cannabisnews.com: Bush Tars Drug Takers with Aiding Terrorists
Bush Tars Drug Takers with Aiding Terrorists
Posted by CN Staff on August 07, 2002 at 20:11:24 PT
By Duncan Campbell
Source: Guardian Unlimited
The US government is stepping up its attempt to link the war on drugs and the war on terrorism. Its office of national drug control policy is running advertisements which tell Americans that by buying drugs they may be financing terrorists - "whether you're shooting heroin, snorting cocaine, taking Ecstasy or sharing a joint in your friend's back yard". President Bush has declared: "If you quit drugs, you join the fight against terror in America."
Campaigners for changes in the drug laws fear that it is the latest attempt to gather support for an increasingly unpopular war on drugs. The ad campaign has highlighted the extraordinary number in jail for non-violent drug offences. The number in jail for drug offences - about 500,000 - is greater than the entire jail population of western Europe. Of these, 320,000 are serving more than a year. Just under 20% of those jailed for federal drug offences are serving time for marijuana offences. Even minor marijuana offences carrying mandatory minimum sentences which some judges have apologised for having to apply. Most are blacks or Latinos, and their imprisonment disenfranchises hundreds of thousands of voters whose absence from the polls was seen as one of the factors responsible for George Bush's election in 2000. "We have denounced China as a Gulag state, but we have incarcerated many more," said Sanho Tree, director of the drug policy project at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington. "They want to hitch an increasingly unpopular drug war to a very popular war on terror." It would be just as accurate, he said, to blame "soccer moms who drive SUVs" - four wheel drive "sports utility vehicles" - for supporting al-Qaida because of the extra petrol they use. Many middle-class voters believe that the drug laws have eased when the reverse is true. There were 734,498 marijuana-related arrests in 2000, 646,042 of them for simple possession, and 1,579,566 drugs arrests of all kind, the highest ever recorded by the FBI. Last year the US spent $40bn fighting drugs, a 40-fold increase since 1980. The effect on drug use and public opinion is minimal: 35% of Americans over the age of 11 have tried marijuana, and an estimated 11m say that they are current users. Not all the voices raised against the drug laws are from expected quarters. Gary Johnson, the Republican governor of New Mexico, has been an outspoken advocate of legalising drugs. Last week on an ABC television documentary the Detroit chief of police, Jerry Oliver, described the war as "insanity". Linking drugs and terrorism shows that President Bush is still committed to a high level of imprisonment. His first budget measure on taking office last year was to give federal prisons $1bn more. While states' spending on prisons has rised by 30% in the past 10 years, spending on higher education has fallen 18%. Civil rights activists are concerned about the disparity in sentencing. Government figures show that black people make up 14% of the drug-taking population but 58% of those convicted of drug offences. Ninety-six percent of those prosecuted for possessing crack are black or Latino. Drug offences are felonies and in many states disqualify voters from voting for the rest of their lives: 1.4 million African-American men are currently disqualified by felony convictions, including one in three of those in Florida and Alabama. Nora Callahan, who co-founded the November Coalition in Seattle with another woman who, like her, had had a brother jailed for a long time on a drug offence, said: "This is a horrible inhumane war. Things are terrible and desperate for the prisoner in America... Millions of people have been stigmatised." Mandatory minimum sentences were introduced in the late 80s. Monica Pratt of Families Against Mandatory Minimums said: "There is a demonisation of drug offenders in the US, but it's not the kingpins doing the hard time, it's these low-level offences." Julie Stewart, its president, said: "These are ordinary people given extraordinary sentences," she said. "I was naive enough to think that once legislators knew what was happening they would undo the laws. That didn't happen, but the tide is beginning to turn in Congress." Mr Bush's drugs tsar, John Walters, said the widely held view that the criminal justice system was unjustly punishing young black men was among "the great urban myths of our time". But a new poll commissioned by the American Civil Liberties Union shows that the drug policies no longer enjoy popular support, despite the heavy lobbying by the prison industry and the prison guards' union to maintain the sentences. It shows that 61% of Americans oppose mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offences. Note: Mandatory jail makes a drugs Gulag. Special Report: George Bush's America: http://www.guardian.co.uk/bush/0,7368,417857,00.htmlSource: Guardian Unlimited, The (UK)Author: Duncan CampbellPublished: Thursday, August 8, 2002Copyright: 2002 Guardian Newspapers LimitedContact: letters guardian.co.ukWebsite: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Related Articles & Web Sites:ACLUhttp://www.aclu.org/FAMMhttp://www.famm.org/November Coalitionhttp://www.november.org/Thugs, Not Drugs - Reason Magazinehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13605.shtmlAshcroft Describes 'Drugs-Terrorism Nexus' http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13589.shtmlJohnson Talks Drugs on TV http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13480.shtml
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Comment #29 posted by ekim on August 09, 2002 at 08:31:23 PT
4d and dime and everyone who writes
Thank you very much for all the effort and courage. Please know how great you make me feel to see ideas in print, no where else except c-news and Fom.
