cannabisnews.com: DEA Administrator Testifies on Taliban and Drugs










  DEA Administrator Testifies on Taliban and Drugs

Posted by FoM on October 03, 2001 at 23:55:20 PT
Hutchinson's Testimony 
Source: U.S. Department of State 

The head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Asa Hutchinson, said October 3 that drug trafficking is the primary source of income for Afghanistan and its ruling Taliban militia.Hutchinson said Afghanistan produced more than 70 percent of the world's supply of illicit opium in 2000, with most of that output being shipped to Europe. He said that DEA intelligence-gathering confirms a relationship between the Taliban and suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden and the al Qaeda terrorist organization. 
"The relationship between the Taliban and bin Laden is believed to have flourished in large part due to the Taliban's substantial reliance on the opium trade as a source of organizational revenue. While the activities of the two entities do not always follow the same trajectory, we know that drugs and terror frequently share the common ground of geography, money and violence."Hutchinson's testimony came at a congressional committee hearing on the connection between drug trafficking and international terrorist organizations. While the connections between these two activities have been a mounting concern for international law enforcement organizations in recent years, the issue has taken on greater significance in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.Hutchinson said the Taliban, which controls 90 percent of Afghan territory, has institutionalized its involvement in the drug trade through taxation of opium poppy production. The ruling militia group issued a decree last year banning poppy cultivation, but Hutchinson said opium availability has not declined and the price has increased. He deduces from these trends that the Taliban is controlling a hoarded supply of opium in order to drive up the price while it acts at the same time to respond to international pressure to crack down on the illicit drug trade.Following is Hutchinson's testimony as prepared for delivery:(begin text)Remarks by Asa Hutchinson Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration United States Department of Justice before the House Committee on Government Reform Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources Regarding "Drug Trade and the Terror Network"October 3, 2001Note: This is prepared text and may not reflect changes in actual deliveryExecutive Summary:DEA employs a global approach to attacking drug organizations that fuel the terror network. In 2000, Afghanistan produced 70 percent of the world's opium supply and 80 percent of the opiate products destined for Europe. Unlike their counterparts in Colombia, the terrorists in Afghanistan enjoy the benefits of a tracker-driven economy that lacks even a recognized national government.DEA intelligence confirms the presence of a linkage between Afghanistan's ruling Taliban and international terrorist Osama Bin Laden. Although DEA has no direct evidence to confirm that Bin Laden is involved in the drug trade, the sanctuary enjoyed by Bin Laden is based on the Taliban's support for the drug trade, which is a primary source of income in Afghanistan. Credible DEA source information indicates ties between the Taliban and the drug trade. The Taliban directly taxes and derives financial benefits from the opium trade. They even provide receipts for their collected drug revenues.In 2001, Afghanistan produced approximately 74 metric tons of opium, a substantial reduction from the 3, 656 metric tons produced in 2000. Despite this significant decrease and the Taliban's claims of lab destructions, DEA has seen no decrease in availability, and no increase in the price of Southwest Asian Heroin in the United States and European consumer countries. This indicates that significant amounts of opiates still remain available. According to the United Nations, up to 60% of Afghanistan's opium crop is stored for future sales. Since the Taliban's opium ban of July 2000, the kilogram price of opium has skyrocketed from US 844 to over US 8400. This price increase, which was limited to the immediate region and did not resonate to international markets, appeared to be a means for the Taliban to capitalize on a rise in the price of a commodity over which they exercise nearly total control.DEA will continue to aggressively identify and build cases against drug trafficking organizations contributing to global terrorism. In doing so, we will limit the ability of drug traffickers to use their destructive goods as a commodity to fund malicious assaults on humanity and the rule of law.Chairman Souder and Ranking Member Cummings, it is a pleasure for me to appear before you and the other members of this Subcommittee for the first time in my capacity as the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). I know that all of DEA deeply appreciates this Subcommittee's leadership and support in our fight against international drug trafficking, and I look forward to continuing our very successful and productive relationship.I appear before you today to testify on the connection between international drug trafficking and terrorism. As the tragic events in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. so horrifyingly demonstrate, terrorist violence is indeed a threat to the very national security of the United States. Accordingly, the degree to which profits from the drug trade are directed to finance terrorist activities, as well as the extent to which both types of organizations rely upon the same money laundering and smuggling facilitators or systems, is of paramount concern to the DEA.DEA's mission is to target the powerful international drug trafficking organizations that operate around the world, supplying drugs to American communities, employing thousands of individuals to transport and distribute drugs. Some of these groups have never hesitated to use violence and terror to advance their interests, all to the detriment of law-abiding citizens. We see in these groups today a merger of international organized crime, drugs, and terror. While DEA does not specifically target terrorists, per se, we can and will target and track down drug traffickers involved in terrorist acts, wherever in the world we can find them.As a law enforcement agency, DEA aims to gather evidence sufficient to arrest, indict, and convict criminals. When DEA operates in foreign posts, we work within the legal systems of our host nations, and of course within the structures of the U.S. legal system, in cooperation with our host nation police agency counterparts. Our evidence must be usable in a court of law, and it must withstand intense scrutiny at every level of the criminal justice process. With that in mind, my testimony will be limited to presenting DEA's view from a law enforcement perspective of the threats resulting from drug trafficking and terrorism. DEA's interest in terrorism and insurgencies is based on three considerations: National Security, Force Protection, and Foreign Intelligence.-- National Security -- DEA views information on potential acts of terrorism directed against United States interests as a matter of the highest importance for national security and will naturally share any such information with the appropriate officials and agencies. Clearly, international criminal organizations smuggling drugs into the United States pose a threat to national security. International drug trafficking that threatens to undermine governments friendly to the United States, or countries that have strategic interest to the United States, is also a matter of national security concern.-- Force Protection -- DEA's need to protect our own personnel, both domestically and abroad, is crucial to the successful implementation of DEA operations. In particular, DEA must be constantly vigilant for any developing situations that could lead to threats to DEA operations or personnel, or to our foreign counterparts with whom we conduct combined operations. DEA's interest in force protection from potential terrorists or guerilla action is most acutely focused on those instances when we are participating in operations against concrete, specific counterdrug targets. We do not participate in operations designed to exert control over a general area unless there is a specific counterdrug focus.