Pubdate: Sat, 05 May 2001
Source: Herald, The (WA)
Copyright: 2001 The Daily Herald Co
Contact:  http://www.heraldnet.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/190
Author: Brad Ashforth, Snohomish, WA

PERUVIAN INCIDENT

Blame Falls Squarely On The Failed War On Drugs

The Peruvian air force or drug traffickers are not to blame for the tragic 
incident that killed a Baptist missionary and her child - the blame falls 
squarely on the U.S. government's lethal, destructive (and failed) war on 
drugs.

Our representatives in government (politicians) are just as responsible for 
the death of these innocent people as surely as if they had shot them down 
themselves. American politicians created and funded the programs that waste 
our tax money on a failed program (instead of helping those who need the 
money, including Joe Taxpayer). They force their views upon other sovereign 
nations in the form of blackmail. Now these same politicians must be held 
accountable for the deaths of a Christian missionary and her daughter - no 
matter how frantically they try to blame someone else.

I saw a quote from the Libertarian Party, of which I am a proud member:

"We don't need a detective to figure out who's to blame for this senseless 
murder, all we need to do is look at U.S. House and Senate voting records."

"A very successful policy" are words attributed to Senator Lincoln Chafee 
of Rhode Island, when discussing the shoot-first, ask-questions-later 
policy that resulted in the murder of these two innocent people. How can he 
justify that statement? In my opinion, our government's priorities are 
wrong. What's more unfortunate to me, I believe that what will be 
successful is the way our representatives will weasel out of their share of 
the responsibility for their actions (and inaction, to end the war on drugs).

Brad Ashforth
Snohomish, WA
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MAP posted-by: Beth