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Comment #28 posted by Zero_G on August 09, 2002 at 08:16:14 PT
more Blind Faith
Had to cry todayIt's already written that today will be one to rememberThe feeling is the same as being outside of the lawHad to cry todayWell I saw your sign and I missed you thereI'm taking the chance to see the wind in your eyesWhile I listenYou say you can't reach me but you want every word to be freeHad to cry todayWell I saw your sign and I missed you thereAnd I missed you thereIts already written that today will be one to rememberThe feeling is the same as being outside of the lawHad to cry todayWell I saw your sign and I missed you thereI'm taking the chance to see the wind in your eyesWhile I listenYou say you can't reach me but you want every word to be freeHad to cry todayWell I saw your sign and I missed you thereHad to cry today ( repeated five times )
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Comment #27 posted by Zero_G on August 09, 2002 at 08:13:38 PT
Waiting in our boats to set sail...
Sea of joyFollowing the shadow of the skiesOr are they only figments of my eyesFeeling close to when the race is runWaiting in our boats to set sailThe sea of joyOnce the door swings open into spaceI'm already waiting in disguiseOr is it just a thorn between my eyesWaiting in our boats to set sailThe sea of joyHaving trouble coming throughThis concrete blocks my view
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Comment #26 posted by goneposthole on August 09, 2002 at 05:43:11 PT
delayed response
I am not upset. It is difficult for me to get angry in an ugly way.I usually get pissed when people are not happy. I want people to be happy, and if they're not, then i am pissed.I am happy after I buy a bag of cannabis, but I am still pissed that it is still illegal when it should be still legal.Overall, I am a happy guy. Everything around me makes me smile, honest to God with a capital 'G'.But I am pissed because cannabis is still illegal. And that really pisses me offIn no way am I pissed at you, FOM, or any one else here at this cyber spot. This place is a breath of fresh air.I repeat: I want people to be happy. And, it pisses me off when they are not.I don't go postal, I've goneposthole and those plants are lookin' real nice, too. It makes me happy.
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Comment #25 posted by pppp on August 09, 2002 at 00:49:36 PT
...goneposthole wont go postal...
....FoM...I think I know goneposthole well enough to say that he is not upset...at least he's not upset about what you were thinking he might be upset about............
......this is not to say,that goneposthole is not "upset"....I'm pretty sure that goneposthole is quite upset,,hence the nom de plume,(pen name); "goneposthole".......
..I think,,.goneposthole is a rugged trooper....He's been really pissed about alot of stuff for many years..... but. ..
....he's no sensitive wuss!.....He's well seasoned like FreedomFighter,or CongressmanSuet!,,yet kinda balanced like Lookinside or BGreen.....
