A STEP BACKWARD

Drug War Takes Another Aggressive Turn

We breathed a sigh of relief last year when the Bush administration put on
hold its support for forcing down - even shooting down - aircraft believed
to be engaged in the illicit drug in the skies above Latin America, where
much of U.S. drug traffic originates. The administration had suspended the
program after an American missionary and her infant daughter were killed in
Peru last year when their plane was shot down by mistake. Though the
downing was the work of Peruvian forces, a U.S. surveillance plane
dispatched to track down drug runners had been coordinating with the
fighter aircraft at the time of the incident.

The administration's retreat at the time was welcome not only because the
move lowered the likelihood there'd be a recurrence of such a tragedy but
also because, fundamentally, a policy of shooting down any aircraft that is
not believed to impose imminent danger to others - even if it is indeed
carrying contraband - is hard to justify.

Last week, reports out of Washington suggested the White House is about to
end the moratorium and return to the risky, deadly tactic. That's unfortunate.

White House press secretary Ari Fleischer confirmed administration
officials have formally recommended that Bush "resume this program with new
safeguards." Fleischer added, "The president very much wants to take strong
actions to fight drug narcotics trafficking in South America." But at what
price?

Let's hope the safeguards are more than cosmetic.

In the history of human economic activity, no commodity, however
deleterious, ever was supplied where there wasn't a demand. In a sense,
then, the administration is saying it is willing to risk killing even the
innocent in order to get at those whose only real crime is feeding a habit
main-street America refuses to kick.