cannabisnews.com: The Reality Behind the Movie Traffic: Part Three The Reality Behind the Movie Traffic: Part Three Posted by FoM on March 21, 2001 at 15:12:08 PT Coming Up On Nightline By Leroy Sievers Source: ABCNews Tonight we have Part Three of our series "Traffic": living in fear. Once people cross a cartel in some way, their lives change forever. Bodyguards, bulletproof vests, looking over their shoulders, these all become part of everyday life. We, and I mean most journalists, like to think of ourselves as courageous. We see ourselves as crusaders, facing off against the powers that be, laughing at danger, etc. I don't think we say that to other people, for fear that they would laugh at us. That's especially true when most polls show journalists somewhere down around the level of Congress in terms of the esteem we are held in by the public.But sometimes it's true. Tonight you'll meet a reporter from Tijuana. He dared to print some less-than-flattering articles about the Arrellano-Felix cartel. A short time later, he was driving to his office with his bodyguard when four cars cut him off. Men got out and started to riddle his car with gunfire. His bodyguard was hit more than 30 times. He was hit four times. The assassins were walking up to the car to finish him off when a bullet ricocheted and killed their leader. The rest fled. The reporter survived.And, when he got out of the hospital, he went back to work. But that's all he does now. There are a dozen armed bodyguards camped outside of his house around the clock. When he does go to work, he travels in a three-car convoy on a different route each day. And his life has changed dramatically. No movies, no restaurants, no visiting friends. His sons, who work at the paper as well, live much the same way. None of them goes outside without a bulletproof vest on. His wife is a virtual prisoner in their house. Too high a price to pay? He says no, that to quit would tell the cartel that they had won.Thousands of miles and worlds away, we'll visit again with the three kids we first showed in Monday's broadcast. They'll talk about their lives in the drug culture, friends killed, stabbings, shootings, their fears. That's our focus for tonight. Get too deep into the drug war, and fear will be a constant companion.Leroy Sievers is executive producer of Nightline.Source: ABC NewsAuthor: Leroy Sievers, Executive Producer NightlinePublished: Monday, March 21, 2001 Copyright: 2001 ABC News Internet VenturesWebsite: http://www.abcnews.go.com/Contact: http://www.abcnews.go.com/service/help/abccontact.htmlTraffic Official Web Site http://www.traffic-movie.com/The Reality Behind the Movie Traffic: Part Twohttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9086.shtmlThe Reality Behind The Movie Traffic: Part One http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9071.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #25 posted by dddd on March 22, 2001 at 18:48:38 PT RADIO KMJ....USA Perhaps a radio show would make more sense.We could set up some sortof conference call thing,and produce a recorded show...TV production is fraughtwith eminent logistical difficulties.,,,,but I thinking of winning the lottery soon,andthen I could fly everyone down to L.A. for a conference.....I really like the idea ofmeeting all our friends that contribute here.dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #24 posted by kaptinemo on March 22, 2001 at 18:33:39 PT: Sorry, I'm not very photogenic :) Having been told that I resemble a bipedal bulldog, I think you can understand why.Nope, what we need is some drop-dead gorgeous Shania Twain clone; smart and funny...and has a wicked sense of irony sharp enough to puncture bombastic anti windbags at twenty paces.Of course, the antis, being the cowards they are, would never deign to trod onto a set full of people who've spent half their lives suffering from DrugWarrior depredations, and are now given the chance to carve up some turkeys in advance of Thanksgiving.(Sigh) But it's a nice dream, anyways [ Post Comment ] Comment #23 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on March 22, 2001 at 15:23:32 PT: Good Idea I like the Pot-TV idea. I have been on Miriam White's show before, and would be happy to be involved in others. [ Post Comment ] Comment #22 posted by observer on March 22, 2001 at 14:57:13 PT T V Thanks for the kind word, dddd. I'm learning from everyone here.I'd like to start our own TV show,,It would be kinda like The Mcglaughlin Group...I would offer the job of moderator to Kap,Observer,Lehder,Ethan,,etc,,but I think I would be a bogart,and take the job myself since its my idea.POT-TV might be a good place to consider airing it to start off:http://www.pot-tv.net/submit.