Letters to the Editor
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Blowback From the War on Drugs
While the Feds could no doubt have come up with some snazzy variations on the terrorist statutes after 9/11, much of the idea of prosecuting conspiracies and getting people to roll on each other is a direct result of all the practice they get conducting the Drug War.
The Feds (and now state prosecutors) have honed this style of prosecution to a science. Without it, they would never have been able to successfully convict the millions imprisoned for drug offenses.
Prosecutions at all levels have become a gotcha numbers game with greater emphasis on the size of the score than on justice.
For the most part, "terrorist" statutes are dangerous, with many unintended consequences still to come. Arson is a crime. Blowing up buildings is a crime. Crashing airplanes into buildings is a crime. Killing people is a crime. They should be prosecuted as such, with due diligence and seriousness, not an eye toward publicity and ambition.