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  Mexico Moves To Decriminalize Minor Drug Use

Posted by CN Staff on June 21, 2009 at 05:31:57 PT
By Tracy Wilkinson 
Source: Los Angeles Times 

Reporting from Mexico City — Could Mexican cities become Latin Amsterdams, flooded by drug users seeking penalty-free tokes and toots?That is the fear, if somewhat overstated, of some Mexican officials, especially in northern border states that serve as a mecca for underage drinkers from the United States.
The anxiety stems from the Mexican legislature's quiet vote to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and other drugs, an effort that in the past proved controversial.There's been less protest this time, in part because there hasn't been much publicity.Some critics have suggested that easing the punishment for drug possession sends the wrong message while President Felipe Calderon is waging a bloody war against major narcotics traffickers. The battle between law enforcement authorities and drug suspects has claimed more than 11,000 lives since he took office in late 2006.But it was Calderon who proposed the decriminalization legislation.His reasoning: It makes sense to distinguish between small-time users and big-time dealers, while re-targeting major crime-fighting resources away from the consumers and toward the dealers and their drug lord bosses."The important thing is . . . that consumers are not treated as criminals," said Rafael Ruiz Mena, secretary general of the National Institute of Penal Sciences. "It is a public health problem, not a penal problem."The legislation was approved at the height of a swine flu outbreak that dominated the public's, and the world's, attention. Meeting at times behind closed doors, the lower and upper houses of Congress passed the bill in the last days of April. It now awaits Calderon's signature.The bill says users caught with small amounts -- 5 grams of marijuana, 500 milligrams of cocaine -- clearly intended for "personal and immediate use" will not be criminally prosecuted. They will be told of available clinics, and encouraged to enter a rehabilitation program.Up to 40 milligrams of methamphetamine, a synthetic and especially harmful drug, is permitted under the legislation, as is up to 50 milligrams of heroin.In May 2006, then-President Vicente Fox, of the same right-wing party as Calderon, vetoed a similar bill that he initially had supported. He backed down only under pressure from the Bush administration, which complained that decriminalization for even small amounts could increase use.But with about two weeks to go before crucial mid-term elections in which his party is struggling to maintain control of Congress, Calderon cannot afford to be seen as bowing to the United States, analysts say.Already under intense criticism for the drug-related violence, Calderon needs to maintain good relations with his nation's Congress, where much of the opposition voted in favor of the decriminalization bill.And so, political observers say, he probably will sign it into law. Calderon's office declined to comment for this article.So far, the U.S. government has not publicly objected to the legislation. Michele Leonhart, acting director of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, however, said in April that legalization "would be a failed law enforcement strategy for both the U.S. and Mexico."Mexican officials emphasize that they are not talking about legalization, but decriminalization. Courts now decide on a case-by-case basis whether and how to punish first-time drug-use offenders. There has been no standard criteria.Calderon originally wanted the bill to allow users caught with amounts within the limits to avoid jail time only if they agreed to rehabilitation. But the bill was changed to say only that treatment would be encouraged.Then Calderon sought a provision in which a third-time offender would be obliged to seek treatment. That measure was removed, Ruiz Mena said, after debate over whether mandatory rehabilitation is ever effective.Mexico is woefully under-equipped to handle a rising drug-abuse problem.For decades the country was a transit point for cocaine, marijuana and other drugs headed to the U.S. But recently, domestic consumption has risen. A 2007 study by the government found the number of addicts in Mexico to have doubled in the previous five years.Drug abuse has grown worse in part because some of the cartels pay their people with cocaine or other drugs.Clinics and other institutions that specialize in treatment and prevention have not kept up with the trend. The government is building 310 centers to improve care, but experts say that is not enough.The decriminalization legislation has been criticized by religious leaders and several officials in the northern border states, who fear that "drug tourists" will begin flocking to towns and cities already besieged by violence."Allowing the carrying of certain amounts of drugs will create more consumers," Oscar Villalobos Chavez, social development secretary for Chihuahua state, which borders Texas, told local reporters.An editorial in the official magazine of the Roman Catholic Church criticized legislators for relaxing the law "when faced with the highly contagious and lethal sickness that drug addiction represents."Mary Ellen Hernandez, director of the Rio Grande Safe Communities Coalition in El Paso, across the border from blood-soaked Ciudad Juarez, said she worried that decriminalization would lure Americans into a drug world they aren't prepared for and increase violence on both sides of the border."Already, the drugs that don't come over into the U.S. are being handed out by dealers to younger and younger children [in Mexico], 8, 9, 10-year-olds, hooking them," said Hernandez, whose agency specializes in drug prevention. "And then [the youths] steal to feed the habit."The legislation "is very disturbing and I think it will make things worse," she said.Except for the relatively few voices, however, there has been minimal protest over the law, and some praise.Luciano Pascoe, vice president of the small left-wing Social Democratic Party, said the law was a positive "first step" that helped "shatter the stigma that consumers are criminals."His party is running in next month's elections on a platform that includes legalization of all drugs as a way to make trafficking less lucrative.It is not known whether that position has anything to do with four of his candidates being attacked in recent weeks. None was seriously injured.Note: President Calderon is set to sign the law, but some fear that letting off users caught with limited amounts of drugs will increase drug use and encourage 'drug tourists' from the U.S.Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)Author:  Tracy WilkinsonPublished: June 21, 2009Copyright: 2009 Los Angeles TimesContact: letters latimes.comWebsite: http://www.latimes.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/QbA6b7B5CannabisNews Justice Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/justice.shtml

