It's None of Our Business What Bolivians Grow

The Times' John Tierney is no big fan of Bolivia's socialist oracle Evo Morales. But Tierney says El Presidente is right about one thing: he's passionately opposed to the U.S. government's arrogant and ineffective attempts to eradicate other countries' coca-leaf crops.

[He's] right to complain about American imperialists criminalizing a substance that has been used for centuries in the Andes. If gringos are abusing a product made from coca leaves, that's a problem for America to deal with at home. The most cost-effective way is through drug treatment programs, not through futile efforts to cut off the supply.

America makes plenty of things that are bad for foreigners' health — fatty Big Macs, sugary Cokes, deadly Marlboros — but we'd never let foreigners tell us what to make and not make. The Saudis can fight alcoholism by forbidding the sale of Jack Daniels, but we'd think they were crazy if they ordered us to eradicate fields of barley in Tennessee.

Fuckin' A.

Comments

[Phil]

Fuckin' A, indeed.

[Bill Richie]

We need to no these things if we do a project on Bolivia we need to no what they grow so put it up WE NEED TO NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!