Comments on: “The war on drugs” – More than just a metaphor

By: Military Tactics vs. Police Tactics In The “War On Drugs” | Jack-Booted Liberal

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:07:27 +0000

[...] a previous post, I discussed how the metaphorical “War on Drugs” has become deadly literal. I then [...]

By: Who’s Blogging about Cato | Think Tank West

Who’s Blogging about Cato | Think Tank West — Tue, 19 May 2009 21:59:39 +0000

[...] Joshua Bardwell discusses the Cato study, Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America, at his blog, Jack-Booted Liberal. [...]

By: Raising The Police State | Right to Bleed

Raising The Police State | Right to Bleed — Mon, 18 May 2009 18:34:38 +0000

[...] This program also contributes to the overlap between domestic law enforcement and foreign military might. Fighting terrorism plus taking down campus mass-murderers? One of these is a military job and one is a police job, but these teens are training for them both as part of the same package. It is dangerous to confuse the two jobs, because part of the end result is that we end up declaring war on ourselves. [...]

By: Joshua Bardwell

Joshua Bardwell — Fri, 15 May 2009 03:31:50 +0000

I don’t know about that… I am big on small government and personal liberty, but the problem I see with un-checked personal liberty is this: the when an individual actor in a free market system acts in a way that people disagree with, their response is to buy from somebody else. But individual actors in a free-market system can get SO big and influential that they can do irreversible damage (e.g. to the environment) before the market can respond to them. So, I am in favor of government regulation to prevent that kind of thing happening, which I’m sure is not a Libertarian ideal.

Besides: ask Sean Hannity. Libertarians are liberals!

By: Byron

Byron — Thu, 14 May 2009 22:19:08 +0000

Dude…you’re not a liberal…you’re a libertarian! Like me! Right on!

By: Joshua Bardwell

Joshua Bardwell — Thu, 14 May 2009 14:14:09 +0000

Exactly. We pay their salary. We define their mission. And it is up to us to us to rein in these tactics.

By: cyber_rigger

cyber_rigger — Thu, 14 May 2009 00:22:49 +0000

This is a war on taxpayers.

By: Joshua Bardwell

Joshua Bardwell — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:10:51 +0000

I see the humor in this statement, but it’s a shame that the casualties so often include people who are not even “fighting” in the usual sense. People whose only crime is drug use. Or people who don’t even use drugs at all.

By: pauly

pauly — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:09:08 +0000

Excellent post. In the words of Bill Hicks about the war on drugs –
“There’s a war going on, and people on drugs are winning it!”

By: Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 13 May 2009 16:23:09 +0000

I liked this one:) I tell people I refuse to obey stupid, unjust laws. I suppose I am okay taking basic measures to protect myself from them. The is so terribly ineffective, I don’t consider it a huge risk.