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Comment #26 posted by rchandar on June 24, 2009 at 20:22:22 PT:
DEA Agent Fekete
killed a fellow DEA officer in January of 1998. He was apparently drunk, and had argued with the other agent at an office party.I'm sure some of you can find similar incidents involving our beloved "men in blue." I'd encourage you, as you've done in the past, to keep posting those news clippings--they provoke the kind of outrage which we need!--rchandar
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Comment #25 posted by runruff on June 22, 2009 at 21:35:10 PT
Afgan soldiers vs. DEA Agents?
Oh please, unless the Afghan Army is made up of chiefly unarmed kids with heads sets on, listening to the "Fray", smoking a joint, or grandma sleeping in her orthopedic bed, knocked out on Xanax or a peaceable couple sitting around the fireplace on a cold winter morn. If the Afghan Army is tougher than any of these, they might be in trouble! Hey fellows, over there they shoot back! Don't forget that governments have a way of disposing of useful idiots once they become a liability. If you think that Uncle Sam's budget office Is only too happy to pay you Phat cash for the rest of your life, you don't know history, you don't know your government!
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Comment #24 posted by rchandar on June 22, 2009 at 14:33:19 PT:
DEA in Afghanistan
I hope they send them to offices so remote from any city life and give them no work, so that they crack up. No organization angers or fills me with more resentment than the Drug Enforcement Administration. None.Or we could send them to Morocco on the same mission--and drop them off in the desert miles from any cities.
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Comment #23 posted by rchandar on June 22, 2009 at 14:29:40 PT:
I Lived There, and I Certainly "Had Enough" 
...of Tampa, that is. What a terrible place: no perspective at all, super-racist, Bushwhacking fundamentalist backwater where the government does everything to arrest people for very non-meaningful "infractions" of the law. Like Gilead in "The Handmaid's Tale."I would hate to live in such a city again.--rchandar
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Comment #22 posted by rchandar on June 22, 2009 at 14:25:29 PT:
Latin Amsterdams
I don't know how saleable the comment is. The sense I have is that it will never be easy to build enough infrastructure around a system where selling is permitted or legal while production and transportation of MJ remains illegal; notice this move is confined to possession. I have been to Amsterdam, and must say the accomplishment is unique, controlled, and the work of a wealthy, industrialized society that can control an entire drug culture/community. Walk through the city at 5.30, 6am. The entire city. And notice, that it's so quiet that you can hear the water in the canals stir, and that's the only sound you'll hear. Coffeeshops operate by highly developed rules. They can't be open after 1am. Every couple of years, they make an effort to trim the number of shops in the city centers where other hard drugs and prostitutes market, while allowing a few more shops to open outside the city center. There's been a lot of hoopla about "conservative" governments trying to do away with the MJ policy of "gedoogbeleid" there: it's probably closer to the truth that they will continue to close a few shops here and there until they reach a target of about 500-600 shops nationwide. Many people come to Latin America and cities like mine and enjoy the warm weather, the vegetation, the gregarious and fun atmosphere and ask these same questions: why couldn't we have a CS system here? The answer is simple: organized crime would have to be guttered completely and a system of legal cultivation and distribution would have to be the sole operating means of giving people their MJ. Otherwise, one could expect big, big problems.--rchandar
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Comment #21 posted by BGreen on June 21, 2009 at 21:47:53 PT
