We didn't know you had it in you, Joel Giambra. Granted, legalizing drugs isn't the answer to Buffalo's criminal woes, but you're being bold, and that's what we need.
The Erie County Executive's call to hold an honest dialogue regarding our nation's antiquated drug prohibition laws was unexpected but most welcome. It is clear the current "war on drugs" isn't bringing the kind of results Buffalo needs. Giambra's stance, though perhaps a bit misguided and overzealous, is the sort of primer the city needs to shed new light on Buffalo's own drug problem.
The recent rash of violent crimes committed in Buffalo, which include a nun being strangled by a crack addict, was the catalyst for Giambra's "talk about legalization" of certain narcotics. He wants an open debate because, as he sees it, our current drug policies only "pretend" to address the problem. We agree, and find his honesty on this issue admirable. Addressing the root causes of the problem, rather than the symptoms, is key.
Looking squarely at drug legislation's history, one finds it's not always about health or morality issues. As with most everything else in our nation, it's about economics. The Harrison Act of 1914 and Congress' outlawing of marijuana in 1937 were passed purely for business considerations. One might argue that since we let people rot away on booze everyday in this country, why should narcotics be any different? That logic, however, ignores the potentially catastrophic effects of making advocating widespread use of highly addictive and destructive drugs like crack cocaine and heroin.
An honest debate should focus on the economics of where drug prohibition has brought us today. We have locked up millions of drug users for years at taxpayers' expense. Billions have been spent "fighting" drugs for the last 30 years, while routine violence still plagues our streets because of the drug trade. Clearly, a dialogue is needed to develop new solutions for the greater good, because current policies don't work.
As a lame duck politician, Giambra's stance might be nothing more than an attempt to stay in the headlines and stave off his impending irrelevancy. But this particular message shouldn't be taken lightly, as Buffalo's recent violent crime wave fully illustrates.
This is not happening again
Bombing Iran will only make horrific conditions in the Middle East worse
It's said one sign of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. The Bush Administration should keep that in mind.
Seymour Hersh wrote an article in the April edition of the New Yorker outlining increased clandestine activity being conducted in Iran by U.S. forces, along with intensified planning for a sustained bombing campaign that may include using nuclear bunker-buster bombs. This is in response to Iran's uranium enrichment program that has the potential to produce a nuclear bomb between two to 10 years, and the Islamic fundamentalist mentality of Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
It's no surprise the Pentagon is creating plans for warring with Iran. That's what they do for every part of the world, and Iran is no different. In fact, ignoring Iran would be fatal. But what is surprising is the willingness of U.S. planners to drop nuclear bombs on Iran. Using nuclear force in war - again - would be catastrophic, both militarily and politically.
According to Hersh's sources, the military planning is premised on the notion that "a sustained bombing campaign in Iran will humiliate the religious leadership and lead the public to rise up and overthrow the government." History has shown citizens rally to their nation when attacked - Iranians would prove no different. The current occupation of Iraq presents a case study for this age-old axiom.
An attack on Iran would further ostracize the United States from the international community and would expose our forces in Iraq to more risk while causing massive unrest in the Middle East towards the U.S. This would prove detrimental to U.S. interests, and might even prove to be the most catastrophic error in foreign policy history, which is incredible considering how bad the occupation of Iraq already is.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
