| August 18, 2000 #162 | ||||
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Abbreviated Shadow Convention Issue | ||||
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Table of Contents
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3 FEATURE ARTICLES (Top) | ||||
August 15, An Important Day in History | ||||
Most regulars have by now figured out that the Weekly tries to update
its readers on the course of the drug war as reported by the main
stream English-language media. We hardly ever report news ourselves;
instead, we usually just comment on what media professionals have
written in the previous week. With that in mind, it's a damn good thing
Mark Greer, my wife Judy, and I all went to LA's Patriotic Hall last
Tuesday; otherwise we'd have missed the first day of the beginning of
the end of the drug war. This is particularly so because none of the
reporters in the audience seem to have understood what they saw and
heard; at least judging by what's been published to date (this is
written on the afternoon of August 17 while I listen to as much as I
can stand of Al Gore's speech with one ear.). | ||||
The mainstream media's amazing incomprehension has placed me in the
interesting position of breaking a major news story; there is no
oblique or subtle way to put it: on Tuesday, August 15, key black
members of the House of Representatives appearing separately at the
Shadow Convention disavowed the drug war and pledged as individuals to
do all they can to either undo or mitigate its punitive provisions.
They all explained their statements- the first unfriendly to the drug
war by elected federal officials in recent memory- as inspired by
mounting credible evidence that the drug war is not only ineffective,
but racist; falling far more heavily on blacks and Hispanics than on
whites; even though many more whites use illegal drugs. They were
delivered in separate short addresses by John Conyers of Michigan,
Maxine Waters of California, and Charles Rangel of New York- each
possibly without the others' knowledge. The three were seconded by
Jesse Jackson, (who also spoke in Philadelphia) who delivered what was
easily the day's most eloquent condemnation of the drug war;
incidentally, Jackson's presence endows his rhetoric with an impact TV
can only hint at. | ||||
I use the word, "separate," because in the small intimate (and
stifling) confines of Patriotic Hall, it was possible to observe that all
entered and left separately and at different times, so they did not
hear each other's remarks; if they had discussed them with each other
beforehand, it had to have been down the street at the Staples Center.
My own view is that these statements reflect the considerable political
acumen of three highly successful politicians who are able to recognize
a loser when they see one. | ||||
As if this blockbuster news weren't enough (Conyers and Rangel weren't
even on the program and said they'd responded to last minute urgings by
Arianna Huffington), the day's other key development was that a
cohesive and goal-directed political movement is finally emerging from
the fragmented and contentious drug policy reform movement. Long a
debating society for intellectuals, the "movement" has attracted some
elected politicians at long last. It has also acquired a more clearly
defined goal, repudiation of the drug war, which could be summed up by
a chant taken up by the faithful when Representative Conyers suggested
what to do with elected officials who continue to stand by the status
quo: "Send them home!" | ||||
How did all this happen so quickly and what does it mean? The answer to
the first question also answers another one- originally pondered after
the triumph of the first medical cannabis initiatives in '96 and
debated after each subsequent success: how can an undisciplined and
fragmented drug reform lobby take advantage of its victories and
transform itself into a disciplined political movement? The answer
proved amazingly simple: induce a savvy and courageous celebrity with
respectable media credentials into becoming an ardent convert to the
cause: as unlikely as it first seemed, Arianna Huffington has become a
perfect catalyst; a few months after her conversion, the "Shadow
Conventions" were planned and financed by George Soros. | ||||
Even so, the original purpose of the Shadow Conventions was simply to
steal media attention from the big boys; to discuss drug war and other
issues (campaign finance reform and the deepening wealth gap) that
major political parties stubbornly refuse to even mention. It must be
said that this innovative strategy was pretty much a bust. Although the
print media gave them some decent and intelligent coverage in the weeks
leading up to them, TV coverage while the Shadows were in session can
only be called abysmal (not even CNN); even worse: those print sources
which had written about them earlier seemed to lose interest. That's
precisely why most of the world has yet to know of the electrifying
events of last Tuesday; in fact, I have to constantly remind myself I
was really there and actually heard the words of Conyers, Waters,
Jackson and Rangel with my own ears. Those activists who attended both
conventions told me the atmospherics in Philly easily matched those of
LA; what was different about LA was that three important Democrats were
coaxed into going AWOL from the drug war's army. | ||||
Thus, serendipity played a key role; a ploy undertaken to generate media coverage seems instead to have goaded some astute politicians into jumping ship, but let no one think it was spur of the moment.. | ||||
Also,let there be no doubt; their words were not in the least
equivocal; they were also uttered with conviction, to a live audience
and recorded on video for posterity. For those with a memory long
enough to recall how Rangel had destroyed Kurt Schmoke in front of a
Congressional Committee in the late Eighties, there was almost a
graceful mea culpa. And for additional emphasis, both Conyers and
Rangel reminded us that if the Democrats recapture a majority in the
House, they will become chairmen of the powerful Judiciary and Ways and
Means Committees respectively. | ||||
Heady business indeed. | ||||
Other developments at the LA Shadow Convention- although pale compared
to the defection of three ranking House members from the drug war- are
nevertheless important. New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson remains a firm
proponent of ending the drug war as we know it and has honed his
rhetoric into a far more effective speech; he's been joined by an
equally unlikely ally, Ross "Rocky" Anderson, the youthful and
articulate Republican mayor of Salt Lake City (yes, Salt Lake City!).
