Maybe War is a Bad Metaphor

Since the launch of the Global War of Terror (GWoT ) and the ensuing festivities associated therewith, it has become easy to forget the other wars we have going, so the Zoo is here with a quick reminder of the existence and status of these other vitally important conflicts. Let's take them chronologically.

(1964) War on Poverty. President Lyndon B. Johnson declares "unconditional war" on poverty in the United States. Various initiatives are proposed including the Head Start Program and lots of money spent. How is it going ? Not so good. According to data compiled at Wikipedia, poverty rates, while lower than at any time since 1980, are still higher than they were in 1970, 6 years after the war was declared. Arguments about measuring poverty rates continue as does, I assume, the war.

(1970) War On Drugs. It was a cold January day in 1970 when President Richard M. Nixon declared the war on drugs and it will be a cold day in Satan's sauna when we win it. We have spent billions and billions of dollars in 36 years in this cause, countless police officers have been corrupted and the drugs we mainly declared war against (heroin and cocaine) have been supplemented with such new favorites as methamphetamine.
The "front line" of the WoD, judging by the five billion dollar commitment made in the waning years of the Clinton Administration, is Colombia where, the Christian Science Monitor recently reported, an elite unit of U.S. trained and supported narcotics cops were set up, ambushed and murdered by the U.S. trained and supported Army. The CSM also reports that there is as much coca growing now as before "Plan Colombia" was started and the street price of cocaine in our cities hasn't budged.
I suppose we could call the WoD a stalemate, except the other side is making money while we are spending money.

(1974) War on Energy Problem. The war on U.S. energy profligacy began with President Jimmy Carter's vow that the United States would end its dependence on foreign oil and "never" again import more oil than we did in 1970. How is it going ? Need you ask ?
In 1970 were using 13.8 million barrels a day and 23% of that came from imports, so we were importing about 3.174 Mb/d. In 2004 we were using about 20 Mb/d in 2004 and importing about 60% of our usage for about 12 Mb/d, an increase of just under 9 MILLION BARRELS A DAY.
Fair to say that we have been utterly defeated in the War on Energy Waste and are enslaved to the Petroleum Industry.

(2001) Global War on Terror. In the wake of the attack on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and an empty field in Pennsylvania, President George W. Bush committed the nation to a war against a tactic. How is going ? Read the latest review of the situation at the "central front" of said war at TomDispatch. This is a sickening and tragic summary of all that is presently wrong with the war in Iraq in particular and GWoT in general.

I recommend that you not read this latter to soon after eating and that you

Stay Naked
jd