From digital at phantom.com Tue Sep 18 04:23:03 2007 From: digital at phantom.com (Patrick K. Kroupa) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:23:03 -0400 Subject: [DrugWar] RelighT Message-ID: <6EDC4B2B-5907-4A91-879A-BF53944FE321@phantom.com> Yoo Hoo, Preston... From notvalid at argotransdata.com Tue Sep 18 04:23:17 2007 From: notvalid at argotransdata.com (notvalid at argotransdata.com) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:23:17 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [DrugWar] (no subject) Message-ID: <20070918082317.D83DEADB52@melnibone.mindvox.com> The email address you sent this message to is not a valid email address. Please check the spelling and try again. From notvalid at argotransdata.com Tue Sep 18 04:23:17 2007 From: notvalid at argotransdata.com (notvalid at argotransdata.com) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:23:17 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [DrugWar] (no subject) Message-ID: <20070918082317.E00E4ADB58@melnibone.mindvox.com> The email address you sent this message to is not a valid email address. Please check the spelling and try again. From notvalid at argotransdata.com Tue Sep 18 04:23:25 2007 From: notvalid at argotransdata.com (notvalid at argotransdata.com) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:23:25 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [DrugWar] (no subject) Message-ID: <20070918082325.37962ADB86@melnibone.mindvox.com> The email address you sent this message to is not a valid email address. Please check the spelling and try again. From notvalid at argotransdata.com Tue Sep 18 04:23:25 2007 From: notvalid at argotransdata.com (notvalid at argotransdata.com) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:23:25 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [DrugWar] (no subject) Message-ID: <20070918082325.38492ADB9C@melnibone.mindvox.com> The email address you sent this message to is not a valid email address. Please check the spelling and try again. From notvalid at argotransdata.com Tue Sep 18 04:24:16 2007 From: notvalid at argotransdata.com (notvalid at argotransdata.com) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:24:16 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [DrugWar] (no subject) Message-ID: <20070918082416.51D1EADC15@melnibone.mindvox.com> The email address you sent this message to is not a valid email address. Please check the spelling and try again. From notvalid at argotransdata.com Tue Sep 18 04:24:16 2007 From: notvalid at argotransdata.com (notvalid at argotransdata.com) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:24:16 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [DrugWar] (no subject) Message-ID: <20070918082416.57B22ADC1C@melnibone.mindvox.com> The email address you sent this message to is not a valid email address. Please check the spelling and try again. From notvalid at argotransdata.com Tue Sep 18 04:24:47 2007 From: notvalid at argotransdata.com (notvalid at argotransdata.com) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:24:47 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [DrugWar] (no subject) Message-ID: <20070918082447.80C3CADC95@melnibone.mindvox.com> The email address you sent this message to is not a valid email address. Please check the spelling and try again. From notvalid at argotransdata.com Tue Sep 18 04:24:47 2007 From: notvalid at argotransdata.com (notvalid at argotransdata.com) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:24:47 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [DrugWar] (no subject) Message-ID: <20070918082447.807A5ADC68@melnibone.mindvox.com> The email address you sent this message to is not a valid email address. Please check the spelling and try again. From notvalid at argotransdata.com Tue Sep 18 04:24:50 2007 From: notvalid at argotransdata.com (notvalid at argotransdata.com) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:24:50 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [DrugWar] (no subject) Message-ID: <20070918082450.232D4ADCCF@melnibone.mindvox.com> The email address you sent this message to is not a valid email address. Please check the spelling and try again. From notvalid at argotransdata.com Tue Sep 18 04:24:50 2007 From: notvalid at argotransdata.com (notvalid at argotransdata.com) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:24:50 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [DrugWar] (no subject) Message-ID: <20070918082450.1F43CADCCC@melnibone.mindvox.com> The email address you sent this message to is not a valid email address. Please check the spelling and try again. From notvalid at argotransdata.com Tue Sep 18 04:25:11 2007 From: notvalid at argotransdata.com (notvalid at argotransdata.com) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:25:11 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [DrugWar] (no subject) Message-ID: <20070918082511.9674AADD58@melnibone.mindvox.com> The email address you sent this message to is not a valid email address. Please check the spelling and try again. From notvalid at argotransdata.com Tue Sep 18 04:25:11 2007 From: notvalid at argotransdata.com (notvalid at argotransdata.com) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:25:11 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [DrugWar] (no subject) Message-ID: <20070918082511.95B09ADD56@melnibone.mindvox.com> The email address you sent this message to is not a valid email address. Please check the spelling and try again. From Tammera.Halphen at getronics.com Tue Sep 18 08:02:32 2007 From: Tammera.Halphen at getronics.com (Halphen, Tammera) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 08:02:32 -0400 Subject: [DrugWar] RelighT In-Reply-To: <6EDC4B2B-5907-4A91-879A-BF53944FE321@phantom.com> References: <6EDC4B2B-5907-4A91-879A-BF53944FE321@phantom.com> Message-ID: <8CFD171EBAED4A4FBDB0F070E11D20BA071B28E2@excusma100> Why did I get this message and about 12 copies of the attached message and also the one I replied to below? I used to be subscribed at this address but not anymore. -----Original Message----- From: drugwar-bounces at mindvox.com [mailto:drugwar-bounces at mindvox.com] On Behalf Of Patrick K. Kroupa Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2007 3:23 AM To: drugwar at mindvox.com Subject: [DrugWar] RelighT Yoo Hoo, Preston... -=[> :::::::: MindVox | DrugWar | List Commands :::::::: <]=- <][%] ::: http://mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ::: [%][> -=[> ::::: Change Account Settings : [Un]Subscribe ::::: <]=- -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: Subject: [DrugWar] (no subject) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:25:11 -0400 Size: 2393 Url: http://www.mindvox.com/pipermail/drugwar/attachments/20070918/b6997d38/attachment.mht From darkgrace at optonline.net Tue Sep 18 09:53:38 2007 From: darkgrace at optonline.net (darkgrace at optonline.net) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 13:53:38 +0000 (GMT) Subject: [DrugWar] RelighT In-Reply-To: <8CFD171EBAED4A4FBDB0F070E11D20BA071B28E2@excusma100> References: <6EDC4B2B-5907-4A91-879A-BF53944FE321@phantom.com> <8CFD171EBAED4A4FBDB0F070E11D20BA071B28E2@excusma100> Message-ID: the same exact thing happened to me. i unsubscribed months ago. what is going on? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Halphen, Tammera" Date: Tuesday, September 18, 2007 8:03 am Subject: Re: [DrugWar] RelighT To: The War on Consciousness > Why did I get this message and about 12 copies of the attached > messageand also the one I replied to below? I used to be > subscribed at this > address but not anymore. > > -----Original Message----- > From: drugwar-bounces at mindvox.com [mailto:drugwar-bounces at mindvox.com] > On Behalf Of Patrick K. Kroupa > Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2007 3:23 AM > To: drugwar at mindvox.com > Subject: [DrugWar] RelighT > > Yoo Hoo, Preston... > > > -=[> :::::::: MindVox | DrugWar | List Commands :::::::: <]=- > <][%] ::: http://mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ::: [%][> > -=[> ::::: Change Account Settings : [Un]Subscribe ::::: <]=- > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.mindvox.com/pipermail/drugwar/attachments/20070918/08e21662/attachment.htm From baystatebar at yahoo.com Tue Sep 18 10:51:10 2007 From: baystatebar at yahoo.com (Libby) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 07:51:10 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [DrugWar] RelighT In-Reply-To: <8CFD171EBAED4A4FBDB0F070E11D20BA071B28E2@excusma100> Message-ID: <51790.88898.qm@web32503.mail.mud.yahoo.com> I don't know but I seem to be kicked off the list altogether. I tried to post a Happy b-day message for Preston on the 11th and it never showed up and these are first messages I got in long time except for 12 spams in my spam folder. L --- "Halphen, Tammera" wrote: > Why did I get this message and about 12 copies of > the attached message > and also the one I replied to below? I used to be > subscribed at this > address but not anymore. > > -----Original Message----- > From: drugwar-bounces at mindvox.com > [mailto:drugwar-bounces at mindvox.com] > On Behalf Of Patrick K. Kroupa > Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2007 3:23 AM > To: drugwar at mindvox.com > Subject: [DrugWar] RelighT > > Yoo Hoo, Preston... > > > -=[> :::::::: MindVox | DrugWar | List Commands > :::::::: <]=- > <][%] ::: > http://mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ::: > [%][> > -=[> ::::: Change Account Settings : [Un]Subscribe > ::::: <]=- > > Subject: [DrugWar] (no subject) > Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:25:11 -0400 > From: > To: > > The email address you sent this message to is not a > valid email address. Please check the spelling and > try again. > > -=[> :::::::: MindVox | DrugWar | List Commands > :::::::: <]=- > <][%] ::: > http://mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ::: > [%][> > -=[> ::::: Change Account Settings : [Un]Subscribe > ::::: <]=- > > -=[> :::::::: MindVox | DrugWar | List Commands > :::::::: <]=- > <][%] ::: > http://mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ::: > [%][> > -=[> ::::: Change Account Settings : [Un]Subscribe > ::::: <]=- > Libby Spencer Detroit News blog http://info.detnews.com/weblog/ The Impolitic http://theimpolitic.blogspot.com/ The Newshoggers http://cernigsnewshog.blogspot.com/ The Reaction http://www.the-reaction.blogspot.com/ Last One Speaks http://lastonespeaks.blogspot.com/ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Luggage? GPS? Comic books? Check out fitting gifts for grads at Yahoo! Search http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=oni_on_mail&p=graduation+gifts&cs=bz From digitalcomponents at gmail.com Tue Sep 18 11:24:45 2007 From: digitalcomponents at gmail.com (Nyc W. Alberts) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 11:24:45 -0400 Subject: [DrugWar] RelighT In-Reply-To: <8CFD171EBAED4A4FBDB0F070E11D20BA071B28E2@excusma100> References: <6EDC4B2B-5907-4A91-879A-BF53944FE321@phantom.com> <8CFD171EBAED4A4FBDB0F070E11D20BA071B28E2@excusma100> Message-ID: <46EFEDBD.3030509@gmail.com> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Hello hello hellO ... As of today MindVox has completed a major transition to new servers, software, and significantly increased bandwidth. If you are reading these words and wish to be unsubscribed, click this link immediately: http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar Scroll down to: "To unsubscribe from DrugWar, get a password reminder, or change your subscription options enter your subscription email address:" Add the account you want removed, and you're gone; forever. ... We had to transition everything from the previous mail system / mailing list manager, over to new software. This means the entire subscriber list has been sifted/re-created using scripts. Unfortunately this also means that people who have signed off in the last coupla months, may once again re-exist. Shit happens, try to get over it, click the link: http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar Scroll down, and you're gone forever. ... The ibogaine list is extremely large. It will be re-materializing in 4 waves, of approximately 2,000 people at a time. We have tried to include everyone who has posted in the last year, within the first pass. If the list is not working for someone you know, give it a day or three, then let us know. ... TO UNSUBSCRIBE, change your settings, set yourself for digest mode, and generally PUSH BUTTONS, go to: http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar There are many new options, tagging for the mail lists will be turned on within another day or two / and sync with the web interface that's arriving Any Minute Now. ... Since, past experience has shown, nobody reads anything, no matter how many times the information is contained within the message body; nothing beats sending out 25 hysterical, "UNSUBSCRIBE!#!@#" messages. Well, the software has gotten smarter, it'll actually read your rant, search for key word groups such as, "HELP ME!" "I HATE YOU!" and "UNSUBSCRIBE!" and remove you automagically. Everything should be back to abNormal within a few more days. Sorry, this was a necessary evil; everything had to change in order to bring the new MindVox back online this fall. Laters, Patrick ... p.s., 10 more times for the Differently-Abled: TO UNSUBSCRIBE, go here: http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ... Did you want to UNSUBSCRIBE? go here: http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ... TO get OFF the DrugWar List, go here: http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ... Me no want words, can't sm0ak or bang up werdz. werdz NO GOOD! GiVe me drugZ or NOTHING! http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ... Huh? http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ... Hello, I have written you 3,000 personal letters, in the last 2 weeks... why don't you answer?: http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ... You are all Profane IDIOTS. I want a SPECIAL WORLD filled with SPECIAL PEOPLE who don't UPSET ME. I'm leaving and creating my brand new SPECIAL DrugWar WORLD ... comprised of, uhm, well, myself and 3 people ... none of whom have ever done DrugWar, or, actually, any drugz, except for pot. But we have SPECIAL CONVERSATIONS that are SACRED. I HATE YOU, Peace yo! http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ... Yes, but, how do I unsubscribe!??!