As if that weren't enough, Tom Campbell, who I wasn't able to hear on
Sunday., will be in a very high profile Senate race against drug war
hawk Diane Feinstein in California. That race will also give important
additional exposure to the prison and drug policy issues since it will
be conducted against the backdrop of yet another California initiative,
Proposition 36; mandating treatment rather than prison for an estimated
37,000 drug users per year. | ||||
The somewhat complex provisions of Proposition 36 were ably explained
on Tuesday by Bill Zimmerman, one of its sponsors (also a prime mover
of medical cannabis initiatives). Although not all most reformers would
want if they could choose, it's a reasonable compromise for which polls
show very strong voter support. That support could be the key to a
Campbell victory of Feinstein, who, along with most law enforcement
officials, will strongly favor the status quo. | ||||
Finally, speaking of refining speeches, Ethan Nadelmann outdid himself;
delivering his updated and more radical version in between shepherding
events and introducing speakers from opening to close of this inspiring
and historic day. Those who were there will tell their grandchildren:
August 15, 2000 was the beginning of the end of America's misbegotten
war on drugs. | ||||
No doubt about it. | ||||
Tom O'Connell | ||||
Heat and Excitement | ||||
Heat and excitement! Those were the two words that best described the
Los Angeles Shadow Convention in my view. | ||||
After being refused entrance on opening day on Sunday due to lack of
seating and being forced to mingle around the stifling halls and
exhibit rooms, I arrived on Tuesday with a bit of an attitude. We
arrived early and insured our seats despite a rather aggressive attempt
to again coerce seating arrangements. The floor personnel seemed to get
that they were flirting with a possible scene and left me to the seat I
was not about to give up after Sundays fiasco. | ||||
By far the most exciting development was that of a "pro reform black
caucus" coming out for the first time at the L.A. Shadow. I almost had
to pinch my self when a line up including Maxine Waters, Jesse Jackson,
Rep. John Conyers, and almost unimaginably Rep. Charlie Rangel of New
York all showed up and spoke in opposition to the drug war. Rangel has
long been an outspoken drug warrior and his epiphany was a shockingly
pleasant surprise. | ||||
Unfortunately the media seemed to utterly miss this profound turn of
events as the print media missed the point and the broadcast media
simply failed to cover the Shadow Conventions in anything like the
manner it deserved. | ||||
The L.A. Shadow, and the Tuesday drug war focus was even more notable
given that on the same stage and on the same day, Arianna Huffington,
Rep Tom Campbell and Gov, Gary Johnson, all Republicans (all though
Arianna refers to herself as a "recovering republican") also came out
as opposed to the drug war. | ||||
There were too many powerful speeches and heart wrenching stories to
begin to cover here but all major issues were covered and
extraordinarily well in my view. Even some of the people whose views I
had previously questioned seemed articulate and knowledgeable on the
subject of sensible reform. | ||||
The location was probably as good as could be expected given that the
Democratic convention had sucked up every decent locality for miles
around. Patriotic Hall served nicely with the very notable exception
that the building has no air conditioning. It appeared that a mobile
unit had been shipped in making the hall itself liveable but the rest
of the building was absolutely brutal in its heat and humidity. Air
conditioning in LA in August is not considered optional by most folks.
