Charles Bowden. voice in the wilderness
Posted by Don Henry Ford Jr. - July 24, 2005 at 11:21 am
I have decided that my disagreement with many of those calling for legalization is not whether it should be done, but what legalization would look like, or rather, how it should be implemented.
In my opinion Charles Bowden is the strongest voice in our land concerning this issue.
At the link, you will find an interview, almost an hour long, conducted in Salt Lake City, Utah over a FM radio station, concerning Bowden's latest book, A Shadow in the City.
Take my word on it: This is well worth your time.
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Drug war, class war
Submitted on July 26th, 2005 by Benjamin MelançonWho benefits most from the illegal drug trade? Narco News has covered money laundering and megabanks just enough that you probably know it's not your neighborhood dealer.
Who is harmed most? The poor-- and in particular, the historically most militant, black urban youth.
And for the end of drug prohibition, I appreciated Bowden's clear look at what would happen: the same as when alcohol prohibition ended. Bowden said crime shot up temporarily as the criminal middleman work and illegal production ended and lots of honest, American criminals lost their livelihoods and turned to robbing banks. He also said that alcohol consumption has remained higher than under prohibition, but without the great toll of the crime and violence of the illegal trade.
But the end of Prohibition took place during the Great Depression. I think the legalization of drugs would have a similar effect today-- unless it were part of a broader revolution for justice and liberty, that gave people other means to live and ultimately the ability to help build a new society based on our needs and hopes, not on escapism and a fear of a brutal reality.
So I think if we talk about the drug war without talking about class, we're missing out on half the problems and some of the best solutions. I guess I'll get the book to see what Charles Bowden has to say.
The real problem
Submitted on July 26th, 2005 by Dan FederBowden is a real voice of clarity on this issue. The “drug problem,” he makes clear, is not the problem at all, but rather the symptom of a much bigger problem we are distracting ourselves from by with all this “drug war” nonsense. That war, says Bowden, “is over.”
Thanks for the link, Don.