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America is in mourning over the senseless deaths of 21 people, 19 of them children, at an elementary school in Uvalde, TX. That mourning is certainly understandable. We can be sure the leeches who represent us in the halls of Congress will do what they do best. They will bloviate for a couple/few weeks, then cobble together some kind of useless legislation. Their new legislation almost certainly would not have stopped the Uvalde murders, nor will it be likely to stop future school murders. What is difficult to understand is why the 107,000 Americans who died of drug overdoses in 2021 are basically ignored. There is no national mourning. Indeed, there is no discussion in Congress as to how to remedy the carnage.

In 2018 the number of Americans who died of drug overdoses was only(?) 31,000. The media mentioned the issue as an aside and politicians said they were aware of the problem. In 2019 approximately 70,000 Americans died of drug overdoses. That is about the population of Kalamazoo, MI. The number of those deaths attributed to synthetic opioids was 36,000. The media wondered why Trump wasn’t doing something about the problem and politicians said they were concerned about the deaths. In 2020 the number of overdose deaths exceeded 100,000 for the first time. That is approximately equal to the population of Tuscaloosa, AL. The media, probably because it was such a nice round number, gave the issue front page coverage. Politicians said they would appoint a committee to better understand the problem immediately after the election. Just kidding. In 2021, 107,000 Americans lost their lives due to drug overdoses. (Who knows what the number of deaths might have been were it not for the use of Narcan). That is a population about the size of Boulder, CO. The media finally began to get serious about its coverage of the crisis. The committee, appointed by Congress, is studying ways to not let this crisis go to waste. (This may, or may not, be a joke).

Would the American government allow the Mexican Army to invade and kill everyone in Tuscaloosa, AL.? Would it allow the Chinese military to kill everyone in Boulder, CO.? While I am no longer certain of the answer to those questions, I think we might insist on some form of retaliation by our government. It is certain that the Mexican drug cartels are orchestrating the importation of these deadly drugs into our country. It is indisputable that Fentanyl, at least the ingredients to produce Fentanyl, are sourced in China. The Mexicans and the Chinese are making billions of dollars from our misery. A government that cared about the well-being of its citizens would demand action from the Mexican and Chinese governments. The U.S. still has the power to demand action from these bad actors. We have the wherewithal to force their compliance. Apparently it will take an even larger number of dead Americans to instill the will to do so in our elected representatives.

It isn’t totally honest to blame foreigners for our addiction to drugs. Neither the Mexicans or the Chinese are forcing Americans to use these deadly drugs. Drug abuse has been an ongoing problem in the U.S. for decades. I don’t believe in making excuses. That said, the recent increase of drug overdoses occurred, not coincidentally in my opinion, in part because of the isolation forced on society by the COVID lockdowns. Some people who were able to get their social fix at work, or by shopping, or dining, with friends were not strong enough to handle the new isolation when these outlets were taken away. Others were frightened by the daily doomsday messages being delivered by an irresponsible government and media. Many of our friends and family members looked to drugs for their escape. It is a sad choice made by fragile people. While foreigners are not responsible for our addictions, they are responsible for inserting drugs like Fentanyl into otherwise, non-Fentanyl drugs. Many of our deceased friends and relatives had no idea they were consuming a drug laced with Fentanyl. Lacing other drugs with deadly Fentanyl is tantamount to murder. The synthetic Fentanyl being produced today is many times more potent than anything we have ever seen before.

A report I read recently said that somewhere in the U.S. a person dies of a drug overdose every 5 1/2 minutes. (They include deaths from both legal and illegal drugs). Drug overdoses are the number one cause of death for people between the ages of 18 and 45. These are our family members, friends, and neighbors. They too are mourned when they are gone. I’d bet that every person reading this blog knows at least one person who has died because of a drug overdose. Now is the time for our government to demand action by the Mexican government against the cartels that own the border. We should offer any technical or logistical help they request to put an end to the cartels. The cartels should be treated as an invading army. There has never been a time when it was more important for us to insist that the Chinese government put an end to the production, and exporting, of Fentanyl and its byproducts. There is no way the CCP is unaware of this issue. Given the control they have over every aspect of society, they could put an end to the production of Fentanyl in weeks, maybe sooner. They may need to be prodded with trade sanctions, and tariffs, by the leaders of our government. So what are we waiting for?

Finding answers to the school shooting issue involves many variables with lots of moving parts. But it is solvable if honest legislators really want to solve it. They don’t. If you don’t believe me just wait and see how much money is raised, on both sides of the gun debate, over the next month. The amount will be immense! The drug overdose issue would be easier to solve if our government really wanted to solve it. They don’t. The first, and most effective change, would be to finish the wall and seal the border. One needn’t be a member of Mensa to understand that in order to stop the importation of poison, one must first shut down its port of entry. We have the resources in material, and manpower, to get this done relatively quickly. The material is already paid for and is on location along the border. We have an ample supply of able-bodied, unemployed, people to do the work. That won’t happen as long as there are billions of dollars donated to politicians, both for and against building the wall, who care more about their reelection than about the lives of Americans. They won’t do anything unless we tell them about our concerns, and demand change. Below is a sample letter that I urge you to send to your member of the U.S. House, and 2 U.S. Senators. If you don’t like the letter as written use it as a template to create your own. Give copies to your acquaintances and ask them to do the same. If you prefer, you can email it to your elected representatives. Shaking our heads and chanting woe is me has never, nor will it ever, bring about change. Please get involved.

Thank you for reading my blog. I hope you found it interesting and are motivated to be part of the solution. Most people are not aware of the carnage that drugs are causing on our fellow Americans. Bob

Sample letter: Senator or Representative, The number of people coming into the U.S. illegally is alarming. The sex trafficking, gang members, and drugs, that are entering through our southern border is frightening. I/we am/are writing as a constituent, but more importantly as an American citizen. I/we am/are writing specifically about the drugs and increase in overdose deaths those drugs have caused in my/our country. If you, and other members of Congress, were as appalled as I/us by the 107,000 deaths that occurred in 2021 due to drug overdoses this letter wouldn’t be necessary. Clearly you are not. This letter is to insist that you begin the process of completing construction of the wall along our southern border. I/we want to put an end to the epidemic of drug overdoses. I/we believe the first step in doing so is to seal the border and stop their entry into my/our country. I/we don’t think that will happen until the border is sealed. I/we will watch your actions on this important issue closely.

A voting constituent,

Mr./Mrs. Ticked off!