Long waiting lines and lack of seating both added to frustration and to
the sense of urgency and excitement. | ||||
Overall I would call the L.A. Shadow Convention a profound event. The
fact that press utterly missed it in favor of a humdrum Democratic
Convention and while eagerly hoping for some protestors to break a few
windows reflects poorly on the media but very well indeed upon the
burgeoning reform movement and in particular the organizers of the
Shadow Conventions. This day may well be looked upon in days to come
as the beginning of the end of our failed drug war. | ||||
------ | ||||
Star Struck! | ||||
Even though I live in California I do not live in or spend much time in Hollywood. The number of 'stars' who flooded in and out of the Shadow Convention was incredible and a preview of times to come. As more famous people speak out against our failed drug war, more citizens will listen to our truthful message and understand that this war must end. | ||||
I live within 2 miles of the ocean where it is always 70 degrees. My
body totally rejected the LA heat so I spent much of my time near a
huge fan in the corner of the lobby. This actually turned out to be a
good thing as I quickly realized that this fan was situated between the
green room where the speakers waited their turn and the entrance to the
auditorium where they gave their speeches! | ||||
I stood star struck as big names proceeded within arm's reach of my position all day. Politicians Judge James Gray, Governor Gary Johnson, Mayor Rocky Anderson, Maxine Waters, Rep. Tom Campbell and Tom Hayden broke the typical politicians' mold by speaking against our current drug policies. Movie stars Al Franken, Susan Saradon, Tim Robbins, Bill Maher and Tommy Smothers shunned political correctness by giving powerful speeches against throwing sick, addicted people in jail instead of giving them the treatment that they need and deserve. | ||||
This is the beginning of the end! Additional actors will see that
speaking out against the drug war hasn't harmed these actors'
reputations. Other politicians will notice that these politicians will
not be rejected during the next election. These people will then see
that it is OK to speak with the truth when discussing our failed drug
war. Citizens will hear that our drug policies are unjust and vote for
the politicians who have the guts to say it. | ||||
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RELATED LINKS (Top) | ||||
Shadow Conventions Homepage | ||||
MAP News Clippings | ||||
DPF/TLC Shadow Conventions Page | ||||
Arriana Huffington Online | ||||
Raising Hell at the DNC | ||||
CNN DNC Page | ||||
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HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||
DNC Drug Policy Platform | ||||
To contrast the sensibilities posed at the Shadow Conventions below is
a survey from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) web site on "the
best way to fight illegal drugs." | ||||
You must register to participate. | ||||
What is the most effective way to fight the war on drugs? | ||||
1-Require drug testing of anyone arrested for a federal crime | ||||
2-Support innovative drug courts which force drug users to get
treatment or go to jail | ||||
3-Protect residents of public housing from violent criminals who use
their homes as a base for the drug trade | ||||
4-Fight casual drug use by young people through education and public
service announcements | ||||
5-Support the death penalty for drug kingpins | ||||
Clueless? Braindead? Foolish? Uninformed? Pick your adjective but the
DNC comes up a loser on all 5 suggestions in our view. | ||||
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Campbell Senate Race Article - National Journal | ||||
An article on the Tom Campbell race for Senate is now on the National
Journal website. The National Journal is available to nonsubscribers
through the end of the Democratic convention on August 18, and there's
a lot on that website, do check it out. | ||||
http://nationaljournal.com/members/adspotlight/2000/08/0804tcca1.htm | ||||
Submitted by Doug McVay | ||||
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C-Span Video clips | ||||
While it appears that broadcast media coverage for the L.A. Shadow was
even more abysmal than for Philly C-Span still has clips of some Philly
coverage at: | ||||
http://video.c-span.org:8080/ramgen/kdrive/c2k073000_shadow2.rm http://video.c-span.org:8080/ramgen/ldrive/rnc080200_shadow.rm http://video.c-span.org:8080/ramgen/ldrive/rnc080300_shadow.rm | ||||
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||
We have to find ways to clear the courts of the endless stream of
"victimless crimes" that get in the way of serious consideration of
serious crimes. There are more important matters for highly skilled
judges and prosecutors than minor traffic offenses, loitering and
drunkenness. | ||||
-- Richard M. Nixon | ||||
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