The Tohono O’odham Nation, which is located in Arizona on the Mexican border seems to be having a problem with drugs, immigrants, and federal agents. Which is worse is hard to determine. As with most wars — in this case, the War on Drugs — everyone is right. After all, everything is fair in love and war. The Mexicans who are bringing the marijuana across the border into the the Tohono O’odham Nation just want a better life for themselves and their families, those living on the reservation and agreeing to drive the drugs north just want a better life for themselves and their families, those living on the reservation and fighting the influx of drugs just want a better life for themselves and their families, and the federal agents patrolling the area are doing a job they see as best suited to bring themselves and their families a better life.

What is missing in all of this, as with most war correspondence, is the role of education and hope. Our education system has a long ways to go, but it can also go a long ways in helping people develop skills that will land the jobs that will help them have better lives for themselves and their families. If we pulled all the federal agents out of The Tohono O’odham Nation and used that money to build good schools — schools that would be run by those within The Tohono O’odham Nation — fewer people would feel the need to run drugs so that they could have a good life for themselves and their families. If we pulled out all the US troops from the Middle East and used half of the money for schools that we are currently paying for the War on Terrorism, more people in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq would have an opportunity for a better life for themselves and their families.

At the time of this writing, a good deal of drug usage happens in our schools, so there are some things we need to work on to bring that under control. I would, however, encourage you to listen to the Dadaists. Wars happen for a reason, and certain people benefit from violence. Figure out the patterns, build better schools (both physically and culturally), and watch the faces of all those people brighten up when they realize they now have an opportunity for a better life for themselves and their families.

January 25, 2010  
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