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Wars and Drugs

 
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 17, 2015 4:48 pm    Post subject: Wars and Drugs Reply with quote

http://americanactionforum.org/research/the-growth-consequences-of-dodd-frank

Erik Poole:

I was under the impression that economic growth was more likely to lead to increased rates of violence than economic contraction or stagnation. I thought that was a stylized fact in polemology, political science. (violent revolution) and criminology.

Anecdote. Once upon a time I hitch-hiked and backpacked 5 years through South America and Africa. I went into some very dangerous places and at times had guns pointed at me, or shots fired in my direction and once felt a knife on my neck.

I cannot count the number of Americans I met during and after those travels that were flabbergasted that I did not carry a fire arm. The truth is that a firearm would have been problematic (with local police and armed forces), potentially provocative and mostly just plain useless. For the record I know how to handle a firearm and am or certainly was a pretty decent shot. I carried and still do carry a 4″ skinning knife which I basically use as a multi-tool.

Nobody else suggested that I carry a firearm. Only Americans.

The USA has a serious gun culture problem and it is unlikely to go away over the next century. I feel sorry for you.

As for American men….. stop being puto cowards. Please. Learn how to use a knife or a ball-point pen. Learn how to talk your way out of bad situations, or learn how to stay away from them. Drop the pregnant-with-twins lifestyle; stay in good physical shape. Do not go out of your way to destroy your sense of smell or hearing.

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PeakTrader:

Erik Poole, you sound like you come from a country where nothing is worth defending. Americans may one day save your butt.

And, there’s a positive correlation between drug use and crime. The War on Drugs reduced both the rate of drug use and crime rates, particularly violent and property crimes.

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Baffling:

Vivian: “Ending the War on Drugs for many folks (far too many) appears to be equated with making the drug use and abuse an acceptable part, and, indeed, a worthy aspirational goal of an ideal culture. It’s not only now legal, it’s cool! ”

i would disagree with this statement, although the rest of your comments are well said. there are many people who are opposed to drug use, but do not feel the government has fairly defined the criminal rules related to drugs. many people feel the drug laws, just like prohibition, were developed to serve the cultural agenda of a certain segment of society. i think it is fair to say the drug laws as they currently exist have failed certain segments of society. perhaps they need to be re-examined. many people who feel we should end the war on drugs feel this way. they are not interested in ending the war so they can abuse. they feel the laws as written have been abused.

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PeakTrader:

Has the War on Drugs failed some segments of society or has some segments of society failed from drugs?

Culture, like values, matters.

And, losing a war is possible – see Mexico.

Whether you agree or disagree with drug-related policies, those policies helped the U.S. catch criminals involved in drug-related crimes.

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Erik Poole:

Vivianbloom, Peaktrader,

I think I might be mistaken. Your problem is not a cultural ‘gun’ problem but rather a cultural problem with violence. You Americans love violence too much. Ironically enough given that leading free market capitalism theorists emphasize secure economic property as critical to good economic outcomes.

You love black markets despite knowing full well that those black markets inevitably lead to more violence. In parallel, you have legalized two of the most deadly, economically destructive drugs in the history of human kind: tobacco and alcohol.

Alcohol is interesting because it is the rape and sexual assault drug of choice. It is also the beat up, maim and sometimes kill police officers drug of choice. More accidents occur with heavy machinery (autos, boats, etc.) due to alcohol than any other drug.

Ironically the USA and Israel — both at the head of the War on Terrorism — actually kill more civilians than the so-called ‘terrorists’ do.

You support a highly controversial ethnic cleansing campaign in the Middle East: the Israeli nation building process. That support will inevitably lead to ‘blow back’ and it did: the Sept. 11th attacks and then hyper vigilant mass hysterical American reaction following those attacks.

I admire you. Your support for Israel’s affirmative action nuclear-weapons backed ethnic cleansing program has lead directly and indirectly to the deaths of somewhere near 30,000 Americans. Your willingness to sacrifice national security and sacrifice the lives of your fellow Americans for this glorious nation-building exercise complete with kill ratios and Gestapo-like sweeps is to be commended. Apparently the west bank of the Jordan River and Jerusalem are worth “fighting for” and inevitably “dying for”.

Personally, I would pay attention to:
1) the history of European colonial powers who ultimately imploded, and
2) the simulated effects of the next regional nuclear war. I doubt being fat, rich or more righteous than the next fellow will provide much protection.

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PeakTrader:

Sending terrorists to Allah isn’t ethnic cleansing. Look at it as a public service for the free riders, who are too afraid of terrorists.

Anyway, the U.S. as the world’s only superpower, has an empire to defend. You can praise capitalism later.

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Erik Poole:

Thanks PeakTrader. That clarifies things. You are not sacrificing American lives for the glory of the Israeli Jewish state and the resources required for that state, Jerusalem, the West Bank, oil on the Golan Heights, water, etc., but rather in an ‘us’ versus ‘them’ conflict.

So, would you describe yourself as a sectarian or racist killer of children and grandparents?

And if you are not puto cowards, why all the aerial bombing? Why not prove to the world what a macho hero you are by killing these ‘terrorists’ mano a mano?

If it is just an ‘us’ versus ‘them’ conflict, I see no future for the American empire other than decline.

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PeakTrader:

I guess, you never noticed, wars are about us versus them and the point of waging war is winning.

We’re sacrificing terrorists lives. So, the innocent and peaceful, regardless of national origin, race, gender, etc., can live their lives to benefit society.

Why don’t you do something constructive, like sign up for the U.S. Army Ranger School if you’re interested in hand-to-hand combat?

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2slugbaits:

Thanks. Interesting, albeit repulsive and shameful history. This post is a nice follow-up to one of Menzie’s recent post on birthright citizenship. During the 14th Amendment debates there was a vigorous argument over specifically excluding native born Chinese from birthright citizenship. This short history goes a long way towards explaining why ethnic Chinese were being considered for exclusion of birthright citizenship.

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PeakTrader:

Is the history of Western Civilization, or the human race, any more repulsive and shameful than the recent record of human rights in China?

And, should the civilized world allow China to annex 90% of the South China Sea, like Russia annexed Crimea?

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