The drug trade is only one of many problems we now face in this world and is in itself a product of unfair business practices, both in the United States and in other countries of the world.

There are too many places where workers, if they can find a job at all, are forced to work for wages that will not provide an acceptable standard of living. And in each of these countries, others make unbelievably large amounts of money for their “contributions” to society.

© 2004 Don Henry Ford Jr.

This was something I wrote and posted in my diary at the Agonist. Actually though, I did this for a Mexican photojournalist by the name of Julian Cardona to try to give people a glimpse at the hometown of George W. and how his background influences the foreign policy of our country. Drugs are just a small part of a much larger problem.

One of the most embarrassing things I have to do in this day and time is to admit that I share anything in common with George W. Bush. But I do.

I spend a lot of time issuing disclaimers about bush—about how he’s really a cold-hearted blue-blood Yankee wrapped in a Texas hide. And about how no God-fearing Texan could possibly be that bad. While there is some truth to that, the fact remains that my compatriots overwhelmingly voted for him, and do share a lot of his views. I can’t begin to describe how much it hurts to say that—to know that my homeland has produced such a man. And continues to support him despite the daily proof he offers to suggest he is an incompetent elitist with little or no compassion for those of different persuasion.

The Supreme Court has taken a step in the right direction by giving judges more discretion at sentencing time. But we still have a long way to go. Unlike some, maybe most that read columns on this site, I am not in favor of total legalization of drugs. If I were, getting that done is an unattainable goal. It ain’t going to happen.

At the time, I had no idea just how fortunate I was to have been busted when I was. The year was 1986, the arrest my second after a year spent as a fugitive in the remote mountains of Northern Mexico, an area referred to as the despoblado.

While I awaited my sentence, the “new law” came into effect. I saw people coming in for similar offenses—smuggling drugs—only they were subject to a different standard than I was. Many of these inmates were unable to understand the legalese so I studied the guidelines to help decipher what they were facing. Not even their defense attorneys fully understood the implications of this new law.