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| The Other Drug War |
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Posted by FoM on April 22, 2002 at 16:43:48 PT By John P. Walters Source: Oregonian 
We know that illegal drugs do a great deal of harm -- to our bodies, our minds, and our communities. But there's another harm associated with illegal drugs: The billions of dollars Americans spend on drugs each year take a horrific toll on some of the most fragile and diverse ecosystems on the planet. Consider the Andes and Amazonian regions of South America. In countries such as Colombia and Peru, astonishing environmental riches abound. Snipped Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #11 posted by observer on April 23, 2002 at 09:38:20 PT |
| The coca trade has been especially damaging in Colombia, which has lost roughly 3 million acres of tropical rain forest. Earth to Czar: forgetting about the banned glyophosate (Roundup) formulation that the US is poisoning Colombia with? Of course ... this two-bit propagandist is not interersted in *that*: he is only interested in one-liners that appear to prop up government dictates. The government is directly poisoning Colombia, and govt drug policy makes it attractive for farmers to drop back in the jungle farther and farther each year to plant coca. Blame prohibitionists, not users. Methamphetamine labs here at home leave poisonous scars, draining the environmental clean-up budgets of many municipalities. -- said as his government pumps millions of pounds of methamphetamine and Ritalin forcibly down kids' throats to make them more manageable by 'teachers' (i.e. government educator/jailer/snitches). Notice Walters moaning about Hoffmann-LaRoach or Squibb? Nah. That would dilute the propaganda. Stinking hypocrite. Someone, please call him on it! [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #10 posted by kaptinemo on April 23, 2002 at 07:45:50 PT:
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| Ever listen to two people from different countries who have only a basic grasp of the other's langiage, trying to have a conversation? It's especially funny when someone who believes that they have a perfect command of the language and customs arrives and finds how mistaken he is. Mr. Walters is making the same mistake...with people who know he's making it. As yourself this question: why is an avowed anti-environmentalist (Walters is a founding member of the Federalist Society, which is out to gut legal mechanisms available to environmentalist groups to block corporate juggernauts from raping at will) trying to make noises as if he is oh-so-concerned for the environment? Why is he trying to seemingly ingratiate himself with the presumably environmentally conscious denizens of Oregon? The answer is here: Fed Review of Marijuana Baffles Oregon Officials http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/12/thread12342.shtml Ol' John is prepping the good people of Oregon to feel the Fed legal jackboot, attempting to soften them up by appearing to be the voice of sweet reason. He seeks (too late!) to try to pre-empt the inevitable examinations of his anti-environmental biases by appealing to 'God and Country'. Just one problem; most people involved in the environmental field know his track record. So, in effect, he is trying to sell fur coats to animal rights activists. And will have as much success. [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #9 posted by el_toonces on April 23, 2002 at 07:45:12 PT:
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| Aren't you going to let everyone know whose "mini-me" you introduced yourself as? I thought it was pretty funny for what it's worth:). Be well. El [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #8 posted by FoM on April 22, 2002 at 22:30:00 PT |
| It's ok. I understand. I feel such a heavy sad feeling in my chest for our earth. My favorite programs on tv are about the ocean and the beautiful fish etc. that we can see and programs on Archeology. I like to watch programs to see how we match up in our "civilized society" and we miss the mark and are arrogant and have no concept of what is happening around us to the environment and we all are suffering for it and it will get worse. [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #7 posted by SoberStoner on April 22, 2002 at 22:14:36 PT:
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| It is time we look at the real, far-reaching consequences of our drug use and the damage we are doing to ourselves and to our world.
Yes, look in the mirror and see how your idiocy is destroying the planet you moron...too bad you're blind to anything that doesnt involve making your wallet fatter..i hope someone sprays glycophosphate on you, so you can see exactly how you're treating the people of columbia you worthless piece of rat shit. I'm sorry everyone, but this is just too much..it's either vent here or focus my rage somewhere else, and the only thing around is my cat, and i dont believe in harming any other innocent living beings, so pardon the language..FoM, delete these last two posts if you feel you should. [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #6 posted by SoberStoner on April 22, 2002 at 22:07:18 PT:
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| This is great..in one sentance he claims to care about the environment and says how badly it is being destroyed, and a few sentances later he ADMITS that our government is spraying.....DEFOLIANT!!!!!! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH AMERICA?!?!?! Is our MTV ADD-addled brain groupthink conciousness not able to comprehend that he is admitting to destroying the very forests he pretends to care about??? If there was ever a more perfect example of Orwellian doublethink, I'm not sure what it is. "You are destroying these rainforests because you do drugs." "I am saving these rainforests by spraying defoliants on it" argh....the U$A is doomed...there are 2 outcomes if this course remains the same for 100 years...the U$A will destroy the planet, or destroy itself...right now, I'm praying it will just destory itself, then maybe some people will actually start to use the damn brains again. SS [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #5 posted by Ethan Russo MD on April 22, 2002 at 20:03:00 PT:
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| Ethan Nadelmann had a fabulous line at NORML: He called John Walters nothing more than William Bennett's Mini-Me. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #4 posted by Dark Star on April 22, 2002 at 20:01:44 PT |
| The idea that John Walters cares a rat's rectum about the environment is the height of absurdity. This piece was written for one reason only: it's propaganda value. If he wants to prevent agriculture in coke, there's one way to do it: legalize it, and deflate the price. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #3 posted by Lehder on April 22, 2002 at 18:46:37 PT |
| Just replace 'drugs' and 'drug abuse' and 'drug users' with 'prohibition' or 'war on drugs' and this might be a reasonable article. As it is, it's completely wrong. It's the usual error of scapgoating a class of people for the negative effects of a wrongheaded social policy. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by p4me on April 22, 2002 at 18:39:22 PT |
| This guy seems to think that the environment is important. The conversion of natural resources into money is important. Reason is not important. Health, the ideals of freedom, the constitution, the children, the abuse of the jury system, pragmatism or anything else that does not start with the letters M-O-N-E are not important. Forget idealism. Ravage everything for what it is worth. If we get enough money we can recreate and invent some lifeforms when it is time for things like reason to prevail after this environment is shot. The oceans are rising one/fifth of an inch a year. A lot of islands will completely disappear but that is no concern to the present powers that be. VAAI [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #1 posted by Reverend Nick on April 22, 2002 at 17:33:43 PT:
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| Somehow soon I'm sure that Mssrs. Hutchenson, Bush and Walters will be telling people any day now that us "druggies" are responsible for priests wiggling their wienies in little boys heinies, causing the Arab-Israli conflict, messing up the economy in Argentina, the cancellation of "Ally McBeal", traffic in general, crumbling schools, the Enron debacle ..and that reefer madness obviously caused otherwise nice young arabic men to steal airplanes and bash them into buildings. I'm gonna go toke another fatty and see if I can somehow create facism in France and finance the clearing of Afgahns out of Afganistan so weathy white guys can build a pipeline there. That will be enough terrorism on my part for the day. Stock tip of the day: Tommorrow's wake n bake will be directed at causing a stock market crash. Go short. [ Post Comment ] |
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