No Buzz from Colombian Drug Strategy

Ted Galen Carpenter of the Cato Institute explains how and why the much-vaunted $3.3 billion Plan Colombia has failed in stemming the floods of white powder in the U.S., through a combination of factors such as shifting areas of cultivation to other countries, increased efficiency on the part of traffickers, and continued endemic links between the drug dealers and Colombia's government. Of course, this war is hopeless. Of course, drug czar John Walters insists we must stay the course. And, perhaps in response to reactions like Carpenter's to his announcement last week while in Mexico City that "We have not yet seen in all these efforts what we're hoping for on the supply side, which is a reduction in availability," he contradicted himself on that point this week. But failure and success are all the same for futile government programs--either are a good excuse for more money.

Comments

[Gunnar Hegel]

Terrific. Next we'll adopt the Brazilian strategy of shooting trafficking planes out of the sky.

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/americas/07/20/brazil.planes.ap/

[Ruthless]

One more dollar "at the margin" will produce "light at the end of the tunnel."

As we know, these retards have no grasp of "margin." They only grasp how to throw good money after bad.

As I had posted on another topic: a barricade on 13th Street--my 'hood--has driven drug dealers to 12th Street.
Plenty gazillion of my and your tax dollars in Colombia have driven cocaine producers to Peru. Duh.
The faux mentality of the Wur on Terrur is just the same.

[Jennifer]

I said this on another post but I think it bears repeating:

If and when we manage to defeat Islamic fascism we won't be any damned safer than before, because by that point there will be plenty of pissed-off South American terrorists who hate us because we've dumped poison all over their farmlands and turned their lush continent into a sterile wasteland. But, of course, whoever is president at the time will not be honest and admit they have reason to hate us; instead, he'll use some gussied-up version of "The South Americans hate us because they hate our freedom!"

[BigPhil]

Jennifer,

"Terror is merely a tactic--a war on terror makes as much sense as a war on gun shootings or a war on bombs"

You're beginning to understand the War On Drugs, War on Poverty, War on Anything We Don't Like, etc. It's a slogan, and a license to take any action necessary. "We're at War, you know". It is not supposed to make any sense.

[Jennifer]

Big Phil-
I'm not merely beginning to understand; I've known this for awhile. I wasted a few years of my life in academia--first by going to grad school, then by working as a public-high-school English teacher--and I learned long ago to be wary of people who use language to confuse reality rather than clarify it. After all, a War on Islamic Fascism would have goals and strategies far more clearly defined, and therefore limited, than a vague "War on terror." As for the War on Drugs, that sounds marginally more acceptable than a "War on those who seek control of their own states of consciousness."

I remember once at an English-teacher department meeting, and this woman said something I can't remember word-for-word, but it went something like this: "We [the teachers] must devise proactive pedagogical strategies to increase student motivation toward direct participation in the learning process." Something like that, only with about twice as many words.

Confused silence in the room for a few seconds, and then I said, "You mean, we should write lesson plans that the kids find interesting?"

Clearly, educating students wasn't even in the top-ten list of her agenda. She wanted to show off, make herself appear smarter than she was, make our jobs appear more specialized and difficult than they were, and sound more like something so special that only a select group of initiates could possibly make sense of it.

Whether you use "proactive pedagogical strategy" in place of "interesting lesson," or "War on terror" in place of "War on Islamic fascism," the obstructive goals are the same.

[Jennifer]

I'm trying to do my own work now, but my mind keeps coming back to this. Damn.

Here's an example of how, from the government's perspective, vagueness is better than clarity: shortly after 9-11 one of the administration goons, perhaps Ashcroft, publicly stated: "Those who worry about personal freedoms at a time like this are aiding and abetting the terrorists."

Now, if he'd said "Those who worry about freedom are aiding Fascism," more people would have been able to see through the bullshit. But to say "Worries about freedom aid terrorists" sounds almost reasonable, doesn't it? Especially if you do not think it through.

Likewise, calling the "War on Drugs" the "war on altered states of consciousness" might result in more people setting their whiskey flasks or Xanax bottles long enough to think, "Wait a minute--I'm getting a mixed message here." By connecting drugs with attempts to finance Islamic fascists, everything becomes that much more convoluted.

[Dan]

The faux mentality of the Wur on Terrur is just the same.