@#!?!: http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ... TO UNSUBSCRIBE, go here: ... ... and : #10! To remove yourself (permenantly) from the DList, go here: http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar Scroll down to the part that says, "unsubscribe" fill in the web form (no email back and forth needed), you are gone. Have a great life! Seeya! -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.7 (Darwin) iD8DBQFG73rt5L/G7WgR2WYRAoajAJ9cPGkW3veni6acvNOsLj/ZWesz8ACgkrVu HkApdyY31uG3dio6cblStzA= =KtrL -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -=[) ::::::: MindVox | DrugWar | List Commands ::::::: (]=- (][%] :: http://mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/DrugWar :: [%][) -=[) :::: Change Account Settings :: [Un]Subscribe :::: (]=- Halphen, Tammera wrote: > Why did I get this message and about 12 copies of the attached message > and also the one I replied to below? I used to be subscribed at this > address but not anymore. > > -----Original Message----- > From: drugwar-bounces at mindvox.com [mailto:drugwar-bounces at mindvox.com] > On Behalf Of Patrick K. Kroupa > Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2007 3:23 AM > To: drugwar at mindvox.com > Subject: [DrugWar] RelighT > > Yoo Hoo, Preston... > > > -=[> :::::::: MindVox | DrugWar | List Commands :::::::: <]=- > <][%] ::: http://mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ::: [%][> > -=[> ::::: Change Account Settings : [Un]Subscribe ::::: <]=- > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > Subject: > [DrugWar] (no subject) > From: > > Date: > Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:25:11 -0400 > To: > > > To: > > > > The email address you sent this message to is not a valid email address. Please check the spelling and try again. > > -=[> :::::::: MindVox | DrugWar | List Commands :::::::: <]=- > <][%] ::: http://mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ::: [%][> > -=[> ::::: Change Account Settings : [Un]Subscribe ::::: <]=- > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > -=[> :::::::: MindVox | DrugWar | List Commands :::::::: <]=- > <][%] ::: http://mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ::: [%][> > -=[> ::::: Change Account Settings : [Un]Subscribe ::::: <]=- > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.mindvox.com/pipermail/drugwar/attachments/20070918/85a34c6f/attachment.htm From digitalcomponents at gmail.com Tue Sep 18 11:26:41 2007 From: digitalcomponents at gmail.com (Nyc W. Alberts) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 11:26:41 -0400 Subject: [DrugWar] My Way News - Scientists Drug-Test Whole Cities Message-ID: <46EFEE31.6080209@gmail.com> http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070821/D8R5L64O0.html From digitalcomponents at gmail.com Tue Sep 18 11:27:52 2007 From: digitalcomponents at gmail.com (Nyc W. Alberts) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 11:27:52 -0400 Subject: [DrugWar] Sept FP Ethan Nadelmann article Message-ID: <46EFEE78.6030005@gmail.com> Think Again: Drugs By Ethan Nadelmann Foreign Policy Magazine September/October 2007 Prohibition has failed-again. Instead of treating the demand for illegal drugs as a market, and addicts as patients, policymakers the world over have boosted the profits of drug lords and fostered narcostates that would frighten Al Capone. Finally, a smarter drug control regime that values reality over rhetoric is rising to replace the "war" on drugs. "The Global War on Drugs Can Be Won" No, it can't. A "drug-free world," which the United Nations describes as a realistic goal, is no more attainable than an "alcohol-free world"-and no one has talked about that with a straight face since the repeal of Prohibition in the United States in 1933. Yet futile rhetoric about winning a "war on drugs" persists, despite mountains of evidence documenting its moral and ideological bankruptcy. When the U.N. General Assembly Special Session on drugs convened in 1998, it committed to "eliminating or significantly reducing the illicit cultivation of the coca bush, the cannabis plant and the opium poppy by the year 2008" and to "achieving significant and measurable results in the field of demand reduction." But today, global production and consumption of those drugs are roughly the same as they were a decade ago; meanwhile, many producers have become more efficient, and cocaine and heroin have become purer and cheaper. It's always dangerous when rhetoric drives policy-and especially so when "war on drugs" rhetoric leads the public to accept collateral casualties that would never be permissible in civilian law enforcement, much less public health. Politicians still talk of eliminating drugs from the Earth as though their use is a plague on humanity. But drug control is not like disease control, for the simple reason that there's no popular demand for smallpox or polio. Cannabis and opium have been grown throughout much of the world for millennia. The same is true for coca in Latin America. Methamphetamine and other synthetic drugs can be produced anywhere. Demand for particular illicit drugs waxes and wanes, depending not just on availability but also fads, fashion, culture, and competition from alternative means of stimulation and distraction. The relative harshness of drug laws and the intensity of enforcement matter surprisingly little, except in totalitarian states. After all, rates of illegal drug use in the United States are the same as, or higher than, Europe, despite America's much more punitive policies. Think Again: Drugs "We Can Reduce the Demand for Drugs" Good luck. Reducing the demand for illegal drugs seems to make sense. But the desire to alter one's state of consciousness, and to use psychoactive drugs to do so, is nearly universal-and mostly not a problem. There's virtually never been a drug-free society, and more drugs are discovered and devised every year. Demand-reduction efforts that rely on honest education and positive alternatives to drug use are helpful, but not when they devolve into unrealistic, "zero tolerance" policies. As with sex, abstinence from drugs is the best way to avoid trouble, but one always needs a fallback strategy for those who can't or won't refrain. "Zero tolerance" policies deter some people, but they also dramatically increase the harms and costs for those who don't resist. Drugs become more potent, drug use becomes more hazardous, and people who use drugs are marginalized in ways that serve no one. The better approach is not demand reduction but "harm reduction." Reducing drug use is fine, but it's not nearly as important as reducing the death, disease, crime, and suffering associated with both drug misuse and failed prohibitionist policies. With respect to legal drugs, such as alcohol and cigarettes, harm reduction means promoting responsible drinking and designated drivers, or persuading people to switch to nicotine patches, chewing gums, and smokeless tobacco. With respect to illegal drugs, it means reducing the transmission of infectious disease through syringe-exchange programs, reducing overdose fatalities by making antidotes readily available, and allowing people addicted to heroin and other illegal opiates to obtain methadone from doctors and even pharmaceutical heroin from clinics. Britain, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland have already embraced this last option. There's no longer any question that these strategies decrease drug-related harms without increasing drug use. What blocks expansion of such programs is not cost; they typically save taxpayers' money that would otherwise go to criminal justice and healthcare. No, the roadblocks are abstinence-only ideologues and a cruel indifference to the lives and well-being of people who use drugs. Think Again: Drugs "Reducing the Supply of Drugs Is the Answer" Not if history is any guide. Reducing supply makes as much sense as reducing demand; after all, if no one were planting cannabis, coca, and opium, there wouldn't be any heroin, cocaine, or marijuana to sell or consume. But the carrot and stick of crop eradication and substitution have been tried and failed, with rare exceptions, for half a century. These methods may succeed in targeted locales, but they usually simply shift production from one region to another: Opium production moves from Pakistan to Afghanistan; coca from Peru to Colombia; and cannabis from Mexico to the United States, while overall global production remains relatively constant or even increases. The carrot, in the form of economic development and assistance in switching to legal crops, is typically both late and inadequate. The stick, often in the form of forced eradication, including aerial spraying, wipes out illegal and legal crops alike and can be hazardous to both people and local environments. The best thing to be said for emphasizing supply reduction is that it provides a rationale for wealthier nations to spend a little money on economic development in poorer countries. But, for the most part, crop eradication and substitution wreak havoc among impoverished farmers without diminishing overall global supply. The global markets in cannabis, coca, and opium products operate essentially the same way that other global commodity markets do: If one source is compromised due to bad weather, rising production costs, or political difficulties, another emerges. If international drug control circles wanted to think strategically, the key question would no longer be how to reduce global supply, but rather: Where does illicit production cause the fewest problems (and the greatest benefits)? Think of it as a global vice control challenge. No one expects to eradicate vice, but it must be effectively zoned and regulated-even if it's illegal. Think Again: Drugs "U.S. Drug Policy Is the World's Drug Policy" Sad, but true. Looking to the United States as a role model for drug control is like looking to apartheid-era South Africa for how to deal with race. The United States ranks first in the world in per capita incarceration--with less than 5 percent of the world's population, but almost 25 percent of the world's prisoners. The number of people locked up for U.S. drug-law violations has increased from roughly 50,000 in 1980 to almost 500,000 today; that's more than the number of people Western Europe locks up for everything. Even more deadly is U.S. resistance to syringe-exchange programs to reduce HIV/AIDS both at home and abroad. Who knows how many people might not have contracted HIV if the United States had implemented at home, and supported abroad, the sorts of syringe-exchange and other harm-reduction programs that have kept HIV/AIDS rates so low in Australia, Britain, the Netherlands, and elsewhere. Perhaps millions. And yet, despite this dismal record, the United States has succeeded in constructing an international drug prohibition regime modeled after its own highly punitive and moralistic approach. It has dominated the drug control agencies of the United Nations and other international organizations, and its federal drug enforcement agency was the first national police organization to go global. Rarely has one nation so successfully promoted its own failed policies to the rest of the world. But now, for the first time, U.S. hegemony in drug control is being challenged. The European Union is demanding rigorous assessment of drug control strategies. Exhausted by decades of service to the U.S.-led war on drugs, Latin Americans are far less inclined to collaborate closely with U.S. drug enforcement efforts. Finally waking up to the deadly threat of HIV/AIDS, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, and even Malaysia and Iran are increasingly accepting of syringe-exchange and other harm-reduction programs. In 2005, the ayatollah in charge of Iran's Ministry of Justice issued a fatwa declaring methadone maintenance and syringe-exchange programs compatible with sharia (Islamic) law. One only wishes his American counterpart were comparably enlightened. Think Again: Drugs "Afghan Opium Production Must Be Curbed" Be careful what you wish for. It's easy to believe that eliminating record-high opium production in Afghanistan-which today accounts for roughly 90 percent of global supply, up from 50 percent 10 years ago-would solve everything from heroin abuse in Europe and Asia to the resurgence of the Taliban. But assume for a moment that the United States, NATO, and Hamid Karzai's government were somehow able to cut opium production in Afghanistan. Who would benefit? Only the Taliban, warlords, and other black-market entrepreneurs whose stockpiles of opium would skyrocket in value. Hundreds of thousands of Afghan peasants would flock to cities, ill-prepared to find work. And many Afghans would return to their farms the following year to plant another illegal harvest, utilizing guerrilla farming methods to escape intensified eradication efforts. Except now, they'd soon be competing with poor farmers elsewhere in Central Asia, Latin America, or even Africa. This is, after all, a global commodities market. And outside Afghanistan? Higher heroin prices typically translate into higher crime rates by addicts. They also invite cheaper but more dangerous means of consumption, such as switching from smoking to injecting heroin, which results in higher HIV and hepatitis C rates. All things considered, wiping out opium in Afghanistan would yield far fewer benefits than is commonly assumed. So what's the solution? Some recommend buying up all the opium in Afghanistan, which would cost a lot less than is now being spent trying to eradicate it. But, given that farmers somewhere will produce opium so long as the demand for heroin persists, maybe the world is better off, all things considered, with 90 percent of it coming from just one country. And if that heresy becomes the new gospel, it opens up all sorts of possibilities for pursuing a new policy in Afghanistan that reconciles the interests of the United States, NATO, and millions of Afghan citizens. Think Again: Drugs "Legalization Is the Best Approach" It might be. Global drug prohibition is clearly a costly disaster. The United Nations has estimated the value of the global market in illicit drugs at $400 billion, or 6 percent of global trade. The extraordinary profits available to those willing to assume the risks enrich criminals, terrorists, violent political insurgents, and corrupt politicians and governments. Many cities, states, and even countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia are reminiscent of Chicago under Al Capone-times 50. By bringing the market for drugs out into the open, legalization would radically change all that for the better. More importantly, legalization would strip addiction down to what it really is: a health issue. Most people who use drugs are like the responsible alcohol consumer, causing no harm to themselves or anyone else. They would no longer be the state's business. But legalization would also benefit those who struggle with drugs by reducing the risks of overdose and disease associated with unregulated products, eliminating the need to obtain drugs from dangerous criminal markets, and allowing addiction problems to be treated as medical rather than