Pubdate: Mon, 28 Oct 2002
Source: Florida Today (FL)
Copyright: 2002 Florida Today
Contact: http://www.floridatoday.com/forms/services/letters.htm
Website: http://www.flatoday.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/532
Author: Alan Randell, Victoria B.C., Canada

NEWS MEDIA BACK WAR ON DRUGS

In response to the Oct. 12 article headlined "Busts of meth labs up in 
Florida, but not Brevard," I ask why Florida Today is so desperate for 
material that it acts like the "house organ" for the police?

Is the newspaper so far in the pocket of the local cops that it steers away 
from any analysis of the information they give?

Nearly all the harm inflicted upon us by illegal drugs is caused not by the 
drugs themselves, but by the fact they are prohibited.

Besides, if we prohibit drugs because they are harmful, why don't we 
prohibit alcohol and tobacco?

The unstated purpose of the war on drugs is to grant a measure of vicarious 
pleasure to the majority by persecuting an innocent minority.

If Congress decided to pass a law requiring the incarceration of all Jews, 
would the newspaper distribute, without comment, government propaganda in 
support of such a law?

No, of course not.

Then why does the newspaper do this for our drug laws, which are no more 
acceptable than Hitler's policies towards the Jews?

When I read tripe like this, I begin to wonder if our world would have been 
a much better place if newspapers and TV news had never been invented.

Sadly, once you have the news media behind you, you really can fool nearly 
all the people, all the time.
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MAP posted-by: Beth