A cartoon strip about the American drug war.

[Brandon's Impotent Rage]

So a while back I posted a comic strip from the website of reason.com, drawn by Peter Bagge, that discussed the nature of the gun debate here in the U.S. (from a bourgeoisie libertarian perspective, but it was still informative).

Well, after going through the 'Why Legalize' thread, I'm fixing to risk the wrath of you guys once again, this time by linking to not one, but TWO comic strips by Peter Bagge, both that have to do with the drug situation here in the U.S.

Again, these are from a bourgeoisie libertarian perspective, but they are still very informative and are a great introduction to the destructive impact of the War on Drugs here in the U.S.

And despite his ideological positions, most of his points here still stand.

This first one (http://reason.com/archives/2005/08/17/a-menace-to-society), which revolves around a real-life medical marijuana patient whose life has been made a living hell by the drug war.

And this one (http://reason.com/archives/2006/05/01/the-beast-that-will-not-die), which chronicles a meeting of the King County Board Association in Seattle on the drug war 'exit strategy' back in 2005.

Both are quite illuminating.

[Lowtech]

fuck libertarianism. choosing not to think is not a strategy.

additionally, legalizing drugs will not change a thing. the reason drugs are produced, transported and sold is because a market economy gives it exchange value. if you legalize drugs, they will simply move to a different "industry." it is very capitalist to produce a drug and then sell it at a profit. it being illegal doesn't change this fact.

[blake 3:17]

^^ choosing not to look at the post or link isn't a reason to complain about it.

Thanks BIR. Again Bagge is great. I might be in a book with him in the next little while -- not totally sure. Saw Chester Brown today -- another dreaded libertarian underground cartoonist!!!! aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhh

They're so stupid!!!!!!

[NGNM85]

fuck libertarianism. choosing not to think is not a strategy.

additionally, legalizing drugs will not change a thing. the reason drugs are produced, transported and sold is because a market economy gives it exchange value. if you legalize drugs, they will simply move to a different "industry." it is very capitalist to produce a drug and then sell it at a profit. it being illegal doesn't change this fact.

Obviously, drug law reform will not change property relations, that should go without saying. It will, however, keep millions of (disproportionately black, and brown) workers out of prison. The war on drugs is a stupendously effective means by which the state neutralizes working class power. This is a vital front in the class war, and as such, any socialist worth the name should be obligated to oppose it.

[Per Levy]

additionally, legalizing drugs will not change a thing. the reason drugs are produced, transported and sold is because a market economy gives it exchange value. if you legalize drugs, they will simply move to a different "industry." it is very capitalist to produce a drug and then sell it at a profit. it being illegal doesn't change this fact.

it being illegal means that millions and millions of workers are at danger of facing prison or other hardships just because they smoke pot or do other drugs. and that is quite bad.

[Lowtech]

it being illegal means that millions and millions of workers are at danger of facing prison or other hardships just because they smoke pot or do other drugs. and that is quite bad.

Economic subjugation is no better than imprisonment and it fuels the industrial complex that wants larger prisons. Attack the root cause, not the symptoms.

[Jimmie Higgins]

Thanks BIR. Again Bagge is great. I might be in a book with him in the next little while -- not totally sure.
Can you talk about this... Or what kind of work of yours might be in there?

[Jimmie Higgins]

Economic subjugation is no better than imprisonmentwhaaaaaa-ut? No. First of all imprisonment doesn't exist separate from wage-slavery, prisoners are economically destroyed as workers after they are released, they are also stripped of many bourgeois rights after release. Second, on a bigger picture, warehousing such a huge prison population who are released and then occupy a low tier of labor (if they can get steady work) and often have lifelong court debts and garnished wages becomes a weight on the entire class and drives down wages.

and it fuels the industrial complex that wants larger prisons. Attack the root cause, not the symptoms.i'm unsure what you are arguing here. Economic subjugation fuels prisons? What economic subjugation are you talking about? Are you arguing that buying legalized drugs is economic subjugation? Could you clarify your argument?

[Lowtech]

whaaaaaa-ut? No. First of all imprisonment doesn't exist separate from wage-slavery, I agree.
prisoners are economically destroyed as workers after they are released, they are also stripped of many bourgeois rights after release. Second, on a bigger picture, warehousing such a huge prison population who are released and then occupy a low tier of labor (if they can get steady work) and often have lifelong court debts and garnished wages becomes a weight on the entire class and drives down wages.I agree they are much worse off after imprisonment, however the entire structure of workers ruled by a plutocratic class is garbage, my argument here is that we need to address the cause of our condition, not simply to mitigate it.

i'm unsure what you are arguing here. Economic subjugation fuels prisons? What economic subjugation are you talking about? Are you arguing that buying legalized drugs is economic subjugation? Could you clarify your argument? no, I am arguing that the cause of economic subjugation is the same as what created the drug trade, which is also the same cause of the policies that lead to larger prisons and the mentality of wanting to send more people to prison; capitalism. And this being so, it is fruitless to address the symptoms alone and a poor assumption to believe that legalizing drugs will have any effect on problems created by our current market/monetary economics.