criminal problems. No one knows how much governments spend collectively on failing drug war policies, but it's probably at least $100 billion a year, with federal, state, and local governments in the United States accounting for almost half the total. Add to that the tens of billions of dollars to be gained annually in tax revenues from the sale of legalized drugs. Now imagine if just a third of that total were committed to reducing drug-related disease and addiction. Virtually everyone, except those who profit or gain politically from the current system, would benefit. Some say legalization is immoral. That's nonsense, unless one believes there is some principled basis for discriminating against people based solely on what they put into their bodies, absent harm to others. Others say legalization would open the floodgates to huge increases in drug abuse. They forget that we already live in a world in which psychoactive drugs of all sorts are readily available-and in which people too poor to buy drugs resort to sniffing gasoline, glue, and other industrial products, which can be more harmful than any drug. No, the greatest downside to legalization may well be the fact that the legal markets would fall into the hands of the powerful alcohol, tobacco, and pharmaceutical companies. Still, legalization is a far more pragmatic option than living with the corruption, violence, and organized crime of the current system. Think Again: Drugs "Legalization Will Never Happen" Never say never. Wholesale legalization may be a long way off-but partial legalization is not. If any drug stands a chance of being legalized, it's cannabis. Hundreds of millions of people have used it, the vast majority without suffering any harm or going on to use "harder" drugs. In Switzerland, for example, cannabis legalization was twice approved by one chamber of its parliament, but narrowly rejected by the other. Elsewhere in Europe, support for the criminalization of cannabis is waning. In the United States, where roughly 40 percent of the country's 1.8 million annual drug arrests are for cannabis possession, typically of tiny amounts, 40 percent of Americans say that the drug should be taxed, controlled, and regulated like alcohol. Encouraged by Bolivian President Evo Morales, support is also growing in Latin America and Europe for removing coca from international antidrug conventions, given the absence of any credible health reason for keeping it there. Traditional growers would benefit economically, and there's some possibility that such products might compete favorably with more problematic substances, including alcohol. The global war on drugs persists in part because so many people fail to distinguish between the harms of drug abuse and the harms of prohibition. Legalization forces that distinction to the forefront. The opium problem in Afghanistan is primarily a prohibition problem, not a drug problem. The same is true of the narcoviolence and corruption that has afflicted Latin America and the Caribbean for almost three decades-and that now threatens Africa. Governments can arrest and kill drug lord after drug lord, but the ultimate solution is a structural one, not a prosecutorial one. Few people doubt any longer that the war on drugs is lost, but courage and vision are needed to transcend the ignorance, fear, and vested interests that sustain it. From digital at phantom.com Tue Sep 18 11:31:19 2007 From: digital at phantom.com (Patrick K. Kroupa) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 11:31:19 -0400 Subject: [DrugWar] Fwd: [Ibogaine] IterationS References: Message-ID: <77BBF3C9-70A9-409E-A67B-953EBE55661C@phantom.com> Sorry, I just archive this list automagically, I have no clue what's up with it and haven't been able to touch base with Preston yet. This went out to the ibogaine list, I am just Search/Find/Replacing "drugwar" for ibogaine. Hullo / Welcome / Buh-bye, as the case may be. Patrick Begin forwarded message: > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- > Hash: SHA1 > > Hello hello hellO > > ... > > As of today MindVox has completed a major transition to new servers, > software, and significantly increased bandwidth. > > If you are reading these words and wish to be unsubscribed, click > this link immediately: > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > Scroll down to: > > "To unsubscribe from drugwar, get a password reminder, or change > your subscription options enter your subscription email address:" > > Add the account you want removed, and you're gone; forever. > > ... > > We had to transition everything from the previous mail system / > mailing list manager, over to new software. This means the entire > subscriber list has been sifted/re-created using scripts. > Unfortunately this also means that people who have signed off in the > last coupla months, may once again re-exist. Shit happens, try to > get over it, click the link: > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > Scroll down, and you're gone forever. > > ... > > The ibogaine list is extremely large. It will be re-materializing in > 4 waves, of approximately 2,000 people at a time. We have tried to > include everyone who has posted in the last year, within the first > pass. If the list is not working for someone you know, give it a day > or three, then let us know. > > ... > > TO UNSUBSCRIBE, change your settings, set yourself for digest mode, > and generally PUSH BUTTONS, go to: > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > There are many new options, tagging for the mail lists will be turned > on within another day or two / and sync with the web interface that's > arriving Any Minute Now. > > ... > > Since, past experience has shown, nobody reads anything, no matter > how many times the information is contained within the message body; > nothing beats sending out 25 hysterical, "UNSUBSCRIBE!#!@#" > messages. Well, the software has gotten smarter, it'll actually read > your rant, search for key word groups such as, "HELP ME!" "I HATE > YOU!" and "UNSUBSCRIBE!" and remove you automagically. > > Everything should be back to abNormal within a few more days. > > Sorry, this was a necessary evil; everything had to change in order > to bring the new MindVox back online this fall. > > Laters, > > Patrick > > ... > > p.s., 10 more times for the Differently-Abled: > > TO UNSUBSCRIBE, go here: > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > ... > > Did you want to UNSUBSCRIBE? go here: > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > ... > > TO get OFF the Ibogaine List, go here: > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > ... > > Me no want words, can't sm0ak or bang up werdz. werdz NO GOOD! GiVe > me drugZ or NOTHING! > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > ... > > Huh? > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > ... > > Hello, I have written you 3,000 personal letters, in the last 2 > weeks... why don't you answer?: > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > ... > > You are all Profane IDIOTS. I want a SPECIAL WORLD filled with > SPECIAL PEOPLE who don't UPSET ME. I'm leaving and creating my brand > new SPECIAL IBOGAINE WORLD ... comprised of, uhm, well, myself and 3 > people ... none of whom have ever done ibogaine, or, actually, any > drugz, except for pot. But we have SPECIAL CONVERSATIONS that are > SACRED. I HATE YOU, Peace yo! > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > ... > > Yes, but, how do I unsubscribe!??!@#!?!: From rlake at mapinc.org Tue Sep 18 11:34:32 2007 From: rlake at mapinc.org (Richard Lake) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 11:34:32 -0400 Subject: [DrugWar] US CO: America's Pot Compromise Message-ID: <20070918154031.VEYL1254.aa04.charter.net@computer.mapinc.org> Newshawk: JimmyG Pubdate: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 Source: Denver Post (CO) Webpage: http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_6922092 Copyright: 2007 The Denver Post Corp Contact: openforum at denverpost.com Website: http://www.denverpost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122 Author: Michael Booth, Denver Post Staff Writer Note: The U.S. map is currently on line at http://www.denverpost.com/portlet/article/html/imageDisplay.jsp?contentItemRelationshipId=1657623 Cited: Citizens for a Safer Denver http://saferdenver.saferchoice.org/ Cited: NORML http://www.norml.org Cited: Sensible Colorado http://www.sensiblecolorado.org Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Marijuana) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) AMERICA'S POT COMPROMISE Take one swift glance at a U.S. map coded to reflect the widely varying marijuana laws in each state, and drug policy seems to range from irrational to incoherent. But dig into the details of public opinion, user behavior and police enforcement, and a more lucid picture of American attitudes comes into focus: People have learned to live with pot, up to a fine point. As Denver ponders yet another ballot measure on marijuana Nov. 6 - to make pursuit of small amounts of pot the "lowest law-enforcement priority" - many communities may already have reached a complicated compromise that reflects the wisdom of research and the consistency of survey results. In a growing number of states and large cities, possessing and smoking a little pot is either a minor offense or no crime at all, while growing or distributing the drug still gets you in big trouble. Growing or using pot for medicinal purposes is widely accepted, while police and defense attorneys argue the details of what constitutes therapeutic amounts. Almost no one wants kids to have free access to marijuana, while the stigma of adult use drops to the level of a speeding ticket. Most voters want police to stop arresting the casual pot smoker, but they also don't yet want the state to sanction a legalized marijuana industry, in the manner of alcohol or tobacco. In the more progressive states, such as Colorado, voters need to ask themselves "why the current state law is insufficient," said Rosalie Pacula, co-director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center in California, whose work is respected by both sides of the marijuana debate. "Making it a low priority is already being done. So who is this about?" It's about forcing the police and public officials to heed previous public votes decriminalizing pot and making the community acknowledge that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol, argues SAFER, the group behind the current ballot initiative. "Some laws are just not feasible anymore," said Mason Tvert, SAFER's leader. "Marijuana-possession laws are at the top of that list." Defending the Status Quo Others counter that there's a reason for the status quo. A majority of people "want it to be illegal, but they want it to be a low law-enforcement priority," and it already is, said Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, who opposes the Denver ballot measure. And from a far different office, a similar pronouncement: "Americans are making a very clear and logical distinction," said Allen St. Pierre, director of NORML, the nation's most prominent advocate of liberalizing marijuana laws. "Possession is OK, but as soon as you introduce the idea of individuals growing" or the government regulating legal distribution, "you lose support in all of our polling." Denver voters will decide in November whether to instruct police to largely ignore possession of small amounts of marijuana. SAFER and Tvert also led the successful vote removing all penalties for petty marijuana possession in Denver in 2005, and the failed statewide vote in 2006 to erase the remaining Colorado penalties for possession. As it stands now, Denver's possession penalties were wiped off the books, but city police say they must - and want to - enforce the state law, which makes possession of up to an ounce a Class 2 misdemeanor with a $100 fine. Thus it remains a criminal offense that can interfere with jobs, student loans and other pursuits. "I think the voters of this country still advocate enforcement of marijuana laws," said Denver police Sgt. Ernie Martinez, who also is state president of the Colorado Drug Investigators Association. Though Tvert, St. Pierre and other liberalization advocates question how Martinez can draw that conclusion after Denver's 2005 vote, Martinez maintains the city's position is that "marijuana is still a dangerous drug." Martinez doesn't buy SAFER's comparison of pot with alcohol. "Examples of failed drug policy can already be found in alcohol, or cigarettes for that matter, so why make it worse by failing to enforce marijuana policy? It simply doesn't make public-policy sense." Tvert, for his part, is infuriated by suggestions that the public has settled on a marijuana policy that feels fair and doesn't want major change. "Your question, in my opinion, is like asking a pro-lifer why they can't just settle on the compromise that abortion is legal but there are some restrictions on it. Should they just give up?" Tvert said. "This notion that change isn't possible and people should live with oppressive laws a majority disagrees with actually disgusts me." Twelve states have now largely decriminalized possession of marijuana, though support for decriminalization varies between about 40 percent and 65 percent, depending on the vote, the poll or the state in question. Supreme Court Decision Thirteen states allow medical use of marijuana with a prescription; national polls show up to 73 percent support for medical marijuana, though a recent Supreme Court decision gave precedent to federal laws that still prohibit any use. Liberalization advocates were thrilled to see Nevada's vote on state-sanctioned marijuana sales gain 44 percent support in 2006. A respected national survey by the University of Chicago, however, says support for legalization - making marijuana sales the equivalent of alcohol and tobacco - stands at about 32 percent, up steadily from 19 percent in 1973 but still far from a majority. Support for legalization "has plateaued," agreed NORML's St. Pierre. "So it's up to the advocates of reform to build enough public support to lead our policymakers to do the right thing." Reformers remain angry, though, that public officials and police give the impression that marijuana laws are no longer a threat to the average citizen. Growing "one plant" in Colorado is the same level of felony as sex assault on a child, said Brian Vicente, a Denver attorney and director of the legalization-advocacy group Sensible Colorado. Other defense attorneys say police ignore the public's endorsement of medical marijuana and zealously prosecute licensed growers who violate minor provisions of the confusing laws. Misdemeanor marijuana arrests in Denver and the nation actually have gone up since the public started voting to decriminalize, they add. Denver