Joining Kyle, Diane, Keoni And Anne At A Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) Gathering, 10/24/12

Anne and I joined Kyle, Diane and Keoni at the Long Beach Art Theater, as Kyle hosted a 200 to 300 person turnout of LEAP supporters, to meet Libertarian Vice Presidential candidate Jim Gray, and to watch a film about the 2010 attempt to legalize marijuana in California.

I'm proud of Kyle for supporting LEAP which wants to end what is now the 41 year old U.S. War on Drugs, an endless war that has cost taxpayers over a trillion dollars and has accomplished nothing, as drugs and drug addiction is worse than ever.

Instead the War on Drugs has filled U.S. prisons with perpetrators of victimless crimes and given the U.S. by far the highest incarceration rate in the world, as it spends a sizable percentage of its law enforcement budget to arrest, prosecute and lock up people for victimless crimes.

LEAP wants to legalize drugs, as alcohol and tobacco are now legal, and to regulate and tax it. But a huge tax payer funded industry has grown up to fight the 41 year old War on Drugs and it isn't about to give up its endless and highly costly pursuit of victimless crimes without a fight against those who oppose it.

And as it fights its War on Drugs, huge drug cartels have grown up as well in the U.S. and in Latin America, spilling enormous amounts of blood in Latin America and helping to corrupt their political systems. The U.S. drug agents fight these violent people as well, and ironically even sold them arms in something called "fast and furious," a scandal the Obama Administration is claiming "Executive Privilege" rather than inform the public.

It seems we've learned nothing from the U.S. Prohibition from the 1920's and early 30's as we repeat what was a miserable failure then as now.

As Kyle introduced the movie to the audience, as a former police officer, he explained that in Los Angeles County, if a woman is raped, a rape kit will be taken to capture the DNA with the hope of promptly arresting the perpetrator. But if a marijuana suspect is arrested, the marijuana must be tested to prove it is marijuana and under the current drug laws it receives the higher priority over the rape kit.

Unfortunately, the Los Angeles County lab is now two years behind in testing rape kits, therefore while it is testing marijuana, the rape kit languishes and the perpetrator is left to attack other women until the lab can finally process the rape kit and give police the information about the suspect needed to arrest him. This is how crazy the drug system now is.

What I especially liked, aside from meeting so many interesting people, was watching Keoni. When Kyle, who is an excellent public speaker, got up to speak to the audience, he had Keoni standing next to him, and there was a tremendous ovation. Several minutes later, when Kyle finished speaking, once again, there was a tremendous ovation, and Keoni seemed to glow in the attention his dad was receiving, and felt good about standing with him.

It also helped to introduce Keoni to problems in the legal system and ways to work to correct them. And as he watched his dad and looked out at the audience, it added to his self-confidence about public speaking. After the movie, Kyle chaired a panel, but to ease the pressure on my back, I was unable to stay for this final portion of the program.

It is through programs like this and other ongoing efforts, that bit by bit, the public will be persuaded and pressure their political representatives to change the law to meet the current law enforcement needs of our society as well as end this gigantic waste of money and resources that is the U.S. War on Drugs.

Dick
http://www.leap.cc/