Re:Nixon advisor: We created the war on drugs to “criminaliz...
by kaonashi on Thursday March 24, 2016 @12:51PM
(#11354356)
Well, one test would be to look at how the law has been applied since it was instituted. Has the law been used to target mostly leftists and minorities?
Re:Nixon advisor: We created the war on drugs to “criminaliz...
by phd514 on Thursday March 24, 2016 @01:15PM
(#11354573)
The subsequent application of the law has no bearing on the veracity of the quote as the people who have and are applying the law are in no way bound by anything that Ehrlichman may or may not have said.
Re:Nixon advisor: We created the war on drugs to “criminaliz...
by kaonashi on Thursday March 24, 2016 @03:43PM
(#11355815)
The actions of the executive branch of government were at least somewhat bound by what Nixon might or might not have instructed them.
Keep in mind that Ehrlichman served jail time for his role in Watergate. That doesn't make him all that trustworthy, and it's not unreasonable to think that even being in the inner circle he hated and blamed Nixon. Ever seen a criminal come out of jail and sing the praises of their compatriots? Failing that, why in the heck would he just admit this? What's his motivation?
This story is already passing into legend. It's probably a total fabrication. Ehrlichman has been dead since 1999, btw, so who knows what he really said.