arrests rose from 2,151 in 2003 to 2,446 last year, said Vicente, who requested police-department statistics. "Most arrests for possession are cited by a ticket and a fine," responded Martinez. "Most people don't go to jail." The biggest surprise in this year's vote may be how open to discussion all sides profess to be. Public debates on where to redraw the marijuana boundaries have become a respectable pastime, if not always a quiet one. Pundits such as conservative icon William F. Buckley Jr. and even The Denver Post editorial page now advocate full legalization. In "For the Long Haul" Martinez said voting forums make it easier to define the city's position. "It's a great educational place. It brings up some great debates, and it allows us to tell our side of the story on enforcement and prevention," he said. And while Tvert disputes nearly every fact offered by the police, he sees each campaign as an open-ended classroom for Americans. "This is not about an end-game with one election," Tvert said. "We're fighting 70-plus years of lies, propaganda and imbalanced laws. ... We're in this for the long haul, and we've come incredibly far here in Denver in just two and a half years." From digitalcomponents at gmail.com Tue Sep 18 12:08:11 2007 From: digitalcomponents at gmail.com (Nyc W. Alberts) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:08:11 -0400 Subject: [DrugWar] Fwd: [Ibogaine] IterationS In-Reply-To: <77BBF3C9-70A9-409E-A67B-953EBE55661C@phantom.com> References: <77BBF3C9-70A9-409E-A67B-953EBE55661C@phantom.com> Message-ID: <46EFF7EB.9020200@gmail.com> Oopsies. I took it upon myself to do the "Search/Find/Replacing" thing myself at about the same time you did, Patrick, but it looks like Thunderbird kept the "ibogaine" link active instead of switching it. I'm sure peeps will figure it out, thanks for getting these lists back up and running again. ~Nyc Patrick K. Kroupa wrote: > Sorry, I just archive this list automagically, I have no clue what's > up with it and haven't been able to touch base with Preston yet. > This went out to the ibogaine list, I am just Search/Find/Replacing > "drugwar" for ibogaine. > > Hullo / Welcome / Buh-bye, as the case may be. > > Patrick > > Begin forwarded message: > > >> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- >> Hash: SHA1 >> >> Hello hello hellO >> >> ... >> >> As of today MindVox has completed a major transition to new servers, >> software, and significantly increased bandwidth. >> >> If you are reading these words and wish to be unsubscribed, click >> this link immediately: >> >> http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar >> >> Scroll down to: >> >> "To unsubscribe from drugwar, get a password reminder, or change >> your subscription options enter your subscription email address:" >> >> Add the account you want removed, and you're gone; forever. >> >> ... >> >> We had to transition everything from the previous mail system / >> mailing list manager, over to new software. This means the entire >> subscriber list has been sifted/re-created using scripts. >> Unfortunately this also means that people who have signed off in the >> last coupla months, may once again re-exist. Shit happens, try to >> get over it, click the link: >> >> http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar >> >> Scroll down, and you're gone forever. >> >> ... >> >> The ibogaine list is extremely large. It will be re-materializing in >> 4 waves, of approximately 2,000 people at a time. We have tried to >> include everyone who has posted in the last year, within the first >> pass. If the list is not working for someone you know, give it a day >> or three, then let us know. >> >> ... >> >> TO UNSUBSCRIBE, change your settings, set yourself for digest mode, >> and generally PUSH BUTTONS, go to: >> >> http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar >> >> There are many new options, tagging for the mail lists will be turned >> on within another day or two / and sync with the web interface that's >> arriving Any Minute Now. >> >> ... >> >> Since, past experience has shown, nobody reads anything, no matter >> how many times the information is contained within the message body; >> nothing beats sending out 25 hysterical, "UNSUBSCRIBE!#!@#" >> messages. Well, the software has gotten smarter, it'll actually read >> your rant, search for key word groups such as, "HELP ME!" "I HATE >> YOU!" and "UNSUBSCRIBE!" and remove you automagically. >> >> Everything should be back to abNormal within a few more days. >> >> Sorry, this was a necessary evil; everything had to change in order >> to bring the new MindVox back online this fall. >> >> Laters, >> >> Patrick >> >> ... >> >> p.s., 10 more times for the Differently-Abled: >> >> TO UNSUBSCRIBE, go here: >> >> http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar >> >> ... >> >> Did you want to UNSUBSCRIBE? go here: >> >> http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar >> >> ... >> >> TO get OFF the Ibogaine List, go here: >> >> http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar >> >> ... >> >> Me no want words, can't sm0ak or bang up werdz. werdz NO GOOD! GiVe >> me drugZ or NOTHING! >> >> http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar >> >> ... >> >> Huh? >> >> http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar >> >> ... >> >> Hello, I have written you 3,000 personal letters, in the last 2 >> weeks... why don't you answer?: >> >> http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar >> >> ... >> >> You are all Profane IDIOTS. I want a SPECIAL WORLD filled with >> SPECIAL PEOPLE who don't UPSET ME. I'm leaving and creating my brand >> new SPECIAL IBOGAINE WORLD ... comprised of, uhm, well, myself and 3 >> people ... none of whom have ever done ibogaine, or, actually, any >> drugz, except for pot. But we have SPECIAL CONVERSATIONS that are >> SACRED. I HATE YOU, Peace yo! >> >> http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar >> >> ... >> >> Yes, but, how do I unsubscribe!??!@#!?!: >> > > -=[> :::::::: MindVox | DrugWar | List Commands :::::::: <]=- > <][%] ::: http://mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ::: [%][> > -=[> ::::: Change Account Settings : [Un]Subscribe ::::: <]=- > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.mindvox.com/pipermail/drugwar/attachments/20070918/e8b25218/attachment.htm From leighcmeyers at yahoo.com Tue Sep 18 12:17:00 2007 From: leighcmeyers at yahoo.com (Leigh Meyers) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 09:17:00 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [DrugWar] Fwd: [Ibogaine] IterationS Message-ID: <128572.17160.qm@web51601.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Who re-subscribed me to this list without my consent? TAKE ME OFF NOW! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.mindvox.com/pipermail/drugwar/attachments/20070918/cde3d53c/attachment.htm From digitalcomponents at gmail.com Tue Sep 18 13:58:13 2007 From: digitalcomponents at gmail.com (Nyc W. Alberts) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 13:58:13 -0400 Subject: [DrugWar] RelighT In-Reply-To: <6A64872C-57F6-4900-930F-1EF7CD9C2BFD@phantom.com> References: <593993.31741.qm@web34503.mail.mud.yahoo.com> <6A64872C-57F6-4900-930F-1EF7CD9C2BFD@phantom.com> Message-ID: <46F011B5.3010809@gmail.com> Yup. My bad. I should have listened to that small, still, voice, (that's always right, and that I always, always ignore), that told me to: cut/plain-text in Notepad/then paste into the message body before I hit 'send', but, of course, I didn't. Sorry 4 the confusion. ~Nyc PS: It's "Nyc", as in "knick", as in: "Don't get your Knickerbockers in a bunch." Don't know why this is so challenging for everybody, 'specially my extra-special, super l33t compatriots. ... Patrick K. Kroupa wrote: > Hi Erin, > > I didn't write that, NYC Alberts search and replaced right before I > did but his message seems to have left the ibogaine URLs intact, > sorry, just switch ibogaine to drugwar: > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > best, > > Patrick > > On Sep 18, 2007, at 11:45 AM, Erin Hildebrandt wrote: >> Greetings Patrick, >> >> As always, love your rants! :-) >> >> Buuuut ... I'm confused about switching back to digest on Drugwar. >> >> The link took me to the Ibogaine list page, but I don't want to sign >> up for the Ibogaine list. Does that cover Drugwar, too, and will I >> be signing up for both lists by filling out the form? And since I'm >> already subscribed, will filling out the form just change my >> subscription to Drugwar, or will I end up subscribed twice? >> >> Hope that makes sense! >> >> Thanks, >> Erin >> >> "Nyc W. Alberts" wrote: -----BEGIN PGP >> SIGNED MESSAGE----- >> Hash: SHA1 >> >> Hello hello hellO >> >> ... >> >> As of today MindVox has completed a major transition to new servers, >> software, and significantly increased bandwidth. >> >> If you are reading these words and wish to be unsubscribed, click >> this link immediately: >> >> http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar Scroll down to: "To >> unsubscribe from DrugWar, get a password reminder, or change your >> subscription options enter your subscription email address:" Add the >> account you want removed, and you're gone; forever. ... We had to >> transition everything from the previous mail system / mailing list >> manager, over to new software. This means the entire subscriber list >> has been sifted/re-created using scripts. Unfortunately this also >> means that people who have signed off in the last coupla months, may >> once again re-exist. Shit happens, try to get over it, click the >> link:http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar Scroll down, and >> you're gone forever. ... The ibogaine list is extremely large. It >> will be re-materializing in 4 waves, of approximately 2,000 people at >> a time. We have tried to include everyone who has posted in the last >> year, within the first pass. If the list is not working for someone >> you know, give it a day or three, then let us know. ... TO >> UNSUBSCRIBE, change your settings, set yourself for digest mode, and >> generally PUSH BUTTONS, go to: >> http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwarThere are many new >> options, tagging for the mail lists will be turned on within another >> day or two / and sync with the web interface that's arriving Any >> Minute Now. ... Since, past experience has shown, nobody reads >> anything, no matter how many times the information is contained >> within the message body; nothing beats sending out 25 hysterical, >> "UNSUBSCRIBE!#!@#" messages. Well, the software has gotten smarter, >> it'll actually read your rant, search for key word groups such as, >> "HELP ME!" "I HATE YOU!" and "UNSUBSCRIBE!" and remove you >> automagically. Everything should be back to abNormal within a few >> more days. Sorry, this was a necessary evil; everything had to change >> in order to bring the new MindVox back online this fall. Laters, >> Patrick ... p.s., 10 more times for the Differently-Abled: TO >> UNSUBSCRIBE, go here: >> http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ... Did you want to >> UNSUBSCRIBE? go here: http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar >> ... TO get OFF the DrugWar List, go here: >> http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ... Me no want words, >> can't sm0ak or bang up werdz. werdz NO GOOD! GiVe me drugZ or >> NOTHING! http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ... Huh? >> http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ... Hello, I have >> written you 3,000 personal letters, in the last 2 weeks... why don't >> you answer?: http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ... You >> are all Profane IDIOTS. I want a SPECIAL WORLD filled with SPECIAL >> PEOPLE who don't UPSET ME. I'm leaving and creating my brand new >> SPECIAL DrugWar WORLD ... comprised of, uhm, well, myself and 3 >> people ... none of whom have ever done DrugWar, or, actually, any >> drugz, except for pot. But we have SPECIAL CONVERSATIONS that are >> SACRED. I HATE YOU, Peace yo! >> http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ... Yes, but, how do >> I unsubscribe!??!@#!?!: >> http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ... TO UNSUBSCRIBE, >> go here: ... ... and : #10! To remove yourself >> (permenantly) from the DList, go here: >> http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwarScroll down to the >> part that says, "unsubscribe" fill in the web form (no email back and >> forth needed), you are gone. Have a great life! Seeya! -----BEGIN PGP >> SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.7 (Darwin) >> iD8DBQFG73rt5L/G7WgR2WYRAoajAJ9cPGkW3veni6acvNOsLj/ZWesz8ACgkrVu >> HkApdyY31uG3dio6cblStzA= =KtrL -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -=[) >> ::::::: MindVox | DrugWar | List Commands ::::::: (]=- (][%] :: >> http://mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/DrugWar :: [%][) >> -=[) :::: Change Account Settings :: [Un]Subscribe :::: (]=- >> >> >> Halphen, Tammera wrote: >>> Why did I get this message and about 12 copies of the attached message >>> and also the one I replied to below? I used to be subscribed at this >>> address but not anymore. >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: drugwar-bounces at mindvox.com [mailto:drugwar-bounces at mindvox.com] >>> On Behalf Of Patrick K. Kroupa >>> Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2007 3:23 AM >>> To: drugwar at mindvox.com Subject: [DrugWar] RelighT Yoo Hoo, >>> Preston... -=[> :::::::: MindVox | DrugWar | List Commands :::::::: >>> <]=- <][%] ::: http://mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ::: >>> [%][> >>> -=[> ::::: Change Account Settings : [Un]Subscribe ::::: <]=- >>> >>> >>> Subject: >>> [DrugWar] (no subject) >>> From: >>> >>> Date: >>> Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:25:11 -0400 >>> To: >>> >>> To: >>> >>> >>> The email address you sent this message to is not a valid email >>> address. Please check the spelling and try again. >>> >>> -=[> :::::::: MindVox | DrugWar | List Commands :::::::: <]=- >>> <][%] ::: http://mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ::: [%][> >>> -=[> ::::: Change Account Settings : [Un]Subscribe ::::: <]=- >>> -=[> :::::::: MindVox | DrugWar | List Commands :::::::: <]=- >>> <][%] ::: http://mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ::: [%][> >>> -=[> ::::: Change Account Settings : [Un]Subscribe ::::: <]=- >> >> -=[> :::::::: MindVox | DrugWar | List Commands :::::::: <]=- >> <][%] ::: http://mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ::: [%][> >> -=[> ::::: Change Account Settings : [Un]Subscribe ::::: <]=- >> >> >> Be a better Heartthrob. Get better relationship answers from someone >> who knows. >> Yahoo! Answers - Check it out. > > > > From baystatebar at yahoo.com Tue Sep 18 14:19:11 2007 From: baystatebar at yahoo.com (Libby) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 11:19:11 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [DrugWar] RelighT In-Reply-To: <46EFEDBD.3030509@gmail.com> Message-ID: <20713.21784.qm@web32511.