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #21 posted by CongressmanSuet on March 22, 2001 at 14:30:33 PT: Whoa...we gotta calm down alittle... Smashing your TV will not help as much as you think, remember, we are a TV addicted generation, and we will just be cutting off our nose to spite our face here. The best thing I can see to come out of this whole "Nightline" piece of 'hit is the fact that it give us all an extra half hour to roll a big one, grab a cold one, and plant ourselves down on the couch for the best show on tv TODAY, "Politically Incorrect". Sure, Bill misses alot of chances to go for the guts, really make some great points, but you have to look at the mans situation. He is insulated from alot of the problems we "normal" everyday people live in fear of. Because of his stardom, he is somewhat insulated, he doesnt worry about night-time raids, being pulled over and busted for a joint, etc. He is quite vehement in his views, and isnt afraid to express them, but it seems that sometimes he gets tired of talking to a bunch of idiots who dont get it, and kinda gives up on them thinking that his audience will understand this. Hey, its still the best thing on National TV, but he has to give the right wingers a shot at making their point, because if he doesnt, he will lose his time slot, remember, the puppet masters are somewhere behind the scenes of even this show somewhere.... [ Post Comment ] Comment #20 posted by FoM on March 22, 2001 at 11:15:40 PT: CNN Video - DEA Says Traffic Is Accurate http://www.cnn.com/video/showbiz/2001/03/19/pv.traffic.dea.usa.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #19 posted by J.R. Bob Dobbs on March 22, 2001 at 06:16:44 PT Bad drug laws kill people Think about that suburban girl's comments. Her friend jumped off a bridge. Did she leave a note blaming the marijuana? How does her friend come to the conclusion it's about marijuana? Quite probably, because her friend was smoking marijuana peacefully, and got arrested over it. Pot isn't worth killing yourself over, but the police could certainly replace it with something that would be... All tonight's Nightline needed, to set it right, would be one sentence from Dan Gardner. "Bad drug laws kill people!" I can't believe we take these substances, for which there is so much demand, and give control of them to these gangsters. Really. Who lives in fear of the Budweiser deliveryman? [ Post Comment ] Comment #18 posted by dddd on March 22, 2001 at 01:25:43 PT laced weed Yea Nifty,but Bill didnt have to jump on the Paxil-dazed republican b*tch.Shewas doing just fine making a fool of herself without his help.I'm impressedby what Bill gets away with in the first place.Like most Republicans,this galended up being the laughing stock of the audience anyway.......(sorry I called her a b*tch.That wasnt very nice of me)As far as TV shows go,I have to say,that Politically Incorrect has gotta be one ofthe best,and only,non-cable shows to actually put some dents in the drug war.I'd like to start our own TV show,,It would be kinda like The Mcglaughlin Group...Iwould offer the job of moderator to Kap,Observer,Lehder,Ethan,,etc,,but I think Iwould be a bogart,and take the job myself since its my idea....Talk about a distinguishedpanel,,Kap,Observer,Lehder,Ethan,DanB,Nifty,Imprint,CongressmanSuet,Robbie,Toker00,Freedomfighter,meagain,NewMexican,DanHillman,rasjames,biblebelt,jormanash,MikeEEE,,,andnumerous others that I apologize to for not listing.....Maybe we should invite FoM too...JAH is no secret,,,,,May he shine upon everyones lives..............dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #17 posted by NiftySplifty on March 22, 2001 at 00:42:42 PT Politically Incorrect... Once again, Bill Maher lost an opportunity to jump all over the Anti lady on the show. I have noticed that he does that every single chance he gets...just sits there with some smart-assed comment. When she said weed is "laced with all kinds of things", he didn't point that if it was legal, this wouldn't happen! It's like how "bathtub gin" caused blindness; this ended when Prohibition was repealed. I am honing my skills in hope that one day I will meet such a fool (an anti and Bill Maher as well).What promises to be good is tomorrow night's Politically Incorrect