BGreen's Fail-proof Proofreading Method
I've perfected this over the years so I can guarantee the results.Just type your message and proofread until you've found all the errors you can, continually checking Yes on the Preview Again and checking for errors.When you're absolutely 100% positive you've caught all of your errors, check NO and hit Confirm Post.Now, here's my secret.Go back to the original page and read your post. I guarantee you'll now see all of the spelling and grammatical errors you've previously missed. LOLOK, my method would work a little better if we could actually edit our posts after they're posted, but it's still been the method the describes the way I finally see all of my mistakes.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #20 posted by The GCW on June 21, 2009 at 20:40:53 PT
US CO: Editorial: Plans To Legalize Pot
US CO: Editorial: Plans To Legalize Pothttp://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n640/a06.html?397Pubdate: Fri, 19 Jun 2009Source: Gazette, The (Colorado Springs, CO)PLANS TO LEGALIZE POT For free market-oriented, freedom-loving conservatives, agreement with U.S. Rep. Barney Frank feels yucky. The Massachusetts Democrat has seldom seen a tax increase or proposed regulation he didn't adore. Yet, on one issue Frank finds himself squarely allied with the most conservative man in Congress: U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas. Both men want to legalize pot. Let's hope they get support from Colorado's congressional delegation. Frank recently announced his plan for two new bills, co-sponsored by Paul, which would legalize marijuana. One would eliminate federal penalties, and the other would prevent federal authorities from interfering with medical marijuana in states that have legalized it, including Colorado. Marijuana is a drug, and most people shouldn't use it. For most, life goes better without any form of artificial alteration of the body and mind. But marijuana is a weed that's nearly as prolific as the dandelion. While it's not good to use marijuana, it's less harmful and more natural than booze. Alcohol, unlike marijuana, can result in serious physical addiction involving dangerous and even lethal withdrawal symptoms. Alcohol causes erratic and violent behavior on the part of some users. Marijuana, while harmful, has not caused nearly the hardship in our culture that alcohol has caused. Yet long ago Americans decided freedom is more important than protecting the collective from the substantially harmful effects of alcohol. Maintaining prohibition of a less harmful substance is nothing short of insane. "Criminalizing choices that adults make because we think they are unwise ones, when the choices involved have no negative effect on the rights of others, is not appropriate in a free society," Frank said in announcing his proposals. CONT.
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Comment #19 posted by FoM on June 21, 2009 at 20:32:36 PT
Had Enough
Thank you for the songs. I hope you and your wife are doing fine. That is a great old love song.
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Comment #18 posted by Had Enough on June 21, 2009 at 18:51:51 PT
FoM
Thank you for fixing my errors…again.I must drive everybody crazy with my poor proof-reading, lack of spelling skills, and a severe lack of the non-mastering of the simple form of basic English…a master of the muse…would not be me..But however I think in the most part…the message is delivered…I would like to leave a little something for you and Stick…Gather him by the hand…click on the link…and enjoy this…Michael Bolton & Percy Sledge - When a Man Loves a Woman Livehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sgTkpTWFAw&feature=relatedanother cool version too…Michael Bolton - When a Man Loves a Womanhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u2_GQlwxbI
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Comment #17 posted by Sam Adams on June 21, 2009 at 16:19:11 PT

