Is This My Issue?

looking to the RightI just read about a 60 year-old couple in California who were arrested for intent to distribute marijuana.  They were genuinely sick and had prescriptions meeting the requirements of state law.  The federal DEA identify their 30-plant pot farm from aerial surveillance and mounted a raid.  I suppose they successfully subdued these 2 felons as they sat in their wheelchairs watching television.  If it isn't ridiculous enough that we pursue 60 year old cancer victims in violation of constitutionally guaranteed states' rights with sophisticated surveillance equipment, how does it look against the backdrop of our other actions?

As police are dragging away our 30 plant felons, CIA operatives and American military forces in Afghanistan are protecting the latest harvest of opium poppies for processing into heroin.  A good portion of that will end up the street in the United States and we will spend more enforcement money to catch the people who are using it.  Do we really have any real policy at all when it comes to drugs?

Liberals believe in a perfect society where everyone knows their role and everyone does what they do for society, not for themselves.  Conservatives believe in a perfect society where everyone decides their role and everyone if free to live out that role as long as it doesn't trample someone else's right.  Liberals believe it is the role of government to decide what is right for you and me.  Liberals want to make sure we don't hurt ourselves with with fast moving projectiles or things that taste bad.  True conservatives want us to decide for ourselves what is right for you and me and let us decide what tastes bad and what hurts.  The difference is a government that tries to protect everyone from his or her foolish acts versus a government that allows you to take responsibility for your foolishness.  The conservative assumption is that no one else can decide how much risk is O. K. for you in for your own pursuit of happiness.  Fish hooks are dangerous.  Should you be allowed to handle fish hooks even though you could seriously hurt yourself (loose an eye or get an infection)?  Should I decide whether it is safe for you to handle a fish hook?  Is it really my issue?  Am I responsible for keeping you from hurting yourself or is it enough that work on figuring out what risks I am willing to take and leave the rest of the world to themselves?

 

Drugs Are Harmful

Not From My Garden! Use of illicit drugs is a bad idea.  Notwithstanding the arguments that marijuana and some other drugs are less harmful than cigarettes, it's still a bad idea to use them.  There, that's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.  But, what business is it of mine if you want to take risks or shorten your life by smoking cigarettes or marijuana?  Maybe you'd prefer to drink scotch whiskey all night long or snort coke.  Hey, be dumb.  I don't care.  In fact I think of New Hampshire's state motto, Live Free or Die.  What could better describe why conservative thinkers should want to keep the government's nose out of personal choices like using drugs?

The real risk to society from drugs, violence, exists precisely because of the government's control of individuals.  When we ban guns, it results in a market for illegal guns and violence ensues.  When banned alcoholic beverages, it resulted in a market for illegal drink and violence ensued.  Why would banning marijuana and other drugs be any different?  It isn't, yet we see the effect (violence) being used as the excuse to tighten the government's grip on personal freedom and responsibility.  It's all pretty anti-conservative.

Wrong Side of the Line

Not My Line!The Republican Party is staunchly lined up with Democrats on the drug issue.  There are a few differences like mandatory sentencing and treatment programs that blur the positional lines, but at the end of the day, both Democrats and Republicans stand hand in hand to control any individual's access to drugs.  Controlling people is what government comes to as it grows it's power and nowhere does it exercise that power over individuals more forcefully than with regard to drugs.  Dissatisfied with simply controlling and taxing, our government puts people in jail for putting stuff in their bodies.  I'm in favor of banning fish hooks, but drugs will do in a pinch!

Conservative ideology on individual freedom means nothing to Republicans when it comes to drugs.  There, Republicans are happy to be Democrats at heart.  It's laughable that to hear Republicans talk about controlling drugs with exactly the same language Democrats use when talking about controlling guns.  Oh dear!  Someone could get hurt!  Anti-freedom anti-drug Republicans are talking liberal talk out of one side of their mouths while claiming to be conservatives out of the other.  It's an embarrassment to real conservative.

 

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