cannabisnews.com: Drug-Policing Efforts May Suffer
Drug-Policing Efforts May Suffer
Posted by FoM on October 18, 2001 at 07:32:13 PT
By Tim Johnson
Source: Miami Herald
As the U.S. government focuses on terrorism, drug traffickers in South America are smuggling more narcotics through the Caribbean toward U.S. borders, experts said Wednesday.``Trafficking organizations see a window of opportunity to traffic in the Caribbean,'' Drug Enforcement Administration chief Asa Hutchinson told a legislative panel.
The DEA and the Coast Guard have removed personnel from counter-narcotics functions and deployed them to combat terrorism, and the Coast Guard has pulled eight cutters from the Caribbean, officials told the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.Independent experts said counter-narcotics efforts might become a partial casualty -- despite $1.3 billion in U.S. counter-drug assistance to Colombia this year -- as the Pentagon engages in military action in Afghanistan and combats terrorism at home.Not a Priority ``Colombia is just not an intelligence priority right now. Look at the Gulf War. We pulled all sorts of resources from South America,'' said Raphael Perl, a narcotics and terrorism specialist with the Congressional Research Service. U.S. forces now deploy fewer of the specialized radar aircraft known as Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) over the Andes and the Caribbean to watch for suspicious planes, said Bruce M. Bagley, a University of Miami expert on the narcotics trade.``There were about four AWACS aircraft we were using on a regular basis before. And at least two have been withdrawn,'' Bagley said.As U.S. radar planes re-deploy to South Asia, drug traffickers may be testing to see if U.S. counter-narcotics efforts have lessened, said Peter Probst, a former Pentagon counter-terrorism official. ``This, unfortunately, works to their advantage. They are incredibly opportunistic,'' he said.The U.S. military denies that counter-narcotics operations have diminished.``We can't tell you the number or location of our resources, due to operational security reasons,'' said Capt. Trisha Cundiff, a spokeswoman for U.S. Southern Command air forces. ``But the Air Force remains committed to continuing cooperative efforts . . . in counter-drug operations.''Of the many agencies involved in U.S. counter-narcotics efforts, the Coast Guard may face the greatest strains as its vessels are diverted to protect coastal nuclear and power plants and ports with storage facilities for potentially explosive materials.The number of vessels and aircraft devoted to counter-narcotics missions has fallen between 65 and 75 percent since Sept. 11, Coast Guard Rear Adm. Terry M. Cross told the subcommittee. The shift to homeland security ``challenges our ability to adequately resource other missions, notably drug interdiction,'' Cross warned in prepared testimony.After the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the Coast Guard pulled three cutters from counter-drug operations in the eastern Pacific, and dropped the number of cutters in the Caribbean on law enforcement patrols from 11 to three, Cross said.The DEA also faces a staffing shortfall as it helps on the counter-terrorism front.``A little over 100 agents'' are temporarily serving as air marshals, Hutchinson told The Herald after the hearing. Another 40 DEA intelligence analysts are on loan to the FBI, he added.Unintended Benefit Some experts believe that enhanced vigilance at U.S. borders may counter-balance reduced surveillance over the Andean region and throughout the Caribbean.``It cuts both ways,'' said Jonathan M. Winer, a former deputy assistant secretary of state for international law enforcement. As border agents heighten their alert, ``it has the potential to create a crackdown on crime across the board.''Advocates of aggressive U.S. counter-narcotics tactics voice annoyance that the State Department has not established the safety mechanisms that would allow the renewal of a policy to target any suspicious aircraft in the Andean region and shoot them out of the sky.Washington stopped sharing radar signals with Andean countries in late April after a CIA radar plane helped a Peruvian jet fighter shoot down a civilian aircraft, killing a U.S. missionary and her daughter.A still-secret report discussing the conditions for restarting the program remains under discussion at the State Department two months after its completion. ``The department is still paralyzed. It's mind-boggling,'' said a senior congressional aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity.Note: DEA, Coast Guard divert resources to terrorism fight.Source: Miami Herald (FL)Author: Tim Johnson Published Thursday, October 18, 2001 Copyright: 2001 The Miami HeraldContact: heralded herald.comWebsite: http://www.herald.com/Related Articles:DEA Says Drug Smugglers Taking Advantage http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11115.shtmlIllegal Drug Flow Back Near Normal http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11110.shtml
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Comment #9 posted by qqqq on October 19, 2001 at 07:03:03 PT
The Chinafuckation Factor!!!
