African proverbs tell the lion's story about American culture.

 "Until the lion has its own storyteller, the hunter will always have the best part of the story," is one of many African proverbs in this article.  Black History is the lion's story about American culture. Nevertheless, too many people fixate on the feel good parts and they miss the lessons that can help make a better more secure future. "I pointed out to you the stars and all you saw was the tip of my finger."

Freedom and equal economic opportunity are better than slavery and racial economic segregation are easy lessons learned from Black History. But, there are more. "Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped." People need to examine the true cause of their fall into tragic times and not only revel in their escape from them. Otherwise, they may repeat their old ways of thinking and lose freedom again. "He is a fool whose sheep runs away twice."

"When a fool is cursed, he thinks he is being praised."  People still amaze me who believe the government groups them under the old labels of racial segregation for different reasons than before. However, the lion's story about America's war on drugs shows the government isolates people under racial labels for the same reason. This war on drugs has parallels to government support for slavery and for racial segregation.

The results of the U.S. Government's war on drugs show two clearly different policies

toward people based on how the government racially classifies them. The National Household Survey of Drug Abuse reported illicit drug users were "9.9 million whites (72 percent of all users) and 2.0 million blacks (15 percent)." Three times more Americans from the white group used crack cocaine than from the black group. In addition, 82 percent of admitted drug sellers were from the white labeled group white and 16 percent black. Nevertheless, government agents arrested five Americans in the black group for drug offenses for every person it arrested from the white group.  

This government's race-based war on drugs concentrates the most violent aspects of drug sales in black labeled neighborhoods. Those conditions cost law-abiding members of those communities' money and social status. They lost billions of dollars in lost property value appreciation, and increased insurance costs. They suffer more collateral injuries and more stress as the drug war makes their community less safe. Those money losses are similar to what their ancestors suffered from slavery and economic segregation.

 In contrast, drug agents mostly ignored the white labeled communities where most drug abuse happens. It is noteworthy that those communities mostly escaped drug associated violence and decreased quality of life.

It gets worse. The government uses an unfair war on drug strategy that produces high arrest rates for a racial group. Then, it issues reports that compare the relative arrest rates between racial groups as if only each groups culture and moral values decided arrest percentages. We see those type reports in newspapers all the time. Finally the government completes its circular reasoning by concluding those high arrest rates for drug abuse in black labeled communities justifies its current racially biased war on drugs strategy. It could change those percentages just by arresting and sending to prison all outsiders who invade those neighborhoods to buy and sell drugs.

"How easy it is to defeat people who do not kindle fire for themselves." The lion's story makes clear that Americans labeled black still face many race-based threats to their well-being because of their skin color. They need to kindle a fire and invite other wise Americans to join them in a circle of discussion about the causes and solutions.

Kenneth Brooks is a freelance writer and speaker. Contact him at P.O. Box 882, Vallejo, CA 94590. opinion@ethicalego.com