Subject: Fwd: Book Review -- Drug War Addiction, by Sheriff Bill Masters Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 14:51:35 -0400 To: From: Bob Armstrong --- Original Message --- From: "Marc Brands Liberty" To: Marc Brands Liberty Cc: Sent: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 08:37:30 -0400 Subject: [LPNY DISCUSS] Liberty: -- Book Review -- Drug War= Addiction, by Sheriff Bill Masters Book Review: Drug War Addiction, by Sheriff Bill Masters http://www.liberty-news.com/books/KickingTheAddiction.html Drug War Addiction, by Sheriff Bill Masters. Accurate Press. 135 pages. Paperback. $10.95. Available at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1888118091/libertynews-20 Kicking the addiction by Jonathan Trager "When reformers point to the flaws and problems of the drug war,= the warriors' answer is to do more of it. "Isn't that the response of all addicts?" So asks Bill Masters in his new book, Drug War Addiction. In= this work, Masters charges that contemporary Drug Warriors are= themselves addicted to waging an unwinnable war -- while ignoring its= assault on the liberty, privacy, and safety of peaceful American citizens. The book is actually a compilation of essays Masters has written= on the Drug War over the years. Throughout, Masters offers readers= some of the wisdom he has gained during his 22-year career as the= sheriff of San Miguel County, Colorado, about what he calls "America's= #1 Policy Disaster." A one-time Drug Warrior -- he even received an award early in= his career from the Drug Enforcement Administration for "outstanding achievements in the field of drug law enforcement" -- Masters= explains in riveting detail his motivation for eventually becoming one of= the war's most vocal opponents. For example, Masters views the militarization of local police= forces as a dangerous result of enforcing drug prohibition. Did you know that between 1995 and 1997, local police forces= across America obtained from the military 3,800 M16 fully automatic= assault rifles, 73 M79 grenade launchers, and 112 armored personnel= carriers, largely for purposes of fighting the Drug War? I didn't -- and I feel more than a little uncomfortable knowing= that local police forces have the firepower of a small army. I mean, grenade launchers? Give me a break. Masters is also dismayed that the Drug War has negatively= affected how police officers -- whom he calls "peace officers" -- have come to= be viewed by many Americans. Instead of being considered as friends= and protectors, argues Masters, officers are frequently regarded= with suspicion and fear. "The rift drug prohibition has created between the police and= the public is one of the saddest results of our policies," he= writes. "Peace officers across the nation feel in their hearts that= something is amiss, and I believe more and more of them are realizing just= how insidious prohibition really is." Masters also devotes a chapter to addressing objections readers= might have to ending the Drug War, such as the argument that= legalizing drugs would "send the wrong message" to America's youth. A self-described "spiritual man," Masters takes issue with social conservatives who attempt to equate the Drug War -- and the law= in general -- with moral righteousness. "Morality isn't the same thing as the law," Masters writes. "The= law touches on only limited aspects of morality: protecting people= and their property from physical harm and preventing theft and= fraud. Morality is broader than the law. When we try to make the law as= big as morality, laws become profuse, ambiguous, unknowable,= flaunted, and unenforceable." Instead of trying to find "external solutions" to spiritual= problems, he argues, Americans must try a new approach that addresses the= root cause of drug abuse: The conviction that happiness is a state of= mind divorced from a person's action and character. My favorite part of the book was definitely the final chapter,= "Simple Laws: Pathway to Freedom." Here, Masters discusses the "core= belief of the Libertarian movement" -- personal responsibility. "We must not abdicate our responsibility and surrender it to the government," he writes. "It is our responsibility to deal with= such issues as health care, our retirement, raising and educating our children, the defense of our homes and families, our domestic relations, and our own alcohol or drug abuse. If we fail to take responsibility for our own lives, we can blame only ourselves= when the government takes away our liberty to determine how those issues= will be addressed." Although Masters is humble about his writing ability, I was= pleasantly surprised by his natural style. Each chapter had a simplicity= and clarity that made the book a pleasure to read. In addition, Masters' personal Drug War horror stories are= intriguing, and there are interesting Drug War quotes from well-known personalities on every page, from former president Abraham= Lincoln to popular musician Dave Matthews. One improvement would have been to focus exclusively on the War= on Drugs -- as opposed to issues such as gun control, which Masters= tries to briefly address -- which would have helped keep his message= more concentrated and powerful. But at a mere 135 pages (including three appendices), this book= is certainly a welcome addition to a growing cornucopia of anti-Drug= War literature. Maybe, if enough people read thoughtful and well-written books= such as this one, America will finally find the courage to kick its Drug= War Addiction. Find out more: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1888118091/libertynews-20 Archive: http://www.liberty-news.com/newsletter.html =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D Quote: - "I'm not sure which upsets me more: that people are so= unwilling to accept responsibility for their own actions, or that they are so= eager to regulate everyone else's." --Kee Hinckley =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D ~~~ LIBERTARIAN PARTY OF NEW YORK ~~~ ~~~~~~ http://www.ny.lp.org ~~~~~~ --=A0 =A0Bob Armstrong -- http://CoSy.com -- 212-285-1864 Return our Right to Relax : =A0http://ny.lp.org/cgi-bin/petition.cgi?Against_the_Smoking_Ban Liberty : http://CoSy.com/Liberty.htm =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A02003/09/25 2:49:00 PM