June 17, 2014
America’s oldest and longest-standing war in history is waged on its own civilian populace: The War on Drugs.
The War on Drugs began in El Paso, Texas, at the beginning of the turn of the last century. City ordinances outlawing "drugs" were written to target Mexicans. They were prevented from using what was then known to white Americans as "Indian hemp," known to the Mexicans as “Marie-Juana,” and now known as marijuana. There were no laws against immigration at the time, so the best way to oppress Mexicans in the newly-annexed state was to attack this activity.
As time progressed, other substances were added to the prohibited list. The War on Drugs wasn’t labeled as such until the Nixon administration. As in all wars, suffering cannot be measured in quantity... but the War on Drugs has created the largest prison crisis the world has ever seen. In spite of having one of the lowest population densities by total land mass, the United States has the most prisons and prisoners on earth, including China and India combined....which is two thirds of the entire earth’s population!
The most tragic casualties of the drug war are the children, who often have to go without parents due to incarceration, but counted amongst the most severe are also those who suffer physical injury. Baby Bou-Bou is one such severe tragedy.
On May 28, 2014, while serving a no-knock warrant, Habersham County GA deputies tossed a Flash grenade into a home at 3 AM, without verifying if the suspect or any children were in the home or not. Wanis Thonetheva, the suspect, had allegedly sold $50 worth of methamphetamine to an informant one day earlier. The Flash grenade landed in the crib of a toddler, directly on his pillow. Bounkham Phonesevahn, also known as “Bou-Bou,” sustained 3rd degree burns on his tiny body and a deep chest wound. He was rushed to nearby Grady Hospital where he is in critical condition in a medically induced coma. No drugs or weapons were found and the suspect wasn’t even on the premises.
The next day he was arrested for possession and released. Rather than apologizing, the officer responsible blamed the inhabitants of the home and claimed they were no better than domestic terrorists! Federal and State investigators have become involved, investigating the possibility of the baby’s or his family’s rights being violated. The War on Drugs must end if for no other reason than the sake of the children.