Judge Andrew P. Napolitano: Searching for Monsters

“America goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy …

She might become the dictatress of the world,

But she would no longer be the ruler of her own spirit.”

— John Quincy Adams (1767-1848)

John Quincy Adams, the future President of the United States, requested permission to address a joint session in Congress during his time as Secretary of State. This request is unusual in modern times. What was his motive?

In the War of 1812, the United States had just drawn a draw with Great Britain. It was almost entirely fought in Canada. Some historians believe that the British started this war to win their former colonies. Others believe it was started by the U.S. to take Canada from Britain. Adams was concerned that war’s cancer was spreading again through Washington and wanted to stop it.

He succeeded, but only for 20 years.

Fast forward to 1992, when the U.S. was waging another fruitless foreign war, this one using the CIA and the DEA — to avoid the statutes that required reporting military conflicts to Congress and the need of a congressional declaration of war. This was the U.S. drug war against the Mexican government, and Mexican civilians.

The George H.W. The George H.W. Bush administration decided to kidnap foreigners that had broken American laws elsewhere and bring them to justice here. These people were believed to have harmed Americans in Mexico through resisting America’s drug wars and in America by allowing drugs to get here.

It doesn’t matter that drugs can be purchased or taken at will. And it doesn’t matter that the Supreme Court has ordered drug testing.