War on DruhProperty

Four Dallas SWAT officers wounded by gunfire during drug bust

Here's the letter I sent to the Dallas Morning News in response:

Your article on the four Dallas SWAT officers shot illustrates clearly the futility of the War on Drugs. The people whose home was invaded were causing no trouble in their neighborhood – the only complaint the neighbors seemed to have was that they had erected a fence on their property, something anybody has a right to do – and were apparently taking good care of the child. Their lifestyle choice was a victimless crime, and to persecute drug users because they choose to live differently than the rest of us is no different than to persecute the Amish because they refuse to participate in post-industrial society.

The critical difference between religious oddballs and chemical ones is that police departments can seize and sell the property of arrested drug offenders, and thus directly profit from drug use – those who execute the War on Drugs have no intention of stopping drug use in America.