'KING'S DREAM' AND THE DRUG WAR

I'm writing about your thoughtful editorial: "Kings 'Dream' lives on"
(The Journal-Standard, Jan. 12, 2007). In 1963 when Dr. Martin Luther
King made his famous "I have a dream" speech, the United States had
about 200,000 total prisoners.

Now our 2.2 million prisoners are more than any other country in the
history of human civilization. This deserves our shame and outrage.

If Dr. King were alive today, I believe he would be very opposed to
our so-called drug war and our invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Our so-called drug war and our war and occupation of Iraq are very
similar. Both were started with lies and under false pretenses. The
war in Iraq is over.

We won.

What we have now is an occupation of Iraq. Occupations cannot be won.
Who is going to surrender and sign the peace treaty?

The so-called war on drugs cannot be won. Who is going to surrender
and sign the peace treaty?

The war on drugs is an occupation, a career, an industry and huge
bureaucracy. The goal of the drug war is not to win, but rather to
continue and to expand.

The only way to end the drug war is to re-legalize the products that
are now prohibited and sell them in legal, licensed and regulated
business establishments like we do with the drug alcohol and tobacco
products.

Those benefiting from our drug prohibition policies don't want this to
happen and they will do everything in their power to make sure it
doesn't happen.

Kirk Muse

Mesa Ariz., (formerly of Freeport)