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Hilarious. Libby --- "Nyc W. Alberts" wrote: > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- > Hash: SHA1 > > Hello hello hellO > > ... > > As of today MindVox has completed a major transition > to new servers, > software, and significantly increased bandwidth. > > If you are reading these words and wish to be > unsubscribed, click > this link immediately: > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > Scroll down to: > > "To unsubscribe from DrugWar, get a password > reminder, or change > your subscription options enter your subscription > email address:" > > Add the account you want removed, and you're gone; > forever. > > ... > > We had to transition everything from the previous > mail system / > mailing list manager, over to new software. This > means the entire > subscriber list has been sifted/re-created using > scripts. > Unfortunately this also means that people who have > signed off in the > last coupla months, may once again re-exist. Shit > happens, try to > get over it, click the link: > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > Scroll down, and you're gone forever. > > ... > > The ibogaine list is extremely large. It will be > re-materializing in > 4 waves, of approximately 2,000 people at a time. > We have tried to > include everyone who has posted in the last year, > within the first > pass. If the list is not working for someone you > know, give it a day > or three, then let us know. > > ... > > TO UNSUBSCRIBE, change your settings, set yourself > for digest mode, > and generally PUSH BUTTONS, go to: > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > There are many new options, tagging for the mail > lists will be turned > on within another day or two / and sync with the web > interface that's > arriving Any Minute Now. > > ... > > Since, past experience has shown, nobody reads > anything, no matter > how many times the information is contained within > the message body; > nothing beats sending out 25 hysterical, > "UNSUBSCRIBE!#!@#" > messages. Well, the software has gotten smarter, > it'll actually read > your rant, search for key word groups such as, "HELP > ME!" "I HATE > YOU!" and "UNSUBSCRIBE!" and remove you > automagically. > > Everything should be back to abNormal within a few > more days. > > Sorry, this was a necessary evil; everything had to > change in order > to bring the new MindVox back online this fall. > > Laters, > > Patrick > > ... > > p.s., 10 more times for the Differently-Abled: > > TO UNSUBSCRIBE, go here: > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > ... > > Did you want to UNSUBSCRIBE? go here: > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > ... > > TO get OFF the DrugWar List, go here: > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > ... > > Me no want words, can't sm0ak or bang up werdz. > werdz NO GOOD! GiVe > me drugZ or NOTHING! > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > ... > > Huh? > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > ... > > Hello, I have written you 3,000 personal letters, in > the last 2 > weeks... why don't you answer?: > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > ... > > You are all Profane IDIOTS. I want a SPECIAL WORLD > filled with > SPECIAL PEOPLE who don't UPSET ME. I'm leaving and > creating my brand > new SPECIAL DrugWar WORLD ... comprised of, uhm, > well, myself and 3 > people ... none of whom have ever done DrugWar, or, > actually, any > drugz, except for pot. But we have SPECIAL > CONVERSATIONS that are > SACRED. I HATE YOU, Peace yo! > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > ... > > Yes, but, how do I unsubscribe!??!@#!?!: > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > ... > > TO UNSUBSCRIBE, go here: > > > ... > > ... and : #10! > > To remove yourself (permenantly) from the DList, go > here: > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > Scroll down to the part that says, "unsubscribe" > fill in the web form > (no email back and forth needed), you are gone. > Have a great life! > Seeya! > > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- > Version: GnuPG v1.4.7 (Darwin) > > iD8DBQFG73rt5L/G7WgR2WYRAoajAJ9cPGkW3veni6acvNOsLj/ZWesz8ACgkrVu > HkApdyY31uG3dio6cblStzA= > =KtrL > -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- > > -=[) ::::::: MindVox | DrugWar | List Commands > ::::::: (]=- > (][%] :: > http://mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/DrugWar :: > [%][) > -=[) :::: Change Account Settings :: [Un]Subscribe > :::: (]=- > > > > > Halphen, Tammera wrote: > === message truncated ===> -=[> :::::::: MindVox | DrugWar | List Commands > :::::::: <]=- > <][%] ::: > http://mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ::: > [%][> > -=[> ::::: Change Account Settings : [Un]Subscribe > ::::: <]=- > Libby Spencer Detroit News blog http://info.detnews.com/weblog/ The Impolitic http://theimpolitic.blogspot.com/ The Newshoggers http://cernigsnewshog.blogspot.com/ The Reaction http://www.the-reaction.blogspot.com/ Last One Speaks http://lastonespeaks.blogspot.com/ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Moody friends. Drama queens. Your life? Nope! - their life, your story. Play Sims Stories at Yahoo! Games. http://sims.yahoo.com/ From digitalcomponents at gmail.com Tue Sep 18 14:32:49 2007 From: digitalcomponents at gmail.com (Nyc W. Alberts) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 14:32:49 -0400 Subject: [DrugWar] RelighT In-Reply-To: <20713.21784.qm@web32511.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <20713.21784.qm@web32511.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <46F019D1.8000205@gmail.com> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.mindvox.com/pipermail/drugwar/attachments/20070918/a15c59c8/attachment.htm From baystatebar at yahoo.com Tue Sep 18 14:44:40 2007 From: baystatebar at yahoo.com (Libby) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 11:44:40 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [DrugWar] Leigh Meyers In-Reply-To: <128572.17160.qm@web51601.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <816359.99058.qm@web32513.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Leigh! Good to know you're alive. I wondered what had happened to you. All the best. Libby --- Leigh Meyers wrote: > Who re-subscribed me to this list without my > consent? > > TAKE ME OFF NOW! Libby Spencer Detroit News blog http://info.detnews.com/weblog/ The Impolitic http://theimpolitic.blogspot.com/ The Newshoggers http://cernigsnewshog.blogspot.com/ The Reaction http://www.the-reaction.blogspot.com/ Last One Speaks http://lastonespeaks.blogspot.com/ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Need a vacation? Get great deals to amazing places on Yahoo! Travel. http://travel.yahoo.com/ From baystatebar at yahoo.com Tue Sep 18 14:46:13 2007 From: baystatebar at yahoo.com (Libby) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 11:46:13 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [DrugWar] Fwd: [Ibogaine] IterationS In-Reply-To: <77BBF3C9-70A9-409E-A67B-953EBE55661C@phantom.com> Message-ID: <330344.7922.qm@web32505.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Patrick, well I still love you and your incomprehensible posts. Somehow I'm back on the list and I don't mind a bit. Thanks for all the work you do on this. Libby --- "Patrick K. Kroupa" wrote: > Sorry, I just archive this list automagically, I > have no clue what's > up with it and haven't been able to touch base with > Preston yet. > This went out to the ibogaine list, I am just > Search/Find/Replacing > "drugwar" for ibogaine. > > Hullo / Welcome / Buh-bye, as the case may be. > > Patrick > > Begin forwarded message: > > > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- > > Hash: SHA1 > > > > Hello hello hellO > > > > ... > > > > As of today MindVox has completed a major > transition to new servers, > > software, and significantly increased bandwidth. > > > > If you are reading these words and wish to be > unsubscribed, click > > this link immediately: > > > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > > > Scroll down to: > > > > "To unsubscribe from drugwar, get a password > reminder, or change > > your subscription options enter your subscription > email address:" > > > > Add the account you want removed, and you're gone; > forever. > > > > ... > > > > We had to transition everything from the previous > mail system / > > mailing list manager, over to new software. This > means the entire > > subscriber list has been sifted/re-created using > scripts. > > Unfortunately this also means that people who have > signed off in the > > last coupla months, may once again re-exist. Shit > happens, try to > > get over it, click the link: > > > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > > > Scroll down, and you're gone forever. > > > > ... > > > > The ibogaine list is extremely large. It will be > re-materializing in > > 4 waves, of approximately 2,000 people at a time. > We have tried to > > include everyone who has posted in the last year, > within the first > > pass. If the list is not working for someone you > know, give it a day > > or three, then let us know. > > > > ... > > > > TO UNSUBSCRIBE, change your settings, set yourself > for digest mode, > > and generally PUSH BUTTONS, go to: > > > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > > > There are many new options, tagging for the mail > lists will be turned > > on within another day or two / and sync with the > web interface that's > > arriving Any Minute Now. > > > > ... > > > > Since, past experience has shown, nobody reads > anything, no matter > > how many times the information is contained within > the message body; > > nothing beats sending out 25 hysterical, > "UNSUBSCRIBE!#!@#" > > messages. Well, the software has gotten smarter, > it'll actually read > > your rant, search for key word groups such as, > "HELP ME!" "I HATE > > YOU!" and "UNSUBSCRIBE!" and remove you > automagically. > > > > Everything should be back to abNormal within a few > more days. > > > > Sorry, this was a necessary evil; everything had > to change in order > > to bring the new MindVox back online this fall. > > > > Laters, > > > > Patrick > > > > ... > > > > p.s., 10 more times for the Differently-Abled: > > > > TO UNSUBSCRIBE, go here: > > > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > > > ... > > > > Did you want to UNSUBSCRIBE? go here: > > > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > > > ... > > > > TO get OFF the Ibogaine List, go here: > > > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > > > ... > > > > Me no want words, can't sm0ak or bang up werdz. > werdz NO GOOD! GiVe > > me drugZ or NOTHING! > > > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > > > ... > > > > Huh? > > > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > > > ... > > > > Hello, I have written you 3,000 personal letters, > in the last 2 > > weeks... why don't you answer?: > > > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > > > ... > > > > You are all Profane IDIOTS. I want a SPECIAL > WORLD filled with > > SPECIAL PEOPLE who don't UPSET ME. I'm leaving > and creating my brand > > new SPECIAL IBOGAINE WORLD ... comprised of, uhm, > well, myself and 3 > > people ... none of whom have ever done ibogaine, > or, actually, any > > drugz, except for pot. But we have SPECIAL > CONVERSATIONS that are > > SACRED. I HATE YOU, Peace yo! > > > > http://www.mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar > > > > ... > > > > Yes, but, how do I unsubscribe!??!@#!?!: > > -=[> :::::::: MindVox | DrugWar | List Commands > :::::::: <]=- > <][%] ::: > http://mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ::: > [%][> > -=[> ::::: Change Account Settings : [Un]Subscribe > ::::: <]=- > Libby Spencer Detroit News blog http://info.detnews.com/weblog/ The Impolitic http://theimpolitic.blogspot.com/ The Newshoggers http://cernigsnewshog.blogspot.com/ The Reaction http://www.the-reaction.blogspot.com/ Last One Speaks http://lastonespeaks.blogspot.com/ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Pinpoint customers who are looking for what you sell. http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/ From rlake at mapinc.org Tue Sep 18 22:57:33 2007 From: rlake at mapinc.org (Richard Lake) Date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 22:57:33 -0400 Subject: [DrugWar] US LA: Column: Jena 6: What Next to Erase This National Disgrace? Message-ID: <20070919025827.DKHG21339.aarprv03.charter.net@computer.mapinc.org> Newshawk: Educators For Sensible Drug Policy: http://www.efsdp.org Pubdate: Mon, 17 Sep 2007 Source: Louisiana Weekly, The (New Orleans, LA) Copyright: 2007 Louisiana Weekly Publishing Company Contact: edmund at louisianaweekly.com Website: http://www.louisianaweekly.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3627 Author: Ron Walters, NNPA Columnist Note: Dr. Ron Walters is the Distinguished Leadership Scholar, Director of the African American Leadership Center and Professor of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland. Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?199 (Mandatory Minimum Sentencing) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?140 (Rockefeller Drug Laws) JENA 6: WHAT NEXT TO ERASE THIS NATIONAL DISGRACE? Unless you have been on vacation or otherwise under a rock, a case that is rocking Black America involves the racist conviction of six black youths, by an all-white jury, to the tune of potential 100-year sentences, while white youths were given the comparative leniency of in-school probation and non-prosecution for committing violent acts. This legal lynching of six young Black students by officials in Jena, La. is not only a continuing manifestation of Southern justice, it is a symptom of a vicious period in American history now in existence emphasizing the use of the law to severely punish Blacks. So, while there are justified mobilizations taking place around the Jena 6 injustice, the heat of the Black community, activists, officials, church leaders, all, should be directed toward the changes in the law that have made these injustices easier to perpetrate by local criminal justice officials. Recent data from the Department of Justice indicates that 5 percent of Black males are incarcerated; 0.7 percent of white males; 11 percent of Black men 25-34. Moreover, in twelve states, between 10 and 15 percent of adult Black men are incarcerated and they are incarcerated at rates between 12 and 16 times greater than those of white men. There desperately needs to be a change in the laws promulgated during the era of the "war on drugs" that have greased the wheels of the criminal system that have focused the heavy weapons of targeted policing, ineffective legal defense, and police corruption to affect the disproportionate convictions of Blacks. Mandatory minimum sentencing drug guidelines like the Rockefeller Drug laws, "three-strikes and you're out," etc. - all of these devices are instruments of the problem creating run-away incarceration. They should be repealed! On vacation recently in West Palm Beach, Florida I noticed that in a smaller section known as Riviera Beach that was predominantly Black. the local newspaper carried a story about police there attempting to reduce the crime rate by focusing on gang-busting tactics. The police used "no-tolerance" measures to stop drivers for any infraction, such as not coming to a full stop at a light, not wearing seat-belts, etc., as a pretext to search their vehicles. And by the end of June 2007, while, 1,879 people were arrested, only 10 confirmed gang members were in that number, where 330 autos were also impounded. Meanwhile, no targeted policing was occurring in the plush cocaine alleys of affluent Palm Beach or other areas. We need laws to establish a prohibition against such "targeted policing" that is racially discriminatory and amounts to racial profiling. Mychal Bell, one of the Jena 6, was prosecuted as an adult and assigned a public defender who never called any witnesses. This situation is also common and reports indicate that this practice of adult prosecution and incarceration of youths is out of control. In six states, Black youth under age 18 are incarcerated in adult facilities at rates between 12 and 25 times greater than those of white youth. And they can be prosecuted and incarcerated for either non-violent or violent offenses, contrary to clear evidence in recent Zogby poll that 68 percent of the public opposes the practice. So laws must be passed that outlaw this practice - that the evidence shows has not deterred youth crime - and return the administration of justice for youths to the juvenile system. The Justice Department sent representatives to participate in a community forum in Jena and the Black attorney proceeded to uphold all that local officials had done. This might have been anticipated, because of the strong tie to the Bush government. On September 9, local officials broke ground on a $30 million detention facility, awarded them by the Department of Homeland Security. We are coming up to the September 20 sentencing of Mychal Bell by the Louisiana authorities who have recently reduced his conviction to something they may be able to prove in court. The Congressional Black Caucus weekend of September 26. Much will be made of the result of the sentencing at that gathering, but the offensive should carry on into the presidential election and result in overturning the vicious and racist legislation that this case reflects. From rlake at mapinc.org Thu Sep 20 07:03:54 2007 From: rlake at mapinc.org (Richard Lake) Date: Thu, 20 Sep 2007 07:03:54 -0400 Subject: [DrugWar] US: Mexican Drug Cartels Move North Message-ID: <20070920110414.HEAJ23773.aarprv04.charter.net@computer.mapinc.org> Newshawk: What's OnAir? www.mapinc.org/onair/ Pubdate: Thu, 20 Sep 2007 Source: Washington Post (DC) Page: A14 Copyright: 2007 The Washington Post Company Contact: letters at washpost.com Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491 Author: Manuel Roig-Franzia, Washington Post Foreign Service Alert: Just Say NO To 'Plan Mexico' http://www.mapinc.org/alert/0352.html Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/drug+cartels Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/Plan+Mexico (Plan Mexico) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Felipe+Calderon Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Mexico (Mexico) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Marijuana) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS MOVE NORTH U.S. Effort to Battle Groups Is Flawed, GAO Report Says MEXICO CITY -- Mexican drug cartels now operate in almost every region of the United States and bring in as much as $23 billion a year in revenue, according to a Government Accountability Office report that will be released Thursday. U.S. assistance has helped Mexico combat cartels, the report says, but those efforts have been hampered by Mexican government corruption and by the failure of key players in the United States, including the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, to coordinate better with Mexican law enforcement. The White House drug policy office, the report says, has prepared a counter-narcotics plan but has not discussed portions of the initiative that require Mexican cooperation with authorities in Mexico. "The Office of National Drug Control Policy has to stop dropping the ball and doing sloppy work," Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), who requested the report, said in an e-mail Wednesday. "They had plenty of time to forge a working relationship with the Mexican government, but it appears that nothing has been accomplished." The agency, Grassley added, "needs to realize that we're in this fight together, and it's foolish to think we can implement an effective plan to stop the flow of drugs from Mexico on our own." Patrick Ward, assistant deputy director of the White House drug office, said in an interview Wednesday that his office has had extensive contact with Mexican authorities about counter-narcotics plans since the GAO conducted its probe. "Our cooperation with the Mexican government, especially in the last eight to 10 months since President [Felipe] Calder?n took office, has been absolutely phenomenal," Ward said. The report, an advance copy of which was obtained by The Washington Post, is the starkest evidence yet of Mexico's emergence as the main conduit of illegal drugs into the United States. The share of cocaine arriving in the United States through Mexico, for instance, leapt from 66 percent in 2000 to 90 percent in 2005. Other transshipment points include Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Central America. Combined, Mexican drug cartels generate more revenue than at least 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies, and the U.S. government's highest estimate of cartel revenue tops that of Merck, Deere and Halliburton. Congressional aides said the report may lead to increased cooperation between the two countries and give more impetus to already well-advanced talks aimed at developing a massive U.S. aid package to fight drug trafficking in Mexico. The report paints a troubling picture of bureaucratic tangles that impede drug control efforts: Operation Halcon, a successful, helicopter-based border surveillance program, was canceled in November 2006 because the United States and Mexico could not resolve accident liability issues. Failure to reach an accord allowing U.S. law enforcement officers to board suspicious Mexican-flagged ships has allowed drug traffickers to evade capture by dumping their loads at sea. Even as drug production soars in Mexico, "a relatively small percentage of the estimated supply" of drugs is seized, the report says. Marijuana production, for instance, rose sharply from 7,000 metric tons in 2000 to 13,500 in 2003, before leveling off at about 10,000 metric tons in 2004 and 2005. But seizures changed little during that period. Despite the disturbing trend lines, GAO investigators also saw positive signs. They praised Mexico for extraditing a record number of drug suspects to the United States in 2006 and said President Calderon, in office since December, has demonstrated "a new level of commitment to combating drug traffickers." The report praises Calderon for deploying 27,000 troops and police officers to fight cartels in eight Mexican states and for persuading his country's Congress to approve a 24 percent increase in the national security budget. Mexico and the United States have made advances in joint efforts to crack down on money laundering, the report says, and technical support from the United States is helping Mexico develop plans for a more transparent criminal justice system with trials that involve oral arguments and are open to the public. The report says Mexican courts now primarily use a "Napoleonic inquisitorial model" -- in which judges review only written material -- that "has been vulnerable to the corrupting influences of powerful interests." The amount of drugs flowing through Mexico is growing rapidly, spurred by growing demand in the United States, where 35 million people abuse illegal drugs, the report says. Methamphetamines appear to be the fastest-growing drug crossing the border. Though no one is sure how much methamphetamine reaches the United States, seizures along the border rose from 500 kilograms in 2000 to 2,700 in 2006, indicating "a dramatic rise in supply," the report says. A climate of "impunity" for drug traffickers in Mexico has contributed to the trends. Mexican cartels are more violent and sophisticated than ever, taking advantage of advances in cellular and satellite technology to evade law enforcement, the report says. Since 2000, Mexico has been taking steps to clean up corruption within the ranks of law enforcement, including firing more than 950 federal officers in 2006 and forming the Federal Investigative Agency, whose agents have to undergo background checks, the report notes. Along with the well-known Tijuana, Gulf and Juarez cartels, the report identifies a lesser-known Mexican drug organization called "the Federation." The Federation, the report says, is an alliance of drug traffickers based in Sinaloa state near the city of Culiacan and has "the most extensive geographic reach in Mexico." "The Federation's influence in Sinaloa is so pervasive that Mexico seldom mounts counternarcotics operations in the interior of that state," the report says, citing U.S. and Mexican officials. From digitalcomponents at gmail.com Thu Sep 20 21:42:35 2007 From: digitalcomponents at gmail.com (Nyc W. Alberts) Date: Thu, 20 Sep 2007 21:42:35 -0400 Subject: [DrugWar] San Francisco Orders Medical Marijuana Dispensaries to Sell Fatter Bags | Stop the Drug War (DRCNet) Message-ID: <46F3218B.6080606@gmail.com> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.mindvox.com/pipermail/drugwar/attachments/20070920/4bb148c6/attachment.htm From rlake at mapinc.org Thu Sep 20 22:46:17 2007 From: rlake at mapinc.org (Richard Lake) Date: Thu, 20 Sep 2007 22:46:17 -0400 Subject: [DrugWar] US HI: Column: When Will This (Marijuana) War Ever End? Message-ID: <20070921024631.NYCG495.aarprv02.charter.net@computer.mapinc.org> Newshawk: Kirk Pubdate: Wed, 19 Sep 2007 Source: Hawaii Tribune Herald (Hilo, HI) Copyright: 2007 Hawaii Tribune Herald Contact: letters at hawaiitribune-herald.com Website: http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/185 Author: Gloria Baraquio Referenced: Gloria Baraquio's column last week http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n000/a183.html Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Marijuana) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) WHEN WILL THIS (MARIJUANA) WAR EVER END? Will the marijuana war end? I think the only thing anyone ever talked to me about this week was marijuana. Since last week's column printed, I haven't been able to get away from the topic. Should cannabis be legal? Why is it illegal? Why are people being criminalized? Why are we being invaded? Can weed actually heal you? WARNING: marijuana is a very emotional subject to discuss. Please don't bring it up at any fun, lighthearted gatherings -- unless you don't mind people getting not so fun and lighthearted. In the past week, I think I've heard practically every perspective on the issue. People have talked broadly; they've talked personally. They shared their pros; they shared their cons. They discussed legalization; they discussed criminalization. Overall, people were concerned about society's safety, freedom, and well-being as a whole. Some debated on whether or not weed fried people's brains, led them to harder drugs, simply mellowed people out, or healed people's ailments. Some disagreed on weed's effects because it's really hard to say how any chemical will affect any individual. From alcohol to caffeine, from salt to sugar, from meats to carbs, some people are just predisposed to certain intolerances and/or addictions. So some will say it's good, and some will say it's bad. When people argued about the legal aspect, some said that if it were legal, the government could make money off of taxes, and marijuana prices would go down, which would make it less of a commodity. Others argued that more crime and theft would ensue on people's marijuana farms. They also said that legalizing it would lead to the legalization of harder drugs, like ice and cocaine...and that would not be good. But the bottom line to all of this is that people smoke marijuana anyway. So how do we deal with that? Others who didn't seem to have any answers were simply perplexed at how law enforcement has been handling marijuana busts. "Why not focus on the ice problem first"? many have asked. "Why not put more time and money towards education instead of incarceration"? Some think that pot offenders are taking up space in prisons that could be used for rapists, murderers, and crackheads instead. Others are fed up with the noise and invasion of helicopters hovering over their neighborhoods, and no one can figure out if Green Harvest has been terminated or not. Another burning question seems to be, "Where do all the marijuana plants go after they're seized?" And what the community is really disturbed about are the unannounced, illegal, violent house raids, which include merciless abuse of pet animals and ruthless vandalism of private property. People have become frightened to be in their own homes...and they sound like they're tired of it. This is what I read recently on a posted flier: 'Peace Through Action' "The Big Island community for over 20 years has had to tolerate burglars, armed robbery by organized crime organizations in Hawaii, and unlawful police raids. Peace through doing nothing has not worked. "This is why hundreds of Big Island community members are joined together to see it stop! PEACE through action wants PEACE!!!! "We want to live in 'peace and harmony' with our entire extended Big Island ohana! We want our families to live without fear of robbers, rapists, or law enforcement unlawfully coming with guns in hand, invading our homes." The flier says that some of their actions will include the use of weapons, alarms and foghorns, radio communication, camera surveillance, private detectives and military tactics. Sounds intense. But I guess people are serious about finally stopping this marijuana war. I'm just afraid to see how it's gonna end. From rabbit at cownow.com Fri Sep 21 01:14:25 2007 From: rabbit at cownow.com (Bonnie) Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2007 01:14:25 -0400 Subject: [DrugWar] San Francisco Orders Medical Marijuana Dispensaries to Sell Fatter Bags | Stop the Drug War (DRCNet) In-Reply-To: <46F3218B.6080606@gmail.com> References: <46F3218B.6080606@gmail.com> Message-ID: <20070921051425.GA7759@cownow.com> There's more good news from CA, too -- I heard this on the radio Thursday: http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_6945490 OK for pot in the park keeps Santa Cruz weird SMOKING BAN LIFTED FOR ONE DAY excerpt: ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The city last year banned smoking in two city parks, citing the threat to public health. The city also is on record in support of the local group that distributes medicinal marijuana. That group's annual festival is coming up - noon to 5 p.m., Sept. 29 - and some of the members might need to "medicate" during the festivities. The problem: The festival is in San Lorenzo Park, one of the parks with a no-smoking ban. The solution? Rescind the law for a day. The city passed a unanimous resolution last week to do just that. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- forwarded by: Bonnie From digital at phantom.com Fri Sep 21 05:01:58 2007 From: digital at phantom.com (Patrick K. Kroupa) Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2007 05:01:58 -0400 Subject: [DrugWar] The War on Consciousness Message-ID: <9AF44425-1D0E-4A8D-AECD-43F30C98C5AC@phantom.com> If you have any interest whatsoever regarding the negative impact of the War on Consciousness; I meant to say DRUGS -- PLEASE take the time to check out the following link, and take some sort of action. http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/4639.html Even if you're broke, you can write a letter or make a phone call. Amongst his other projects, Marc Emery is the founder of Iboga Therapy House, and has devoted a tremendous amount of his time, effort and cashflow, to helping drug-dependent individuals obtain free access to ibogaine. His extradition hearing has been scheduled to begin on November 5th, 2007. If you support drug-reform, harm reduction, or basic human liberty and freedom of choice, please take a few minutes and do whatever you can. Thanks, Patrick From rlake at mapinc.org Fri Sep 21 06:33:43 2007 From: rlake at mapinc.org (Richard Lake) Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2007 06:33:43 -0400 Subject: [DrugWar] US FL: Full Pardon Begins to Ease Man's Pain Message-ID: <20070921103401.TTZK495.aarprv02.charter.net@computer.mapinc.org> Newshawk: Please Write a LTE www.mapinc.org/resource/#guides Pubdate: Fri, 21 Sep 2007 Source: St. Petersburg Times (FL) Page: 1A, Front Page, Top http://www.sptimes.com/2007/09/21/timesfront/Times_1A.pdf Webpage: http://www.sptimes.com/2007/09/21/State/Full_pardon_begins_to.shtml Copyright: 2007 St. Petersburg Times Contact: http://www.sptimes.com/letters/ Website: http://www.sptimes.com/home.shtml Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/419 Author: Jamal Thalji, Times Staff Writer Note: Times staff writer Steve Bousquet contributed to this report. Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Richard+Paey Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?232 (Chronic Pain) FULL PARDON BEGINS TO EASE MAN'S PAIN Governor and Cabinet Rule a Pain Patient Shouldn't Be in Prison. TALLAHASSEE -- Richard Paey wanted to be a lawyer and then a cop, but the searing pain in his legs robbed him of that. He settled for being a son, husband and father. Then the state said he was a drug trafficker. After a decade he was convicted on the third try and sentenced to 25 years in prison. But the drugs were for Paey's own chronic pain, the result of a car crash, back surgery and multiple sclerosis. Appeal after appeal fell through. He found sympathy, in the courts of law and public opinion, but not relief. Now, after more than three years in prison, Paey can call himself something else: A free man. Paey, 48, was granted a full pardon Thursday by Gov. Charlie Crist and the Florida Cabinet in Tallahassee. "We aim to right a wrong," Crist said. "And to do it with grace." Paey never dared dream of a full pardon. All he asked the clemency board to do was commute his sentence to time served. Then the governor stunned Paey's wife, Linda, and their three teenage children: "I state he should be released today," Crist said. Applause broke out in the Cabinet meeting room. The Paey family and lawyer John Flannery II hugged. It was 9:40 a.m. Nine hours later, Richard Paey came home to Hudson. "In the immortal words of Dorothy," he said, pausing to kiss his wife, "there's no place like home." The reasons why Paey, who was convicted in 2004, ended up in prison are still disputed. Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney Bernie McCabe said Paey turned down several plea offers that would have spared him serving any time. Paey wanted the charges dropped, McCabe said, which he could not do. Paey said he wanted to take a stand on behalf of pain patients but not if it meant going to prison and leaving his family behind. It was the state, Paey said, that scuttled any plea deals. Paey and his side still contest every bit of the state's case. Afterward even the jurors regretted their verdict. Last year, Paey had his hopes pinned on an appeal to the 2nd District Court of Appeal. In December the appellate judges upheld his conviction and sentence but acknowledged his plight. "Mr. Paey's argument about his sentences does not fall on deaf ears, but it falls on the wrong ears," Judge Douglas Wallace wrote. Paey is used to setbacks. A 1985 car wreck, then botched surgeries, left him in constant pain and ended any hope of a normal life. Then, after his 1997 arrest, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He now uses a wheelchair. The court told Paey to ask the governor for clemency. Paey let a deadline to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court slip by. His side wanted to show the governor and Cabinet how much faith he had in them for his shot at freedom. He needed three out of four votes, and one had to be cast by the governor. Otherwise he would have to wait more than four years to apply again. The Florida Parole Commission report recommended the Cabinet deny Paey's petition. It was a controversial drug case, Flannery was told. "Early on I had a little bit of confidence and then it was absolutely gone when we entered," Linda Paey said. It didn't take long to figure out which way the governor was leaning. When Flannery's allotted five minutes before the Cabinet were up, he asked for more time. "Of course," the governor said. Then Crist let Linda Paey speak, all three of their teens, even a family friend. For 40 minutes they spoke. The Legislature never foresaw a man like Paey, Flannery said, a man who needed massive amounts of drugs but would run afoul of laws designed to curb possessing those amounts. "We didn't expect to have a patient who needs more drugs than we can comprehend in our daily lives," Flannery said. His most powerful example of the disconnect between Florida law and Paey's condition was this: the 700 Percocet pills Paey was accused of trafficking, Flannery said, contained only minute amounts of the drug Oxycodone. The rest was Tylenol. Florida's own prison system gives him more morphine each day to treat his pain than the entire amount of Oxycodone he was convicted of trafficking in, he said. Paey never passed on any of his drugs to anyone else. Nor did he take a penny for those drugs. "He's not a drug trafficker," an emotional Linda Paey told the Cabinet. "He is just a patient who needed pain medication." After the emotional presentation, the first comments from the dais came from the governor: "I want to move that we grant a full pardon." The Cabinet made it unanimous. It was the start of a day of surprises for the Paey family. "I grabbed John's hand," Linda Paey said. "We came into this so scared, trembling." Then Crist ordered her husband released that day. "I didn't know you could do that," Linda Paey said. She was driving on Interstate 10, heading to Daytona Beach to get her husband out of prison when a call delivered the last shock of the day: The state was bringing her husband to her. Prison staffers waited a while to break the news to Paey, but he knew something was up. "They're comedians in prison," he joked. "They were determined to make me suffer to the end." The prison staff scrounged up a polo shirt and jeans for him. Two staffers drove him home. TV cameras were waiting. He has gotten used to this. The 60 Minutes profile. The New York Times interview. Paey embraced his role in a fight much larger than himself: to protect patients and doctors from draconian drug laws. "It's gone on for over a decade that I've been fighting," Paey said, "over 1,100 days in prison." Paey hugged his kids -- Catherine, 17, Elizabeth, 16, and Benjamin, 15 -- petted his dog Winnie and fulfilled his last wish upon leaving prison: eating pizza. Then, finally, it was his turn to fulfill someone else's wish: His 84-year-old mother, Helen, who wanted to see her son out of prison before she died. "I can't believe it," she said. "I'm shaking, I'm shaking all over." From baystatebar at yahoo.com Fri Sep 21 15:42:42 2007 From: baystatebar at yahoo.com (Libby) Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2007 12:42:42 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [DrugWar] The War on Consciousness In-Reply-To: <9AF44425-1D0E-4A8D-AECD-43F30C98C5AC@phantom.com> Message-ID: <674733.27510.qm@web32514.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Finally, a post from you that I completely understand and a timely reminder. I've been remiss in following the drug war now that I'm doing so much general poli-blogging but this is one case that I've been following from the start. I'll be sure to do a post for The Reaction. The blog owner is a Canadian government type with a good readership up there. I hope it will help some. Libby --- "Patrick K. Kroupa" wrote: > > If you have any interest whatsoever regarding the > negative impact of > the War on Consciousness; I meant to say DRUGS -- > PLEASE take the > time to check out the following link, and take some > sort of action. > > http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/4639.html > > Even if you're broke, you can write a letter or make > a phone call. > > Amongst his other projects, Marc Emery is the > founder of Iboga > Therapy House, and has devoted a tremendous amount > of his time, > effort and cashflow, to helping drug-dependent > individuals obtain > free access to ibogaine. > > His extradition hearing has been scheduled to begin > on November 5th, > 2007. > > If you support drug-reform, harm reduction, or basic > human liberty > and freedom of choice, please take a few minutes and > do whatever you > can. > > Thanks, > > Patrick > > > > -=[) :::::::: MindVox | DrugWar | List Commands > :::::::: (]=- > (][%] ::: > http://mindvox.com/mailman/listinfo/drugwar ::: > [%][) > -=[) ::::: Change Account Settings : [Un]Subscribe > ::::: (]=- > Libby Spencer Detroit News blog http://info.detnews.com/weblog/ The Impolitic http://theimpolitic.blogspot.com/ The Newshoggers http://cernigsnewshog.blogspot.com/ The Reaction http://www.the-reaction.blogspot.com/ Last One Speaks http://lastonespeaks.blogspot.com/ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Building a website is a piece of cake. Yahoo! Small Business gives you all the tools to get online. http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/webhosting From rlake at mapinc.org Sat Sep 22 12:59:07 2007 From: rlake at mapinc.org (Richard Lake) Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 12:59:07 -0400 Subject: [DrugWar] US: Collecting of Details on Travelers Documented Message-ID: <20070922170017.BZHT14098.aarprv06.charter.net@computer.mapinc.org> Newshawk: "My second reaction was, that's illegal." John Gilmore Pubdate: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 Source: Washington Post (DC) Page: A01, Front Page Copyright: 2007 The Washington Post Company Contact: letters at washpost.com Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491 Author: Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post Staff Writer Note: Researcher Julie Tate contributed to this report. Cited: Identity Project http://www.papersplease.org Cited: Electronic Frontier Foundation http://www.eff.org COLLECTING OF DETAILS ON TRAVELERS DOCUMENTED U.S. Effort More Extensive Than Previously Known The U.S. government is collecting electronic records on the travel habits of millions of Americans who fly, drive or take cruises abroad, retaining data on the persons with whom they travel or plan to stay, the personal items they carry during their journeys, and even the books that travelers have carried, according to documents obtained by a group of civil liberties advocates and statements by government officials. The personal travel records are meant to be stored for as long as 15 years, as part of the Department of Homeland Security's effort to assess the security threat posed by all travelers entering the country. Officials say the records, which are analyzed by the department's Automated Targeting System, help border officials distinguish potential terrorists from innocent people entering the country. But new details about the information being retained suggest that the government is monitoring the personal habits of travelers more closely than it has previously acknowledged. The details were learned when a group of activists requested copies of official records on their own travel. Those records included a description of a book on marijuana that one of them carried and small flashlights bearing the symbol of a marijuana leaf. The Automated Targeting System has been used to screen passengers since the mid-1990s, but the collection of data for it has been greatly expanded and automated since 2002, according to former DHS officials. Officials yesterday defended the retention of highly personal data on travelers not involved in or linked to any violations of the law. But civil liberties advocates have alleged that the type of information preserved by the department raises alarms about the government's ability to intrude into the lives of ordinary people. The millions of travelers whose records are kept by the government are generally unaware of what their records say, and the government has not created an effective mechanism for reviewing the data and correcting any errors, activists said. The activists alleged that the data collection effort, as carried out now, violates the Privacy Act, which bars the gathering of data related to Americans' exercise of their First Amendment rights, such as their choice of reading material