| July 14, 2000 #157 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation, http://www.drugpolicy.org/ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
...Invites You To: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
THE SHADOW CONVENTIONS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
If you think our drug policies are doing more harm than good | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
If you think police should stop arresting people for marijuana | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
If you think there are too many people behind bars on drug charges | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
If you think the war on drugs is a poor excuse for reinstituting Jim
Crowin America | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
If you think drug testing has gone too far in this country | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
If you can no longer stand the lies and hypocrisies of the drug war | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
If you think it's time for a REAL debate in this country about how we
deal with drugs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
... then COME TO THE SHADOW CONVENTIONS!!! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
There we will launch a new anti-war movement -- a movement to end the
war on drugs and demand that the country's drug policies be based on
common sense, science, public health and human rights. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday, August 1, 2000: Philadelphia 10 AM - 10 PM Annenberg Center University of Pennsylvania 3680 Walnut Street @ 37th Street | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday, August 15, 2000: Los Angeles 10 AM - 10 PM Patriotic Hall 1816
S.Figueroa St. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Below please find URLs to flyers in PDF (printable) format for the
two Shadow Conventions. We hope you can post these, and/or email/snail
mail them to interested parties. If you have trouble printing them
please call 212-548-0611 and we will fax them to you. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
You can find a copy of the Event Flyer for the Philadelphia Shadow
Convention at: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
and the Los Angeles Shadow Convention at: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Download the free Adobe PDF reader at: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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HOW TO REGISTER: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
If you do not have access to a computer, please call 212-548-0611 (Please Note: this phone number is voice mail only for registration. Any questions or comments can be included on the online registration form.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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JUST SAY NO TO THE WAR ON DRUGS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Drug policy reform is rapidly emerging as a new movement for political
and social justice in the United States. The Shadow Conventions will be
the most significant gatherings to date of citizens calling for an end
to the war on drugs. Prominent speakers include New Mexico Governor Gary
Johnson, the first U.S. governor to call for marijuana legalization and
other major drug policy reforms; Reverend Jesse Jackson, who will
address the racially disproportionate impact of current drug policies;
and California Congressman Tom Campbell, the first major party
politician to run for statewide office on a platform that includes
significant drug policy reform. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The three principal themes at the Philadelphia convention on August 1
will be: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(1) The impact of the war on drugs on American families; | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(2) The economic costs and consequences of current drug policies; and | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(3) The evisceration of American civil rights and liberties by the war
on drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Shadow Convention gathering in Los Angeles on August 15 will focus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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(1) Protecting our youth from both drug abuse and the war on drugs; | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(2) The racist origins, conduct and consequences of the drug war; and | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(3) The public health implications of U.S. drug policies. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Shadow Conventions will include hundreds of citizens who currently
have family members incarcerated for non-violent drug offenses. Some
will speak publicly, as will others who have lost family members to
AIDS, or seen their families torn apart by policies that criminalize
drug use during pregnancy. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A choir of young people whose parents are incarcerated will perform.
Former military officers will dissent, clergy will preach, and leading
drug policy reformers will assess current drug war strategies and propose
pragmatic alternatives. They will be joined by a variety of musicians,
comedians and other entertainers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Our message is simple and straight forward: The war on drugs is doing
more harm than good. Our current drug policies are driven largely by
ignorance, fear, prejudice and profit. Our political leadership seems
able and willing to tolerate extraordinary levels of hypocrisy in its
policies and statements regarding drugs and drug users. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
THE UNITED STATES DESPERATELY NEEDS A TRULY OPEN AND HONEST DIALOGUE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Shadow Conventions present drug policy reformers with a
unique opportunity to educate our fellow citizens regarding the costs
and consequences of the government's "war on drugs." It is not just the
brief moments when our message will engage the national media, but also
the changing perceptions among media, politicians and others as we
successfully organize our efforts and combine with others seeking to
reform backward and entrenched public policies. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As we work on putting together these two conventions, we can feel
the momentum building behind our efforts. Let's make the most of this
opportunity. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
You can help make these Shadow Conventions a success in several ways.