-- Foreign Intelligence -- DEA maintains 400 personnel in 56 countries to support its worldwide investigations and cooperative efforts. As a law enforcement agency, DEA does not have a counter-terrorism or counter-insurgency mission. However, when DEA does acquire relevant information from its active drug investigations and drug intelligence collection programs, we share that information with the appropriate U.S. agencies -- ones that do have counter-terrorism responsibilities. DEA passes specific threat information on to the FBI in domestic cases and to the foreign intelligence community in overseas cases.Given our mission responsibilities, DEA remains fully engaged in participating, with the rest of the U.S. Government, in understanding the connection between drugs and terrorism. DEA brings useful information to the table for the use of other agencies, and benefits from the expertise of our counterparts.The recent attacks perpetrated on our Nation graphically illustrate the need to starve the financial base of every terrorist organization and deprive them of the drug proceeds that might otherwise be used to fund acts of terror. Unlike their counterparts in Colombia, the terrorists in Afghanistan enjoy the benefits of a trafficker-driven economy that lacks even a recognized national government.Sadly, the profits of the drug trade help fund this chaos and perpetuate human suffering. The cells of terrorists are dispersed beyond the geographic boundaries of Afghanistan, much in the same manner as other international narcotics syndicates. Accordingly, DEA's approach to both the drug trade and the terror network must be equally global in scope.Afghanistan, The Taliban, and Osama bin Ladin:The DEA has not maintained a presence in Afghanistan since January 1980, when the office was closed for security reasons as a result of the Soviet invasion in December 1979. Following the withdrawal of Soviet troops 10 years later, civil strife has ensued in Afghanistan. Consequently, DEA covers Afghanistan from its two offices in Pakistan: The Islamabad Country Office and the Peshawar Resident Office. In addition to Pakistan and Afghanistan, the DEA Islamabad Country Office also includes in its area of responsibility Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman.DEA intelligence confirms the presence of a linkage between Afghanistan's ruling Taliban and international terrorist Osama Bin Laden. The al Qaida organization, which is recognized as a terrorist entity by the U.S. Department of State, is openly led by Bin Laden. Although DEA has no direct evidence to confirm that Bin Laden is involved in the drug trade, the relationship between the Taliban and Bin Laden is believed to have flourished in large part due to the Taliban's substantial reliance on the opium trade as a source of organizational revenue. While the activities of the two entities do not always follow the same trajectory, we know that drugs and terror frequently share the common ground of geography, money, and violence. In this respect, the very sanctuary enjoyed by Bin Laden is based on the existence of the Taliban's support for the drug trade. This connection defines the deadly, symbiotic relationship between the illicit drug trade and international terrorism.The Islamic State of Afghanistan is a major source country for the cultivation, processing and trafficking of opiate and cannabis products. Afghanistan produced over 70 percent of the world's supply of illicit opium in 2000. Morphine base, heroin and hashish produced in Afghanistan are trafficked worldwide. Due to the warfare-induced decimation of the country's economic infrastructure, narcotics are the primary source of income in Afghanistan, a country dependent on agricultural production where opium is the most profitable cash crop. As the country is landlocked, drug traffickers must rely on land routes to move morphine base and heroin out of the country. Opiates are consumed regionally, as well as smuggled to consumers in the west. It is estimated that 80 percent of opiate products in Europe originate in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention, but the Taliban does not implement the country's international obligations.The Taliban is not recognized as the national government in Afghanistan and opposing factions continue to battle for control of the country. In addition, intelligence indicates that corruption is widespread within the Taliban, and among the senior leadership. Even if the current political attitude in Afghanistan should change, little or no enforcement activity can be expected in the future, since the Taliban authorities lack the political will to interdict and investigate.The Taliban, a fundamentalist Islamic group enforcing a rigid social code, now controls roughly over 90 percent of Afghanistan, while a loose coalition of opposition forces (referred to as the Northern Alliance) maintains control of portions of northeast and central Afghanistan.DEA possesses credible source information indicating ties between the drug trade and the Taliban. Current indicators suggest that the Taliban derives a significant amount of income from the opiate trade. Acting as the defacto government of Afghanistan, the Taliban taxes all aspects of the opium trade. DEA intelligence reveals that taxation is institutionalized, but not standardized. It is even institutionalized to the point that the Taliban provides receipts for collected revenues. While the current tax rate for cultivated opium appears to be ten percent, processing and transportation of the product is sporadic and taxed at varying rates.According to the official U.S. Government estimate for 2001, Afghanistan produced an estimated 74 metric tons of opium from 1,685 hectares of land under opium poppy cultivation. This is a significant decrease from the 3,656 metric tons of opium produced from 64,510 hectares of land under opium poppy cultivation in 2000.The Taliban reportedly banned the cultivation of cannabis in October 1996, and in late 1997, banned opium poppy cultivation. In 1999, the Taliban decreed that opium poppy cultivation would be reduced by one-third in 1999-2000. However, as illustrated by the chart above, there have been steady increases in opium production between 1996 and 2000. The Taliban did report that opium poppies were destroyed in Qandahar and Helmand Provinces. This eradication effort was apparently in response to an agreement with the United Nations Drug Control Program (UNDCP), which agreed to fund alternative development projects on the condition that cultivation be reduced in Qandahar. In fact, there was a 50 percent reduction in the three UNDCP target districts in Qandahar, but there was not a one-third reduction overall, as promised by the Taliban.Taliban officials claim to have destroyed a large number of heroin processing labs in Nangarhar Province in the spring of 1999. However, reports suggest that heroin processing continues in Nangarhar. Laboratories are located throughout Afghanistan, with a significant number of conversion laboratories located in Helmand Province. Taliban officials also reportedly destroyed two heroin conversion laboratories in Helmand Province in October 2000.On July 28, 2000, Taliban leader Mullah Omar, recognizing the importance of world opinion, issued a decree banning future opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. The decree states that the Taliban will eradicate any poppy cultivation found in the 2001 growing season in areas under their control. Reportedly, this ban applies to any territory seized from the Northern Alliance. In February 2001, the UNDCP declared that the opium poppy cultivation ban was successful and that the 2001 crop was expected to be negligible. This marks the first real effort by the Taliban to reduce opium production. According to press reports dated August 31, 2001, Taliban leader Mullah Omar extended the opium poppy cultivation ban for another year, to the 2001-2002 growing season.The Empty Promises of the Taliban:Despite the Taliban's claims of opium eradication and lab destruction, DEA has seen no decrease in the amount of Southwest Asian Heroin availability and no increase in prices in the United States and European consumer countries. This suggests that significant amounts of opiates remain available. According to UNDCP reporting, up to 60% of each year's opium crop has traditionally been stored for future sale, suggesting that significant amounts of opium are still available.Prior to the imposed ban in July 2000, the price of a kilo of opium was US $44. Until recently, prices of opium ranged from US $350 to $400 per kilo. The price increase, which was limited to the immediate region and did not resonate to international markets, appeared to be a means for the Taliban to capitalize on a rise in the price of a commodity over which they exercise nearly total control.The Taliban maintains effective control of nearly all of the opium poppy growing areas in the country, even though they are not internationally recognized as the official Government of Afghanistan, and do not control the entire country. Islamic law (Shari'a) has been imposed in territory controlled by the Taliban, and local Shari'a courts have been established throughout the country. In 1997, the Taliban re-activated the State High Commission for Drug Control, which was originally established