..I think goneposthole will make it quite clear if he is upset......but I could be fulla shit though,,,,because for all I know,,goneposthole is extremely upset,,and I have gone way out of bounds in saying all this,,,and now he is REALLY pissed at me!,,for saying all this.....
..........I better go
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Comment #24 posted by BGreen on August 08, 2002 at 23:27:08 PT
I try to read and respond
Sometimes I've said the wrong thing and faced the wrath, and sometimes I get so pissed about an article that I have to walk away from the computer.All of us have a unique voice, and almost everybody that comes here just to cause trouble quickly disappears. I'd guess that no more 5% of the readers here actually post. The rest might be the enemy, the curious, or full-blown supporters of the cause. Whomever they might be, they're checking out the site, and probably reading some of the threads.I'll keep posting, because my wife and cat get sick of hearing about it all the time.
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Comment #23 posted by FoM on August 08, 2002 at 22:52:54 PT
goneposthole
Your not upset are you? I don't like to comment too much about Bush because I try to not get into that area. I agree about most things said about Bush but I just don't say anything. If I got started I'm afraid I'd say too much so I don't. It's because of doing C News that I feel I should leave that to all of you but not me.
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Comment #22 posted by goneposthole on August 08, 2002 at 22:41:09 PT
bush tars drug takers
Aren't these the guys who gave the Taliban 47 million dollars a year ago in May?They sell the snake oil, they should be the ones getting tarred.Don't read this one, either.
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Comment #21 posted by FoM on August 08, 2002 at 22:26:37 PT
dddd & dimebag
I'm sorry but I just got to read your post. Sometimes we are lucky and get over 100 comments a day. That's a lot to read and comment on but there are many people who don't comment but do read. I've been told that numerous times in emails. dddd, When you don't post something is missing from C News. You have such a spirit about you. Never feel that we don't care because that's not so. I know how many times articles are read if I look in the stats and the numbers in my opinion are very high. If someone wants to talk to someone say so in your post and I believe most times you will get an answer. That's for you dimebag.
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Comment #20 posted by dddd on August 08, 2002 at 22:04:12 PT
.....I dont care if you read this comment.....
...Do What You Like.(*).....
........"dimebag=I feel like no one is listening to me when I tell you these Crutial things. I relate. I think I am writting crutial stuff and it goes unnoticed. But it is noticed, and this becomes an archive, that may be
viewed later. I feel like it would be good to get My words out to where more people are exposed to them, then here. That is where it
may be well to write to news paper editors, get stuff published. But realize, that people here are reading Your posts, even when You don't get feed back. dimebag, You are a Green Collar Worker too."
.....I know exactly what you are talking about Dimebag.....I think GreenCollarWorker is right,,(and wise).......... I am a tieDye collar worker............as you may have noticed,and seen,,I am a loudmouth here...alot of the stuff I write is CRAP,,but there have been hundreds of times,,when I thought I made some spectacular points in a comment,,,, and I'd keep checking back for some response,,acknowledgement,or feedback,,,and there was nothing!... ......I would get this empty feeling that my comments were apparently being ignored!,,or that maybe I had recklessly blabbed out so much weird crap,,that no one took me seriously...I kindof imagined people scrolling down the "recent comments",,and looking upon dddd comments as if they were some sort of chatroom spam drivelings,,or some selection on a jukebox by The Captain & Tennille!.....JUNK,,,when compared to an eloquent masterpiece by Pete Peterson, p4me, DanB, DocRusso, Kap, Lehder, Observer, DIMEBAG, GCW, ,etc. ..etc. etc. etc ...........BUT.....then I decided,,that the best thing to do,is to keep on keepin' on,,because even when I hassled with making some huge heavy commentary,that I thought would dazzle the shit out of everyone,,and it turned out that no one responded,,.......the best thing to do is move on to the next topic....