Drugs for kids
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/06/11/fda_panel_backs_3_psychiatric_drugs_for_children/"FDA panel approves drugs for children"ADELPHI, Md. - Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration said yesterday that three blockbuster psychiatric drugs appear safe and effective for children and adolescents, despite side effects that can increase the risk of diabetes.The FDA's panel of psychiatric experts voted to approve the use of drugs from AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, and Pfizer for treating schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in patients ages 10 to 17.
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Comment #16 posted by HempWorld on June 21, 2009 at 15:50:10 PT

Gee
" ... 40,000 100-watt light bulbs for an hour"But ... you could grow a ton of pot with that! This man is brilliant, he created a vicious circle! He has become a wholesome recycler, perhaps unbeknownst to himself. But maybe he is in the business, you never know.
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Comment #15 posted by Had Enough on June 21, 2009 at 15:37:55 PT

NEW POWER PLANT 
NEW POWER PLANT Burning Nearly A Ton Of Confiscated Grow House Cannabis Will Light You Up But Won't Get You High For a while this morning, TECO customers had a new fuel powering their lights. Weed. Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office deputies burned nearly a ton of the leafy substance at the county's waste-to-energy plant on Falkenburg Road at 11 a.m., according to HCSO spokesman J.D. Callaway. TECO buys electricity from the plant. There's no need to worry about anyone getting high from the process, said Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Maj. Albert Frost. "It's destroyed very quickly," he said. "We cut off a certain area, where no one can go in except for law enforcement, very tightly, highly supervised. You're not going to drive by and get high on Falkenburg Road." The marijuana was seized between February and July of last year during "Operation Indoor Outlaw," a major sweep of grow houses in Hillsborough and Manatee counties, Callaway said. Deputies say the marijuana, which is contained in 300 boxes, has a street value of $6 million. and…About 50 locations were targeted. Investigators seized about 5,800 plants and about 3,200 pounds of marijuana from houses stretching from Tampa to Thonotosassa. and…About 70 people have been arrested since February, Gee said. Some are cooperating with law enforcement. While against the law to grow pot, burning it provided a good deal of energy, according to John Wilson, vice president of business development for Recycled Energy Development, a Westmont, Ill.-based waste-to-energy company. Burning a ton of pot, he said, would "light 40,000 100-watt light bulbs for an hour.Click to see the whole thing…http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n639/a02.html?1298************They didn’t catch the fact that they are accidentally letting the people realize that growing and burning hemp is a good source of fuel…

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Comment #14 posted by HempWorld on June 21, 2009 at 15:15:41 PT

I Love Mexico!
I lived there for about 2 1/2 months but this was back in 1986. I haven't been back there recently.Hey observer, I guess all we have to do after decrim is go to Mexico and dress up as 8, 9, 10-year-olds ...Mexico gets my hopes up every time and then they are dashed. I cannot predict this, I will be very happy when it does happen.
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Comment #13 posted by observer on June 21, 2009 at 15:05:27 PT

Mary Ellen Hernandez, a la Janet Cooke
Mary Ellen Hernandez, director of the Rio Grande Safe Communities Coalition in El Paso, across the border from blood-soaked Ciudad Juarez, said she worried that decriminalization would lure Americans into a drug world they aren't prepared for and increase violence on both sides of the border.Yeah, don't allow Americans to observe what happens. When the sky doesn't fall after this (mild) decriminalization measure in Mexico (if it becomes law), what will the hard-core prohibition addicts do? "Already, the drugs that don't come over into the U.S. are being handed out by dealers to younger and younger children [in Mexico], 8, 9, 10-year-olds, hooking them," said Hernandez, whose agency specializes in drug prevention. "And then [the youths] steal to feed the habit."Lemme get this straight. Hernandez is telling us that eight-year-olds in Mexico are becoming addicted ("hooked") to narcotics? Eight years old? Oh come on. Mary Ellen Hernandez sounds too much like Janet Cooke. People lapped up Cooke's "stories", too. At first, at least. 
The article that appeared in the Washington Post on September 29, 1980 told a heartwrenching tale. It detailed the life of 'Jimmy,' a young boy who had apparently become a victim of the thriving heroin trade that was devestating the low-income neighborhoods of Washington D.C. Caught in a cycle of addiction, violence, and despair, Jimmy had become a heroin addict after being introduced to the drug by his mother's live-in boyfriend. As Janet Cooke, the author of the article, described him, "Jimmy is 8 years old and a third-generation heroin addict, a precocious little boy with sandy hair, velvety brown eyes and needle marks freckling the baby-smooth skin of his thin brown arms." She noted that Jimmy aspired to be a heroin dealer when he grew up.

