Abstract

The Drug War Of Words

When U.S. Essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson observed that "language is the archives of history," he never could have imagined how the drug war has borne out his aphorism. The drug war has featured an invasion that killed hundreds of innocent Panamanians--with little public indignation--and the involvement of the National Guard in domestic law enforcement operations. The language of the drug war suggests a similar mind-set. The U.S. President's George Bush Administration is targeting not merely dealers but addicts and those who happen to have the misfortune of living near a crack house but take no action against it. The President tells a national television audience that blame for the drug crisis lies with "everyone who uses drugs, everyone who sells drugs and everyone who looks the other way."