The American Spectator

Reader Mail

(Page 5 of 10)

/p> p> HIGH ON FREEDOM br> Re: Geoffrey Norman's You Are Not Allowed to Feel Better, Got It? : /p>

Thank you for printing Geoffrey Norman's editorial against the "Drug Czar." One of the things he didn't mention in his excellent piece is the plain fact that the U.S. government, at the University of Mississippi, with professors, fences, guards with M16s, and acres of land, can not grow weed as good as the average long haired hippie who visits his garden once a week at best for fear of fascists who know that arresting longhairs is a lot safer than arresting criminals who have actual victims. That's right, the government is incompetent at growing A WEED.

p>It's gotten to the point that researchers, to get halfway decent quality pot, have taken to desperately trying to import it. That's what a monopoly does, and the tax-and-spend drug warriors refuse to admit it, just as they refuse to admit their suggestion that God DOES make mistakes, but that's exactly what they're saying with this expensive failure of a policy. I defy anyone to debate me on this point. Feel free to print my name and email address, but know this -- the moderator won't be Bill O'Reilly, it will be someone who is ACTUALLY fair and balanced, on whom we both agree, if this happens at all. I've seen government weed and illegal hippie weed from the free ("black") market. Guess which is far superior? br> -- JMR /p>

Gracias for allowing Mr. Norman to speak his mind on this topic, he nailed it. It is very nice to see TAS get back to some libertarian style conservative (real conservatism) commentary on issues. Can't wait to read the letters section for the next week as the sanctimonious social conservative element of your readership go into overload at Mr. Norman's suggestion that we get back to having individual rights in this country.

p>The SCOTUS ruling, while pathetic, was hardly surprising. Every SCOTUS session and every legislative session is devoted to curtailing individual rights in this country. From banning smoking in public places to FMA to medicinal marijuana, the powers that be in America want to ensure that you don't have any choices left to make. Of course, they will never take away anyone's right to booze, because they all partake in that sin. The Republican Party has lost its way just as the Democrats did a long time ago, by abandoning its principles (individual rights) and selling out to the special interest groups. By definition, special interest groups exist only to promote the welfare of that specific group of people which is often to the detriment of individual rights. People often don't mind this occurrence if they are not part of the disaffected group. A good example of this is that it is the war on drugs. Why the need for people to try and control the behavior of others? As long as people are not breaking other laws (driving under the influence, public intoxication) why does anyone care if they are smoking pot or using other drugs in their own home? The war on drugs is an abject failure that has cost billions and billions of dollars with no good results. The fact that drugs remain on the black market only makes them more expensive and less manageable and creates most of the crime that occurs in the drug trade (think prohibition). Legalize them, regulate them, and tax them. The Republican Party must get back to supporting the principle of individual rights even on issues with which they disagree. br> --

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