cannabisnews.com: Just Say No
Just Say No
Posted by FoM on May 13, 2001 at 19:59:11 PT
Editorial
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
It's hard to imagine a worse choice for national drug czar than John P. Walters. He promises to employ strategies that have already wasted billions of dollars and thousands of lives -- among them an American missionary and her infant daughter, killed last month when their plane was shot down over Peru.Now is the time to rethink our approach to illegal drugs. Instead, like a general preparing to refight past battles, President George W. Bush has turned to a vocal champion of already discredited tactics.
In 1980, the federal anti-drug budget was about $1 billion. Last year, federal and state governments spent $50 billion. During that time, our "get tough" approach to drugs has swollen the nation's prison population to nearly 2 million. About 5 million more Americans are on probation or parole. Government has been granted powers undreamed of by the Founding Fathers, including the right to seize property from people suspected -- but not convicted -- of involvement with drugs. But, according to the government's own statistics, illegal drugs are cheaper, purer and more readily available than ever. The percentage of high school seniors who have used illegal drugs went from 55 percent in 1975 to 54 percent in 1998. It may be possible to argue that those are the hallmarks of success, but not with a straight face.Liberals and conservatives alike have begun urging a reassessment of national drug policy. New York is in the process of revising its drug laws, arguably the nation's toughest. Other states like California and Arizona now mandate treatment instead of prison for first-time, non-violent drug offenders.That's an approach the president seemed to have endorsed. When he announced Mr. Walters' appointment, President Bush promised to pay "unprecedented attention" to helping addicted Americans get treatment. Yet Mr. Walters has testified that increased emphasis on drug treatment is "ineffectual policy." Instead, he argues for stepped-up interdiction efforts. And he says the way to win the War on Drugs is to get tough with offenders. That view is contradicted by a National Institute of Justice study on the crack cocaine epidemic, which concluded that mandatory prison sentences and hundreds of thousands of arrests "appeared to have no major deterrent effect" on drug abuse. Crack use declined just as rapidly in cities like Washington, where budget cuts caused the number of cops and arrests to drop, as it did in places like New York, where police aggressively arrested drug dealers and users.A rational approach to drug control means rejecting failed policies, not nominating their chief apologist as the nation's drug czar.Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO)Published: Sunday, May 13, 2001 Copyright: 2001 St. Louis Post-Dispatch Contact: letters post-dispatch.com Website: http://home.post-dispatch.com/ Related Articles:For Drug Warriors, It's Flashback Time http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9689.shtmlAppointment of Drug Czar Renews Old Debatehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9687.shtmlBush Signals Shift in Drug War Emphasis http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9678.shtml
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on May 15, 2001 at 16:27:33 PT
Just a Note
Hi Everyone, I put together a little page with all the articles so far from the OCBC Case. Here it is, enjoy! I need to go off line for a while but I'll be back. A storm is coming.O.C.B.C. Versus The U.S. Government News Articles - May 14th & 15th 2001http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/mj.htm
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Comment #12 posted by dddd on May 15, 2001 at 16:01:02 PT
Right On New Mexican
Steppenwolf almost brings tears to an old Hippies eyes....Peace...dddd THE OSTRICH Words and music by John Kay We'll call you when you're six years old And drag you to the factory To train your brain for eighteen years With promise of security But then you're free And forty years you waste to chase the dollar sign So you may die in Florida At the pleasant age of sixty nine The water's getting hard to drink We've mangled up the country side The air will choke you when you breathe We're all committing suicide But it's alright It's progress folks keep pushin' till your body rots Will strip the earth of all it's green And then divide her into parking lots But there's nothing you and I can do You and I are only two What's right and wrong is hard to say Forget about it for today We'll stick our heads into the sand Just pretend that all is grand Then hope that everything turns out ok You're free to speak your mind my friend As long as you agree with me Don't criticize the father land Or those who shape your destiny 'Cause if you do You'll lose your job your mind and all the friends you knew We'll send out all our boys in blue They'll find a way to silence you But there's nothing you and I can do You and I are only two What's right and wrong is hard to say Forget about it for today We'll stick our heads into the sand Just pretend that all is grand Then hope that everything turns out ok
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Comment #11 posted by New Mexican on May 15, 2001 at 15:43:50 PT
Thanks for the Steppenwolf lyrics!
Thanks Rambler,dddd, cuzn buzz for the time and effort you put into making my day! (and everyone else here!) My political views and attitudes were strongly influenced by John Kays' insightful and truthful words. When I find the time, I'll post the words to 'The Ostrich' from the 1st album. The late 60's are back to haunt shrub and co. And things will get scarey, but change is on our side!
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Comment #10 posted by dddd on May 15, 2001 at 00:08:58 PT
Speaking of Steppenwolf
How bout this classic from '68' Dont Step On The Grass Sam ,by John Kay Starin' at the boob tube, turnin' on the big knob Tryin' to find some life in the waste land Fin'ly found a program, gonna deal with Mary Jane Ready for a trip into hate land Obnoxious Joe comes on the screen Along with his guest self-righteous Sam And one more guy who doesn't count His hair and clothes are too far out While pushin' back his glasses Sam is sayin' casually "I was elected by the masses" And with that in mind he starts to unwind A vicious attack on the finest of grasses Well it's evil, wicked, mean and nasty (Don't step on the grass, Sam) And it will ruin our fair country (Don't be such an ass, Sam) Well, it will hook your Sue and Johnny (You're so full of bull, Sam) All will pay that disagree with me (Please give up you already lost the fight, alright) Misinformation Sam and Joe Are feeding to the nation But the one who didn't count counted them out By exposing all their false quotations Faced by a very awkward situation This is all he'd say to save the day Well it's evil, wicked, mean and nasty (Don't step on the grass, Sam) And it will ruin our fair country (Don't be such an ass, Sam) Well, it will hook your Sue and Johnny (You're so full of bull, Sam) All will pay that disagree with me (Please give up you already lost the fight alright) You waste my coin Sam, all you can To jail my fellow man For smoking all the noble weed You need much more than him You've been telling lies so long Some believe they're true So they close their eyes to things You have no right to do Just as soon as you are gone Hope will start to climb Please don't stay around too long You're wasting precious time
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Comment #9 posted by Rambler on May 14, 2001 at 23:54:07 PT
Right on Cuzn
Once the religious, the hunted and weary Chasing the promise of freedom and hope Came to this country to build a new vision Far from the reaches of kingdom and pope Like good Christians, some would burn the witches Later some got slaves to gather riches But still from near and far to seek America They came by thousands to court the wild And she just patiently smiled and bore a child To be their spirit and guiding light And once the ties with the crown had been broken Westward in saddle and wagon it went And 'til the railroad linked ocean to ocean Many the lives which had come to an end While we bullied, stole and bought our a homeland We began the slaughter of the red man But still from near and far to seek America They came by thousands to court the wild And she just patiently smiled and bore a child To be their spirit and guiding light The blue and grey they stomped it They kicked it just like a dog And when the war over They stuffed it just like a hog And though the past has it's share of injustice Kind was the spirit in many a way But it's protectors and friends have been sleeping Now it's a monster and will not obey (Suicide) The spirit was freedom and justice And it's keepers seem generous and kind It's leaders were supposed to serve the country But now they won't pay it no mind 'Cause the people grew fat and got lazy And now their vote is a meaningless joke They babble about law and order But it's all just an echo of what they've been told Yeah, there's a monster on the loose It's got our heads into a noose And it just sits there watchin' Our cities have turned into jungles And corruption is stranglin' the land The police force is watching the people And the people just can't understand We don't know how to mind our own business 'Cause the whole worlds got to be just like us Now we are fighting a war over there No matter who's the winner We can't pay the cost 'Cause there's a monster on the loose It's got our heads into a noose And it just sits there watching (America) America where are you now? Don't you care about your sons and daughters? Don't you know we need you now We can't fight alone against the monster
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on May 14, 2001 at 21:39:52 PT
Hi Quiet Crusader
Hi John,It's nice to know you have been hanging around and I hope all is well. I been busy today and just remembered I didn't answer you. Keep up your writing!
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Comment #7 posted by Cuzn Buzz on May 14, 2001 at 21:01:28 PT:
Thank You
Thank you for posting A STORY--- Quiet Crusader.And thank you for speaking up!"America where are you now?Don't you care about your sons and daughters?Don't you know we need you now.We can't fight alone against the monster"- Steppenwolf.We ARE winning people!It is always darkest just before the dawn.
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Comment #6 posted by kaptinemo on May 14, 2001 at 04:12:08 PT:
QC, You ougt to submit it to a producer
Because it perfectly juxtaposes the disconnect between the high moral tonality that the pols are forever affecting with the reality of the fruit of their DrugWar support...dead mothers and babies.Publicly rub their noses in their hypocrisy long enough and they just might tumble to the fact they were wrong. But I'm afraid it will take a few more tiny machine-gunned corpses for them to get the point.
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Comment #5 posted by dddd on May 13, 2001 at 23:32:05 PT
QuietCrusader
That was Fantastic,,,,Excellent!..........dddd
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Comment #4 posted by QuietCrusader on May 13, 2001 at 22:27:19 PT:
Yes, it's me...
I have been here all along, just Quiet.
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on May 13, 2001 at 21:49:08 PT
Just Me Again
I just want to say I really think the quality of the comments have been great. I really hope that the antis understand that we aren't bad people, just concerned people.Many of us are use to the way we have been treated but I worry for those who get into drugs a little while they are young and 'irresponsible' as most of us here were. I don't want to see people getting high on any synthetic drug or alcohol but I don't want to see the laws continue as they are or get worse. I want Cannabis freed. It is not a drug but a plant. Man didn't make it so I guess I never will understand how man can say if it is ok to use or not. If that is you John let me know. Nice comment.
