to go after real violent criminals, such as murderers, rapists and the like. It would prevent people who have done nothing to harm anyone else from ever seeing the inside of a prison, where they don’t belong in the first place. And while legalization alone won’t undo all the damage to our country the War on Drugs has caused, it would be a very good start.
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Karl Marx would love the popular moves among politicians in various state governments and the federal government to ban so-called "junk" food in schools, and to "put healthy food in" convenience stores and on the tables of those they define as poor. It's a very elitist and arrogant mindset that promotes this ideology, and it needs to be addressed.
Ultimately, the war supporters in Congress prevailed in the vote on the resolution. Still, the vote was significant because it places every member of Congress on the record as supporting or not supporting the unconstitutional, costly, violent occupation of a country that never attacked us. This vote should serve as an important reminder to the American people of where their representatives really stand when it comes to policing the world, empire building, and war.
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Video published by this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Sampling+ license.
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Kevin Fields
Aug 21, 2006
You know, I’m reminded of an episode of “The District” where new Washington, DC police chief Jack Mannion is holding a meeting with precint heads examining drug bust data. One precint chief bustles with pride as it is reported that his precint has the most drug-related busts. His bubble is burst as Chief Mannion shows the deeper statistics – his offers are only making easy busts, catching only drug abusers making buys or in possession of drug paraphernalia, and virtually no arrests of drug dealers. The cycle of drug abuse and related crimes continued unfettered.
I think most law enforcenment organizations operate on this principle today. They’re not interested in trying to eliminate the sources of most crimes because if they did it would mean less positive press and less funding. That is, of course, assuming that they could overtake the enemy without taking a heavy casualty themselves. So busting drug abusers and those on the fringe continues.
And these days “The Powers That Be” are much more interested in making sure that criminals do hard time for their breaking the law. They give no concern, however, to ensuring that once the individual is released that they not return to their former ways and they become productive members of society. No concern that years locked away behind bars with no funding for drug treatment or teaching modern skills means that we have taken people caught up in desperate situations and release them into an even more desperate situation, further out of step with the rest of the society that they’re supposed to integrate back into.
You cannot win a war without eliminating the core.
Kevin Fields
Aug 21, 2006
In a related note: http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/12/1296.asp
Carrying large sums of cash is now sufficient evidence that you are involved in the drug trade, and the money can be confiscated and not returned even if the individual who possed the cash is neither convicted or even suspected of a crime.
Matt James
Aug 22, 2006
Would someone define “large?”
Michael Hampton
Aug 22, 2006
Large is whatever the hell they want it to be.
Kevin Fields
Aug 22, 2006
Well, looking over some past examples, it includes at least 5-figure sums, starting around $24,000. But I’m sure if I looked more, that figure would become even lower.
CFisher
Aug 22, 2006
Well, come on, I mean, the police do need the money to buy more military surplus for their war against American citizens, whereas that guy was just going to waste it starting a productive business.
Kevin Fields
Aug 22, 2006
How much money do they need? the government will give it away for pennies on the dollar?
Q
Aug 22, 2006
they forgot to mention, the reason for suspicion, is not having money, but having money and not being white.
CFisher
Aug 22, 2006
I was being sarcastic. It’s disgusting and outrageous that in a free country you can lose your property just because some cop wants it.
Land of the free… home of the Federalies that will take your life savings on a whim.
stuc
Aug 30, 2006
Did anyone ever hear about some of the cops early retirements, it’s a known thing with them, it’s simple, for instance, take the cop that retired two years after he joined THE FORCE, before he ever became a cop he knew he was going to retire early, it’s called go in, make as much money as you can in that two years and get out, the end, if drugs were legal that would cut wayyyyy down on their retirement cash. On top of that how do you expect THE AGENCIES to fund their underground stuff.
Linkage……..
Has anyone seen one of these in their neighborhood.
http://www.eyeball-series.org/dhs-truck.htm
Go ahead ExitTheMatrix
http://exitthematrix.dod.net/matrixmirror/index.html
“During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.” – George Orwell
A classic to me, make sure to check out vehicle surveillance 1 & 2, not a current website ( out of business ), if anyone wants to………… link it up………………………..
…. http://exitthematrix.dod.net/books/SpyCounterspy/
This is the original site address, http://www.spycounterspy.com/…… don,t even bother. Where is Lee Adams, find him.
susan 28
Sep 08, 2006
here’s a group that works closely with LEAP: www.stopthedrugwar.org has LEAP videos and other great literature and pubs as well as the online Drug War Chronicle newsletter. essential for the gives-a-damn crowd..