The War On Drugs

Rolling Stone has published a very interesting history of the United States' War on Drugs. It describes how the presidential administrations starting back with Nixon have tried different approaches towards quelling the production and transportation of narcotics from South America and how the cartels changed and adapted to meet the new restrictions. It describes how the Columbians split up after Pablo Escobar was killed and how the Mexicans began to get more and more power and eventually began introducing methamphetamine into the American market.

What meth proved was that even if the DEA could wipe out every last millionaire cocaine goon in Colombia, burn every coca field in Bolivia and Peru, and build an impenetrable wall along the entire length of the Mexican border - even then, we wouldn't have won the War on Drugs, because there would still be methamphetamine, and after that, something else.

This article is well detailed and teaches a lot about how we've gotten into this mess, and how even $500 billion later, we are no better off than we were in the 1970s. Lobbying by pharmaceutical companies and military executives has led to misguided politics and useless enforcement. Drug use has not changed, drug prices have gone down and purity has risen.

"The lesson of U.S. drug policy is that this world runs on unintended consequences. No matter how noble your intentions, there's a good chance that in solving one problem, you'll screw something else up."

Pretty wise words.

Link to article.

Korean War videos

The United States Army has just released a large number of videos from the Korean War to YouTube. I've only looked at a few, including the one here, but some of them are very interesting for the way they are produced. The narration and the accompanying music are quite dramatic. Apparently this was shown on television in the 1950s. It is an interesting look into what is a forgotten war in the US, but a specter that lingers every day in Korea.

Skip to around 6:30 for footage of the American invasion of Seoul. If those really are pictures of the city, it's amazing to see how much development has happened.

Link to article.

And there's a ton of amazing (AMAZING) still photographs on Flickr.

The War on Drugs

A poll was released on October 2 that indicated 3 out of 4 Americans belive the War on Drugs is failing.

Three in four likely voters (76%) believe the U.S. war on drugs is failing, a sentiment that cuts across the political spectrum – including the vast majority of Democrats (86%), political independents (81%), and most Republicans (61%). There is also a strong belief that the anti-drug effort is failing among those who intend to vote for Barack Obama (89%) for president, as well as most supporters of John McCain (61%).

When asked what they believe is the single best way to combat international drug trafficking and illicit use, 27% of likely voters said legalizing some drugs would be the best approach -- 34% of Obama supporters and 20% of McCain backers agreed.

This "war" has been a way for politicans to fearmonger their way through elections and to funnel money through the industrial criminal system we now have in this nation once founded upon principals of freedom. 

Compare this snippet from the Orlando Sentinel just a few days ago:

In Orlando, officers seized seven AK-47s and similarly high-powered AR-15s in 2003. Orange County deputies seized eight that year. Four years later, those numbers jumped more than 400 percent -- 31 in Orlando, 48 in the county. Total for the five years: 321.

321 assault rifles seized in Orange County, Florida.  I remember while living in New Orleans seeing news footage of a man with an AK-47 attacking a carwash for unknown reasons.  It is frightening to think there are people running around with that kind of firepower and a likely compulsion to use it.  The police in the article say that 9 times out of 10, a gun is involved in a drug arrest.  As we continue to fail in the War on Drugs, it seems our criminals are becoming better armed.  

Much like the War on Terror, this is something that I think we're just going to continue bumbling our way through, unable to really address the root of the problem or treat the symptoms.  

Food Fight

www.touristpictures.comhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

The War Against Scientology

Let us all pray that they are not empty threats.....

http://www.breitbart.tv/html/36094.html

Haka

Haka is a traditional Maori (New Zealand) dance/performance. Most people know one particular Haka from the New Zealand Rugby Team (The All Blacks). Haka is used to perform many different kinds of songs which express a range of emotions. But watching the All Blacks is INTENSE.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haka
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haka_of_the_All_Blacks




And if one wasn't enough.....






Roughly translated: "We're going to use your skulls to drink our victory wine, and then use your flesh to cover our women folk after we finish pleasuring them."