in 1990 by the legitimate interim government. Prior to the UNDCP reports indicating that implementation of the 2000-2001 opium poppy cultivation ban has been effective and the release of the U.S. Government estimate indicating a dramatic reduction in opium production, the Taliban made only token gestures toward anti-drug law enforcement. As a result, Afghanistan, under the Taliban, has during the past decade emerged as a vital hub of the Southwest Asian illicit drug trade.Heroin Processing:Laboratories in Afghanistan convert opium into morphine base, white heroin, or one of three grades of brown heroin, depending on the order received. Large processing labs are located in southern Afghanistan. Smaller laboratories are located in other areas of Afghanistan, including Nangarhar Province. In the past, many opium processing laboratories were located in Pakistan, particularly in the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP). These laboratories appear to have relocated to Afghanistan, both to be closer to the source of opium and to avoid law enforcement actions by the Government of Pakistan.Heroin is trafficked to worldwide destinations by many routes. Traffickers quickly adjust heroin smuggling routes based on political and weather-related events. Reports of heroin shipments north from Afghanistan through the Central Asian States to Russia have increased. Tajikistan is a frequent destination for both opium and heroin shipments, although Tajikistan serves mostly as a transit point and storage location rather than a final destination. While some of the heroin is used in Russia, some also transits Russia to other consumer markets. Heroin transits India en route to international markets. Heroin also continues to be trafficked from Afghanistan through Pakistan. Seizures are frequently reported at Pakistan's international airports. Heroin is also smuggled by sea on vessels leaving the port city of Karachi, Pakistan. Heroin produced in Afghanistan continues to be trafficked to the United States, although generally in small quantities.Morphine Base:Morphine base is usually produced for traffickers based in Turkey. The morphine base is then shipped to Turkey, where it is converted to heroin prior to shipment to European and North American markets. The primary market for Afghan morphine base is traffickers based in Turkey. Morphine base is transported overland through Pakistan and Iran, or directly to Iran from Afghanistan, and then into Turkey. Shipments of Afghan-produced morphine base are also sent by sea from Pakistan's Makran Coast. Routes north through the Central Asia Republics, then across the Caspian Sea and south into Turkey are also used.Cannabis:Cannabis, or marijuana, grows wild and is also cultivated in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is a major producer of cannabis, much of which is processed into hashish. According to INTERPOL, Afghanistan and Pakistan together produce about 1000 MT of cannabis resin each year, with Afghanistan producing the bulk of the product.Hashish:Hashish originating in Afghanistan is trafficked throughout the region, as well as to international markets. Although the bulk of the hashish intended for international markets is routed through Pakistan and Central Asia and sent by sea, train or truck, hashish has also been smuggled in air freight in the past.Precursor Chemicals:Afghanistan produces no essential or precursor chemicals. Acetic anhydride (AA), which is the most commonly used acetylating agent in heroin processing, is smuggled primarily from Pakistan, India, the Central Asian Republics, China, and Europe. For example, according to the World Customs Organization, China seized 5,670 metric tons of AA destined for Afghanistan in April 2000. The AA was reportedly found in 240 plastic boxes concealed in carpets.Drug-Related Money Laundering:As the unsophisticated banking system that previously existed in Afghanistan has been damaged by years of war, money laundering activity is completely unregulated. It is likely that the informal banking system used extensively in the region, usually referred to as the hawala or hundi system, is also used by drug traffickers. This system is an underground, traditional, informal network that has been used for centuries by businesses and families throughout Asia. This system provides a confidential, convenient, efficient service at a low cost in areas that are not served by traditional banking facilities. The hawala or hundi system leaves no "paper trail" for investigators to follow.Prices:The cost for raw opium, heroin, hashish and precursor chemicals have traditionally been relatively low in Afghanistan. As stated earlier, the initiation of the Taliban's opium cultivation ban in July 2000 has prompted a nearly ten-fold increase in the kilogram price of opium. The price of heroin in Afghanistan also increased dramatically during the same time period, from US $579 in July 2000 to $4564 in August 2001.According to DEA sources, however, the regional price of a kilogram of opium was as high as US $746 on September 11, 2001. In the wake of the recent mass exodus from Afghanistan, opium wholesalers were reportedly dumping their stocks of opium for as low as US $95 per kilogram, apparently in anticipation of military intervention in the region.Key Observations:-- At this point, drug trafficking in the Golden Crescent appears to be heavily dependent on the Taliban. Although they have reportedly now banned opium poppy cultivation, the Taliban have long relied on drug trafficking for financial support to prosecute the war in Afghanistan.-- In order to gain international recognition as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, the Taliban must make a convincing effort to halt drug trafficking activities. Roadblocks to international support for the Taliban remain even if the opium ban is proved successful, due to concern about harsh treatment of women, human rights abuses, and, of course, support for extremist organizations.-- Opium production may resume if the Taliban believe that the international response to their opium ban is inadequate, domestic circumstances necessitate the need for additional revenues, or domestic unrest against the poppy ban persuades the Taliban to relent on eradication efforts.-- Recent press accounts report that the Taliban has threatened to lift the ban on opium cultivation in the event that Afghanistan is subjected to military action by the United States.Drug Traffickers and Terrorists: The Need for Perpetual VigilanceBy way of conclusion, we can and should continue to identify and build cases against the leaders of criminal groups involved in drug trafficking and terrorism wherever they may be found. These criminals have already moved to make our task more difficult by withdrawing from positions of vulnerability and maintaining a much lower profile than their predecessors. As they have not refrained from using violence to protect their interests, the partnership of the drug trade and the terror network will necessitate our perpetual vigilance against the threats that they present.The DEA remains committed to our primary goal of targeting and arresting the most significant drug traffickers in the world today. In particular, we continue to work with our partners around the world to improve our cooperative efforts against international drug smuggling, and to cut off drug money as a support for international terrorism. The ultimate test of success will come when we bring to justice the drug lords who control their vast empires of crime that bring misery to the nations in which they operate. They must be arrested, tried and convicted, and sentenced in their own countries to prison terms commensurate with their crimes, or, as appropriate, extradited to the United States to face American justice. Their assets and infrastructure must be seized and forfeited. In doing so, we will limit the ability of drug traffickers to use their destructive goods as a commodity to fund malicious assaults on humanity and the rule of law.Thank you for the opportunity to testify before the Subcommittee today. I will be happy to respond to any questions you may have.(end text) Complete Title: DEA Administrator Testifies on Taliban and Drug Trafficking (Hutchison says Taliban has institutionalized drug trade) (4040)Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.govNewshawk: puff_tuff Source: U.S. Department of StatePublished: October 3, 2001Web site: http://usinfo.state.govThe Washington Fileshttp://usinfo.state.gov/products/washfile.htmRelated Articles:Drug Trade Is Primary Income Source for Taliban http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11028.shtmlU.S. Official: Taliban in Opium Trade http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11025.shtmlTaliban Rely on Drug Money, says DEA Chief http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10981.shtml 

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Comment #41 posted by dddd on October 05, 2001 at 16:00:45 PT
achtung!
"The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders . . . All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism" - Hermann Goering
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Comment #40 posted by FoM on October 05, 2001 at 10:25:32 PT
Here's an Interesting Article on Anthrax Case
S. Florida Anthrax Case 'Cause for Alarm,' but Terrorist Links Doubted
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-rxanthrax105.story?coll=sfla%2Dhome%2Dheadlines
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Comment #39 posted by CongressmanSuet on October 04, 2001 at 21:06:50 PT
 dddd, with that little exception about...
 about private property ownership, Ive been a Ralph man for some time. I jusy saw the writing on the wall last year, and tried to whip up for a best case scenerio. which was possibly within reach. NOT, this has gotten WAY out of hand...
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Comment #38 posted by lookinside on October 04, 2001 at 19:11:16 PT:
just voted..
still 100.00% "no"...i've supported the libertarians because i've thought the "greens" were a bit over the top...some things on their agenda don't seem to take into account that 6 billion people on this planet are going to impact our quality of life..i grew up in a california that was extremely rural and thinly populated...i'm in construction and have seen what nearly tripling the state population has done here...this is a microcosm of what has happened world wide...if the human race insists on reproducing rapidly enough to continue this increase, malthus will be considered a prophet...in the meantime, terrorism, insane acts of violence, and a general dissatisfaction with life on this planet will increase...it ain't gonna get better, until sanity on a global scale strikes...this will probably follow a disaster that kills off at least half the people on this planet...we are moving toward a critical population density...in our area jackrabbits are quite common...coyotes are their natural predator...when the coyotes are controlled by humans, the jackrabbits increase in numbers very rapidly...when the population of the rabbits reaches a certain density,(during these population explosions i've seen literally hundreds of rabbits foraging in a 10 acre area) enough individuals can come into contact daily to spread one of several lethal diseases endemic to the population very rapidly...this is followed by a near total decimation of the rabbit population...the survivors are separated and the disease fades away...until the population increases to "critical mass" again...we are more intelligent than rabbits...we will forstall the inevitable...we are not smart enough to prevent it forever...we may be past a time where the "rugged individualist" can be considered pro survival...cooperation and hard decisions on a planetary scale may be our only chance...when i mention hard decisions, i think of mainland china's decision to limit birth rates to one child per family...strictly and evenly enforced, it could be the answer to the most pressing problem the human race faces...(i have 3 kids and worry about their futures constantly)...     what i'm trying to say is that our goals must be threefold...the three-legged stool...     liberty
     privacy
     responsibilityto survive and prosper, we must take on all 3 at once...and dedicate ourselves to them...
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Comment #37 posted by FoM on October 04, 2001 at 16:45:44 PT
Thanks i420
Thank you i420, 
I put it on my What's New page. 
What's New in Drug Policy Reform
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Comment #36 posted by i420 on October 04, 2001 at 15:55:44 PT
POLL !!!!!!
There is a poll at justicetalking.com Has the ‘War on Drugs’ in the United States been successful? Yes.
  0.0% No.
  100.0%vote  
 
