A musing Beam

Einstein spent a good deal of energy in his later years striving to convince people that nationalism was the greatest evil facing the world.  "Nationalism, in my opinion, is nothing more than an idealist rationalization for militarism and aggression." I think the root of the problem he saw lies in people's innate desire to feel part of a group and to form their identities around these group affiliations.  (It is easy to see many evolutionary advantages to this, so I won't try to belabor its purpose or existence.) One of the smallest instances of a tribe is a family unit. "Family comes first" is considered a positive value, even though that mantra means that other, more "deserving" people might be treated as secondary.  Others who are like you get added to your tribes.  This is often a really good thing -- your neighbors help each other, church members show up when you go to the hospital, your fellow bridge players give you a sense of being neede

I have a prediction:  The War on Drugs officially started by President Nixon in the early 70's will shortly be abandoned.  That's a good thing, and this entry will explain why. Before I get to that, though, why do I think it will end?  First, the Obama administration explicitly rejects using the term as unproductive.  Second, there are several states that are flouting the federal prohibition, with great public appeal.  Third, a substantial group on the Right (the Tea Party) has an ideology that goes squarely against the "war."  I think the next Presidential cycle will see a movement to federally repeal the prohibition of marijuana, and that may well be accompanied by the ability to use any of the prohibited substances medically.  At that point ... no more war.  I hope the next step would be to decriminalize drug use altogether (at least for adults). Now, on to why ending it is a good thing.  In a nutshell, it has high costs for these: 1) Finance, 2) Liberty, 3) De