OUR TWO WARS

I'm writing about John Saltas' thoughtful column "Wars 'R' Us"
[Private Eye, Dec. 28, City Weekly]. I'd like to add that the Iraq war
and our drug war have a lot in common. Both were started under false
pretenses. To most Americans, the word "democracy" is a noble word. To
most Iraqis, the ideal government and only legitimate government is a
Muslim theocracy.

The drug war was started to solve problems that didn't exist. Our
so-called war on drugs has created many more problems than it has
solved. Prior to the passage of the Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914,
the term "drug-related crime" didn't exist. Neither did drug lords,
drug cartels or even drug dealers as we know them today. Prior to our
invasion and occupation of Iraq, our so-called leaders told us it
would be like hitting a pinata, and all sorts of goodies would fall
down (like cheap oil). Instead we have whacked the side of a hornet's
nest.

Both the drug-war cheerleaders and the Iraq war cheerleaders keep
telling us that terrible things will happen to us we fail to stay the
course. In the meantime, the war and occupation of Iraq grows worse
and the war on drugs has long ago been proven to be counterproductive.
Stay the course is good advice if you headed in the right direction
and making progress toward your goal. Stay the course is terrible
advice if you're headed down a dead-end road or off a steep cliff.

Kirk Muse

Mesa, Ariz.