Pubdate: Tue, 4 Jan 2011 Source: Los Angeles Times (CA) Page: A12, Lead Letter Copyright: 2011 Los Angeles Times Contact: http://www.latimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/248 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10/n1069/a01.html Author: Roger Carasso THE WRONG WAR Re "Mexico army no match for drug cartels," Dec. 30 One tell-tale sign that your country is ruled by a combination of opportunists, hypocrites and dogmatists is if it wages a "war on drugs." Mexico's rulers, at the urging of our rulers, are waging that war. They have sent in the army to defeat the drug cartels. The police have already lost the war, and it's now the army's to lose. The United States may next turn to the Mexican navy to step in so it can have a turn at losing the war. It's pathetic and nearly incredible that American authorities have learned absolutely nothing from the failure of alcohol prohibition. The war we really need is not in Afghanistan or Iraq; it is a war against greedy or twisted minds - that is, a war on the absurd "war on drugs." Roger Carasso Los Angeles - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake