The Cowards in Charge: Exposing the GOP's Racist Drug War Policies

Racial disparities in the U.S. Criminal Justice system are clearly a problem. Many believe that discrimination is at play, but finding evidence of this has proven elusive. Recently, GOP lawmakers from Alabama and the U.S. Supreme Court entered the spotlight with Justice Antonin Scalia's comments that the Act 'perpetuates racial entitlement.' It would seem he does not believe that African Americans should feel entitled to vote and by all appearances, the Chief Justice and other Republican Justices feel the same. Meanwhile, the Drug War continues to drain the nation of fiscal and human resources at an alarming rate. Unrelated issues? Tracing the issues back to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, author C. Jeff Oakes presents a compelling argument that the GOP has colluded with racist Southern Conservatives to revamp Jim Crow Laws under the guise of the Drug War. Again finding itself on the wrong side of history, this party is again attempting to revisit those statutes nationwide and the recent Supreme Court case is but one instance. A must read for all who oppose discrimination in any form, oppose the Drug War, are concerned about the fiscal solvency of the nation, and generally want to understand the issues more clearly. Concise and well-written, this book will inform in a way that few can match.