FreedomToExhale
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Comment #2 posted by lookinside on May 13, 2001 at 20:44:44 PT:
kudos
well said..
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Comment #1 posted by QuietCrusader on May 13, 2001 at 20:15:45 PT:
A Story ---
John R. Bills“The Scoop of the Century” Imagine a film at so stark and real that, when viewed, it would make some people grab their guts, wretching in revulsion after only the first ten minutes. Imagine a beautiful little orphaned infant girl sitting on her new mother’s lap, somewhere between a state of playfulness and fear. New Mother is holding her tightly so that she doesn’t squirm around the aircraft. Getting mischievous at just the wrong moment could be deadly. The girl glances up to New Mother’s face and is perplexed by an altogether new expression. It is a look of stark terror, something she has never witnessed before, a terror that would become altogether real, being the last thing she sees as the wild jungle swallows them up like a small bird in the jaws of a jaguar. Cut to extreme slow motion film, so vivid in detail as to suggest an evil presence lurking somewhere in the theater. Watch a 7 month old baby girl’s head slowly explode as a white hot machine-gun round slowly bores into her face, disappearing in a bubbled expanding sphere of splintered bone, brain, and blood as it forms an exit hole in the back of her precious skull. It emerges on its inexorable path straight into the heart of New Mother. Fear and play turned to a mist of gore, a look of vacant disbelief on New Mother’s face, wind ripping around papers and bits of clothing and dust as the aircraft begins to shake violently. This story is true, brought to you by your friendly neighborhood drug warriors. “No. You must be mistaken (or on drugs – a little vilification never hurt a good argument) it is the drug users fault that these missionaries had to fall. If it wasn’t for “them”, things like this would never have to happen!” you say? Oh Dios mio, have you just gotten off the boat? Still have eyes, but no longer see? Borrowing from a heady, but cleverly effective campaign slogan, from the early Clinton years, IT’S PROHIBITION AGAIN --- STUPID! Jacob Sollum recently wrote:“For Americans, the folly of prohibition is most vividly illustrated by the experience with the 18th Amendment, which banned the manufacture, sale, transportation, import, and export of alcoholic beverages from January 1920 until its repeal in December 1933. The Volstead Act, which implemented the 18th Amendment, created a huge opportunity for criminals -- an illegal, risky, highly profitable business -- and gave birth to modern organized crime. “He also writes, “The Wickersham Commission, appointed by President Hoover to evaluate the effectiveness of alcohol prohibition, cited evidence of widespread corruption at every level of government.” “John Morgan estimates that prohibition has raised the price of cocaine roughly 20-fold. Dale Gieringer, coordinator of the California chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, estimates that cannabis is more than 100 times as expensive as it would be if it were legal.” Actually, it is infinitely more expensive under prohibition because the only requirement is a single seed and a bit of dirt, water, sunshine and time, all of which are free to most Americans. Dave Kopel of the National Review states:“Recently, leaders from two Latin nations have broken ranks and publicly discussed decriminalization as a means to end the corruption and violence (and enormous profits) that accompany prohibition. At a November 2000 Iberoamerican Summit of Chiefs of State in Panama City, Uruguay President Jorge Batlle spoke out against "Plan Colombia," asking, "Do you think that as long as that substance (cocaine) has such fantastic market power there could be any mechanism created to prevent its trafficking?" President Batlle continued: "If that little powder were worth only 10 cents, there would be no organization dedicated to raising a billion dollars to finance armies in Colombia." He goes on to say, “In December 2000, speaking at Vincente Fox's inauguration in Mexico City, President Batlle observed, "The day it is legalized in the U.S., it will lose value, and if it loses value there will be no profit.” Why can one not see the wisdom of such an approach? Jacob Sullom goes on to say, “Prohibition has never been based on a dispassionate cost-benefit analysis. It is driven by a moral vision that attaches paramount importance to eliminating a particular evil, no matter the price. Strike one loving missionary and a beautiful baby girl, two of many innocent lives. “In 1996-97, the Clinton administration de-certified Colombia. To stave off sanctions against lawful industries, Colombia began coca-eradication efforts, which drove many peasants out of business and increased peasant support for guerrillas, who protect drug traffickers in return for money. The result was a new wave of guerrilla violence and a displacement of government authority in large parts of Colombia. This in turn has caused the U.S. to send not just money ($1.3 billion in 2000), but also CIA and Special Forces "trainers" into Colombia to assist in further eradication and interdiction efforts. This is called "Plan Colombia," but a better title would be "Plan Vietnam: Cultivating an Unwinnable Jungle War in South America." Do you see the puppet strings? I suggest we all get a brain cell get off the plane before we, or someone we love is also caught in the maelstrom of prohibitionist politics. When that one American rises to ask again as in the McCarthy hearings, “Have you no decency Senator, have you no decency?” and the American public just happens to notice the bloodstain growing on their shirts, then, just maybe, some lucky reporter or film director will win the prize for “ the scoop of the century.”
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