http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/day/04_17_2001.htmlOf course, it was all made up. Another prohibitionist lie. But in a twist of fate, the Post and Cooke actually got caught that time. Too many people didn't believe Cooke/The Post. They got called on their story. 
Cooke... finally admitted that she had never met Jimmy and that much of her story was fictitious. Cooke offered her resignation, and the Post, humiliated by the incident, returned the Pulitzer Prize.A year later Cooke appeared on the Phil Donahue show to offer her take on what happened. She blamed her decision to invent Jimmy on the high-pressure environment of . . .
I'm sure Mary Ellen Hernandez only has the best interests of "the kids" in mind when she tells her little stories about eight-year-old addicts who "steal to feed" their "habit", too. "Already, the drugs that don't come over into the U.S. are being handed out by dealers to younger and younger children [in Mexico], 8, 9, 10-year-olds, hooking them," said HernandezBull. Show us some evidence of eight-year-old addicts. Someone please call Mary Ellen Hernandez on her eight-year-old addict claims. 
http://drugnewsbot.org
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Comment #12 posted by Had Enough on June 21, 2009 at 14:34:42 PT

Correction Notice #11

head should be heed.But you knew that!!!…*:)

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Comment #11 posted by Had Enough on June 21, 2009 at 14:27:39 PT

I found the answer…

...to all of the worlds problems…If all of mankind would heed the words of what this sister is trying to say…the world would be fixed…But Nooo!!! that’s too easy…The false leaders and their elitists have to have their way with the world…at our expense…as they have no room for true love in their hearts because their love of power and money completely fills and consumes them.Jackie DeShannon - Put A Little Love in Your Hearthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMj7UcjPZ0U

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Comment #10 posted by runruff on June 21, 2009 at 14:17:20 PT

Man you guys are great!
I will share this info with millions! I never knew so many details! This is the real master or masters behind the Draconian DEA!
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Comment #9 posted by Had Enough on June 21, 2009 at 13:56:43 PT

Political Eli Lilly
li Eli Lilly is also one of many drug companies that give soft money to advocacy groups and political action committees (PACs) to help influence lawmakers and regulators. Historically Eli Lilly favors pro-business Republicans over Democrats with its political contributions (75% to 25% in the last nine US election cycles).[38]Though the contributions of Lilly and similar large pharmaceutical companies typically are aimed at influencing policies and laws, it is difficult to argue that these contributions are aimed at approving specific new molecules.[who?] Approval is handled via the FDA, not congress or any other lawmaker. The FDA's primary source of funding is "user fees" paid by the industry to ensure there are adequate resources available to review and approve these drugs. Many have argued these user fees represent a conflict of interest.[who?]→ In 2000-2001, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) did not disclose an unusual gift from Lilly: a lent executive, Emerson "Randy" Hall Jr., who moved into ADA's Alexandria, Virginia headquarters and coached the organization on growth strategies, all paid by Lilly.[citation needed] A Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native now retired and living in Princeton, New Jersey, Hall said he never tried to influence the group and merely helped it market itself, including writing its slogan: "Cure. Care. Commitment." Hall estimated that his work, including diabetes patient research he subsequently shared with Lilly, would have cost "hundreds of thousands" from a contractor.[citation needed] Asked why it did not cite Hall on its tax returns or annual report, ADA spokeswoman Diane Tuncer said: "There is not a requirement to do so."[citation needed] → Another non-profit group, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), did not disclose that Lilly marketing manager Gerald Radke briefly ran its entire operation. Radke began in 1999 as a Lilly-paid "management consultant," then left Lilly and served as NAMI's paid "interim executive director" until mid-2001. The group acknowledged this only after being shown Radke's resume listing the job. After NAMI, he ran the Pennsylvania Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, and now serves in the Pennsylvania Health Department. Lilly, which donated at least $2.5 million to the ADA and $3 million to NAMI between 2003 and 2005, called its executive loans mutually beneficial. "The primary goal is to assist that organization in developing a needed capacity or function, but it also often serves to assist in the career development of the employee," a Lilly spokesman, Edward G. Sagebiel, said.[39] → In 2004 Charles Schalliol was made Director for the Indiana Office of Management and Budget. Schalliol was Governor Mitch Daniels' first appointment immediately following the 2004 election.[40] Daniels is also a former Eli Lilly executive and was the head of Office of Management and Budget for President George W. Bush before becoming Governor of Indiana. Prior to joining Governor Daniels administration Schalliol held a variety of executive positions at Eli Lilly and Company, principally in strategic planning, investment banking and business development. Schalliol led the purchase and sale of companies for Lilly including the formation of Guidant Corporation. → In 2005, as part of a U.S. House of Representatives budget bill that reduces spending on Medicaid prescription drugs, Eli Lilly and other businesses secured a provision ensuring that their mental health drugs continue to fetch top price at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars to the states.[citation needed] The provision, inserted by Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), whose district flanks Lilly's Indianapolis headquarters, would largely exempt antipsychotic and antidepressant medications from a larger measure designed to steer Medicaid patients to the least expensive treatment options. To opponents, Buyer's measure underscores the excessive power that corporate interests wield on Capitol Hill.[who?] Critics say the measure also violates the purpose of the budget-cutting bill, which was drafted to give state governments the flexibility to cut program costs in ways that minimize the harm done to beneficiaries.[who?] The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the provision will raise federal drug spending by $125 million over five years, while state officials say they are likely to face far higher costs. → In response to allegations about funding, Eli Lilly has stated it will now become the first major pharmaceutical company to voluntarily post online all information regarding educational grant funding and other contributions provided to US organizations.[42] The gifts do not include the Lilly Foundation, which acts as a charitable organization separate from the company.→ In February 2007, the Serious Fraud Office in the UK launched an investigation into allegations of Eli Lilly being involved in the discredited oil-for-food sanctions regime in Iraq. They are accused of paying bribes to Saddam Hussein's regime.Lots more...click to see...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli_Lilly_Controversy#cite_note-46
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Comment #8 posted by observer on June 21, 2009 at 13:54:07 PT

