5 ms·
Many people here aren't fans of the drug war which has led to massive incarceration in our country, pissed off a variety of our South American "allies", made ou
by codyb 12y ago
Many people here aren't fans of the drug war which has led to massive incarceration in our country, pissed off a variety of our South American "allies", made our neighborhoods more dangerous, and not shown any discernible decrease in drug use amongst the constituents of the United States. In fact, about all it has fostered is powerful lobbies who continue to fight to keep drugs illegal which prevent legitimate research into their possible medicinal uses and have resulted in over militarized police who use seemingly unnecessary force against generally nonviolent criminals and very often against innocent civilians.
The number of people who will request assassinations can be assumed to be small due to their expensive and extremely violent nature.
The people buying guns illegally might actually go down if there were less drug turf wars through legalization, decriminalization, and silk road esque services which deliver straight to the door step.
It's not a far stretch to make the case that the Silk Road makes the world, especially America a safer place.
And when drugs are legal, people do them less. Like in the Netherlands where marijuana use ranks far below America's. And other decriminalized countries.
Maybe Ulbright is not the world's greatest human, but his service may have saved more lives than anything.
I'm at work. But sources for everything I've said are rather easy to find using google. Generally I cite everything I say. In this case I can, but choose not to in recognition of time constraints ;-).
- krisdol 12y agoYou HN libertarians are living in a dream world.
- josu 12y agoCome live in Mexico and tell me that the drug war is working. And once you are at it, try to explain how the potential risk of getting some more people addicted is better than 40,000 deaths, as many "disappearances" and many more kidnappings a year (just in Mexico). If you think that the drug problem only involves the US, please read this article [1]. Maybe by the time you reach the end of the article, those libertarians don't look so libertarian anymore. [1] http://thenewinquiry.com/essays/a-country-disappeared/ http://thenewinquiry.com/essays/a-country-disappeared/
- krisdol 12y agoMy problem isn't with the obvious statement that everyone agrees with already (the drug war is ineffective), my problem is with the remaining paragraphs of bullshit in that post.
- xj9 12y agoSo you think incarcerating people for what is categorically a health issue (drug abuse) is a good idea?
- tptacek 12y agoThe comment you're replying to isn't a good one, but rebutting an argument it didn't make doesn't make yours much better.
- xj9 12y ago> And when drugs are legal, people do them less. Like in the Netherlands where marijuana use ranks far below America's. And other decriminalized countries. > You HN libertarians are living in a dream world. I've heard this kind of argument multiple times talking to people about legalization/decriminalization of drugs. I just assumed GP meant their comment that way.
- krisdol 12y agoI know this is super post-mortem regarding my comment, but my "bullshit" claim was directed at the "Maybe Ulbright is not the world's greatest human, but his service may have saved more lives than anything" and "It's not a far stretch to make the case that the Silk Road makes the world, especially America a safer place". Everyone and their dog is against the drug war, I had no expectation that people here would assume I was for it.
- revscat 12y agoThe social and financial benefits of stopping the drug war is not limited to libertarians. I am a socialist and believe it to be a misguided and deeply destructive set of policies that have done far more harm than good.
- MacsHeadroom 12y agoState loving socialist here; the drug war is fucked. Free Ross!
- codyb 12y agoI'm a social libertarian but that's all. Presumptive comments on hacker news which add nothing to the discussion are neither welcome nor warranted. You'd do well to refrain from them in the future. Cheers.