http://justicetalking.org/
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Comment #35 posted by FoM on October 04, 2001 at 12:57:50 PT
Don't know if this is important or not
Palm Beach Man Hospitalized with Anthrax
http://www.miami.com/herald/special/news/terrorism/digdocs/069996.htm
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Comment #34 posted by Silent_Observer on October 04, 2001 at 10:24:58 PT
That was "unite" not "untie"...
sorry!
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Comment #33 posted by Silent_Observer on October 04, 2001 at 10:24:07 PT
Toker..
You seem to have captured the essence of the two parties pretty well.You're correct, we need to untie to one of them, if we are to make a strong showing. I am, for one, willing to go Green, even though I'm a card carrying, contributing Libertarian.
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Comment #32 posted by FoM on October 04, 2001 at 09:18:03 PT

Breaking News from Reuters
Russian Plane Crash Raises New Terror Fears http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml;jsessionid=QSJ5GRVISTXA2CRBAE0CFFAKEEATGIWD?type=topnews&StoryID=265845
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Comment #31 posted by sudaca on October 04, 2001 at 09:13:51 PT

something to point out
an article from an old gentleman from Iran who spent his youth in Afghanistan and travelled all over the world from there (now in his 90's), made a point worth reflecting on. The reason, he says, you have people willing to kill themselves for this jihad is not that they are people who have been led to expect paradise and are looking for a shortcut to heaven. No, it is because for most of their lives, especially their childhoods, the people of Afghanistan have led miserable lives; they've seen war , famine , slow painful death, families destroyed , poverty and sickness beyond what people in the west can even imagine. Let alone Americans. This life holds no attraction to them, there's no joy in it. Add to this a charismatic leader who can point the finger to a source for the regions misery; who can explain their reality as a consequence of "policy" of a country who is on the other side of the world, where people live in a dream, and you have the recipe for suicide attackers. Their lives as moles in the US only sharpens the anger; you have no idea how it feels to see the American reality contrasted with the shit you know is happening at home. Anyone who has ever felt American cultural disjuntion, that sense that there's a huge illusion cloaking the lives of middle America, that something sinister is going on behind the facade; magnify that a hundredfold.. What's happening now with the 2 million refugees is bootcamp for more fanatics. The recipe for despair is underway for thousands upon thousands of children who are living the absolute worse of the human experience.
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Comment #30 posted by FoM on October 04, 2001 at 09:12:23 PT

tdm 
Thank you for the links. I'll be reading them in a little while. Need to look for more news first but I will check them out. Scary times.
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Comment #29 posted by Toker00 on October 04, 2001 at 09:01:19 PT

The VOTE Revolution
It can work, but we have to be united on one party. Let's discuss the Libertarian vs. Green.Just my opinion. Libertarians = Heart is where it should be, but leans more toward Corporate interest, than people. Greens = Humanity, Environment, Anti-corporatism, Peace, Anti-globalization, Constitution-restoration.That's just my personal observation. Correct me and enlighten me if I am off base.People, I think this is gonna have to be a more hands-on revolution, than an electronic one. Who will protest the Khemical Klan? Who will Boycott world OIL, who will infiltrate the media and get the TRUTH out, who will fill the police staions with non-violent protesters against the Corporate sponsored TERRORISTS in our government?I will. But it will take MILLIONS. Who we gonna call?Remember. There are factions in our nation that have been silent throughout this Corporate Dismantling of America. Will they remain silent long? When they begin food rationings, energy rationing, and mass incarcerations of anti-Federal-government resistors, will the blind patriotism evolve into massive and diverse uprisings of factional militants, and will the US indeed become several different countries? Peace. Realize, then Legalize.  
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Comment #28 posted by tdm on October 04, 2001 at 08:50:02 PT:

ebola vs CCHF
Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever and Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever are not the same thing. Check out these links.Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever
http://www.who.int/inf-fs/en/fact208.htmlEbola Haemorrhagic Fever
http://www.who.int/inf-fs/en/fact103.htmlJust FYI.
demoss.org
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Comment #27 posted by kaptinemo on October 04, 2001 at 08:46:34 PT:

More from DEAWatch
They don't get it. They just don't get it. The reality of the hopelessness of their task bites them on the tochis every day; they have to feel its' teeth sometime. And even in their postings, they show a glimmering of understanding as to their situation being hopeless. But Reality keeps biting, and they keep wincing from the pain, but not bother to look behind them and see what's causing it:03 Oct 2001, 10:02 PST, 2nd Edition
"Well, once again we find ourselves congratulating the Feebs for a job well done. In just a few short weeks they have investigated and learned just about every name, bank account, hotel room, associate, rental car and other minutia leading up to Sept 11th. Why can't we do that?It seems that when the Feebs put their minds to it they do some really kick-a** work. Take for example their three-stage operation to virtually eliminate our domestic born terrorist threat. With Ruby Ridge, Waco and Atlanta the FBI has all but shut down the US renegade militia movement. Why can't we have successes like that? Is it because HQ is incompetent? Or is it because our SACs are morons?For almost 6 years we've been playing footsie with MET. We swoop into a drugburg, roust a few low-level drug dealers out of bed, racially profile an entire community, end up with a handful of plea bargains, then pat ourselves on the back and walk away. Even before we're on our planes to our next stop-and-chop the big rollers in drugburg are back in business bigger than before and charging more money they attribute to "Fedis Interruptus".Wouldn't it be nice if we could pick out a city like Chicago or Phillie, for example, concentrate 2,000 DEA S/A's and eradicate all the dealers and their feeder industries from top to bottom... including their S&L protection? We should arrest spouses and other family members who received money, gifts or property purchase with drug money/profits.Maybe we should think about borrowing a few hundred Feebs from the Bureau to teach us how to end a problem once and for all. Or maybe we need to hire SACs who go into office with a frown on their face and a sign on their desk that says, "The Drug Problem On My Watch Stops Here".Right there, they admit the pointlessness:Even before we're on our planes to our next stop-and-chop the big rollers in drugburg are back in business bigger than before and charging more money they attribute to "Fedis Interruptus".But they still don't acknowledge they are little more than the 'straight man' in a cosmically Homeric joke. A tragic joke. 
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Comment #26 posted by FoM on October 04, 2001 at 08:35:49 PT

You're Right Kaptinemo
It is a disease that lives in the jungles not in the desert as far as I know. The Russian plane shot down might have been an accident they are saying on MSNBC. Maybe.
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Comment #25 posted by kaptinemo on October 04, 2001 at 08:20:12 PT:

Here it comes
My sis is a virologist. She told me once that when messing with dangerous bugs, you put a ring of penicillin around them in the Petri dishes. If the killer bug spreads from the center and hits the ring, it dies.Likewise, you can do the same thing if you want to keep something out.Interesting, isn't it, that a disease that doesn't appear to be native to Afghanistan is showing up in an area where US troops will be expected? Ebola - if this is Ebola - is a tropical disease. Native to Equatorial Africa. And it's now infecting the Pakistani locals? Right on the border with Afghanistan? I'd very much like to know if this is near the Khyber Pass, which is a strategic throughway, and one of the first goals of any assault to capture.I said it before: Russia's security for it's stockpile of truly horrid bugs has been lacking for years. And this may be a result. 
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Comment #24 posted by FoM on October 04, 2001 at 08:03:51 PT

dddd
Our troops are on Pakistan - Afghanistan border. I don't know if they are near this or not but this is not good news. Ebola is about the worst disease I've ever read about.
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Comment #23 posted by dddd on October 04, 2001 at 07:52:50 PT

Yes,,this is interesting FoM
....and it is somewhat dreadful in its implications,and overtones............If the chemical weapons cannot be effectively delivered to the great satan,,,then why not conduct a test trial on the infidels that are nearby,,,, you know,,,make sure that the guy in sunglasses that sold you the shit,didnt burn your ass with some fake bio-weapon crap.......good luck gettin' your money back from that dude.dddd
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Comment #22 posted by FoM on October 04, 2001 at 07:31:05 PT

Interesting Article
Ebola-Style Killer Virus Sweeps Afghan Border 

By Tim Butcher in Quetta
Filed: 04/10/2001

The largest outbreak in history of a highly contagious disease that causes patients to bleed to death from every orifice was confirmed yesterday on Pakistan's frontier with Afghanistan.

At least 75 people have caught the disease so far and eight have died. An isolation ward screened off by barbed wire has been set up in the Pakistani city of Quetta, and an international appeal has been launched for help.

http://www.news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2001/10/04/wref04.xml&sSheet=/news/2001/10/04/ixhome.html
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Comment #21 posted by kaptinemo on October 04, 2001 at 07:26:51 PT:

Just as predicted
The clueless political appointee has been taken under the wing by the more savvy - and even more politically minded - DEA 'subordinates'.I said it before: Asa will not run the DEA; the DEA will run Asa. It is acting as a puppet master, forwarding it's agenda through him, and literally putting all the budget money flow button words in his mouth:"DEA employs a global approach to attacking drug organizations that fuel the terror network.Now, employ some weasel-wording:"DEA intelligence confirms the presence of a linkage between Afghanistan's ruling Taliban and international terrorist Osama Bin Laden. Although DEA has no direct evidence to confirm that Bin Laden is involved in the drug trade, the sanctuary enjoyed by Bin Laden is based on the Taliban's support for the drug trade, which is a primary source of income in Afghanistan. Credible DEA source information indicates ties between the Taliban and the drug trade. The Taliban directly taxes and derives financial benefits from the opium trade. They even provide receipts for their collected drug revenues.They are not 100% positive that bin Laden is benefiting from the opium trade, but they're gonna try to stick him with it, anyways.But here's where things get, uh, um...embarrassing, shall we say? Turns out the US was bent over the diplomatic desk:"Despite the Taliban's claims of opium eradication and lab destruction, DEA has seen no decrease in the amount of Southwest Asian Heroin availability and no increase in prices in the United States and European consumer countries. This suggests that significant amounts of opiates remain available. According to UNDCP reporting, up to 60% of each year's opium crop has traditionally been stored for future sale, suggesting that significant amounts of opium are still available. (Emphasis mine - k.)in other words, we were took for fools. More correctly, the DEA was took for fools. And they try to sidestep the issue by relying on UNDCP figures; if the DEA has people on the ground in Afghanistan, then surely they'd know the real figures. Why no DEA figures?Then we have this telling bit of 'news':"The cost for raw opium, heroin, hashish and precursor chemicals have traditionally been relatively low in Afghanistan. As stated earlier, the initiation of the Taliban's opium cultivation ban in July 2000 has prompted a nearly ten-fold increase in the kilogram price of opium. The price of heroin in Afghanistan also increased dramatically during the same time period, from US $579 in July 2000 to $4564 in August 2001.According to DEA sources, however, the regional price of a kilogram of opium was as high as US $746 on September 11, 2001. In the wake of the recent mass exodus from Afghanistan, opium wholesalers were reportedly dumping their stocks of opium for as low as US $95 per kilogram, apparently in anticipation of military intervention in the region. (Emphasis mine -k.)How many ways can you say the word, "failure"? did Asa actually believe that the Tali's had stopped production? Destroyed warehouses full of highly inflated-value goods? I'm sure none of the agents pee-ing and moaning at DEAwatch were so guiless. And they have told this clueless hack how it's going to be, not the other way around. 
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Comment #20 posted by dddd on October 04, 2001 at 06:34:50 PT