First, plan to attend or volunteer if at all possible. You can register
FREE by visiting http://www.drugpolicy.org/ on the Internet or by
calling 212-548-0611 (Please Note: this phone number is voice mail only
for registration. Any questions or comments can be included on the
online registration form.) At the same time, your generous financial
support will enable us to reach even more people and help ensure that
we reach the widest possible audience. Your special contribution of
$25, $50 or $100, will help TLC-DPF advance the cause of drug policy
reform during this critical election year. Contributions can be
accepted at the Website listed above or sent to: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
925 Ninth Avenue, New York, NY 10019. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thank you, and see you there!! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ethan Nadelmann | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Lindesmith Center, created in 1994, is the leading independent drug policy institute in the United States. The Drug Policy Foundation, created in 1987, has been the principal membership-based organization advocating for drug policy reform. The two organizations merged on July 1, 2000. We plan to launch, under a new name, later this year, with the objective of building a national drug policy reform movement. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (1-4) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early July's drug news promised a long hot summer for McCzar and his increasingly embattled policy. Potential problem areas suggested by this potpourri of articles: ONDCP's internal woes, increasing interest in the shadow conventions, a stubborn problem with rural meth production, and an intelligent analysis of just why the Plan Colombia Congressional victory may have baited a big trap for the drug war. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(1) AUDITORS CRITICAL OF DRUG CZAR, STAFF TURNOVER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON - The hard-charging former general who's overseeing American
anti-drug efforts is a relentless taskmaster whose overworked office
has suffered disturbingly high turnover, auditors say in a sobering new
report released Thursday. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Drug czar Barry McCaffrey, whose responsibilities include a new multimillion-dollar campaign targeting the Central Valley's covert methamphetamine trade, comes under sustained fire in the highly detailed audit ordered by Congress. The criticism includes suggestions that McCaffrey's staff is stretched too thin to properly oversee programs like the one now underway in nine Central Valley counties. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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(2) SHADOW CONVENTIONS PLAN DARK HUMOR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Organizers Say Substance, Not Just Satire, Also Will Be Offered Because
Democrats And Republicans Are Too Timid To Face Issues | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
LOS ANGELES -- It's an unconventional approach to presidential
politics, but that's the idea. Dismayed that the Republican and
Democratic national conventions have become "coronations," a loose
coalition of political activists, religious leaders, and social
satirists has decided to hold its own. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Celebrities aside, the emphasis will be on what convention planners
view as the government's failed drug policy, the growing gap between
rich and poor, and the need for serious campaign-finance reform, as
well as the possibility of taking the nation public by selling stock in
America. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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(3) AN UNLIKELY BATTLEFIELD IN THE DRUG WAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Salt Lake City Confronts Meth Labs, Trafficking Increase | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SALT LAKE CITY - Pioneer Park was named for the clean-living founders
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The neatly groomed
common of shade trees and footpaths is six blocks from Temple Square,
world headquarters of the Mormon faith. It is also a prime location
for scoring drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Utah ranks among the top 10 states for total meth labs and No. 1 for
"speed" cookeries per capita, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the early 1990s, the DEA and local police agencies raided about a
half-dozen labs a year in the Beehive State. They busted 266 in 1999
mainly in the Salt Lake region - and are on a pace to at least equal
that number this year. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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(4) THE CORRUPTION OF COL. JAMES HIETT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
When the commander of U.S. anti-drug efforts in Colombia got involved
in drug running, Congress should have rethought its massive military
aid bill - but it didn't. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
July 5, 2000 - BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- In two weeks, a retired Army colonel
will stand for sentencing before Judge Edward Korman in the Cadman
Plaza federal courthouse. The colonel's name has never been uttered on
the Senate floor. You can rummage in vain for any mention of him in
congressional committee testimony and reports. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Yet the case of Col. James Hiett, former commander of U.S. Army anti-drug advisors in Colombia, due to be sentenced in mid-July for covering up his wife's drug smuggling, has everything to do with the passage last week of more than $1 billion in military aid to Colombia. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hiett's case offers dark hints of what the United States is in for by
turning the Colombian drug-war theater into a large-scale American
military enterprise -- and it reveals, too, some of the costs of the
drug war on America's own streets. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Another potential source of woe for McCzar: Ecstasy's sustained popularity has provoked harsh rhetoric reminiscent of the crack and meth scares, but with some notable differences; the ecstasy user group is harder to demonize; also the centrality of dancing and the sheer size of raves creates both unique problems and opportunities. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Those differences have generated calls for some restraint in dealing
with this latest "menace." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
We'll see. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(5) THE POISONING OF SUBURBIA (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
An 18-year-old girl died after taking a pill she thought was ecstasy.
