The Afghanistan war sometimes seems interminable. It just became the longest hot war in U.S. history. Europe’s Hundred Years War remains the world record holder, but things moved slower back then. Pentagon officials appear to dream of setting a new record in Kabul.
Meanwhile, our War on Drugs is quietly building its own longevity record. This war dates back to the Nixon administration and shows little sign of abating. The latest skirmish just concluded with California’s failed pot referendum.
Attorney General Eric Holder’s troops, amply funded by the generous liquor and prison industries, fought off a determined attack by Drug War realists and pot smokers aimed at regulating (legalizing) marijuana. Luckily for Holder, his side had more money. Yet on that same Election Day, Arizona became the 15th state to approve medical marijuana — a testament to the public’s indifference to the war’s moralizers.
Read more: GUEST OPINION: The eternal drug war
Fall River Herald News – Jan 26, 2011