A Demonstration of True Compassion
L i b e r t y W i r eby Harry Browne
It is fashionable
these days for politicians to talk about compassion.
But it turns out
that by "compassion" they mean confiscating other people's money and spreading
it around ostentatiously — robbing Peter to show off to Paul. Not only
is such an act devoid of any real feeling for anyone, it corrupts recipients
by hooking them into dependency on someone else's resources.
Today, February 15,
we can witness thousands of acts of true compassion. This is the date the
Justice Policy Ihe
Justice Policy Institute estimates the U.S. prison population will reach
2,000,000. More than half these prisoners are non-violent offenders —
and by far the largest category are non-violent drug offenders. To mark the occasion,
thousands and thousands of people will leave the warmth of their homes
to attend vigils in 37 cities. Alongside people whose lives have been affected
directly by the insane War on Drugs will be standing people of authentic
compassion. They can truly "feel the pain" of the families who have been
forcibly separated, feel the terrible injustice inflicted on people who
are rotting behind bars for nothing more than smoking, cultivating, sharing,
or selling marijuana or some other drug.
Politicians speak
of "youthful indiscretions" or "experimenting with marijuana." But for
young people today, these aren't indiscretions or experiments, they're
felony offenses that can send them to prison for 5, 10, 25 years or even
life. And, meanwhile, some of Washington's noisiest Drug Warriors call
for increased sentences for drug offenders, but use their political influence
to obtain leniency for their own children caught violating the drug laws.
For them, compassion begins and ends at home.
The insane War on
Drugs may be the worst crisis America has faced in the last hundred years.
Fortunately, its days are numbered. All over America, journalists, public
figures, and just plain folks are coming to recognize the terrible damage
the Drug War has inflicted on our lives. The idea that government could
produce a drug-free America was uncontested five years ago; today it is
a subject of great controversy; tomorrow it will be looked upon as period
of temporary insanity.
One reason I'm running
for President is to accelerate the demise of the Drug War. And I want to
highlight the injuries that have been inflicted by the people of no compassion.
That's why I've said
that, if elected President, on my first day in office I will personally
pardon everyone who has been convicted on a federal, non-violent drug charge,
order the immediate release of those in prison, reunite them with their
families, and restore their civil and voting rights.
The insane War on
Drugs may be the worst crisis
America has faced in the last hundred years.
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More information available at: |
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The November Coalition are citizens whose lives have been gravely affected by the War on
Drugs. We are prisoners of the drug war, their loved ones and others who believe that the
present policy has a price that we cannot afford to pay.
Our goal is to make our voice heard, expose the folloy of America's War on Drugs, and demand
change. We are encouraged by the scores of Federal judges, physicians, law enforcement
officers, lawyers, mayors, governors, educators and legislators who have become outspoken
critics of our government's current policy. |
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