If the Drug War is so Great, How Come You Don’t Wanna Talk About it?
Total chaos has erupted in El Paso, TX following a city council resolution calling for an open dialogue about drug legalization. The mayor promptly vetoed it, and lots of angry people are talking about how we shouldn’t talk about this.
To understand how little it takes to drive drug war supporters completely insane, watch El Paso City Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s impressively reasonable argument for a dialogue on our drug policy. All he’s saying is that we should talk about drug policy options and try to address ongoing problems. And to that, the mayor replied…VETO!
Here is the totality of El Paso Mayor John Cook’s argument for not talking about drug legalization:
If this sounds familiar, it’s because enemies of the drug war debate have been insisting for years that there’s nothing to talk about. It’s weird too because if they’re so sure Congress will never do it, then there’s really no good reason to obstruct the conversation. What are they afraid of?
Of course, the downside of claiming a monopoly on reality and refusing to debate is that you look like an idiot. And that’s exactly what appears to be happening here, as the mayor’s allies are refusing to back his veto and the council is pushing for an override.
So all we have to do is win the debate over whether or not to have a debate, and we can finally get around to debating. I can't wait.
To understand how little it takes to drive drug war supporters completely insane, watch El Paso City Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s impressively reasonable argument for a dialogue on our drug policy. All he’s saying is that we should talk about drug policy options and try to address ongoing problems. And to that, the mayor replied…VETO!
Here is the totality of El Paso Mayor John Cook’s argument for not talking about drug legalization:
"It is not realistic to believe that the U.S. Congress will seriously consider any broad-based debate on the legalization of narcotics," Cook added. "That position is not consistent with the community standards both locally and nationally." [El Paso Times]
If this sounds familiar, it’s because enemies of the drug war debate have been insisting for years that there’s nothing to talk about. It’s weird too because if they’re so sure Congress will never do it, then there’s really no good reason to obstruct the conversation. What are they afraid of?
Of course, the downside of claiming a monopoly on reality and refusing to debate is that you look like an idiot. And that’s exactly what appears to be happening here, as the mayor’s allies are refusing to back his veto and the council is pushing for an override.
So all we have to do is win the debate over whether or not to have a debate, and we can finally get around to debating. I can't wait.
Looking for the easiest way to join the anti-drug war movement? You've found it!
I like the Dallasnews.com author's quote
The nonbinding resolution suggested that legalizing drugs in the United States could help curb a volatile and bloody drug war that claimed nearly 1,600 lives in Ciudad Juarez, across the Rio Grande from El Paso, in 2008. Thousands more were killed across Mexico.
But the request would have been a tough sell to a newly minted Congress facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and two wars.
All the more reason to look at regulating drugs rather than waste more money on a drug war that is sucking our society and economy dry. Besides should we wait til an election year to push hard for drug policy reform?... Get real.
Umm..libertarians
Doesn't "newly minted Congress" include several individuals who are vocally against aspects of the drug war in varying degrees? Certainly a few of these 38 members are still around.
Hurray!
The people who introduced the move for DISCUSSION are heroes. Very brave move, considering all of the negative feedback. Not a good move for a politician that wants re-elected. But the cat is out of the bag. And finally, It has been seen on national news that there is a group of us out here that believe that finding a solution, to this problem, is going to take "thinking out of the box"!
I hope they can over-ride the veto!!
Gandhi
First they ignore you, then they fight you, then you win. Gandhi
The Mayor's War
REP. O’ROURKE’S, "Listen there has got to be a better way. When alchohol prohibition ended and alchohol got taxed it put an end to the gangster era. We should end the war on drugs."
MAYOR COOK, "No way, the war on drugs has been working great for 40 years."
Google trends remains steady
As you will see from this link: http://www.google.com/trends?q=%22legalize+marijuana%22 It used to be that the issue of legalizing marijuana would go flat each year. Thanks to organizations like this one we are now seeing a pattern where the legalization of marijuana stays on the front burner at all times. See 2007 & 2008. Keep up the pressure on your elected officials. We will win.
We've got to press our fight and smash prohibition!
It's been a gruelling 107 years of drug war insanity and it's worse than ever in practical terms as we well know. And I daresay for us tired yet tireless freedom fighters---now is the time to press our fight! Drug warriors and prohibition loving morons have long had nary a leg to stand on in any debate. Their last stand save the children argument can be knocked down with a feather. They have for years resorted to hysteria and absurd obfuscations and we often pondered how some of them can be so dense. Such is the nature of entrenched minds and institutionalized madness.
You'd have thought "reefer madness", the killing of 3000 innocent Panamanians(just cuz), shooting down suspected drug planes, Prohibition 1, the camel caravan massacre, the firing squads of China, Rush Limbaugh, dime bag, Gangland, Donald Scott, the Opium War, 5000 dead in Mexico in the last year, forbidden fruit, pursuit of happiness, 173 children dead in Philadelphia cross-fire in 7 months alone, the senseless ruination of 100's of millions of lives and the squandering of trillions of dollars year after year might have opened Souder, Mica, Hatch, Fienstein, O'reilly and even Lou Dobbs eyes. They think it's right that booze should be the only legal drug and that those who choose to use elsewise must go to jail. We need to smash the rotting corpse of drug prohibition in their faces. Not that these cretins would get it even then. They all need to pay dearly for their ignorance and their part in sustaining the madness.
Our forefathers became agitated when a king taxed their tea. We need to press our fight for the above mentioned injustices and literally billions more.
There are many ways to fight this war. Find some that please you and keep up the good fight.
Marijuana, Inc.
"Marijuana, Inc." a one hour documentary will be aired on CNBC this month. It will be January 22nd and 25th, at 9:00 AM and 1:00 AM (EST). Meanwhile, it would be nice for all the marijuana friends getting this to go to the You Tube video and leave a positive comment on this subject, which you can do by going to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUQOQyNx-rU – that is of course – if you have something positive to say.
Send this to everyone on your email list for them to add their positive comments on this subject also.
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