[img]1640|right|Arthur Christopher Schaper||no_popup[/img]Predictably, U.S. Rep. Karen Bass (D-Culver City) applauded the Justice Dept.’s Monday announcement it intends to relax prosecution of federal low-level drug offenses. Unlike her previous appeals to extend food stamps, to protect entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare, without a plan for shoring up drastically diminishing funds, and despite frequently invoking charges of racism, Ms. Bass’s pleas for bipartisanship are refreshing.
“Mr. Holder and the Obama administration should be commended for taking this bold step toward reform of draconian mandatory minimum sentences that have not kept Americans any safer. Instead, they have only contributed to making our criminal justice system even more bloated and inefficient.”
Before commenting, I will reinforce my vigorous displeasure with the Obama administration, specifically Atty. Gen. Eric Holder. No one should let up on holding Mr. Holder accountable for the felony-stupid gun-running scheme Operation Fast and Furious, the criminal abuse of the IRS toward conservative political interest groups, and the disturbing revelations of Justice officials who seized Associated Press reporters’ phone records. Just because Mr. Holder thinks the Justice Dept. should stay off the grass, there is no logical reason for the American people to agree.
I agree with Mr. Holder's decision on heavy prosecution of drug offenses. Curbing rampant overcriminalization is the right direction. Drug laws are draconian, and not only because of the stiff penalties. They are unfair and unworkable. Incarcerating persons for addiction to a controlled substance is immoral and dysfunctional. This aberrant nanny-state trend must end. Free market economist Milton Friedman decried the War on Drugs, as did President Reagan’s Secretary of Education Bill Bennett, William F. Buckley, and even the Rev. Pat Robertson.
Bipartisanship Already?
Rep. Maxine (Tea Party, Go to Hell) Waters has demanded an end to the war. Cooler heads are gaining. Just before his retirement from Congress, former Rep. David Dreier (R-San Dimas) called for a radical rethinking of drug laws. In Orange County, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) acknowledges that most Republicans favor decriminalizing low-level drugs, but will not admit it publicly for fear of jeopardizing their seats.
Ms. Bass continued:
“These laws result in unnecessary prison sentences for low-level, non-violent offenders who, upon their release from prison, are often locked out of the opportunity to secure jobs and otherwise reintegrate into their communities.”
A criminal record is an ongoing punishment for many former inmates. Reformers had intended for penitentiaries to guide men and women to rethink their values, to emerge with a grasp of their problems and solutions. Most prisoners leave with more skill at committing crimes than they are committed to restoring their non-criminal lives. The drug trade remains seductive because of its lucrative potential, especially for minority youth in failing public schools that afford them limited opportunities for advancement.
Ms. Bass:
“This only exacerbates a vicious cycle of poverty and incarceration while weakening many communities across America, especially communities of color which have been disproportionately impacted.”
Gang-banging and drug-dealing have degraded communities throughout Los Angeles. I cannot relate how many times I have heard youths dishing on the drugs they were using, even on their high school campuses. Yet no one prosecuted them.
Drug laws have harmed communities of color. Ms. Bass’s insistence on bringing into consideration the melanin count of a person's integumentary system proves that she advocates the proper reforms, but for the wrong reasons. It's never about color, but culture and class, Ms. Bass.
She also said:
“I’m hopeful the announcement will spur Congress into being a willing partner with the administration for passing even bolder reforms, such as those called for in the bipartisan 'Justice Safety Valve Act of 2013,' which would provide judges broader flexibility in tailoring prison sentences and help to reduce the overcrowded prison population.”
America needs this kind of bipartisanship. Ms. Bass should agree, however, to scaling back welfare just as Republicans have agreed to end subsidies to corporations, including Big Pharma and Big Farmers. For Mr. Holder and Ms. Bass, getting off (or high on) the grass is a welcome development, a step toward limited government in the United States.
Arthur Christopher Schaper is a teacher-turned-writer on topics both timeless and timely; political, cultural, and eternal. A lifelong Southern California resident, he currently lives in Torrance.
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