Newspapers / Elon University Student Newspaper / Sept. 13, 2001, edition 1 / Page 3
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Sept. 13, 2001 Opinions Page 3 Liberal arts forum speaker says: Lefs retire the drug war Jacob Hornberger Guest Columnist Retired Army General Barry McAfree has ended his position as America’s drug czar. If only he would take the war on drugs with him. Of all the domestic wars the U.S. government has waged in the last several decades, the war on drugs has got to be the most immoral and destructive of them all. The drug war has constituted a frontal attack on individual liberty. It has provided an excuse for gov ernment officials to trample the Con stitution, especially the provisions of the Fourth Amendment. It has caused death and destruction of innocent people, not only here in America but overseas as well. It has provided a means by which racism has been able to raise its ugly face in an innocent guise. And by everyone’s standards, the war on drugs has failed to accom plish its own purported goals despite at least 30 years of warfare. What does it mean to be free? At the very least, freedom entails the right of every adult to sit in the pri vacy of his own home and do what ever he wants, as long as his conduct is peaceful and nonabusive. Drink beer. Smoke cigarettes. Snort co caine. Watch dirty movies. Listen to music with obscene and violent lyr ics. Read smutty books. Have sex. Eat fatty foods. Cuss. Even criticize government officials. If a grown-up is subject to being Elon’s offices deserve a Cameron Dejong Columnist one I have not desired. Having just ne- tumed from my parents’ house af ter battling a case of memo, I decided to take the time to reflect on the ex periences I have had with various offices at Elon University since the summer. My family incurred some finan cial trouble over the summer with my textbooks. I know I can count on Tammy a$ a consistent smiling face in the Residence Life office. The next trip I made was to the Registrar’s office to have the hours of one of my classes adjusted. Many of you know the registrar, Mark Albertson. I met him last year at an award’s dinner and I think he’s one administration. He went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that cuss why we must end the war on drugs. Tt must be credited to people such as Dr. Troxler and the Liberal Arts Fomm for allowing such in novative and infonnalive speakers to visit the campus. Of course my most important experience so far this year at Elon was at Health Services. 1 felt ill since the first day of school and thought I had strep throat. When going to health services, I made the I Jqiew 1 more financial aid to to affi>rd my Elon education. Tliis led rae to the financial aid office. Mrs. Karen Walter helped me with . Howevei; it was not just that she and others in the office helped me. The great thing about it is that they remecnbered me aftermy first visit. Beyond that, they were extremely friendly and hospi table. I was able to attend classes after they were able to adjust my By this time I was pretty sur prised. I had been to three different offices on campus and left without thinking I was at a University. My next stop would be the Bursar’s of fice. There was sion there over the repayment of a loan, but in the end they proved to be efficient with processing my re fund request so I could pay for other college expenses. Any frustration shown by the workers was most door. The nurse, who is extremely nice but her name slips my mind, let me in and I went to the front. The health services building is re ally amazing. Even if you are not ill, Fd suggest that you ask for a touroflhebuUding. The name that stands out in Health Services and always will is that of Kitty Parrish. She administered the blood work for the mono test that I took. Upon finding out the next day that the test punished by the state for engaging in any of this conduct, then no one in society is free. And it doesn’t matter whether you yourself never engage in any of it If the state has the power to punish anyone for doing it then that’s a society in which tyranny is reigning for everyone. The drug war enables and en courages the police to peer into your windows, examine your trash, monitor your bank accounts, turn your children into stool pigeons, haul you into court and send you to jail for engaging in what public offi cials consider to be personal, immoral conduct within the privacy of your very own home. Is this the kind of country you want for yourself and your family? Nothing but bad results. Look at what they’ve done to our Constitu tion, which our ancestors intended to be an impenetrable barrier against unreasonable searches and seizures. Whether you ’re in your car, at the air port, walking down