US capitalism. Drug capital of the world.

One of the ways US capitalism keeps control over the US working class, wins its struggle for the consciousness of the US working class, is to always be at war with somebody or something. In this way its keeps the US population in fear and convinced that we all have to be united in defense against the enemy. At present the US has its wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, its war against terrorism and longer than any of these is its so called war against drugs. These wars are used as whips to keep the US working class in place. US working people must not be critical of their rulers, or their system, we cannot afford to be critical, we have all these enemies and all these wars to fight. This is what we are told. This is central to US capitalism's struggle for control of the US working class consciousness.

Look at one of these so called wars - the war on drugs. Since Reagan declared it over two decades ago the only affect on the drug epidemic in the US is that it has got worse. And while this has been happening there has been approximately $1 trillion spent on this so called war. Think what this one trillion could have done if spent on programs and alternatives for the youth.

At the same time as this has been going on Mexico is increasingly destabilized. Since Mexico launched its offensive against the drug cartels around four years ago 15,000 people have been killed. 90% of the weapons used in these Mexican slaughters come from the US and of course without the demand for drugs in the US there would be practically no demand and no drug trade and no slaughter of this scale in Mexico.

The war against drugs does not work. One reason is that capitalism does not want it to work. They want working class people and youth doped and or making money out of the drug trade rather than becoming involved in revolutionary politics. When I lived in Ireland in the late 1960's and the uprisings took place suddenly LSD appeared on the streets. Capitalism tries to drown the revolutionary potential of the working class and youth in drugs.

What should be done? Many European countries have taken steps towards the legalization of drugs and the development of programs to help those addicted and achieved significant success. Keeping drugs illegal, thus keeping the price high, this in turn leading to drug dealing organizations armed to the teeth, does not work. A drug free society is only possible where people have decent living standards, satisfying lives, are free from the alienation which is inevitable in capitalist society. A drug free society is only possible in a Democratic Socialist Society.

Sean

Sean.

Sean.