Two Weeks for US to 'Fix' Things
And so, political observers say, he probably will sign it into law.Or ... Calderon could use his potential veto as a bargaining chip to exact more money from the Colossus to the North. The USA, as any gang, cartel, or syndicate, plays plata o plomo with its own henchmen and toadies. Like Calderon. If past history is any indication, expect a "surge" of police state activity to "convince" Calderon to take the plata and not listen to those nasty old legalizers (i.e. the Mexican national legislature). 

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Comment #7 posted by Had Enough on June 21, 2009 at 13:45:23 PT

Eli Lilly and the Bush Family
Eli Lilly and the Bush FamilyGeorge H.W. Bush:After leaving the Central Intelligence Agency in 1977, George H.W. Bush joined the board of directors of Eli Lilly for two years (1977-1979). Future Vice President to Bush Dan Quayle's father, James C. Quayle, owned controlling interest in the The Indianapolis Star at that time.Bush actively lobbied both within and without the Reagan Administration as Vice President in 1981 to permit drug companies to sell obsolete or especially domestically-banned substances to Third World countries.[clarification needed] While Vice President, Bush continued to act on behalf of pharmaceutical companies by personally going to the Internal Revenue Service for special tax breaks for certain drug companies, including Lilly, who were manufacturing in Puerto Rico.In 1982, Bush intervened with the U.S. Department of Treasury in connection with proposed rules that would have forced pharmaceutical companies to pay significantly more taxes. Bush was personally ordered to stop lobbying the IRS on behalf of the drug companies by the U.S. Supreme Court.Bush stopped lobbying, but pharmaceutical interests still received a 23% additional tax break for their companies in Puerto Rico, who made these obsolete or banned American drugs for sale to Third World countries. Lilly's Puerto Rico-based affiliate now employs approximately 1,100 workers at three plants in Carolina and Mayagüez and 220 additional employees in its sales and marketing offices in San Juan.George W. Bush;George W. Bush is the clear front runner when it comes to drug company contributions and patronage. According to the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP), manufacturers of drugs and health products had contributed $764,274 to the 2004 Bush campaign through their political action committees and employees by April 26 of the election year 2004. Appointees with Eli Lilly interests:→ President and CEO of Eli Lilly, Sidney Taurel, was named by U.S. President George W. Bush as a Homeland Security Advisory Council member in 2002. In 2003 Bush named Taurel a member of the President's Export Council. Bush named Taurel to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN) in April 2007 for a four year term. → Bush's former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has served on the boards of several companies including Eli Lilly partner Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Gilead Sciences. → Former White House Office of Management and Budget director and current Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels is a former Lilly executive. Daniels served as Director of the Office of Management and Budget from January 2001 through June 2003. In this role he was also a member of the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council. → Former Eli Lilly CEO Randall Tobias was named by Bush as Global AIDS Coordinator in 2003. Tobias later become the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), where he held the rank of Ambassador. → Alex Azar, was deputy secretary of Health and Human Services under George W. Bush, serving as chief operating officer for two years. In that role, he oversaw such agencies as the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In May 2007 Azar became senior vice president of corporate affairs and communication for Eli Lilly, reporting directly to Chief Executive Sidney TaurelA whole bunch more found here...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli_Lilly_Controversy
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Comment #6 posted by Sam Adams on June 21, 2009 at 10:12:52 PT