the street or even in your own home, you’re subject to being accosted and searched by the drug police and their drug dogs, especially if your skin happens to be dark. What better way to wage bigoted wars against racial minorities than the dmg war? Does anyone really believe that it’s only a coincidence that federal and state penitentiaries are filled with blacks and Hispanics who have violated dmg laws? That racial profiling takes place because cops have a good-hearted concem that blacks and Hispanics are ingest ing harmful substances? Ever since President Nixon declared war on dmgs (and antiwar protesters), U.S. officials have invaded foreign coun tries; had drug lords extradited to the United States; killed innocent people in drug raids; barged through doors all across America; executed count less search warrants, many of them based on perjured testimony; ar rested, indicted, and incarcerated tens of thousands of nonviolent people; con fiscated millions of dollars in private as sets, much of it from innocent people; invaded the privacy of thousands of fi nancial institutions; expanded the ranks of law-enforcement; and spent hun dreds of millions of dollars. What do they have to show for it after 30 years of warfare? Good in tentions? Through it all, tiiey’ve never answered two fundamentally impor tant questions with respect to the is sue of individual liberty Why should the state have the power to punish adults for ingesting harmful substances? Does not the very essence of human liberty entail the unfettered right to engage in self-destructive behavior? For more than three decades, the dmg war has assaulted our liberty, invaded our privacy, trashed our Constitution, increased our taxes, and provided an innocent cover for gov- emment bigotry. It’s time to put the war on drugs out to pasture. (Jacob G. Hombeiger is President of the Future of Freedom Foundation. He will be lecturing at tonight at 7:30 p.m. in McCrary Theatre. All students, fac ulty, staff, and members of the com munity are invited to this event spon sored by the Liberal Arts Fomm.) with FinaiKial Planning will forever be remembered as a positive one. On the first day of classes,! read a flyer about receiving a loan for textbooks. I decided to run up to Residence Life to check it out. I knew Tknmy Hill from my days as a CE>C and recalled her as one of the most caring people at the col lege, She did not fail me this lime either. She was very helpful in get ting me the assistance I needed for or don’t read the writing on the wall ■ before they start a.sking questions. So the fmstration is most definitely for- Dr. George Troxler and Martha Hill.in Cultural Programs are also to be commended in this early year ‘‘credit column.” They both work very hard to bring excellent events to the Elon student body. I can not fall to mention tonight’s lecture by Jacob Homberger in the McCrary Theatre at 7:30. His speech will dis- discussed options of class and re- - turning home with my family. When I went home with my par ents, Kitty callcd at least three times to check to ensure that I was doing 1 cannot fail to thank Pam and Chalmers Brambaugjh for their sin cere and appreciated hospitality during my illness. I recommend that all of Chalmcr’s students and advisees ask for “Chalmer’s chili” and Pam*s chocolate chip cookies! Thank you! Al 1 of the above situations may seem lS:e pie in the sky to some of the readers. However, it is the cul mination of them all that led me to write Uiis column. One may think I am a freshman at Elon—I am a se nior. And in my few years at Elon I been given respect back fix>m vari ous sectors of the administration. In previous years I have had great ex- periences in admissions (C^herinc Williams is my savior. She k^ws what I mean!), in Student Life, at the Moseley front desk and in too many other offices to mention. My point to you is that you must take advan^ tage of these resources. In taking advantage of these resources, you can simply go to the places I have dis~ ; cuss€kI and introduce yoai^elf. Tell Mr. Albertson hello and tell him your name. 1 almost promise he'll , femember you. Go to residence life and introduce yourself to Tbmmy Hill She’ll brighten your day wii her kindness ^ her Go re serve a space in the Moseley Cest- ter wittiMichael WtUiafltns. He’s one of the nicest people you could ever By taking advi^tage, you are adding to your education. You are building the blocks necessary for your future. I feel I have taken ad vantage of the resources granted to me at Elon and I will never regret meeting and interacting with all of the people that I have.
Elon University Student Newspaper
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Sept. 13, 2001, edition 1
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