...ya know what,,,,? ,, I just read the shrubs speech in China,,,,here's an excerpt: Our fight is not against a religion or a nation. Our fight
is against evil people and a government that houses them. Our
fight is against the evildoers, individual who think so evil
that they're willing to murder innocent people, and those who
house them. The doctrine is, is that those who have committed
crimes against America and crimes against freedom will be held
accountable. But so will nations who harbor them, who feed them
and who hide them. And our great government, along with others, is now making
that statement clear to the world. And we're making good
progress. We've got them on the run. And slowly, but surely,
we're pulling the net of justice around them -- "they" being the
Taliban as the host, and the al Qaeda as the parasite. And we
will bring them to justice; make no mistake about it. And the
world will be better for it when we do. (Applause.) I had a very good meeting with President Jiang today. He
understands that -- he understands the threat that terrorism means not only to America, but to nations around the world. And
he also is willing to join with us in the war against terror.
The war against terror is more than just conventional means --
using conventional means. The war against terror means smart
diplomacy. And for those of you on the diplomatic front, thank
you for helping wage that war. ..It struck me,,that the Chinese are just tickled pink with the "war on terror" concept,,,Those Chinese leaders probably be sayin' stuff like;.."it's about time american leaders came around to the way we have been doing it for years".... ...Yup!!,,,,you betchya!!!...them China government have been ruling with zero tolerance for ages,,they invented such things called "war on terror",a long time ago.... .. .yup,,,those Chinese rulers are "on board",with this terror war thing.,,it basically nullifies ANY human rights concerns,,,and what a sweet deal,,human rights problems were one of the main problems in trading with the repressive Chinese regime......welp,,,it looks like the ol' human rights problem,,,is outa dere!.. Basicaly,,human rights have been neutralized......terrorist do not have a right to rights!...The rhetoric from the government ,,is like Orwell Fallwell L Ron Hubbardesque marvels!........here's a translation of the radio broadcast that we are treating Afghanistan to.....:
Published on Friday, October 19, 2001 by CNN
U.S. Propaganda to Taliban: 'You are Condemned'
by Jamie McIntyre
CNN Washington Bureau WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Pentagon is sending radio broadcasts
into Afghanistan telling the Taliban they are "condemned,"
and the messages seem to suggest that U.S. troops will
eventually be on the ground in that country. According to an English language
translation posted on the Pentagon's
Web site, one message gives the
Taliban forces instructions how to
surrender to U.S. troops.
"When you decide to surrender,
approach United States forces with
your hands in the air. Sling your
weapon across your back muzzle towards
the ground. Remove your magazine and
expel any rounds. Doing this is your
only chance of survival." The Pentagon said the propaganda broadcasts began last
weekend and originate from a flying radio station, a
specially outfitted EC-130, known as "Commando Solo." The broadcasts tout the deadly firepower of the U.S. military
and tell the Taliban, "You have only one choice ... Surrender
now." "Our forces are armed with state of the art military
equipment. What are you using, obsolete and ineffective
weaponry? Our helicopters will rain fire down upon your camps
before you detect them on your radar. Our bombs are so
accurate we can drop them right through your windows. Our
infantry is trained for any climate and terrain on earth.
United States soldiers fire with superior marksmanship and
are armed with superior weapons," one radio script reads. Here's a complete text of one broadcast: "Attention Taliban!
You are condemned. Did you know that? The instant the
terrorists you support took over our planes, you sentenced
yourselves to death. The Armed Forces of the United States
are here to seek justice for our dead. Highly trained
soldiers are coming to shut down once and for all Osama bin
Laden's ring of terrorism, and the Taliban that supports them
and their actions. "Our forces are armed with state of the art military
equipment. What are you using, obsolete and ineffective
weaponry? Our helicopters will rain fire down upon your camps
before you detect them on your radar. Our bombs are so
accurate we can drop them right through your windows. Our
infantry is trained for any climate and terrain on earth.