tdm..my good friend!..my Brother
..I thought your ramblings were outstanding,and inspirational!...I think I know how you feel...You are a good,honest,and cool person.......keep on keepin' on......Sincerely....dddd
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Comment #19 posted by tdm on October 04, 2001 at 06:15:59 PT:

i'm ill
Reading Hutchinson's testimony made me literally sick to my stomach. Terrorists on one side of me, fascists on the other. No way to fight the terrorists without help from the fascists. No way to fight the fascists as long as sheeple are terrified of the terrorists. Newsflash! You won't stop the terrorists with increased airport security and wiretaps. You should just go ahead and jail every person over 10 in the U.S. That would fix the problem. Well.... it would wouldn't it? And taking on the Taliban --- oo-oo-oohh, I bet the other gajillion terrorists in Iraq, Iran, Syria, Lybia, etc. are really scared now. They wouldn't dream of attacking us if we take out the Taliban.    Fu*king idiots.I'll calm down later, but when do we stop pretending that our words make a difference? When do we exercise our second amendment rights and bear arms against the systematic destruction of the free state? Wish I wasn't one of the newly unemployed. I could really use my own tank about now and I can't afford it.For your reference.A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.mi·li·tia
n.
1. An army composed of ordinary citizens rather than professional soldiers.arm
n.
A weapon, especially a firearm: troops bearing arms; ICBMs, bombs, and other nuclear arms.When did the Jews in Nazi Germany realize they were in deep trouble? Was it early enough to do anything? Did they just hope what they were hearing was rhetoric?Brain fingerprinting, asset forfeiture, gov-sponsored TV programs, gov-approved news, Rainbow Farms, Alberto Sepulveda (sp?), Peter McWilliams, piss testing, thermal imaging, expanded wiretapping, Methamphetamine Antiproliferation Act (how could they even take this one seriously), face scanners, public space cameras, no-knock warrants, reasonable suspicion, medical marijuana, increased electricity usage, know your customer, victimless crimes.....I've just scratched the surface here. I'm sure we could expand this list 100-fold or more.Something I've noticed that leads to unlimited expansion of government power -- crimes with no victims. This requires invasion of privacy by LEOs. Otherwise, how can they ever catch the "criminal" if there is no one to report the crime? It also requires suspicion of anyone not like them. Dark-skinned? Guilty. Non-Christian? Guilty. Outspoken for limited government? Guilty. Not that they can't also suspect white, male, Christian patriots who like guns. Or pornography. Or gambling. Or other men.Combine all that with a real threat like people flying jets into tall buildings and pricks like Hutchinson and Ashcroft spoo themselves at the prospect of unlimited increases in their power.I don't anticipate the gov't letting me own my own tanks and fighter jets. So I give up. It's officially hopeless. The attacks were just what they needed to tip the scales in their favor. Welcome to Amerika. Please check your freedom at the door.Besides electing Gary Johnson as president, I'm out of ideas.I realize this is possibly the most rambling, incoherent thing I've ever written here. But the subject matter makes no sense. My mind can't grasp it. (South Park fans: it's the Chewbacca defense).
demoss.org
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Comment #18 posted by Silent_Observer on October 04, 2001 at 06:12:13 PT

One memorable Nader quote...
When asked what he felt about being called a spoiler for Gore, he said "If he can't beat a bumbling Texas governor, what good is he? What good is he?"..:)
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Comment #17 posted by Silent_Observer on October 04, 2001 at 06:10:29 PT

dddd..I totally agree..
that he has said a lot in the past that is germane now.
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Comment #16 posted by dddd on October 04, 2001 at 05:53:05 PT

Silent Observer
..Yup August 8,,,,,but if you look through some of the stuff Mr Nader has been saying for years,,like it or not,,ya gotta admit that he was right on in many ways.,,,,and I dont think it was so much that people didnt listen to him,,I think that they were not allowed the opportunity to hear....dddd
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Comment #15 posted by i420 on October 04, 2001 at 05:33:12 PT

Oh yaaaaaa
>:)
Gravity Kills
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Comment #14 posted by Silent_Observer on October 04, 2001 at 05:29:28 PT

i420..I agree
prepare for the 2002 battle.
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Comment #13 posted by Silent_Observer on October 04, 2001 at 05:28:04 PT

dddd..that site
was updated August 8.I'm surprised he hasn't said anything - perhaps its for the best. Stay out of the fray now, because everybody seems to have an opinion; then hit hard when the time is right.
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Comment #12 posted by i420 on October 04, 2001 at 05:24:09 PT

Time has come to overthrow.....VOTE !!!!!!
It is time to be a lean mean voting machine
I think the "green" party name is much more catchy than "libertarian" 
Oh about the article ....more b.s. there is only one way to put the blackmarket out of biz .... we know how that would go over up on the hill.

