Per James Taranto today:

The latest idiotic Taliban comparison comes from one Salim Muwakkil of the left-wing magazine In These Times, who writes in the Chicago Tribune: "Just as the Taliban forbid music, kite flying, close shaving and female education purely in the service of religious fanaticism, America adheres to an anti-drug dogma that similarly defies logic. The U.S. and the Taliban may be mortal enemies in the war on terrorism. But in the war on reason, they are soul mates. American policies demonizing marijuana are nothing if not an attack on reason."

I actually agree with Mr. Muwakkil on this one, though I normally don't agree with him. I'm familiar with his other work because In These Times was my liberal rag of choice. I agree with other things that Mr. Taranto wrote in his column today, but I sure don't agree with his condemnation of Mr. Muwakkil.

At this point, the Afghan economy requires them to harvest the poppies they planted back when we first started dropping bombs. It would cost the U.S. one hell of a lot less money if we just ignored that whole activity. The only other way to handle that is to go destroy poppy fields and pay the farmers what they would have gotten for their crops, but I think we've tried that one before. Pretty soon, the crops wouldn't actually be destroyed and the CIA would be selling heroin...