....I usually read all the comments before I post a comment on an article......It's kinda like there are two modes of participating in this special place.....you can either read,and respond to comments of others,,,or you can formulate you own commentary/opinion about the article...........The main thing,,is that no one should be shy..I've made an ass of myself here on more than one occassion,,,and I've often thought that I might be starting to become annoying with my loudmouth responses,,and my excessively gaudy,verbose,dimestore articulations..... Anyway,, the long and the short of it,,is that I kinda decided that I dont really care if I am "noticed"..(of course,,I always am thrilled,and appreciative when I do get a response,or feedback..),,but most times,,no one responds....I've even gone so far as to RE-POST comments that I thought were awesome,,,and still get no response!...it makes ya feel like giving up!,,it sorta makes ya feel as if you were some skid row wino/skitzo sittin' on the curb talking to yourself.......I think more people read the comments here than we think...I encourage anyone who surfs thru here to comment.........................................keep on keepin' on dimebag.,,,but beware,,now that 4q has seen all this,,he will be closely scrutinizing your comments,,and engaging you in strange debates ,concerning trivial and miniscule aspects of your opinions.
.....OK...now I will do a comment on the article......soon..........dddd
.(*)the only song written by Ginger Baker,with Blind Faith
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Comment #19 posted by ekim on August 08, 2002 at 20:30:04 PT
I too voted for Ralph
Look his right hand man Phil Donahue has done more in a few weeks than what passes for Dems. in all eight years of Chinton.
Gore for the past 25 years was in the public eye. For him not to see or care what would happen to us by neglecting to stand up for Med. Cannabis was a grave misjudgement.
I like ej would much rather face a rabid dogooooder. I want to know who is for me and who is against me. It was said once apon a time that much is expected by those who much has been given ------ Please Nuevo accept what has been written in the stars many moons ago. All of us need each other.
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Comment #18 posted by Industrial Strength on August 08, 2002 at 19:11:42 PT
crucial
You might get more feedback if your posts didn't read like a child wrote them. What you consider crutial has already been posted about ten times. Sorry, but I felt the "crutial" (sic) comments to be obscenely arrogant.
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Comment #17 posted by CorvallisEric on August 08, 2002 at 18:59:58 PT
Credibility
I'm not going to get into the Bush vs Gore thing but I just want to say that Jeff Rense (who some of you have linked to) has really turned me off to most "conspiracy" thinking. Almost zero credibility (his radio show more so than his website).
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Comment #16 posted by krutch on August 08, 2002 at 13:06:22 PT:
Drugs and Terorism
More witchcraft from the losers in the Bush administration:"...running advertisements which tell Americans that by buying drugs they may be financing terrorists"The link to Arab terrorists and drugs is tenuous at best. They have decided to include many Columbian organizations who only operate in South America in their list of International Terorist organizations.Saying drug use supports terrorism is like saying eating pizza supports the mafia. It is pure nonsense.
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Comment #15 posted by The GCW on August 08, 2002 at 11:01:42 PT
dimebag
I agree,that I believe, If Gore would have been elected then the events on 9/11 wouldnt have happened. Bush let those things happen because it would benefit him (and his ilk) GREATLY.dimebag=I feel like no one is listening to me when I tell you these Crutial things.I relate. I think I am writting crutial stuff and it goes unnoticed. But it is noticed, and this becomes an archive, that may be viewed later.I feel like it would be good to get My words out to where more people are exposed to them, then here. That is where it may be well to write to news paper editors, get stuff published.But realize, that people here are reading Your posts, even when You don't get feed back.dimebag, You are a Green Collar Worker too.
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Comment #14 posted by goneposthole on August 08, 2002 at 10:25:25 PT
run the world
into the ground.President Bush has a tough job. The toughest part is deciding when to quit while he is ahead.Too late. He should go to Iraq with the US Congress and become friends. Let bygones be bygones and build a new friendship and trading partner. What better chance to make peace?That would be a good job for President Bush, before it's too late. He would finally be doing the job he should be doing, the dunderkopf. He has a head on his shoulders, he just doesn't know it.In the meantime, cannabis could be re-legalized, too.
