Pubdate: Wed, 12 Mar 2008
Source: Hudson Valley Press, The (NY)
Copyright: 2008 The Hudson Valley Press
Contact:  http://www.hvpress.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4638
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n203/a04.html
Author: Kirk Muse

THOUGHTS ABOUT "THE DRUG WAR ON AFRICAN-AMERICANS"

Dear editor:

I'm writing about George Curry's thoughtful column: "The Drug War on
African-Americans" (2-20-08). The so-called war on drugs is going as
planned.

The United States is the most incarcerated nation on the planet and in
history. Thanks primarily to our counter-productive war on drugs,
which is actually a war on (politically selected) people.

And black people are the (politically-selected) people. White people
arrested and imprisoned in the drug war are just "collateral damage."

H. R. Haldeman, President Nixon's Chief of Staff, wrote in his
diary:

"(President Nixon) emphasized that you have to face the fact that the
whole problem is really the blacks. The key is to devise a system that
recognizes this while not appearing to."

Our war on some (politically-selected) drugs has been an ideal system
of going after the blacks without appearing to do so.

Today's racists aren't using fire hoses or ax handles. They're using
the war on drugs.

Where is the outrage? Until there is massive outrage--nothing will
change.

Kirk Muse
- ---
MAP posted-by: Richard Lake