Is her death a sign of more tragedies to come? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
July 06, 2000 - Sara Aeschlimann called her mom, Janice, in typical fashion at 12:30 one Saturday night. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm OK and that I'll be staying at Garrett's house," she said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
By 3 the next afternoon, Mother's Day, she was dead. Instead of taking
methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), the only chemical contained in
unadulterated ecstasy, she had unknowingly swallowed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
R. Terry Furst, an associate professor of anthropology at John Jay
College of Criminal Justice in New York, has studied the demographics
of drug users. He believes the ecstasy-taking crowd, whose numbers have
increased by more than 50 percent among high school seniors in the past
two years, is a whole different demographic group than users of drugs
like heroin, who are mostly from lower economic strata. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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(6) ECSTASY BRINGS MUCH AGONY TO CENTRAL OHIO (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Young people are abusing an alarming array of drugs, but one seems to
be reaching epidemic proportions -- and with devastating effects.
So-called Ecstasy, which comes in at least three forms, has been
implicated nationally in the sexual assaults of approximately 5,000
teen-age and young adult women. The drug also has caused 49 deaths. As
a pediatrician, I have seen the destructive effects of this drug. I
have a patient who is 16, white and middle-class. She is not a drug
addict. She is what I would call your average American kid. I treated
her after she took Ecstasy and was raped twice. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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(7) CANCELLED S.J. RAVE MOVES TO FRESNO (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
County Banned All-Night Dances; Promoters Say New Event Will Draw
80,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The all-night dance parties that Santa Clara County kicked out of its
fairgrounds are moving to Fresno -- and event promoters, upset about
last week's sudden cancellation of ``raves'' here on July 1 and July
22, have promised to bus people from San Jose to ``bigger and better''
80,000-person parties in the Central Valley. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Undeterred by a reputation of violence and drug use at raves -- both of
which surfaced at a June 18 event sponsored by promoter Coolworld.com
at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds -- officials in Fresno say they
welcome the events, which have been promoted heavily on MTV, the
national cable music channel. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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(8) WHEN DANCING IS OUTLAWED, ONLY OUTLAWS WILL DANCE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the movie Footloose, a group of town elders tried to keep dancing
illegal, leading to a revolt by the youth of the town. This seemingly
absurd plot is being played out today in the U.S. In recent weeks, a
crackdown has begun on raves--all night dance parties where some
participants are taking drugs like MDMA (3-4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
With the exception of San Francisco, which is working on ordinances
requiring clubs to provide water and safety information at raves, our
public health departments have taken no action to promote safety at
raves. Instead, Congress is introducing bills to ratchet up sentencing
for crimes involving MDMA (since that tactic has worked so well in the
past). One alarming bill would even make it illegal to post information
about the drug on the Internet, putting in peril not only the First
Amendment, but also any organization distributing harm reduction
information about MDMA. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (9-10) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In two related actions which could serve to turn a very unfavorable
spotlight on his Department of "Justice," the President made rare use
of his clemency powers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(9) EDITORIAL: DEATH DELAYED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Clinton Postponed The First Federal Execution In Decades. Good. Now
Commute The Sentence. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
President Bill Clinton has postponed what would be the first federal execution in almost four decades, delaying Juan Raul Garza's Aug. 5 date with death at least until procedures for seeking clemency are put in place. Anything that slows the official machinery of death is worth doing. It would be better still if Clinton commuted Garza's sentence to life in prison, and better yet if Congress repealed the law that put the federal government back in the business of sanctioned killing. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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(10) WOMEN FREED BY CLINTON FROM 'HARSH' SENTENCES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
PRESIDENT CLINTON has released from prison four women convicted of drug crimes who received harsher sentences than men involved in their cases. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The President felt that the women, all first-time offenders, had served
