Americans are infantile hedonists—The drug war

A great article by Burt Prelutsky:

http://townhall.com/Columnists/BurtPrelutsky/2009/02/27/this_war_is_not_the_answer

The war he is referring to is the losing drug war that America has been in for decades. We are not winning, plain and simple. I deeply respect those brave law enforcement officials who put their lives on the line to keep our neighborhoods safe. And maybe I am just frustrated at the relentless campaign that our law enforcement finds themselves in. But I think that we as a nation ought to take another look at this battle that we are in.

A quote towards the end of the first page really stood out in my mind.

“One of the most irksome aspects of the War is that we Americans are always claiming the moral high ground, righteously condemning the poppy growers in Afghanistan, the drug czars in Colombia and the Mexican cut-throats, as if they all conspired to turn us into a nation of junkies. The fact is, if so many of us weren’t infantile hedonists who can’t even go 24 hours without snorting, shooting or smoking, this crap, the Afghanis would start planting potatoes and the Latino criminals would have to find another way to make a living.”

The term “infantile hedonism” stood out in my mind. I dont think the author is  trying to minimize addiction which is very real, has physical effects, and heartbreaking. On the other hand, some people choose to live like hedonists and fulfill whatever dark and dangerous want/desire that they have. This desire is destructive for the brief moments of pleasure (which is superficial and always feels worse afterwards.)

As a Christian, Part of my witness and testimony is when I accepted Jesus Christ, the chains that I had were broken, my sins forgiven, and finally I was given peace. The peace came from god’s grace.

The paragraph after the one refrenced above, is that Americans are so hopped up on our own drugs that who are we to cast stones? And he is absolutely right. Jesus spoke about this in Matthew 7:3. Enough said…

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