Sabotaged by the 'War on Drugs'

'Lost war' sabotaging American economy

Failed 'War on Drugs' policies undercutting our 'War on Terror'

By Paul B. Farrell, MarketWatch

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (MarketWatch) -- "Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder," said Arnold Toynbee, whose 12-volume "Study of History" traces the rise and fall of civilizations. Get it? The "fall" is an "inside job." Attitudes, behavior and values die first. The soul is left for dead.

Oh, some outside force may push the button, pull the trigger or, as in ritualistic hara-kiri, some stranger may bring the sword down upon our neck. But we set the ball in motion. We create the world around us, including our enemies, as individuals and as nations -- we are totally responsible for our karma, our fate, our destiny, our demise.

"Suicide, not murder:" Toynbee's chilling warning came to mind as I read recent reports of three dangerous economic trends, all tied directly to America's addiction to drugs and how they are destroying us from within, rendering our borders vulnerable, giving our enemies billions to buy weapons and attack us from without.

These three reports highlight threats far more ominous than any threats from terrorists, nuclear war, energy shortages, entitlement failures, global warming or government deficits, as bad as they all are. Why? Because we are creating an inner world that is far darker, far more lethal. The reports cover these three areas:

1. "The lost War on Drugs." America's failed 30-year "War on Drugs" that's now sabotaging our "War on Terror."
2. "Weakening defenses." America's leaky borders that expose us not just to terrorists but openly invite transnational drug syndicates, mobsters, criminals.
3. "Prescription addiction." America's out-of-control addiction to prescription drugs, with Big Pharma as the main pusher.

The three trends have been exposed in recent media reports as three separate trends with significant economic impact. However, they are very much linked together in the inner workings of the American soul. So why does the media treat them separately?