The Church
I love this bit:An editorial in the official magazine of the Roman Catholic Church criticized legislators for relaxing the law "when faced with the highly contagious and lethal sickness that drug addiction represents."Pretty funny considering the Holy Sacrement of this "Church" is alcoholNot to mention being told about "lethal sickness" from a Church that ran a world-wide child molestation ring for 1500 years.
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Comment #5 posted by runruff on June 21, 2009 at 10:04:39 PT

"Hey guys good work!"-Huh?
Your Gestapo tactics are doing fine keeping drug prices up [black market and white market]. What would Eli Lilly do without you? In this time of national economic crisis the FDA drug pushers are making more money than ever!The Bush/Quail Families control Eli Lilly. They own the largest shares of anyone.Swat teams, home raids? Am I the only one who sees where these policies originate from. Am I the only who can see where this kind of heavy handed government will eventually lead. We've had 35 years of killing, house bashing and imprisoning of innocent citizens and budget manipulation [with lies and propagana] by these many orginizations and bureaus that call themselves "drug warriors". How do you conduct a war on a "thing"? This war on drugs has not hurt drugs at all. It has caused misery, death and ruin to many other wise peaceful citizens!Hempworld, you say "good job boys"! What if your son or grandma was caught up in this miitary melee? Even killed by some trigger happy chritian boy killing drug atticts for god? This happens every day, it just don't make the news that's all!
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Comment #4 posted by RevRayGreen on June 21, 2009 at 10:03:01 PT

DEA Agents assigned to Afghanistan
I hope they send all the rogue DEA agents who were doing smash and grab raids..."In interviews with McClatchy, more than a dozen DEA agents describe a badly managed system in which some pilots have been sent to Afghanistan under duress or as punishment for bucking their superiors."
DEA Agents: Administration Forcing Us To Afghanistan
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Comment #3 posted by HempWorld on June 21, 2009 at 08:37:25 PT

OT Did the DEA read my comments and then spring 
into action? Nah ...This is what I saw coming, but they hardley waited a day to take action:Drug sweep nets 22 arrests
By DAILY SOUND STAFF — June 20, 2009A drug sweep on the South Coast resulted in nearly two dozen arrests as more than 100 law enforcement personnel searched homes in Santa Barbara and Goleta linked to narcotic trafficking early yesterday morning.Authorities raided a total of 11 locations, including eight in Santa Barbara, and made 22 arrests for primarily drug-related violations. Significant amounts of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine were also seized, according to a news release from the Santa Barbara Police Department.In addition to local police officers and sheriff’s deputies, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement took part in the sting.SWAT team members also assisted due to the possibility of weapons and armed resistance at certain locations. Authorities said no injuries to officers or suspects occurred.Hey guys good work! Just leave the C clubs and patients alone, thanks! (FoM I hope you are no longer upset with me, if you don't like this post, remove, Ok? No hard feelings.)
Santa Barbara Sweep
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Comment #2 posted by rchandar on June 21, 2009 at 06:39:39 PT:

Father's Day
Should any of you be dads, have a good day today.--rchandar
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on June 21, 2009 at 06:39:26 PT

Just a Video
I saw a little of this Jib Jab cartoon on MSNBC and went and watched the whole thing. It made us laugh. Enjoy and Happy Father's Day!http://sendables.jibjab.com/originals/hes_barack_obama
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