Don't bring a nine iron to a gun fight.

The Daily Drug War in a nutshell. A half-awake man in a t-shirt wielding a golf club against a platoon of armed and armored warriors.

In war, the point of any battle is to kill the enemy. Every power has figured this out, it's too troublesome to take prisoners. Prisoners only work when you need cheap labor, pun fully intended.

Despite what the media and politicians still try to proclaim, the enemy in this war isn’t gangsters, Mexican mafias, or vile kingpins. The enemy isn’t even evil, despite misleading, cruel and ironic "Save The Children!" rhetoric. The enemy in this war is millions upon millions of regular people. And yes they are regular people, despite the strong and shrill objections of some of The Serious People. Oh, bless those poor serious people. They who resent being lumped in with "scum." They who sincerely sermonize about how we all just need to grow up and Obey. Don't we know the world isn't lollipops and gumdrops, what's with our pie in the sky hopes and ideals?

So, who are they? These millions? Some have addictions; horrible, life devastating problems with drugs. And I mean real problems, not court ordered, choice of rehab or jail time type problems. While others consume, like fine wine with dinner. Some sell, grow, own land, own nothing, manufacture, ship, house, travel, stay put, learn, or teach. Some are lovers, wives, or husbands. Some are roommates, children, patients. Some own businesses, some just work, and some hold no job. Most, if not all, just want to be left alone.

But, how can you be left alone when the act of inhaling, the act of possessing, the act of distributing carries the consequences of this video? Drugs and the black market forces provide an economic incentive for these consequences. The economic incentive is not limited to drug lords. It is also reveled in by the anti-drug lords. The black market controls and warps economic opportunities, and therefore the social world. While black markets always exist, prohibition allows for this one to thrive, unregulated, not policed, dangerous. Deadly and highly profitable for the power players on both sides. Without obscene blanket prohibition where would we be? It might be bold but I truly believe that no one at all has been saved by prohibition.

Nastier and dirtier drugs have been created because of it. Nastier and dirtier people as well. Nastier and dirtier institutions thrive upon it and are growing ever larger.

So, once again, since this is a war the battles are not for the betterment of society. The battles are to eradicate the enemy. And conveniently for our moral warriors, the definition of enemy is constantly expanding. One day, even you will most likely be one. That, or you will know someone close and dear to you who is. As in every other war collateral damage means little if compared to the glory of winning and claiming the spoils.

And in this war there's a hell of a lot of pillage still left up for grabs.