because Hugh Downs will be on. I guarantee they'll talk about the herb. He'll set them straight.Regarding the show, I got pissed when the "yuppie little brat" girl said her friend was going through withdrawal, and jumped off a bridge. Of course, she pointed out that she was only on pot. Jeez...at 11:51, I didn't throw a brick through the TV, but I did slice my dog into little bits...no, not him. I was making franks 'n' beans. That was a close one.N...Everyone watch for Hugh Downs on P.I. tomorrow night on ABC! [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by cellis786aol on March 22, 2001 at 00:36:46 PT The Commemorative joint LOL!!!I think we all shot spark up a fatty in memory of your Zenith.I'd be keeping that brick handy myself, but I think a glock has a better effect.Keep smilin' the suns still shining. [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by cellis786 on March 22, 2001 at 00:31:14 PT Free the prisoners Yet, it is our own lack of action that allows this kind of insanity to continue. Imagine a world where drugs were legal. The ability of these money hungry Capitolists to cripple society with fear, and their power to tear apart poeples lives would be all but gone. It would be placed in the hands of the people. And, hell, the government would have one more thing to gauge the public with in the form of taxation.And, maybe then the man would have to find another scheme to keep us enslaved. [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by dddd on March 22, 2001 at 00:22:04 PT Me Again,,on the brighter side Politically Incorrect tonight was quite good.It had a far more relevant,and effectualmessage on the drug topic than Nightline ever dreamed of. [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by rambler on March 21, 2001 at 23:54:13 PT ABC NEWS "More Americans get their news from ABC News,,,,Than from any other source in the world." [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by MegaStoner on March 21, 2001 at 23:50:37 PT Sickeningly funny GOOD GRIEF!!!!.......GREAT SCOTT!.......GOOD LORD.........GREAT CEASARS GHOST!Tonights episode has dazzled and excited me in a shameful dazzle of sardonic glory.I had no idea that this would be so obviously twisted and silly.I am ashamed to have so grossly underestimated how absurd this would be.Seeing Ted in these ghastly,phony sound-bites,makes me wonder how I can barf,andlaugh at the same time..................... [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by dddd on March 21, 2001 at 23:33:34 PT television brick As I was watching yet another stupid episode of the Nightline soap opera,I visitedNiftys' link about the pay raise thing.,,,,I may sue you for a new TV Nifty,,thattype stuff fries me bigtime.....How wonderful that IBM was nice enough to sponsor tonites episode of Nightline.....dddderanged [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by dddd on March 21, 2001 at 23:07:16 PT well said Nifty I thoroughly enjoyed your exuberant tirade.I keep a brick on hand,just incase I actually get pissed enough to trash the Zenith,but I hate the thoughtof the ensueing video glass-tube implosion event,and the depression ofcleaning up the mess,and depositing the Zenith in the dumpster.Then I wouldbe further bummed out by scraping up the funds to purchase a replacementfor the Zenith,so I wouldnt miss such spectacular examples or outlandish bull,that can be enjoyed on TV.Here's a much better idea,;take a photo of your TV,and burn it in effigy,,,it's just as fun,and you wont have to go through the remorseful shame of buying a new TV.... I gotta take exception to your "if Nader got elected" scenario....If the Nadsterhad somehow have been elected,the news would have come in the next day,thata student,who left school with an assault weapon,had shot Nader in a frenzy of druginduced hate crime fervor!This student,who had started using Marijuana recently,was on exstacy and crack and meth,,,when a hit of pot pushed him over the edge,andhe freaked out,and shot Ralph Nader,,,thinking it was Shrubya......He will be sentenced asan adult youth.....Keep on Keepin' on...............dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by NiftySplifty on March 21, 2001 at 22:38:05 PT And if anyone doesn't believe me... ...check out this link.N... Sneaky Bastards!!! [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by NiftySplifty on March 21, 2001 at 22:17:56 PT Ted Krappel can kiss my ass. Just reading this "brief", and I'm already pissed off. I have a feeling I'll