All discussions about legalizing pot and repealing the war on drugs are fruitless.
I strongly disagree, but not with your contention that pot will never be legalized. I'm agnostic on this one. I disagree that libertarians discussing this issue is "fruitless." It's a wonderful way to inform others--especially those sympathetic to legalization--of libertarianism and the Libertarian Party.
For these discussions to bear fruit, it's important to state our position boldly ("libertarianism stands for your freedom to choose to ingest whatever you wish"). Framing the discussion within a wishy-washy, gradualist framework fails to differentiate us from many Greens and Democrats (ala Judge Jim Gray).
If I could I would ring the bell if it meant all War On Drug laws
would be instantly repealed and put all those people out of work.
A Lew Rockwell columnist the other day had an interesting article on
how badly the War on Drugs has interwoven itself into the framework
of the Government and unfortunately our lives.
AND it started back in 1880!!! 125 years of successful War on Drugs
and the " Mission IS STILL NOT Accomplished" after 125 years of the
Government meddling in people lives and ruining peoples lives and
totally blowing taxpayers dollars on the insanity known as the War
on Drugs.....
As far as the fruitless part - the 100,000 or so people who would
have to seek out neww opportunities for gainful employment if the
War on Drugs was repealed would fight tooth and nail using whatever
propaganda means or even violence to do everything they could to
ensure the war on drug laws were not repealed.
Yes it would be nice but until there is a massive regime change
we're stuck having dual laws. Like California's medical pot vs. DEA
clad in black - jack booted storm troopers - rapelling down from
blackened helicopters and zooming away in black clad SUV's to take
pot away from those who can use it to tame their medical problems.
Ron Getty
SF Libertarian
Ron,
You wrote:
> All discussions about legalizing pot and repealing the war on
drugs are fruitless.
I strongly disagree, but not with your contention that pot will
never be legalized. I'm agnostic on this one. I disagree that
libertarians discussing this issue is "fruitless." It's a wonderful
way to inform others--especially those sympathetic to legalization--
of libertarianism and the Libertarian Party.
For these discussions to bear fruit, it's important to state our
position boldly ("libertarianism stands for your freedom to choose
to ingest whatever you wish"). Framing the discussion within a
wishy-washy, gradualist framework fails to differentiate us from
many Greens and Democrats (ala Judge Jim Gray).
Best, Michael
From: Ron Getty
To: Libertarian Yahoo Group ; LPSF-ACTIVISTS
Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2005 10:16 PM
Subject: [lpsf-activists] Why Pot WIll Not Be Legalized!!!
Dear Everyone;
We have had various discussion at one time or another about
legalizing pot and repealing the war on drugs and today stopping the
DEA from raiding a medical pot store and getting stuck with a pot
store as a next door neighbor.
All discussions about legalizing pot and repealing the war on
drugs are fruitless.
WHY?
Think about these impediments to legalization or repeal:
1. Finding new jobs for the cops who fight the drug wars.
2. Finding new jobs for all those 22,000 (!) DEA government
employees.
3. Finding new jobs for the prison guards
4. Finding new jobs for all those prison administrators.
5. Finding new jobs for all other prison employees.
6.. Finding new jobs for the attorneys who prosecute.
7. Finding new jobs for the attorneys who defend.
8. Finding new jobs for the judges who hear those trials.
8. Finding a new source of prisoners for all those empty prisons.
10. Finding a new type of construction work for all those prison
construction firms.
11.Convincing the liquor lobby legalized pot/drug stores won't put
liquor stores out of business.
12.Finding politicians who are willling to see their political
careers come to a stop.
13. City - county - state - federal governments finding new
sources of revenue other than seized goods which were taken because
they were bought with drug money.
14. Finding new things for all those drug sniffing dogs to sniff.
( poor doggies)
15. Finding new uses for the military forces used to interdict
drugs internationally.
16. Finding new jobs for drug kingpins and their gangs and
distributors.
17. Finding enough money to overcome the massive amounts of funds
the above people will contribute to stop legalization