Drug WarRant

During the next few days, while I’m gone, this blog will achieve…

… page views.
The most accurate measure for this blog’s all-time page views is the Salon rankings (see the right column – #16).
I’ve decided to award a prize to the millionth page view, but I have no way of knowing who that is, so…
The winner of the most creative argument I receive while I’m gone that you were the millionth page view (or closest to it) will receive an item of their choice at the Drug WarRant Merchandise Shop! That’s right — any one item of your choice. Make it an interesting argument, add visual aids if you wish, create your own documentation… The final decision on the winner will be completely arbitrary and not subject to appeal.

I’m taking another opportunity to go to the lake in Iowa — middle of nowhere with no internet access for about 4 days.
So, for all you Drug WarRant junkies out there, sorry about the lack of posts coming up, but there’s plenty of interesting stuff for you to do while I’m gone.
“bullet” Take the time to listen to Jack Cole’s interview on NPR in Seattle and learn more about LEAP.
“bullet” Take the time to read all of Radley Balko’s White Paper Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America
“bullet” If you haven’t yet, discover the world of Drug WarRant’s messageboard, including

• Beginnings of an effort to get SAMHSA to correct their webpage falsehoods about drug testing in the workplace.
• A discussion about the efforts in England to re-classify drugs based on a harm scale rather than political considerations.
• A group of committed Letter writers.

“bullet” Join the Drug WarRant Wiki and contribute to the Voting Guide or the list of Drug War Studies.
Or read some of the great links on the left.

We’re making some good progress in countering the upcoming DEA exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.
The flyers have arrived and they look fabulous. High-quality, professional-looking, glossy, card stock, 4″ x 6″, easy to read and put in your pocket. I’m looking forward to handing them out. Still looking for others to help. Contact me if you’re interested.
The website – http://www.DEAtargetsAmerica.com – has expanded to include a welcome page, a page with the flyer text, a Prohibition Then and Now page, and a page about the DEA’s exhibit. Check it out.
We’re working on media contacts, and once that gets out, some follow-up letters to the editor will be in order.
I’m getting some tremendous help from the wonderful folks at Students for Sensible Drug Policy and Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.

Radio Free Afghanistan

KABUL, August 1, 2006 — Anti-narcotics police from Columbia [sic] the world’s leading producer of cocaine — have been touring Afghanistan — the world’s top producer of heroin.
They are in Afghanistan to advise officials on how to combat its drug trade. For the past 10 days, the five-member team has been meeting Afghan anti-drug officials from all over the country. Afghan officials say the Columbians [sic] may help train Afghan anti-drug agents in the future.

Their first piece of advice? Probably to send a multi-billion dollar “eradication” plan to the U.S. Congress and call it “Plan Afghanistan.” Ask for helicopters and tanks.
It’s amazing how incompetence is rewarded…

These weirdos probably don’t deserve a link, but I couldn’t resist. Like every other blogger in the world, I like to check every now and then to see who is linking to any of my pages. I almost never get links from sites in favor of prohibition, so this one was… unique.
Check out a drug war solution by some people who haven’t a clue about America (or much of anything else):

Mandatory death sentence for anyone dealing (includes: manufacturing; smuggling; or supplying) illegal drugs with no plea bargain agreements, even ones designed to get the big fish. Should marijuana be excluded from this policy? We don’t believe so, but we would listen to arguments in this regard. We believe there should be no bail allowed for anyone arrested for drug dealing. We believe there should be no appeals allowed in drug dealing cases and the execution needs to be carried out within 30 days of conviction. We would mandate a very strong 90 day Public Service Announcement campaign on TV, radio, newspapers, etc. clearly explaining the new policy of mandated death sentences, and the conveyance of drugs, for anyone convicted of drug dealing or smuggling. […]
80% of illegal drugs come across the Mexican border. We, initially, need to deploy the U. S. Military, with support from the DEA and other law enforcement, with sufficient troop strength (approximately 100,000) to interdict this invasion with clear orders for enforcement, including shoot to kill capability. Any aircraft that enters U. S. airspace that does not respond to orders for redirection will be shot down immediately, with no legal redress. Any company and/or country that allow trucks, sea or air containers found with illegal drugs, will be fined a minimum of $1 million dollars per offence (that’s per drug package of 1 kilo or more) and be barred from shipping any goods to the U. S. for a minimum of 10 years. All costs of enforcement, court costs and incarceration will be charged to the company and/or country of origin of the drugs and/or the country allowing the intrusion […]

…and the punch line…

We believe we have sufficient protections in place to put a dedicated focus on this problem and still maintain our rights and civil liberties.

Thanks to a variety of sources for this one…

A Berlin opera house is encouraging audience members to smoke joints during performances of its coming production “The Oriental Princess” to enhance the psychedelic experience of Saint-Saens’ drug opera. […]
In an attempt to create that far-out feeling, the actors themselves will also smoke pot onstage while the audience mellow out in the stalls.
Glocksin maintains that the opera experience will be “improved with a few joints” while the opera house asserts that artistic license will protect it from drug laws.
“It’s a test to see just what we can get away with,” Glocksin said.