a disproportionate amount of time and granted them clemency. Mr
Clinton's action highlighted growing concerns among politicians,
judges, penal activists and families of inmates that conspiracy laws
passed by Congress in the 1980s imposing long mandatory sentences in
the "war on drugs" are unfair. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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COMMENT: (11-12) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
While the media continued to show interest in the huge variations in risk of marijuana arrests around the country, an item from Pennsylvania extolled one of the responsible mechanisms: multi-agency regional task forces with an exclusive focus on "drug crime." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
They have proliferated under McCaffrey. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(11) NY POT ARRESTS OUT OF LINE WITH REST OF U.S. (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ALBANY, NY (AP) - Odds of getting arrested for marijuana use or
possession are better in New York than in any other state except
Alaska, according to a statistical analysis conducted for a
marijuana-law reform group. The study, based on FBI crime data, also
shows a wide disparity between the way police enforce marijuana laws
from county to county in New York. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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(12) EDITORIAL: TASK FORCE IS ANOTHER WEAPON IN WAR ON DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Drug users and dealers beware. The Bradford County Drug Task Force is
back in business. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
When you see what narcotics do to people, it's easy to come to the
conclusion that the war on drugs is worth fighting. We hope to see the
task force become operational in the near future. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Once its members hit the streets, arrests and convictions will
definitely follow. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
And Bradford County will be better for it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (13-14) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A modern update of the same nonsense that failed to persuade
California voters in '96 was published over the signature of Florida's
indefatigable drug czar. The logical rebuttal appears in Liberty
Magazine: Peter McWilliams martyrdom by government insistence on
McDonough's lie: cannabis can't be medicine. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Why? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Because we say so. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(13) OPED: RESPONSE TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I read with interest the St. Petersburg Times editorial, "Reefer madness remains," (June 24) which argues for more research on the potential benefits of so-called "medical marijuana." Madness is the appropriate word to describe the current trend of state ballot initiatives that puts seriously ill people at risk of getting even sicker by advocating the smoke of burning leaves as medicine. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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(14) THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PETER McWILLIAMS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Another Casualty Of The War On Drugs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
On June 14, Natalie Fisher went to Peter McWilliamss' home, where she
worked as housekeeper to the wheelchair-bound victim of AIDS and
cancer. In the bathroom on the second floor, she found his life-less
body. He had choked to death on his own vomit. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Unable to keep down the life-saving prescription medications, by
November 1998, four months after my arrest, my viral load soared to
more than 256,000. In 1996 when my viral load was only 12,500, I had
already developed an AIDS-related cancer .... Even so, the government
would not yield. It continued to urine test me. If marijuana were found
in my system, my mother and brother would lose their homes and I would
be returned to prison" said Peter. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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COMMENT:(15) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The failure of an ad hoc attempt by a Michigan attorney to qualify a recreational pot initiative confirmed once again that enough money to pay signature gatherers is where successful initiatives must start. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(15) SAGINAW ATTORNEY'S MARIJUANA PUSH FALLS SHORT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gregory C. Schmid's dream went up in smoke. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Saginaw lawyer's band of 3,000 grass roots volunteers collected
about half of the 302,711 signatures they needed by Monday to put the
decriminalization of marijuana on the November statewide ballot. "The
miracle didn't happen," Schmid said. "We ran out of daylight, as they
say. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"With a little more time and a little more money we could have pulled off the miracle of the century." After spending $10,000 out of his own pocket, coupled with a few thousand dollars more in contributions, the state coordinator of the National Organization of the Reform of Marijuana Laws says he'll try again before the 2002 general election. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (16-17) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
