Now, release the POWs
The White House moves to end the War on Drugs:
The Obama administration’s new drug czar says he wants to banish the idea that the U.S. is fighting “a war on drugs,” a move that would underscore a shift favoring treatment over incarceration in trying to reduce illicit drug use.
Assuming they mean it for real and not in that same way they ended the other war on a noun by just doing the same thing and calling it something else, this is good. I suppose I’ll worry if the start calling it a Domestic Contingency Operation. We’ll see.
May 14th, 2009 at 8:57 am
Holy crap, something I could get behind!
But alas, I’m betting you’re right. It will be simply called something else. The War on Some Drugs gives a whole metric shit-load of power to the government. Without that, they’d not be able to smash down the doors of elderly cancer patients trying to relieve the nausea of chemotherapy.
And where’s the fun in the job if you can’t slam granny on the ground and cuff the pot-headed bitch?
May 14th, 2009 at 10:54 am
Unfortunately, there is not yet any evidence they mean it for real. This is a reframing of Prohibition, not an end to it.
Obama has repeatedly opposed legalization, decriminalization, relaxing laws, and changing sentencing standards. He’s even reneged on the few good things he promised on the campaign trail (e.g. ending the raids).
He is all talk on this issue. Obama is going to do some good things for this country, but increasing our freedom isn’t on his agenda.
May 14th, 2009 at 11:56 am
There is nothing good about this.
Wake up.
May 14th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Really, care to name a few? Even one?
Yeah, that’s what I thought.
May 14th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
He can’t fight a “War on Drugs” and still pass his crazy Medicaid plans and Soicialized Healthcare, what amounts to a war on Medicine – people would be confused.
Meanwhile Mexico is fighting a REAL war on drugs and drug-gangsters, and they’re losing.
May 14th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Retro: I’d say the order to close Gitmo was a good thing. Ending the abortion gag rule was a good thing. And that’s just the first couple days. I regularly complain about Obama, but the notion that he’s strictly 100% bad is surely the product of an extreme mind.
There will be a lot of places where Obama’s level-headed split-the-baby approach will yield sane (though infuriating) policies. We’ll get some health care reform (which will surely be an infuriating mixed bag). We’ll muddle through the bailout. We might even end gender-based marriage discrimination (too slowly). Etc., etc.
May 14th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Is this going to happen before or after he brings the troops home from Iraq?
May 14th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
Brutal, I think your “even a broken clock is right twice a day” approach fails to take into account digital clocks (i.e. Obama).
May 14th, 2009 at 10:07 pm
I agree with M Gallo on Brutal Hugger’s thinking. HOW is closing Gitmo a good thing? What “abortion gag rule”?
The only reason the Obama Admin will do anything positive in the complete and total failure that is the War on (Some) Drugs is because they could use mandatory “treatment” of drug “abusers” to push through socialized medicine. By mandating that instead of going to prison, drug bust victims be forced to attend government controlled drug counseling while on a form of pseudo-probation would require that clinical facilities be built, doctors, nurses, and other staff be put onto a federal payroll, wouldn’t it? It might even require a new federal department, like “The Department of Medical Health Services” which might require a new cabinet position “Secretary of Medical OVERSIGHT” and so forth. The Slippery slope is dangerous because you’re not always opposed to being pushed down it.
May 14th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
No more war on drugs?
Probably because it’s a “police action”. Livin’ like early 50’s Korea, yes indeedy.