How do you

Anthony Cordesman, Center for Strategic & International Studies, Strategy Chairman discussed his recent trip to Iraq, Afghanistan and the Gulf region on C-Span this morning. He took a lot of flak on the phone calls. One of the interesting calls concerned the poppy growers in Afghanistan on how do we control the drug trade, etc., etc. Which brings me to my issue today...Why does the US continue on these wars against words? From the War on Drugs to the War on Terror? Who can say when a war is won when we fight -- not individuals -- but concepts? On drugs, my mother suggested legalizing drugs back in 1965. She was right then and even more right today. Legalizing drugs would have many benefits which are invisible at first glance. (1) No reason for gangs or druggies to rob and kill to get the money for drugs; (2) no reason for people to die from drugs laced with things that are even more deadly; (3) no revenue spent on interdiction; (4) no police or military pulled off essential tasks to search for robbers and gangs who live on the profits of drugs; (5) we will need fewer prisons for drug offenders; (6) policy makers would not need to be holding hearing after hearing on drug trafficking and (7) we could tax the revenues of those offering the formerly illegal drugs and get much needed money in the Treasury coffers. And the list could go on and on. Simplify. Of course, on the other side of the argument we will hear from those who have a vested interest in treating the citizen as an idiot who must be scared to be led.

My point is that we cannot fight a war against an enemy who exists only in the dictionary.