United States soldiers fire with superior marksmanship and
are armed with superior weapons. "You have only one choice ... Surrender now and we will give
you a second chance. We will let you live. If you surrender
no harm will come to you. When you decide to surrender,
approach United States forces with your hands in the air.
Sling your weapon across your back muzzle towards the ground.
Remove your magazine and expel any rounds. Doing this is your
only chance of survival."
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Comment #8 posted by E_Johnson on October 18, 2001 at 11:01:57 PT
No 11%! Good for you Mr. Johnson
So Tim Johnson did not publish the 11% statistic. Sounds like he went to the same briefing. But he seems more discriminating that Melissa B. Robinson of the AP who seemed happy to spread around whatever statistically dubious numbers Asa pulls from his butt.As U.S. radar planes re-deploy to South Asia, drug traffickers may be testing to see if U.S. counter-narcotics
efforts have lessened, said Peter Probst, a former Pentagon counter-terrorism official. ``This, unfortunately, works to their advantage. They are incredibly opportunistic,'' he said.Repeat after me, Peter Probst:The drug business is a business and operates as any business operates.If Peter Probst had a background in business and economics instead of counter-terrorism, he wouldn't be so shocked at the "oppportunism" of the drug business. Business "opportunism" is what drives our capitalist economy and it's the ability of businesses to adapt to changing market conditions that makes capitalism such an adaptable and sustainable economic system.He's casting moral aspersions on drug business "opportunism" without really being aware that this general trait of "opportunism" expressed by capitalists everywhere is what keeps his own life good and bountiful and relatively predictable.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #7 posted by FoM on October 18, 2001 at 10:40:20 PT
I sure hum this song alot these days
THE EVE OF DESTRUCTION
Barry McGuire
(P.F. Sloan)
Courtesy of MCA Records, Inc.
The eastern world,
It is explodin',
Violence flarin',
Bullets loadin',
You're old enough to kill,
But not for votin',
You don't believe in war,
But what's that gun you're totin',
And even the Jordan river has bodies floatin',
But you tell me over and over and over again my friend,
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.
Don't you understand what I'm trying to say?
Can't you feel the fears I'm feeling today?
If the button is pushed,
There's no running away,
There'll be no one to save
With the world in a grave,
Take a look around you, boy,
It's bound to scare you, boy,
And you tell me over and over and over again my friend,
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #6 posted by qqqq on October 18, 2001 at 10:33:42 PT
yup...
I'd rather hear from RasJames too
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #5 posted by dddd on October 18, 2001 at 10:31:18 PT
!!!!!It's Unbelievably Remarkable!!!!!
..if you read the shrubs speech,in the previous link.....I have some questions that I welcome anyone to suggest answers...a)..I would like to know,,,who the people are,that can hear this,or read it,,,,,,and not be uncomfortably horrified..........I mean,,talk about a BIZARRE show...........to think,,that this country is somehow,so blindly unaware of what is going on here,,,,...... .. Its gotta be because people just dont realize that this criminal empire coup,,,,,,has carjacked the bejeweled limosine,,,it has kidnapped the Constitution,...it is raping the taxpaying Sheeple........It is a grotesque regime,that is now out of control,in a frenzy of underhanded moves, ,,using the mask of a "war on terror",,,laws have been made and passed that boggle the mind.......the federal government,is now,more than ever,..A MONSTER!!!....... Have they successfully taken over,or am I just over-reacting,and exagerating??............................... I'd be proud to be known as one of the people banging the gong,,,trying to annoy the villagers into WAKING UP! ...perhaps,,the most alarming part of this,,,is that the somewhat harsh,and raw flavor of my commentaries,could quite easily have me labeled as "terrorist",,or "threatening to homeland security".
