In a futile attempt to stanch the flow of Columbian
cocaine into the US,
congress has yet again agreed to send more money, more guns, and more soldiers into
Columbia. Unfortunately, US troops are getting more and more involved in fighting
leftist guerillas and propping up the
corrupt Columbian government than their original mission of siezing
cocaine and
capping drug smugglers.
What began by sending
advisors to help the Columbian government plot strategy against the coke cartels expanded into sending US troops along on raids against
drug lab, and now has grown to supporting the Columbian military's attempts to put down a rebel movement. The pattern of escalating involvement set in
Vietnam is repeating itself.
Anyone who doesn't want to see American troops put into another ill-defined and likely unwinnable guerilla campaign, who doesn't like the idea of fighting dying in a foreign jungle for a war that doesn't need to be fought, would do well to pay attention. As long as there are addicts willing to pay for
cocaine, there will be people willing to grow
coca, process it into cocaine, and smuggle it into the US. The voters, and
Congress (particularly those staunch
republicans who tout their service in
Vietnam every election year) should carefully consider whether or not they want to be responsible for sending another generation of soldiers to fight and die for a
hopeless cause.