be throwing a brick through my TV around 11:38. What a bunch of horse-sh**...oh for crying out loud A bunch of horse-shit! Sorry if anyone hasn't ever read that word before. I'm glad Georgie Porgie was elected before Ralph Nader, because Nader would have made the government so damn big, that if Shrubya would have gotten elected (fingers are crossed he doesn't) in 2004, we'd all be burned at the stake. Should we allow the government to get bigger, more expensive (and consequently more intrusive) just because the newest person says he wants to let us smoke weed? The problem isn't that we should be allowed to run our own lives on some issues, but all issues. Look, Nader might have been against corporate interests and possibly agreed with letting people run certain parts of their lives (not Social Security, or letting us keep our hard-earned money, however) but if the next person who gets elected afterward happens to be, oh, gosh, John Ashcroft for example, do you think he's going to be disappointed that the government has more power and takes an even larger chunk of your paycheck? I doubt it! The government needs to be dismantled to its Constitutional limits. No Green, nor Republocrat (nor gloom of night) will ever do that.N...Sorry, I'm just pissed at Ted Koppout. Add Shrubya to my "Kiss my Ass" list. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on March 21, 2001 at 20:49:03 PT I hope it gets a little better Hi Robbie, I haven't been paying close attention to the Nighline series. It is too far removed from the reality of what we are going to do about the drug war on our home front. I hope they switch away from the direction they are going and get something important to the viewing public not just sensationalism.Is that going to be your web site? Make sure you let us know. I have been very selective about hawking articles because I am very busy and I only sent in two today and I checked the raw news and it wasn't a dupe. Any idea? Thanks! I'd ask Richard but I know he is busy.Drug War Approach Seen as Utter Failure http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9103.shtml [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by dddd on March 21, 2001 at 20:45:35 PT Robbie The thing between me and CS,was a minor disagreement as to whether or nota vote for Nader,was basically a vote towards the Shrub.I felt the same wayyou do,but I think there is something to be said for CSs' opposing viewpoint.My new theory,is that the election was so bizzarre,and crooked,that dubyawould have succeeded in his coup,no matter who voted for whom.I am very pleased by the discussion this Nightline series has opened up,becauseeverthing looks way different,when people realize that Koppel,and his ilk,are notsome sort of "hard hitting" freelance journalists,,they are just like actors,followinga script........................dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Robbie on March 21, 2001 at 20:09:11 PT On Nightline and Nader Hi folks,I have watched the series so far (as much as I can stomach) and have thought that this series is the epitome of non-interesting interest pieces. Ted Soppell (et al) are giving the public a little pablum and calling it "the basis for debate." There's no debate here. There is a series of stories that illuminate certain aspects of the film's plot, and Nightline is the first to call it's stories "The Reality Behind the Movie Traffic." So they define a new reality, not recognize the opening for debate and exposition of the entire subject. But now, of course, Koppell and his kronies can say that they've done some hard news. I am interested in the last two days of the series, but I hold out very little hope.The other point is far from being settled. I am not directly aware of the text of the discussion between dddd and CongressmanSuet. I believe, however, that Ralph Nader was not responsible for putting G Dub in the Oval office. Two reasons. 