I get mail

One Robert Jereski sent me an email asking for my thoughts and opinions about Plan Mexico. Plan Mexico is the $1 billion the Americans are giving to the Mexican government to fight the drug war. John Walters and Co. have been frantically trying to sell the drug war by claiming that the price of cocaine has gone down and thus the Drug War is not a failure. Don't listen to those drugged-up hippies!

Of course, calling a temporary increase in the price of cocaine in the drug war a victory just goes to show how delusional the powers-that-be really are. Despite the demonization and otherization of scary, evil drug addicts, the fact remains that they are people. They are just as resourceful as those of us that choose to limit our drug-taking to legal and socially acceptable drugs such as alcohol, tobacco or prescription drugs. A poor, determined, desperate addict will simply turn to crimes such as prostitution or break and enter to afford their habit. Middle-class and wealthy people that can afford to pay for their habit simply find another supplier for their drugs. Also, new dealers will come in and supply the drugs that the ADDICTS are looking for. Any price increases thanks to law enforcement are temporary at best. As the eloquent blogger at I was the state says, when supply of a product decreases, the price goes up. With a highly profitable commodity like cocaine, there will always be people willing to risk jail time to make the big bucks.

At any rate, I am rambling again, as I like to do. I am writing this post to address Robert Jereski, who was kind enough to solicit my opinion about American interference in Mexican foreign policy. He pointed me to the fact that the Clinton administration supported an equally disastrous program known as Plan Columbia. Thanks for reminding me that Democrats and Republicans are equally imperialistic when it comes to the drug war. Apparently, Amnesty International are opposed to plan Mexico unless it targets the deep flaws in the judicial and security systems.

I have to admit, that while I am flattered that strangers on the internet value my opinion on the drug war and foreign policy, I feel deeply unqualified to comment. There is no question that the incidents at Oaxaca show that there is corruption in the criminal justice system and it needs to be cleaned up. I would love nothing more than for the corrupt Mexican regime would stop murdering disobedient left-wing dissidents that don't approve of the government. I am nothing, if not an opinionated dissident school marm mom with a blog full of opinions that will change the world.

However, let's not lose sight of the big picture. This blog is not called "Blame the drug war" for nothing. I am trying desperately to emulate the great feminist blogger Twisty Faster. I Blame the Patriarchy steps back and shows how patriarchy should be blamed instead of the individuals living within it. I want to put the blame on the drug war instead of on the individual drug addicts and dealers living within this system. Why blame them when it's the entire, corrupt system that needs to go? How is it helpful to rail against the no-good drug pushers preying on the addicts, when so much of the harm caused by drugs is caused by the drug war and not the use of drugs? Talk of punishing pushers and healing addicts distracts everybody from the real issue: The drug war sucks.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Amnesty International says nothing about the drug war. The number one cause of police corruption and the state abusing its' power against its' own people and Amnesty International says nothing about it? Where is the policy statement at AI calling for the immediate end to the war on drugs? Like I said before, I am but a lowly school marm mom with a whole lot of opinions and please correct me if I'm wrong. But I did not find anything at AI calling for an end to the drug war.

The UN is another international organization that supports the drug war. They have the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and resolutions reading like a drug warriors' wet dream.

Until these international organizations and ngo's can pull their heads out of their butts and support ending the drug war, they will get criticism from me. *BURN* Calling for reform of Mexico's corrupt judicial system is great but we should not forget to call for an end to the drug war as well.

Also, to answer your question about US president's, here is a really good summary of the war on drugs. Jimmy Carter supported the legalization of marijuana but it never went anywhere. It's hard to expect a lowly US president to be able to counteract all those years of reefer madness propaganda.

All of the US presidents have supported the war on drugs. All of them had a number of drug war pushers for Drug Czar. The Drug Czar title has always reminded me of a bunch of teens playing Dungeons and Dragons in the basement. At any rate, all of the Drug Czars lived up to the pointy-hat authoritarian image and spent piles of money on enforcement while drugs have gotten increasingly cheaper and more available over the years.