Pubdate: Wed, 08 May 2002 Source: Macon Telegraph (GA) Copyright: 2002 The Macon Telegraph Publishing Company Contact: http://www.macontelegraph.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/667 Author: Myron Von Hollingsworth DRUG WAR JUST A SHAM Truth to tell, the drug police, politicians, officials, media and civilians (secretly) don't list victory as an objective in their expensive and oppressive trillion-dollar war. When they do spout their "zero tolerance/total victory" rhetoric, how many of your readers actually believe them? Just remember that the drug czars' jobs depend on perpetual prosecution-but never on victory. Politicians depend on the drug war and its rhetoric to scare up votes (by scaring voters). The politicians also rely on the drug war to sustain their constituent industries and institutions that depend on the economics of prohibition in order to make generous profits and campaign contributions. Remember what H.L. Mencken said: "The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." Myron Von Hollingsworth Fort Worth, Texas - --- MAP posted-by: Alex