I agree with Melanie Phillips less than half of the time...

[fpb]

...and what is more, I disagree with her attitude: humourless, naturally unsubtle, and partisan. But when she's right, she's right, and here she is right to the last letter and comma. To see the ugly troop of justifiers in the comments section is enough to make you vomit.

Comments

[shezan]

I go with Melanie Phillips most of the time because of pieces like this one.

[fpb]

You have more manners in your little finger than she has in her entire body. It drives me especially mad when she speaks as though anyone who disagrees with her on drugs is either a hireling of the "drugs lobby" or an idiot. Well, guess what, Melanie: I don't think that thousands of Mexicans and Colombians should die for my right to feel self-righteous at the expense of a "problem" I will never solve. And as for being a hireling, if only.

[shezan]

Not so sure, but I also like that she has this ferocious, astringent, take-no-prisoners BRAIN. The Mail is largely about more or less ethically dodgy pieces of intellectual fluff, but dammit, this woman THINKS even when she's spectacularly wrong.

Was at a conference with her in the US a couple of years back. WYSIWYG. And wow, was her presentation excellent.

[shezan]

(Not so sure about my "manners", unfortunately in agreement with you on the drugs thing.)

[joetexx]

What, if you don't mind my asking, are your thoughts on the subject of drugs
(I assume you maen the illicit recreational variety)?

I ask purely out of curiosity as an old '60's stoner and acidhead; from time to time I like to sound out what bright youngsters think about it.

BTW I just finished you Hesse post and will probably comment on it after I have digested Thomas Mann's introduction.

[fpb]

Whiskey does as much physical harm as cocaine, and wine as much as weed. The difference is that the sellers don't usually murder each other on the street, and that most of them tend to pay tax.

[fpb]

http://townhall.com/columnists/johnstossel/2011/03/16/end_the_drug_war,_save_black_america/page/full/