After an announcement that Colombia had reluctantly agreed to test
anti-coca herbicides stirred environmental furor, a clarification was
issued: herbicides will be tested "outside Colombia." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This sounds like disinformation; American (later UN) sponsored testing
of Fusarium sp. has been conducted in Kazakhstan for years, see:
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v99/n1211/a05.html. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Just by chance, Kazakhstan was in the news again last week. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(16) COLOMBIA TRIES NEW DRUG ERADICATION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON (AP) - Colombia has agreed to work with the U.N. Drug
Control Agency on field testing a fungicide that some experts believe
has great potential for eradicating narcotics plants. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Colombian Environmental Minister Juan Mayr said the tests will be
conducted outside of Colombia ``because any agent foreign to the
native ecosystems of our country could present grave risks to the
environment and human health.'' | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The statement, issued by his office in Bogota, was in a letter to The
New York Times, which first reported the planned tests on Thursday.
Mayr claimed his remarks had been misinterpreted. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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(17) KAZAKHSTAN: NATO CHIEF SAYS RUSSIA IS A PARTNER, NOT A THREAT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ALMATY, Kazakhstan: NATO no longer sees Russia as a threat, but as a
partner in efforts to combat weapons proliferation and drug smuggling,
NATO Secretary-General George Robertson said in Kazakhstan on Tuesday.
We no longer regard Russia as a menace," Robertson said during a visit
to Kazakhstan's capital Astana, in remarks carried on national
television. He said Russia and the U.S.-led alliance are cooperating in
fighting drug trafficking and weapons proliferation. Robertson is on a
tour of Central Asia for talks on regional security and military
cooperation. He met Kazak officials Tuesday, and is to leave Wednesday
for Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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COMMENT: (18-20) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
While defeat of the PRI raises hopes for meaningful change in Mexico, an enduring criminal drug market guarantees that nothing can reverse the official corruption which all agree is Mexico's biggest problem. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Absence of this basic insight from media pronouncements is still
shocking: the NYT mustered nothing but platitudes; a hand wringing
series in the San Diego Union-Tribune might have been written by the
DEA. Ironically, in real time, the murder of yet lawyer with ties to
the same cartel overlapped series publication. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(18) EDITORIAL: PREPARING TO REMAKE MEXICO (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mexicans have understandably high expectations for Vicente Fox Quesada,
the man they elected to break the 71-year presidential monopoly of the
Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The most important issue facing Mr. Fox is government corruption. He
has promised to remove police functions from the highly politicized
Interior Ministry and the attorney general's office and establish a
new, more professional ministry of security and justice. Those are
necessary steps. Mexico's police have become notorious for protecting
drug dealers and preying on ordinary citizens while facing little
threat of investigation or punishment. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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(19) EDITORIAL: THE CARTEL: A SPECIAL REPORT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Introduction | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo describes narcotics trafficking as
the greatest threat to Mexico's national security. A report produced
by his own government warned that increasingly powerful drug cartels
threaten Mexico's political stability and, if left unchecked, could
render Mexico ungovernable. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Something close to that is already happening a mere 20 miles from
downtown San Diego, just across the border in Tijuana: Two police
chiefs assassinated by drug traffickers in six years, dozens of
prosecutors and police investigators killed and a murder rate at least
seven times that of San Diego. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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(20) MEXICO: 2ND LAWYER FOR CARTEL FIGURE SLAIN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Was 'Well-planned Execution,' Official Says; No Arrests Made | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
MEXICO CITY -- An attorney defending the accused financial mastermind
of the Tijuana-based Arellano Felix drug cartel has been slain in the
second such incident in less than four months. The brazen daytime
killing of Eugenio Zafra Garca, 65, sent a chill through Mexico's