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Comment #11 posted by dddd on October 04, 2001 at 05:15:32 PT

Nope
Not much lately according to his website.....ddddhttp://www.sfbg.com/nader/
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Comment #10 posted by Silent_Observer on October 04, 2001 at 05:11:32 PT

dddd..
I was wondering if he has said anything since the incident.
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Comment #9 posted by dddd on October 04, 2001 at 05:06:57 PT

Ralph Nader
..said all that he could before the shit hit the fan....And if you look back at the stuff he said in the past,,,you will say,"Oh,,,I guess he was kinda right"....dddd
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Comment #8 posted by dddd on October 04, 2001 at 05:02:21 PT

A Greener shade of Browne
...I will support,and join in with either,or dam near any,third party that has the highest likelyhood of toppling the Empire,,no matter how unlikely it may be.......I think even CongressmanSuet might realize that there is no point in casting a donkey or elephant vote now,because we are definitly dealing with a donkeyphant from here on out......The best I can say,is all we have is a distant hope,and all we can do,is everything,,in our individual realms to try and save the country from itys downward spiral into the further depths of a "corporate third reich"...........I dont think the sheeple will wake up very soon,,most sheeple,,, when stopped,and asked for their "papers",,,will continue to think it's all part of "America united",,and feel that this is what must be done to fight terrorism.... They will get back into their SUV with the Chinese made old glory flying from their window,,,and be convinced that they have done what is necessary to join the fight against terror and drugs......The grip is tightening on the American public,,change through the normal democratic process will not come easy,,,and will be,,in fact,,quite unlikely,when one considers the shady nature of the "election",that brought us the wonderful pResident,that we now enjoy,and stand united with, under the American flags that are fresh off the boat from China.........ddddespondent
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Comment #7 posted by Silent_Observer on October 04, 2001 at 04:59:52 PT

I wonder..
if Ralph Nader had said/written antyhing about all this...does anybody know?
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Comment #6 posted by lookinside on October 04, 2001 at 04:35:00 PT:

 Silent_Observer...
i agree...coalition building is the only way to develop enough clout to make a difference...
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Comment #5 posted by Silent_Observer on October 04, 2001 at 04:05:16 PT

EJ,dddd, Lehder..
Lately I have begun to feel more and more disheartened at the feeding frenzy for power - most people outside of this forum are not even aware of the goings on. Some of my best friends seems blissfully ignorant of what seems to be transpiring beneath the surface.I do want to believe that this is still a government of the people, by the people and for the people - today that applies only to some people, but I'd like to give it one more shot; the 2004 elections, and before that, the 2002 grab for seats.Its not too late, I believe. Does anyone still think its possible for us to play the game? Here's my suggestion.Those of us who are gung-ho Libertarians, like myself, might even want to temporarily align ourselves with the Greens. Here's the reason. The Greens basically have a better shot at it, Ralph Nader is a lot scrappier than Harry Browne (who, in my opinion, is too much of a gentleman to get involved in squabbles), and they cost Al Gore the election.Perhaps a concerted Green effort might work.What does everyone think? 
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Comment #4 posted by qqqq on October 04, 2001 at 01:12:07 PT

NIGHTMARE FROM HELL!!!
.....well....is there anyone out there who read this that isn't scared shitless of times to come?......Drugs = Terror,,,,,Terror = Drugs................................If you can,,,,try to be happy,and avoid getting busted....... we aint in Kansas anymore!.......I hate to say it,,but I think it's time to hide!It's time to burrow deeper into the underground......The times are coming,(or are already here),when the type of comments I make,will trigger a visit from the anti drug/terror overlords......I am pretty much convinced that the la-la land of assumed privacy,is now little more than a hopeful illusion....The groundwork has been layed,,,,the sheeple have been conditioned,and primed to accept any measures deemed as "necessary",to fight anything that can be labeled with the "terror/drugs" suspicion.................it aint pretty.......nope...it aint pretty..... ...indeedddd
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Comment #3 posted by E_Johnson on October 04, 2001 at 00:56:32 PT

It takes experience
Once you understand how the Soviet Communist Party worked, it becomes a lot easier to decipher the stuff that comes out of the DEA.Maybe that's because it's that special situation where bureaucratic careerism, moral extremism and authoritarian government meet and move in together.So you have the entrenched nationwide bureaucracy that sees any reduction in funding as a threat, led by people who see themselves as the moral saviors of all civilization, who don't really care all that much who gets hurt or what lies they tell as they seek to increase their power in an endless war against a shapeless social enemy.Oh gosh -- should I be speaking Russian now??Totally forgot where I was for a minute. 

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Comment #2 posted by E_Johnson on October 04, 2001 at 00:46:19 PT

But still it's an encouraging sign
It's good that they're rewriting this chapter, because it means they're publicly disowning the idea that it was good to raise the price.
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Comment #1 posted by E_Johnson on October 04, 2001 at 00:36:30 PT

History being rewritten as we watch!
Well I'm glad that I was able to learn about how Stalin rewrote Communist history from the safe distance of an American library.But now we have a rare opportunity to see history being rewritten in real time. To quote Hutchinson's spin:Since the Taliban's opium ban of July 2000,
 the kilogram price of opium has skyrocketed from US 844 to over US 8400. This price increase, which was limited to
the immediate region and did not resonate to international markets, appeared to be a means for the Taliban to capitalize on a rise in the price of a commodity over which they exercise nearly total control.It was just two weeks ago that the UN was publicly taking credit for this price increase and celebrating it before national journalists as a victory.The more honest and morally responsible way for him to have described the history of this price increase would have been:Since members of UN and American drug interdiction teams negotiated the Taliban's opium ban of July 2000,
 the combined interdiction and Taliban efforts succeeded in driving up the kilogram price of opium from US 844 to over US 8400. This price increase, which was limited to
the immediate region and did not resonate to international markets, stands to make the Taliban a lot of money, and leaves us with big thick wads of sticky egg on our formerly proud faces.
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