To many, this is a shocking story, which is a real shame. If it’s perfectly acceptable to drink a few beers to enjoy a baseball game, why not a joint for the opera?
In a sane world, this would be no big deal.

Don’t laugh. That’s what the headline says.
Apparently drugs are transported on the interstates (along with just about every other avenue you can imagine).

Since 1993, officers in Saline and Dickinson counties have poured “significant” resources into the task force, said Salina Police Chief Jim Hill, and recovered thousands of pounds in drugs and nearly $500,000 in cash.
It marks an important step into stopping what Hill believes is one of the most lucrative and overlooked markets in drug trafficking. [emphasis added]

Hmm… what that last sentence should read:

It marks an important step into beginning what Hill believes is one of the most lucrative and overlooked markets in drug enforcement.

Just about every place in this country is the crossroads or the hub or the terminus or some such B.S. whenever there’s a budget or seizure buck to be made by drug enforcement.

“bullet” Time for boomers to ‘fess up by Karen Bojar

The willingness to incarcerate large numbers of people for minor drug offenses is the shame of the baby-boom generation.
A generation of young people in the ’60s and early ’70s experimented with drugs and for the most part did so with impunity.
Many powerful and successful women and men in our society experimented with drugs in their youth. But their careers were not derailed; their families were not torn apart. Sadly, they are now willing to ignore the fact that another generation of women and men are being incarcerated in appalling numbers for drug-related crimes.

“bullet” Stupid Drug Story of the Week by Jack Slater Shafer (at Slate):

Among the first news organizations to post a sensationalized account of the story was the Reuters wire service, which titled its July 26 report “Teenagers Using Mothballs Get High: Study.” Yes, teenagers are using mothballs to get high if two young ladies in Marseille constitute a sufficient population to establish a meaningful medical plural.
The next day, CNN.com International published a version of the Reuters story under the headline “Teenagers ‘Bagging’ Mothballs to Get High.” Canada’s CBC News Web site headlined a derivative account of the story, “Teens Sniffing Mothballs to Get High, Doctors Report.” The Aussie press developed a contact high from the story: “Teens Get High on Mothballs,” screamed the country’s national daily, the Australian. The Melbourne Herald Sun, the Courier Mail, the Sunday Times, the Sydney Morning Herald, and the Daily Telegraph all combine the words “teens” and “mothballs” in their headlines to announce the plague.

“bullet” Apparently drug abuse is just fine if you’re Presidential candidates and the drug is alcohol. (Via Mark Kleiman.)

In a moving OpEd in the Des Moines Register, Fran and Ray Koonz talk about their son who has served 10 years and will serve 12 more.
One of the problems with the prohibition is that even when there are individuals who seriously abuse drugs and need help, neither they nor society are served well by the drug war.

Our son readily laments that he was not a good father, son, brother or husband. Those regrets will be with him every minute of every day for the rest of his life. He longs to be where he can make at least some amends for what he’s done. He’s truly rehabilitated and is no longer a threat to himself or society.
He has received no education or addiction treatment in prison. What a waste of all resources, human most of all, but surely of dollars as well, to keep him imprisoned 12 more years. Is this overkill or just plain mean-spiritedness?

AP

WASHINGTON – U.S. citizens suspected of terror ties might be detained indefinitely and barred from access to civilian courts under legislation proposed by the Bush administration, say legal experts reviewing an early version of the bill.

President Bush:

it’s so important for Americans to know that the traffic in drugs finances the work of terror, sustaining terrorists — (applause) — that terrorists use drug profits to fund their cells to commit acts of murder.
If you quit drugs, you join the fight against terror in America.

Former DEA head Asa Hutchinson:

When an addict takes cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, or a whole host of other drugs, he is not only changing the chemistry of the body, but little by little diminishing the character of a nation.
But there’s another dimension to the abuse of drugs. Not only does it weaken the United States, but it also supports attacks against the judicial system in Mexico. It funds terrorism in Colombia and generally destabilizes governments from Afghanistan to Thailand.

Current DEA head Karen Tandy:

Americans are responsible for giving the FARC their lifeblood to the amount of $25 billion for 2,500 metric tons of cocaine. …The FARC is a terrorist organization to be sure, but they are also drug traffickers. And it is the drug trafficking that is the lifeblood of how they carry out their terrorism.

ONDCP’s antidrug campaign

September 11th has brought the complex and horrific reality of terrorism into the lives of all Americans. Many are asking, “How did this happen?” and “What can I do?” The link between terror and drugs is an important part of the puzzle, as is the recognition that individual decisions about using drugs have real-world consequences.

ONDCP media campaign:

I helped (Windows Media Format)

U.S. citizens suspected of terror ties might be detained indefinitely and barred from access to civilian courts…