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Comment #13 posted by dimebag on August 08, 2002 at 09:15:05 PT
EJ
If Gore would have been elected then the events on 9/11 wouldnt have happened. Bush let those things happen because it would benefit him GREATLY to go to War with Iraq and steal their Oil. Lets see, Bush is CEO of a Major Oil Company, like his father is deep in Oil and nothing would please him more to have a reason to Go to war w/Iraq just to Steal Their Oil. What better reason then a Terrorist Attack. You People Do realize that F-16 Fighter Pilots are supposed to Be sent to re establish communications w/planes that lose course and contact with Controll Tower. Those planes were not Sent out on the Morning on 9/11 and the only person with the power to stop those F-16's is our own Commander and Cheif George Dubbya.THINK ABOUT THAT...... HE IS HEAD OF THE AIR FORCE // NAVY// ARMY // NATIONAL GAURD // Any thing to do with the armed Forces, he Controlls. And what better allibuy then to be Speaking at a school in Florida on National T.V as these events take place. And then he convienantly dissappears for hours only to be found Hiding in some remote area of the U.S.... What a Pussy..Please Reply ... I feel like no one is listening to me when I tell you these Crutial things.Dimebag.
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Comment #12 posted by Nuevo Mexican on August 08, 2002 at 08:50:21 PT
Need I say more.....
"Our lives begin to end,
the day we become silent,
about things that matter"
~~Martin Luther KingI don't care if I get attacked by C-newsers for this either!
Got a weak spot for bush e.J.? Jeesh!
I'm ready to debate the benefits of flirting with disaster!
Read E.J. REad!
Get your head out of the old Communist Paridym, the new Communist Paridym is at your doorstep, but you wouldn't recognize it would you!
Bush in Bolivia: http://narconews.com/
Cheney is a Corporate Crook:http://mediawhoresonline.com/
All the days bush crimess: http://buzzflash.com/
All the details by real journalists: http://www.indymedia.org/
The bush effect on millions of Argentinians:
http://argentina.indymedia.org/features/english/
GROUPS SHOCKED AS BUSH'S STATE DEPT SIDES WITH EXXONMOBIL...
http://commondreams.org/
http://smirkingchimp.com/
http://www.unknownnews.net/
http://www.tomdavisbooks.com/library/concencamps.html
http://www.davidicke.com/icke/index1c.html
Read any link mayan has posted as well, and all the others generously posted for you enlightenment!
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Comment #11 posted by Nuevo Mexican on August 08, 2002 at 08:26:12 PT
I see your point E.J. but.....
In your tunnel vision about cannabis and Gore, you overlook the big picture! The world is about to explode into nuclear war in Iraq, and you could care less, because Al dissembled on Cannabis. Maybe you should look at Gary Johnson and what he did to the reform movement by making his feelings about Cannabis known AFTER he was elected to a 2nd term. Duh!
I can't get on your Gore=bad, Bush=fine bandwagon. You are pissing me off! GCW has it right, but you look the other way, what are you anyway, an excommunicated member of Skull and Bones? I don't appreciate you FOX news mis-reporting style Gore-Bashing and you only voted for Nader as a vote against Gore. Go smoke a bowl and get over it! Gore Won!
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Comment #10 posted by Zero_G on August 08, 2002 at 07:28:49 PT
at what cost?
In stark political terms, I agree with much of E_J's point. A point though, to be considered, is the cost borne throughout the world in lives and misery. From Latin America, Central Asia, The Middle East, the Phillipines, the Military/Industrial Complex marches on...It did under Clinton/Gore as well, but the naked escalation..."The Horror,The Horror..."
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Comment #9 posted by The GCW on August 08, 2002 at 05:06:50 PT
E.J.
I wee what YOur saying, and now I agree, but as I dislike Bush and it did seem like a steal...I feel YOur right, Bush is so messsed up along with his parrots, it may well be sooner.