Oh, very clever. Yes indeed, a "war" on a commodity tens of millions of Americans want to buy is exactly the same as a war on homicidal religious fanatics. How shrewd of you to notice!

[Jennifer]

Dan-
I think what Ruthless meant is that the "War on Terror" should instead be called the "War on Islamic Fascism." If this were truly a war on terror we would be going after, say, the right-wing "Aryan Nation" militias in Montana and Idaho, as well. Terror is merely a tactic--a war on terror makes as much sense as a war on gun shootings or a war on bombs.

[Ruthless]

Many thanks to Jennifer for translating for me.
I just returned from a family reunion in Middle Tennessee and noticed a goodly number of my gene pool in need of translation. And, believe it or not, one or two of them are worth being patient for the translation.

[Ruthless]

"The faux mentality of the Wur on Terrur is just the same."

Oh yes, and if I were to translate myself I'd say it isn't smart to declare war on something when the evermore war only produces evermore "enemy," be it certain drugs or certain terrorists.

Reminds me of Li'l Abner's difficulties with his attempts at ethnic cleansing Shmoo's.

[Kevin Carson]

Plan Colombia may have failed miserably at stopping the flow of coke into the U.S., but it's been wildly successful at creating a pretext to provide U.S. military assistance to right-wing paramilitaries. "The Communists" used to be the enemy of choice when United Fruit Company was in trouble and the U.S. government needed an excuse to help them out. Now we've got the "narcotraffickers."

[discount hotels in asia]

Hotels in London Paris Hotels Rome Hotels Athens Hotels Hotels in Istanbul Barcelona Hotels Munich Hotels Cannes Hotels Madrid Hotels Oslo Hotels Budapest Hotels Lisbon Hotels Amsterdam Hotels Athens Hotels Barcelona Hotels Paris Hotels Istanbul Hotels Madrid Hotels Rome Hotels Milan Hotels Munich Hotels Oslo Hotels Budapest Hotels London Hotels Lisbon Hotels Santorini Hotels Shanghai Hotels Hotels in Thailand Hotels in Bangkok Chiang Mai Hotels Hotels in Pattaya Phuket Hotels Hong Kong Hotels Hong Kong Island Kowloon Hotels New Territories Hotels Outlying Island Hotels China Hotels Beijing Hotels Shanghai Hotels Guangzhou Hotels Guilin Hotels Tianjin Hotels Xian Hotels Japan Hotels Chubu Hotels Chugoku Hotels Hokkaido Hotels Kanto Hotels Okinawa Hotels Shikoku Hotels Tokyo Hotels Singapore Hotels Chinatown Area Hotels Eastcoast Area Hotels Little India Hotels Marina Bay Hotels Orchard Road Hotels Sentosa Island Hotels Malaysia Hotels Northern Region Hotels Eastern Region Hotels Kuala Lumpur Hotels Southern Region Hotels Sarawak Hotels Penang Hotels
Discount Singapore Hotels Singapore Hotels Singapore Hotels Discount Singapore Hotels Online Sentosa Hotels Singapore Thailand Hotels Bangkok Hotels Pattaya Hotels Phuket Hotels Chiang Mai Hotels Japan Hotels Tokyo Hotels Kobe Hotels Osaka Hotels Okinawa Hotels Hong Kong Hotels Discount Hong Kong Hotels Kowloon Hotels Hong Kong Hotels Online Malaysia Hotels Malaysia Hotel Kuala Lumpur Hotels Penang Hotels Taiwan Hotels Taiwan Hotel Taipei Hotels Indonesia Hotels Bali Hotels ?stanbul Hotels Shanghai Hotels Barcelona Hotels Paris Hotels Amsterdam Hotels London Hotels New York Hotels Discount Bangkok Hotels Discount Kuala Lumpur Hotels Discount New Delhi Hotels Discount Barcelona Discount London Hotels Discount Madrid Hotels Discount Paris Hotels Discount Rome Hotels Discount Jakarta Hotels Discount Singapore Hotels Discount Pattaya Hotels Discount Bali Hotels Discount Athens Hotels Discount Hong Kong Hotels Discount Shanghai Hotels Discount Tokyo Hotels Discount Beijing Hotels Discount Istanbul Hotels