...they would come pick up my old ass...that would be fine with me.....after they got done interviewing me,, they'd cut me loose,,,they would be apologizing to me,and hopefully thanking me,for opening their eyes about what they're involved in............ .. I think that it the next few months or so,alot of people are gonna start waking up to what's going on,and say,"wait uh minute".......more has changed in the last five weeks,,than in the last 50 years...dddd
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Comment #4 posted by Lehder on October 18, 2001 at 10:02:21 PT
Ras James...... (Applause)
I tried your link to the Bush speech, dddd, but didn't get very far (Applause).I much rather hear from Ras James. He hasn't been around for a while. He always has a very nice message and even makes good predictions. C'mon, Brother James. (Applause)
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #3 posted by qqqq on October 18, 2001 at 09:38:24 PT
dddd forgot to provide the link......doh!!
http://www.usnewswire.com/topnews/Current_Releases/1017-146.html
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #2 posted by dddd on October 18, 2001 at 09:37:14 PT
Wont you please join me?
...Yes,,if you can handle it,,here's the shrubs speech in Sacramento yesterday,,,,,.... ..Is it just me? ..Am I the only one who is awestruck by the content of this speech?..To me,,,it sounds like something you'd read in a dimestore-swapmeet dogeared Sci-Fi paperback!.............Tragicly Astonishing!.. .. ................. d.. .. d.. d.d
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #1 posted by kaptinemo on October 18, 2001 at 09:24:01 PT:
As if they aren't wasting enough
of our hard-earned taxpayers' dollars, they now want to do this;Frome DEAWatch
http://members.aol.com/deawatch/daily.htm"16 Oct 2001, 23:10 PST, 6th EditionFirst.Gov dot TV:Dear Phill,DEA Watch is the most innovative federal communication platform since Voice of America. But why don't we have a "Voice In America?"Our Constitution permits a free press, but it doesn't prevent our federal government from extablishing its own press. We have a Voice of America that publishes and broadcasts our federal government's message to other nations, why don't we have a Voice In America cable TV station that offers a White House Hour, an FBI Hour, a Dept of Transporation Hour, a DEA Hour, etc., etc.?A partisan-free (Oh, now this is truly naive, here; who wrote this, Pollyanna? The entire Federal effort is partisan from the git-go) federally owned and operated cable TV station that gives a half/hour or more each day to cabinet and non-cabinet level dept/agency press releases and other topical/educative information that is screened for political slant has been a long time coming, don't you think? Our agency and department heads and public relations chiefs wouldn't have to wait for a scheduled time or the convenience of broadcasters between commercials to get a special or routine message out. They could go on the air at any time.It seems to me that every cable and broadcast news station would be tuned in to a FBN (Federal Broadcast Network) cable station 24/7 to rebroadcast and redistrubute items in their own time allowances. An FBN station wouldn't compete or undermine C-SPAN I, II or III... nor would it replace the daily WH, State and DoD briefings before multi-media cameras, but it would be a different kind of station that permitted every federal agency to broadcast its departmental message either on a regular schedule or on a "Breaking News" interrupt without commercial interruption or abridgement to allow news personalities to interject their biased or prejudiced slants.Needless to say, the private news media might, at first, feel threatened by such an innovative government information platform going directly to the public without being filtered by the increasingly long-winded editorialization of broadcast and cable news reporters, but in times of increasing emergency and national security it seems to me that a single cable station (and we should never allow for a single channel devoted to an entire agency) that puts out press releases from each of the federal agencies and the White House is needed. This channel should, or course, be standard around the country (such as Channel 1 or Channel 3).Now, did you get that? a few years back the DEA was forced to cut its' annual estimates of how much illicit drugs it has intercepted in half; that made the estimates around 2.5%20 Billion dollars...and only 2.5% Now, in private industry, if you were given that much money to do a job, and had that kind of 'success rate', you'd be fired for truly astounding incompetence.Now they want to have their very own, publicly (what else?) funded cable TV channel to trumpet their propaganda directly at the people paying for their gross inefficiency 24/7...as if they didn't do that already with their press releases. To loudly proclaim that incompetence nation wide.I've heard Washington DC described as '68 square miles of land surrounded by reality'. The Feds who reside there seem to have become divorced from that reality by residing there too long.
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