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Comment #8 posted by E_Johnson on August 08, 2002 at 00:43:47 PT
Ashcroft was a blessing in disguise
This man is such a religious dork who is so arrogantly superior to those around him that I'll bet his extremism and his drive to control everything has even made some in the DEA question marijuana prohibition, at the very least question the raids against the medical clubs.
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Comment #7 posted by E_Johnson on August 08, 2002 at 00:39:29 PT
You're lucky if you want prohibition over
Nobody could bring out the insane cruelty of marijuana prohibition better than John Ashcroft and Asa Hutchinson.President Gore would be shutting down the California cannabis clubs but David Broder would have found some reason to accept it as the wise way to go.If Gore had won, it would have added another four years to marijuana prohibition.
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Comment #6 posted by BGreen on August 07, 2002 at 23:35:33 PT
Lucky Me
I don't think people understand how lucky we are that it is Bush and not Gore in the White House at this stage in the marijuana wars.Gee, I'm lucky to have Bush as president. You're right, E_Johnson, but that's as likely a phrase to hear as "Isn't that the banjo players' Porsche?" LOL
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Comment #5 posted by E_Johnson on August 07, 2002 at 23:11:46 PT
No this is perfect
The Bush admin doesn't sem to have noticed but the mainstream media are not really buying this idea.Bush hates Us, and stealing the election was kids playI will say this again, I voted for Nader so that Gore would lose, and I do not considet this election stolen, because if it were not for people such as myself, this same war would be waged by Gore in a way that could probably retain credibility with the liberal media.I don't think people understand how lucky we are that it is Bush and not Gore in the White House at this stage in the marijuana wars.I don't consider the election stolen, I think Gore got precsisely what the karma police had in store for him. It is all working out just right. Morons and extremists in charge of the dying days of marijuana prohibition. That is in our favor.
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Comment #4 posted by karkulus on August 07, 2002 at 22:11:46 PT
walters and killer birdseed
I've heard Walters say that he knows most weed is domestically grown -He knows he's full of crap-and if people of color would read those transcripts from the "Marihuana Tax Act" available from the Schaffer Drug Library..you'd have little old ladies doing bong hits on the front porch..(here's a funny one about mental derangment caused by..you guessed it!!)
statement of harry anslinger(first drug czar)
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Comment #3 posted by BGreen on August 07, 2002 at 21:32:44 PT
Dubya's Skull & Bones name is *TEMPORARY*
Let's pray that term describes his tenure as Kooky ameriKan DiKtator.
George W., Knight of Eulogia
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Comment #2 posted by The GCW on August 07, 2002 at 21:13:50 PT
Bush attempts to make me a terrorist
legally. And the world knows it. Will it be like the beginnings of Holocaust?Then He can accuse Us in the back room, with no lawyer or anything.Because in a God Awesome way, We are very articulate on the issue of Cannabis.Many other Green Collar Workers, are prime targets, in the most broad sense.As a dog bites Your foot, He is a bad dog. And as man bites Your foot, He is worse.
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Comment #1 posted by The GCW on August 07, 2002 at 21:05:04 PT
Up and down.
And Bush is a down.While we are experienceing some realy good news, let's be on guard.The spirit of evil has been shuffeling like pieces moved on a chess board. Evil is not stupid, on the chess board.They are putting pieces in place to attempt disrupting those who help fight best against them. They are going to have to aproach something different, since Our united voice, is getting so effective.They will attempt new strategies, and are changing their positions on the board, now. Make a few sly moves, try a new offensive... just like the real thing.It seems that We have now made it personal. By exposing Truth, We have exposed far more than than We know.Was it Lilly Thomlinson, who said, a censor is someone who knows more than He thinks You aught to?Looking ahead and anticipating every potential move the spirit of evil is getting ready for, is some of Our important work, at present.There has been some talk and media note, saying there are big moves about to be made.Bush hates Us, and stealing the election was kids play.Skull n bones, must be contained.
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