How The Drug War Commercial Should Read

[boulder]

SierraTimes.com

 

With the onslaught of television commercials now running on the airwaves staring "Nick and Norm" at the dinner table, I wonder why no one has really challenged the notion that the "war on drugs" causes terrorism. Yet it continues unchallenged.

 

A script written to counter it might sound something like this: Two men are sitting at a table in a restaurant, both nicely dressed. Nick, the younger one, begins the dialog.

 

"So, let me get this straight: The drug war supports terrorism. And I should just believe that??"

 

Norm: "yes"

 

"Why?"

 

"Because it's true"

 

"It's true??"

 

"Yes, it's true."

 

"Fine, let's say - hypothetically - I pay taxes"

 

"Let's say."

 

"Hypothetically mind you"

 

"Let's say."

 

"OK, I pay taxes - not by choice, but I pay them. And you're telling me my taxes pay for the drug war?"

 

"Yes, and these stupid anti-drug commercials."

 

"So what? I pay taxes, and it pays for the drug war (and a few commercials). What's my contribution? A couple of bucks! What' the big deal?"

 

Norm stops eating: "So you think it's OK to pay for a prohibition policy worse than the one that didn't work in the 1920's? You think it's OK to pay for covert operations to install U.S. puppet governments in South America? You think it's OK for Americans to have mandatory minimum guideline for jail sentences for drugs but someone can get off with 2 years for murder? And you think it's OK to pay for blatant propaganda that only causes more terrorism?"

 

"Oh. I guess it IS a big deal, huh?"

 

Yes, it IS a big deal, Norm says.

 

The dinner continues for a few minutes without further conversation. Then, it's almost as if a light bulb flashes on over Nick's head. "I got it!", he says.

 

"Got what?"

 

"The moral loophole."

 

"The moral loophole, Nick?"

 

"Yes. Here's the moral loophole: If I support the drug war, I MIGHT be supporting terrorism."

 

"Then what you're saying is that you MIGHT be supporting Americans getting their property confiscated. You MIGHT be supporting Americans having no privacy. You MIGHT be supporting the largest prison population in the world in jail for "crimes" with no victim. You MIGHT be supporting a growing police state."

 

"Oh, I guess there really isn't a morale loophole. But maybe I need help understanding."

 

"Understanding what?"

 

"You know, the big picture. It's all too... well, complicated"

 

Norm lets out a sigh, then lays it all out.

 

"Nick, why do you think they are spending all that money to run those stupid commercials? They want to be sure that everyone buys into the idea that terrorism is being financed by illegal drugs. Lots of people are starting to question the validity of the drug war based on all the old reasons, so they needed a new one.

 

"But Norm, how does the war on drugs relate to the war on terrorists? That's kind of a big jump, isn't it?"

 

"If there is no drug war, the price goes down. With no "illegal" drug market, there would be no illegal prosecutions or overfilled (very profitable) prisons, and no reason to confiscate everything in sight. Without the war on drugs, the government can't manufacture this mandate to attack sovereign nations because they are supposedly financing terrorism with drug money. Is that too complicated for you?"

 

Nick: "So, if it's a war on both drugs and terrorists, they can use the military for stateside ops too. Heck, the cops look and act too much like soldiers already. And then they can call the guy down the street growing buds or smoking a joint a TERRORIST."

 

"I guess it is not that complicated after all."

 

"Now you're getting it, Nick."