jmdrake
10-16-2007, 09:32 AM
From the debate hosted by Tavis Smiley:
http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/special/forums/transcript.html
Paul: A system designed to protect individual liberty will have no punishments for any group and no privileges. Today, I think inner-city folks and minorities are punished unfairly in the war on drugs.
For instance, Blacks make up 14 percent of those who use drugs, yet 36 percent of those arrested are Blacks and it ends up that 63 percent of those who finally end up in prison are Blacks. This has to change.
We don't have to have more courts and more prisons. We need to repeal the whole war on drugs. It isn't working.
We have already spent over $400 billion since the early 1970s, and it is wasted money. Prohibition didn't work. Prohibition on drugs doesn't work. So we need to come to our senses.
And, absolutely, it's a disease. We don't treat alcoholics like this. This is a disease, and we should orient ourselves to this. That is one way you could have equal justice under the law.
And further:
Paul: A system designed to protect individual liberty will have no punishments for any group and no privileges. Today, I think inner-city folks and minorities are punished unfairly in the war on drugs.
For instance, Blacks make up 14 percent of those who use drugs, yet 36 percent of those arrested are Blacks and it ends up that 63 percent of those who finally end up in prison are Blacks. This has to change.
We don't have to have more courts and more prisons. We need to repeal the whole war on drugs. It isn't working.
We have already spent over $400 billion since the early 1970s, and it is wasted money. Prohibition didn't work. Prohibition on drugs doesn't work. So we need to come to our senses.
And, absolutely, it's a disease. We don't treat alcoholics like this. This is a disease, and we should orient ourselves to this. That is one way you could have equal justice under the law.
And finally:
Paul: You know, over the years, I've held pretty rigid all my beliefs, but I've changed my opinion about the death penalty. For federal purposes, I no longer believe in the death penalty. I believe it has been issued unjustly. If you're rich, you get away with it; if you're poor and you're from the inner city, you're more likely to be prosecuted and convicted.
Today, with the DNA evidence, there have been too many mistakes. So I am now opposed to the federal death penalty.
Now unless there is significant support at Stormfront or other racist groups for the idea that blacks are unfairly treated by the criminal justice system in general and the war on drugs in particular, their alleged support for Ron Paul is really a non-issue.
Regards,
John M. Drake
http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/special/forums/transcript.html
Paul: A system designed to protect individual liberty will have no punishments for any group and no privileges. Today, I think inner-city folks and minorities are punished unfairly in the war on drugs.
For instance, Blacks make up 14 percent of those who use drugs, yet 36 percent of those arrested are Blacks and it ends up that 63 percent of those who finally end up in prison are Blacks. This has to change.
We don't have to have more courts and more prisons. We need to repeal the whole war on drugs. It isn't working.
We have already spent over $400 billion since the early 1970s, and it is wasted money. Prohibition didn't work. Prohibition on drugs doesn't work. So we need to come to our senses.
And, absolutely, it's a disease. We don't treat alcoholics like this. This is a disease, and we should orient ourselves to this. That is one way you could have equal justice under the law.
And further:
Paul: A system designed to protect individual liberty will have no punishments for any group and no privileges. Today, I think inner-city folks and minorities are punished unfairly in the war on drugs.
For instance, Blacks make up 14 percent of those who use drugs, yet 36 percent of those arrested are Blacks and it ends up that 63 percent of those who finally end up in prison are Blacks. This has to change.
We don't have to have more courts and more prisons. We need to repeal the whole war on drugs. It isn't working.
We have already spent over $400 billion since the early 1970s, and it is wasted money. Prohibition didn't work. Prohibition on drugs doesn't work. So we need to come to our senses.
And, absolutely, it's a disease. We don't treat alcoholics like this. This is a disease, and we should orient ourselves to this. That is one way you could have equal justice under the law.
And finally:
Paul: You know, over the years, I've held pretty rigid all my beliefs, but I've changed my opinion about the death penalty. For federal purposes, I no longer believe in the death penalty. I believe it has been issued unjustly. If you're rich, you get away with it; if you're poor and you're from the inner city, you're more likely to be prosecuted and convicted.
Today, with the DNA evidence, there have been too many mistakes. So I am now opposed to the federal death penalty.
Now unless there is significant support at Stormfront or other racist groups for the idea that blacks are unfairly treated by the criminal justice system in general and the war on drugs in particular, their alleged support for Ron Paul is really a non-issue.
Regards,
John M. Drake