1: Al Gore couldn't carry his home state...nuff said. If you are a national politician and seek political office and you cannot win even in your own home state, there's a serious problem that is directly related to you, not to anyone else....and 2: Jim Hightower said this the other day...more registered Florida Democrats voted for GW Bush than for Ralph Nader. That point must be made clear to those in the Democratic and liberal communities: outside of various miscounting, more Florida Democrats voted for Bush than did for Nader. Nader represented an aspect of the political process that brought in more voters, not votes. Unhappy Democrats didnt vote for Ralph Nader, they voted for George Bush. Nader in the end was, unfortunately, a non-issue. Watch for THIS LINK in the NEAR FUTURE [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by dddd on March 21, 2001 at 17:22:45 PT CongressmanSuet Thank You.It makes my day to have my assertions confirmed.And by the way,your;Nader factor,in getting Bush elected ,was more significantthan I originally thought.Anyway....it is so true that this whole series on Nightline,is nothing less than puppetry.I will go one step further,and suggest the likely probability,that this series was actuallydesigned as a counteroffensive to the stirrings that Traffic,and sagging public support ofthe drug war,have caused.It is masterfly designed to make it seem as if we need increasedfunding for law enforcement,and to conjure up sympathy for drug warriors.I am anxiously awaiting any mention of Plan Colombia.I think America would be quite interestedto see some footage from some of these brand new choppers we paid for;as they shower scurryingpeasant farmers with the chemical rain that we also provided....Has anyone seen any picturesfrom Colombia???.....Hmmmm,,I wonder why not?......Ted Koppel in a flight jacket,reportingfrom a chopper mission,,now that would be entertainment....Or perhaps Cokey Roberts andSam Donaldson,with George Will,on "This Week",reporting from the boomtown airbase in Ecuador.That would boost the Neilsen ratings......dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by CongressmanSuet on March 21, 2001 at 16:28:50 PT: Koppel, "Courageous" for what, exhibiting the bad hair style on national TV? dddd and I have had our diagreements before, I say Nader is the reason Bush Baby is fumbling about the Oval Office, he says no, and I respect his opinion. Hell, I might be wrong, and after reading some of his material, I believe he makes a pointed case, but there is one thing we do agree on, and that is one of his posts from the other day. To think that Ted, or John Stossel, or any other of these "Journalists" really has any true say in what is going to be shoved in front of us is ludicrous. This is the work of people in much higher places then them. Sure, they might think they make a difference, and might be allowed to believe they do, but the real "Puppet Masters" are in the background, the Amerikan people can NEVER be shown the REAL truth, they "Couldnt handle it". So, while we cheer and say way to go Ted, we are really fooling ourselves, just look at the themes weve seen on this series so far. 1. The problem is corruption of the Mexican Gov.[loved that fat, short bald Barry McCaffrey general type serving time for corruption. 2. The problem is that we are not putting enough resources into the WoD, the smugglers have more money and are smarter, so we need more money and more sophistication to be effective. 3. Cannabis is a gateway drug[ the stuck up little surburban bitch used that one effectively]. Thats what we have so far folks, lets wait and see where this series is REALLY going with its message. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Imprint on March 21, 2001 at 16:00:19 PT: Focused on ratings not people Looks to me like Nightline is spending all of this valuable airtime talking about the extremes. Drug cartels, big bust’s, Mexican Generals gone bad, kids out of control and such. This makes for sensational TV but is just a part of the real story. Nightline isn’t spending any time on the average drug user and the affect the drug war has on them. These are the people that live normal lives, aren’t violent and live in fear of being busted for a life style choice. These are the real people that have violence brought upon them by a SWAT mentality police force, have to pay thousands of dollars into a anti-drug war industry, forced into prison or drug treatment. These are the real people that make up the majority of the casualties of the drug war. Gee, I feel bad for the reporter but frankly he isn’t the real story. He is but one man that wrote a story about one Mexican drug cartel. There is a never ending stream of people killed by police or are forced in prison or drug rehab. The war on drugs is a story about many, not a few. Nightline, after tonight’s show you have two chances left to dive into the real issue, I hope you come through. I guess an average and normal person isn’t exciting enough for the American public to stay interested. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: