One joked Tuesday about the possibility of frequent flier miles. Another wondered which agency would be used first. Would it be the U.S. Marshals Service, which provided the original sky marshals three decades ago in response to a rash of hijackings?

Or would U.S. Customs agents be asked to step forward? They had taken over the sky security program before it was handed to the Federal Aviation Administration and eventually mothballed.

One federal veteran said he thought Drug Enforcement Administration agents would be quickly called in. Another thought IRS agents might be used. Although a local Marshals Service official confirmed that 300 deputies had been assigned nationwide to assist the FBI in investigating nearly 50,000 tips that have surfaced since last week's terrorist attacks, as of Tuesday only one Southern Nevada deputy had been chosen.

While agents and deputies expressed uncertainty, a thick smoke began to cloud the air.

It was not the acrid stench of death in the wake of last Tuesday's nightmarish deadly terrorist attack on the World Trace Center and Pentagon. It was the foul smoke of irony that accompanies Ashcroft's request to pass new anti-terrorism measures by the end of this week and assigning hundreds of federal agents to act as undercover sky cops.

If you're following developments in the terrorist attack story, you're probably learning to hate irony. The more you know about Afghanistan's ruling Taliban militia, the more you're bound to be disgusted by the irony of the U.S. government's role in supporting it.

The United States doesn't officially recognize the Taliban as a government. Only three Islamic nations do that.

But who needs official status when this country in May was happy to cut a check for $43 million as a reward for the Taliban crushing opium poppy production by desperate Afghan farmers?

America's drug war marches on against all logic and even into the waiting arms of despots.

Make that despots with our money.

Afghanistan produced a majority of the world's opium. Secretary of State Colin Powell called the poppy eradication "a decision by the Taliban that we welcome."

But that $43 million didn't trickle down far.

In May, The Associated Press reported that human rights conditions in Afghanistan had grown worse since the eradication. One farmer called the move another example of the Afghan people being crushed under the foot of the world's political giants. He meant, of course, the United States.

"We accept the poppy ban because we know heroin is bad for humanity," Mohammed Rachmani told the AP's Steven Gutkin. "But the government and the world don't care if we live or die."

While drought, poor irrigation and even a shortage of seeds ruined the efforts of farmers attempting to grow "alternative crops," the Taliban continued its totalitarian squeeze on Afghanistan's beleaguered citizens.

In May, the Western press learned that the Taliban was outdoing itself by forcing religious minorities such as Hindus to wear patches on their clothes in a move reminiscent of the way Nazis labeled Jews and other undesirables under Hitler.

The Taliban gained further notoriety for arresting Christians whose crime was proselytizing.

This is the same Taliban that the Bush administration rewarded with $43 million at a time it knew of shocking human rights violations.

This is the same Taliban that vows a "holy war" should the United States launch a retaliatory strike against Afghanistan, the home-away-from-home for Saudi exile Osama bin Laden -- the man thought responsible for masterminding the latest terrorist attacks.

On Tuesday, I spoke with a U.S. Customs official in Washington who said plans to staff the sky marshals remain in flux.

But they're coming.

In part, to guard against a deadly and elusive monster our country helped to create.

John L. Smith's column appears Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

Complete Title: U.S. Drug War Pays Afghans Who Aid Terrorists Who Attack U.S.

Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal (NV)
Author: John L. Smith
Published: Wednesday, September 19, 2001
Copyright: 2001 Las Vegas Review-Journal
Contact: letters@lvrj.com
Website: http://www.lvrj.com/

Related Articles & Web Site:

Holy Warriors Escalate an Old War
http://freedomtoexhale.com/hw.htm

Bin Laden Taliban Heroin Connection
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10930.shtml

War on Drugs a Closer Fit
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10928.shtml

Ban On Poppy Farming Virtually Wipes Out Opium
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8717.shtml

Home    Comment    Email    Register    Recent Comments    Help

I really appreciate your comment. I am a free spirit as
most of us are and I really mind having to delete anything
but life is all different now. The government will be
looking for anything it can and I don't want any problems.
Yahoo has turned over their email to the government and we
don't need to dig ourselves in too deep considering these
extraordinary circumstances we are living in now. I bet we
bomb within a day or so. Thanks again.

[ Post Comment ]

blazin' on a sunny afternoon
bp

[ Post Comment ]

Even the name says almost never ending.

[ Post Comment ]

FoM,,I had no idea that you were having to deal with trashy,hateful
posts.....As far as I'm concerned,,you should do whatever you feel
you need to do to make it easier for you.I trust your judgement,and if
you are spending all your time deleting profane or hateful posts,,dont
hesitate to make some adjustments....dddd

[ Post Comment ]

Hi FoM,
Are you getting lots of insulting posts
that you have to delete? That could be
my fault. I posted the URL on alt.auto.mercedes
a couple days ago. Sorry if it was me.
( It was virtually on topic :) )

[ Post Comment ]

Bill Maher probably said that but it didn't register. Lots of things are going right over the top of my head these days.

[ Post Comment ]

Or something like that...

[ Post Comment ]

My poli-sci professor (that's a doctorate, all
right) had/has no idea what Plan Colombia is and has
never heard of Rainbow Farms, either. Spooky, huh?

[ Post Comment ]

[ Post Comment ]