legal community. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Zafra's clients included the cartel's alleged financial adviser, Jesus "Chuy" Labra Aviles, a Tijuana businessman arrested in March while watching his son play football. The body of another Labra attorney, Gustavo Galvez Reyes, 32, was found wrapped in a blanket. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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COMMENT: (21) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As if to confirm that the surge in the ecstasy market is not just an
American phenomenon, Canadian Mounties busted a huge lab in a Toronto
suburb. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(21) CN ON: POLICE BUST MASSIVE ECSTASY LAB (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Neighbouring homes evacuated for safety | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Two men have been arrested after police busted what is being called the largest drug laboratory in Canadian history, seizing millions of dollars worth of chemicals used to produce ecstasy from a Markham house "From floor to ceiling, from the basement right up to the top floor, a clandestine ecstasy laboratory," said RCMP Constable Michele Paradis. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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COMMENT: (22) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A New Zealand newspaper contributed a rare partial glimpse of the
function of the top rung of heroin distribution- along with another
unflattering vignette of DEA incompetence. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Or were they paid off too, like everyone else? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(22) NEW ZEALAND: CHASING THE DRAGON IN DRUG UNDERWORLD (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
It started with the biggest heroin bust in United States history - and
ended nine years later at the doorstep of a short, balding Auckland
businessman. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The case against Hing Hung Wong has all the elements of a classic crime
novel, with huge drug shipments, bugged phone calls, secret witnesses and
millions of dollars in laundered cash. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
But even a crime novelist would have been proud to invent the name Mad
Six, the nom-de-plume of the drug lord said to have drawn Wong into his
inner circle. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Yesterday the US failed in its five-month bid to have Wong extradited on charges of supplying and possessing heroin, which the 37-year-old denied. Now Hong Kong authorities want him extradited there. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
LA Times Calls McCzar Hollywood Scam "Hair brained" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Too late for this weeks issue but simply priceless is this LA Times article wherein McCzar's latest scheme to control the thoughts and actions of the American public by coercing Hollywood to parrot ONDCP propaganda is quite accurately referred to as "hair brained" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coming to a Theater . . . | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Submitted by Chad Thevenot. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ONDCP Spends a Billion DrugSense Gets the RESULTS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Since its launch in March of 1999, Freevibe.com has received 1,847,313 pageviews. Average Number of Page Views Per Day - 10,669." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
McCzar's statement to the house committee: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
http://www.house.gov/reform/cj/hearings/00.07.11/welcome.htm | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Freevibe (the ONDCP's kiddie propaganda page) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Let's do a little comparison. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Average number of files served per day from 2 MAP supported sites. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hits Per Day | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11,545 DrugSense | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
81,117 TOTAL | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
We just miss being 8 TIMES more popular than the billion dollar ONDCP
site. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Submitted by Richard Lake, edited by Mark Greer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
McCzar/Forbes Testify before Congressional Subcommittee | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The written statements of witnesses at the Subcommittee on Criminal
Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources Committee on Government
Reform hearing on "Evaluating The National Youth Anti-Drug Media
Campaign" held Tuesday, July 11th are on line at: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
http://www.house.gov/reform/cj/hearings/00.07.11/welcome.htm | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Peter McWilliams Political Cartoon Pans Judge King | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Here's a political cartoon about Peter McWilliams: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Submitted by Ty (Involuntary) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"..it does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate,
tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds.."
- Samuel Adams | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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