Jewish World Review Feb. 11, 2002 / 29 Shevat, 5762

Bill O'Reilly

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Consumer Reports

Buy dope, fund terror


http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com -- IN between the patriotic displays, and Bono and Mariah, there was a very interesting commercial during the Super Bowl. And that spot cost us, the taxpayers, almost four million dollars because it ran twice -- frightening the heck out of Britney Spears.

The advertisement linked the buying of illegal drugs with supporting terrorism. It basically accused Americans who support the traffic in illegal narcotics of being anti-American. Of course, the ad was scoffed at by many Americans who see drug-taking as legitimate recreation.

But I thought the ad made a valid point, even though I believe that with the way the war on drugs is being fought now it is a loser. A $30-billion-dollar-a-year loser.

Let's break it down: The main point of the commercial is that if an American puts money into the hands of dope pushers, that money can make it possible for terrorists to operate, for assassins to get paid, for more drugs to pour into the streets of America.

That is all true. The Taliban supported itself on opium sales. Drug cartels throughout the world routinely murder and commit incredible violence against their opponents, and illegal narcotics flood the poorest neighborhoods of America. In every ghetto in the USA the most dangerous drugs are readily available to children and everyone else. Even in more upscale neighborhoods, drugs are not hard to find.

The kicker is that if no one bought illegal drugs, none of the above would be happening. So, if you do buy dope, you are hurting your country. It is simple logic.

But simple logic doesn't dent the minds of many dopers who want to get high, and their country be damned.

The primary rationalization, of course, concerns alcohol. Many Americans who buy dope say that they have the right to do that because alcohol is legal. If booze can be served, than society is hypocritical for outlawing drugs.

However, our society is not stupid. According to every poll taken on the subject, the overwhelming majority of Americans are against the legalization of drugs. Americans are even against legalized marijuana. A Fox News/Opinion Dynamics Poll taken last year showed 66 percent of Americans do not want pot made legal. Only 26 percent do. The rest were possibly too high to take a stand.

The reason, I believe, that so many Americans are against making drugs legal is that they have seen what intoxicants can do. There are more than a million drunk-driving cases each year. Nearly 10 percent of the adult population is heavily involved with alcohol. Why make more mind-altering substances available? Why send a message to children that intoxication is a birthright?

It is not. And supporting criminals who sell addictive substances is anti-American. Public intoxication hurts us all, and private intoxication hurts the individual. Nothing good can come of this. Why are so many Americans blind to the truth?

The answer comes back to selfishness. Drug users think "I want to get high, so I will. It is my body, so if I give money to a pusher who sells crack to kids, so what? I'm not responsible."v Well, yes, you are. Again, if nobody bought the drugs -- the evil that they bring would not exist.

So, move over, Britney. The best commercial during the Super Bowl was the one that confronted Americans with the damage that dope buying does. It was a gutsy move. I applaud it.



JWR contributor Bill O'Reilly is host of the Fox News show, "The O'Reilly Factor," and author of the new book, "The No-Spin Zone: Confrontations with the Powerful and Famous in America" Comments by clicking here.

Up


02/04/02: Back room deals
01/28/02: From boom to bust
01/21/02: The Fairness Doctrine
01/14/02: Hey, Paula, take it to the bank and hush up
01/07/02: And justice for none
12/31/01: All that's left
12/24/01: Santa is appalled
12/17/01: Fight the power
12/10/01: The black challenge
12/03/01: How things have changed
11/26/01: Waiting in the Bushes
11/19/01: The sign of the Cross
11/09/01: Hollyweird strikes back
11/06/01: The fear factor
10/26/01: Show me the money
10/22/01: See no evil
10/15/01: Peace, but no quiet
10/08/01: The air war
10/01/01: I don't understand
09/24/01: We are all soldiers, and we have a job to do
09/14/01: Evil on display
09/11/01: Family matters!
09/04/01: End of summer blues
08/27/01: Summertime -- and the livin' ain't easy
08/20/01: The rap on rap
08/13/01: The truth hurts
08/06/01: Amnesty for illegals: Bush's political investment
07/30/01: The big picture on Condit-Levy
07/24/01: Silence of the Shams
07/16/01: Condit, Kennedy and cable news
07/09/01: Heather needs a childhood: The unnecessary loss of innocence
07/02/01: What would have happened if Steven Spielberg had recut "Schindler's List" for German audiences so they wouldn't be confronted with "emotional issues"?
06/25/01: Freak dancing
06/18/01: Work or die
06/11/01: Soundbite nation
06/04/01: Paying through the nose
05/29/01: Graduation Day 2001
05/21/01: Accepting the unacceptable
05/14/01: The Clinton legacy
05/07/01: Kerrey's ordeal
04/27/01: Is the party over?
04/20/01: Racism in public education
04/16/01: The fleecing of America
04/10/01: People who need perspective
04/03/01: Dubya's bottom line --- and ours
03/27/01: Don't tell, don't ask
03/20/01: Greenspan with envy
03/13/01: Clinton and Jackson
03/07/01: All that's left in America
02/27/01: The Letterman experience
02/20/01: Bread and circuses
02/06/01: How the Clintons do it
01/30/01: The Bush dilemma
01/24/01: I have been investigating Jackson's finances for the past two years
01/17/01: Sifting Ashcroft's record

© 2001 Creators Syndicate