Drug Offenses Worse Than Child Rape; Terrorism

 

Non-violent drug offenses = same sentence as worst terrorist act in U.S. history.

"Child rape?  No problem.  A little weed?  Get her outta there." --- Olympics Committee

Just a couple of news stories that crossed my feed this week.  Forgive the godawful graphics but I was too pissed to do better.  

In what universe is smoking marijuana a more serious crime than child rape?  Scratch that, in what universe is testing positive for ANY drug worse than a violent crime involving rape of a 12-year-old girl by a 19-year-old adult?  Most people would agree that a depraved predator like Mr. van de Velde has no business walking free after 3 useless years behind bars, let alone representing his country in the Olympics.  Apparently the Dutch justice system doesn't see it as a serious crime and the Olympics committee feels that the "crime" of ingesting THC to cope with your mom's death is more unforgivable than ruining a little girl's life in one of the most brutal ways possible.

And what can even be said about the fact that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the other 9/11 terrorist masterminds were allowed to "strike a plea deal" with prosecutors after committing the largest terrorist attack in this nation's history?  Timothy McVeigh was put to death in record time but these animals kill 2,996 people and get the same sentence as George Martorano, a first-time non-violent offender sentenced to LIFE Without Parole for dealing drugs.  No matter how you feel about capital punishment, if there was ever a case where someone deserved to die, it's one in which they killed nearly 3,000 innocent people & kicked off the most powerful nation in the world's chaotic slide into Civil War & global irrelevance.  So let's give these guys the same sentence as someone merely engaged in the capitalistic game of supply & demand, selling a product for which there's a huge and unquenchable demand--drugs!  Totally reasonable.  😒  And Mr. Martorano is not alone:  19-year-old Ronald Evans also got Life Without Parole for dealing drugs in 1993 while Sherman Chester got life for selling coke and heroin in 1999.  There's no shortage of other outrageous stories just like these for anyone who takes the time to look.    

These are just 2 stories in a sea of injustices regarding the treatment of non-violent drug offenses compared to barbaric crimes like rape, child rape, murder & terrorist attacks.  Some crimes shouldn't allow for plea deals and you're looking at 2 of them.  As long as sentences are going to be completely arbitrary, why not go on a violent raping/killing spree & hope for the best?  You may get the death penalty or you may get a 20-year sentence with time off for "good behavior".  There's no rhyme or reason behind the sentences handed out at all, which defeats the purpose of incarceration.  Prison should be reserved for people who pose a threat to society, not tax-dodgers whose lifestyles you disagree with.  It needs to be a predictable consequence to terrible anti-social acts, now whateverthefuck these pedo-enabling judges are using it for.  

And the Olympics Committee has been corrupt so this is no surprise.  But just because it's not shocking doesn't mean we should quietly accept it.  This is the real-world effect of criminalizing the non-crime of drug possession & use, and these stories are absolutely representative of our prison population because over 50% of inmates in federal prisons are incarcerated for drug law violations.  At any given time, around half a million Americans are locked up on drug offenses.  That's 10x the number incarcerated for drug crimes in 1980.  And remember the controversial privacy-annihilating Patriot Act, which was supposed to be for the purpose of catching would-be terrorists before they strike?  Turns out it's been overwhelmingly used to catch DRUG DEALERS, not terrorists.  See for yourself.   

To top it all off we're not even benefitting from this vile charade:  drugs are more potent, more abundant/available, cheaper & more likely to be adulterated now than at any time in this country's history.  It's past time the U.S. and other civilized nations start treating violent crime with the seriousness it deserves & stop punishing decent people for the nonviolent act of drug use, which amounts to a personal lifestyle choice.  I weep for the families of the 9/11 victims who have to live with the knowledge that the animals that masterminded the attacks get to live out their lives while their innocent loved ones had theirs brutally ripped away all those years ago--that those 2,996 lives didn't equal the lives of THREE worthless murderers in the eyes of our legal system.  I dare not call it a "justice" system because fuck that.  

This is what you support when you support the War on Drugs.