or persons with whom to associate. They also expressed concern that such personal data could one day be used to impede their right to travel. "The federal government is trying to build a surveillance society," said John Gilmore, a civil liberties activist in San Francisco whose records were requested by the Identity Project, an ad-hoc group of privacy advocates in California and Alaska. The government, he said, "may be doing it with the best or worst of intentions. . . . But the job of building a surveillance database and populating it with information about us is happening largely without our awareness and without our consent." Gilmore's file, which he provided to The Washington Post, included a note from a Customs and Border Patrol officer that he carried the marijuana-related book "Drugs and Your Rights." "My first reaction was I kind of expected it," Gilmore said. "My second reaction was, that's illegal." DHS officials said this week that the government is not interested in passengers' reading habits, that the program is transparent, and that it affords redress for travelers who are inappropriately stymied. "I flatly reject the premise that the department is interested in what travelers are reading," DHS spokesman Russ Knocke said. "We are completely uninterested in the latest Tom Clancy novel that the traveler may be reading." But, Knocke said, "if there is some indication based upon the behavior or an item in the traveler's possession that leads the inspection officer to conclude there could be a possible violation of the law, it is the front-line officer's duty to further scrutinize the traveler." Once that happens, Knocke said, "it is not uncommon for the officer to document interactions with a traveler that merited additional scrutiny." He said that he is not familiar with the file that mentions Gilmore's book about drug rights, but that generally "front-line officers have a duty to enforce all laws within our authority, for example, the counter-narcotics mission." Officers making a decision to admit someone at a port of entry have a duty to apply extra scrutiny if there is some indication of a violation of the law, he said. The retention of information about Gilmore's book was first disclosed this week in Wired News. Details of how the ATS works were disclosed in a Federal Register notice last November. Although the screening has been in effect for more than a decade, data for the system in recent years have been collected by the government from more border points, and also provided by airlines -- under U.S. government mandates -- through direct electronic links that did not previously exist. The DHS database generally includes "passenger name record" (PNR) information, as well as notes taken during secondary screenings of travelers. PNR data -- often provided to airlines and other companies when reservations are made -- routinely include names, addresses and credit-card information, as well as telephone and e-mail contact details, itineraries, hotel and rental car reservations, and even the type of bed requested in a hotel. The records the Identity Project obtained confirmed that the government is receiving data directly from commercial reservation systems, such as Galileo and Sabre, but also showed that the data, in some cases, are more detailed than the information to which the airlines have access. Ann Harrison, the communications director for a technology firm in Silicon Valley who was among those who obtained their personal files and provided them to The Post, said she was taken aback to see that her dossier contained data on her race and on a European flight that did not begin or end in the United States or connect to a U.S.-bound flight. "It was surprising that they were gathering so much information without my knowledge on my travel activities, and it was distressing to me that this information was being gathered in violation of the law," she said. James P. Harrison, director of the Identity Project and Ann Harrison's brother, obtained government records that contained another sister's phone number in Tokyo as an emergency contact. "So my sister's phone number ends up being in a government database," he said. "This is a lot more than just saying who you are, your date of birth." Edward Hasbrouck, a civil liberties activist who was a travel agent for more than 15 years, said that his file contained coding that reflected his plan to fly with another individual. In fact, Hasbrouck wound up not flying with that person, but the record, which can be linked to the other passenger's name, remained in the system. "The Automated Targeting System," Hasbrouck alleged, "is the largest system of government dossiers of individual Americans' personal activities that the government has ever created." He said that travel records are among the most potentially invasive of records because they can suggest links: They show who a traveler sat next to, where they stayed, when they left. "It's that lifetime log of everywhere you go that can be correlated with other people's movements that's most dangerous," he said. "If you sat next to someone once, that's a coincidence. If you sat next to them twice, that's a relationship." Stewart Verdery, former first assistant secretary for policy and planning at DHS, said the data collected for ATS should be considered "an investigative tool, just the way we do with law enforcement, who take records of things for future purposes when they need to figure out where people came from, what they were carrying and who they are associated with. That type of information is extremely valuable when you're trying to thread together a plot or you're trying to clean up after an attack." Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff in August 2006 said that "if we learned anything from Sept. 11, 2001, it is that we need to be better at connecting the dots of terrorist-related information. After Sept. 11, we used credit-card and telephone records to identify those linked with the hijackers. But wouldn't it be better to identify such connections before a hijacker boards a plane?" Chertoff said that comparing PNR data with intelligence on terrorists lets the government "identify unknown threats for additional screening" and helps avoid "inconvenient screening of low-risk travelers." Knocke, the DHS spokesman, added that the program is not used to determine "guilt by association." He said the DHS has created a program called DHS Trip to provide redress for travelers who faced screening problems at ports of entry. But DHS Trip does not allow a traveler to challenge an agency decision in court, said David Sobel, senior counsel with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which has sued the DHS over information concerning the policy underlying the ATS. Because the system is exempted from certain Privacy Act requirements, including the right to "contest the content of the record," a traveler has no ability to correct erroneous information, Sobel said. Zakariya Reed, a Toledo firefighter, said in an interview that he has been detained at least seven times at the Michigan border since fall 2006. Twice, he said, he was questioned by border officials about "politically charged" opinion pieces he had published in his local newspaper. The essays were critical of U.S. policy in the Middle East, he said. Once, during a secondary interview, he said, "they had them printed out on the table in front of me." From rlake at mapinc.org Sat Sep 22 13:53:55 2007 From: rlake at mapinc.org (Richard Lake) Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 13:53:55 -0400 Subject: [DrugWar] US FL: Column: At Long Last, Free Man Can Look Up Message-ID: <20070922175423.CWEQ14098.aarprv06.charter.net@computer.mapinc.org> Newshawk: http://www.november.org Pubdate: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 Source: Tampa Tribune (FL) Webpage: http://www.tbo.com/news/columnists/danielruth/MGBC020HV6F.html Copyright: 2007 The Tribune Co. Contact: http://www.tbo.com/news/opinion/submissionform.htm Website: http://www.tampatrib.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/446 Author: Daniel Ruth Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Richard+Paey Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?232 (Chronic Pain) AT LONG LAST, FREE MAN CAN LOOK UP Sitting in the prison van taking him from the Tomoka Correctional Institution to his home, his wife, his salvation in Hudson, Richard Paey began to experience something odd , something he hadn't noticed about himself the past four years of his life. "In prison, no one ever looks up," Paey said. "Inmates rarely look up at the sun." Now, sitting in the van, Richard Paey found himself gazing out the window, and slowly he began to raise his eyes as the landscape passed by. "I looked out the window and saw - things," Paey said softly. "The sun seemed brighter. The air seemed fresher. I had to look up." And life, at long last, seemed more just. Only hours earlier, the 48-year-old Paey was more commonly known as Florida Department of Corrections offender R29228, a convicted drug trafficker not scheduled to be free until Jan. 22, 2028. About four years ago, in an egregious exercise of prosecutorial abuse that makes a Star Chamber seem like an Edwardian era exercise in gentility, Paey was convicted in Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Court of seven counts of possession and trafficking in a controlled substance by fraud - namely oxycodone and hydrocodone - leading to a 25-year prison sentence. But this defendant was hardly the Al Capone of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Paey, then in leg braces and using crutches to get around, was a man in extreme, excruciating, unrelenting pain, the result of severe back injuries sustained in a car accident, a botched surgery and the onset of multiple sclerosis. Job was more happy-go-lucky. Not a shred of evidence was produced proving Paey ever sold and/or shared his pain medications with others, which the defendant always maintained were legally obtained from his physician with a prescription. Indeed, the eagle-eyed detectives and prosecutors never provided evidence that Paey forged prescriptions. Still, despite a weaker case than the trial of Socrates, it was off to the hoosegow for Paey, who was now using a wheelchair and fitted with a morphine pump, which administered, at state expense, more drugs than the inmate had been convicted of illegally possessing. Pain and Insanity During his years in prison, Richard Paey become an international cause celebre not only for a better understanding of pain management in America, but also against certifiably insane sentencing guidelines, which would condemn a very sick, infirm man to a de facto life sentence. While even the 2nd District Court of Appeal sympathized with Paey's clearly dubious sentence, it eventually fell to the state clemency board, made up of Gov. Charlie Crist, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, Attorney General Bill McCollum and Agricultural Commissioner Charles Bronson, to trump the cruel intractability of the criminal justice system with some simple common decency. John P. Flannery II, Paey's lawyer, in a powerfully written petition before the clemency board, summed up his client's predicament, noting, "Finally, in a civilized society, we do not punish individuals who are sick simply because they are sick and because they require medical treatment - whether it is prescription drugs or anything else." As well, Flannery said the mission before the board was to argue, "This was a case where the law got it wrong." He added, "We wanted to tell the board: You can trust this guy not to embarrass you." Apparently, Flannery more than made his point. A Good Day Crist moved, not only to grant clemency, but a full pardon, which was unanimously approved. "They call it justice," the governor said. "That's what we're doing here today. We aim to right a wrong and exercise compassion, and to do it with grace." Richard Paey began the day a felon. By sunset he was an innocent man. Back at the prison, a bit of chaos ensued. Pardons of incarcerated prisoners are so rare, no one knew exactly how to process Paey's release. And in one final cruel joke, before he was informed he would be freed, Paey was rolled in his wheelchair to sit in front of an intake office, which processes prisoners into the system. How amusing. "I was having a mild coronary," Paey said. In the van, on the way home to his family, the corrections officers transporting Paey, never having seen a pardon before, passed the paperwork back and forth between them in amazement. Finally, the long trip ended in Hudson with a reunion with his college-sweetheart wife and daughters and mother - and a pepperoni pizza. Resumption Of Freedom By Friday morning, after his first night back in his own bed, Paey was busy on the phone trying to get his pardon papers returned from Tomoka. Amid all the excitement, harried prison officials had forgotten to make copies of all the paperwork - including the pardon decree. And now what? "I'd like to disappear into anonymity," Paey said. "But I feel a responsibility to all the people who helped me keep this issue alive. "They gave me a human side in the eyes of the public," Paey said, adding he would like to get involved in increasing awareness of pain management. It's an acute issue, especially with more injured veterans returning from Iraq with significant pain-management problems. "I get letters from veterans all the time," Paey said. "I'm gonna help as much as I can." Paey was very kind in thanking this space for helping to tell his story. But ultimately, Richard Paey is a free man today because truth eventually triumphed over prosecutorial bullies and because Charlie Crist and the Cabinet saw a miscarriage of justice and demanded compassion. It was a good day for Richard Paey. It was a great day to look up - into the Florida sun. From thehatefulnerd at comcast.net Sat Sep 22 14:16:17 2007 From: thehatefulnerd at comcast.net (Vigilius Haufniensis) Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 13:16:17 -0500 Subject: [DrugWar] What You Can Learn From O.J. Message-ID: <02ae01c7fd44$abb7c760$8802a8c0@YOURB128060B3F> ...the point is that this case is another reminder of how the state operates and treats people, and that it's a far more dangerous predator to peaceful, civilized people than O.J. Simpson and his ilk could ever hope to be. http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig8/kramer3.html What You Can Learn From O.J. by Johnny Kramer by Johnny Kramer O.J. Simpson's latest legal troubles have dominated the news this week. The truth about what happened may never be ascertained, because all of the evidence is circumstantial and it's a classic "he said, he said" story. According to the police report, an acquaintance of Simpson's, auction house owner Tom Riccio, found out somehow that two Las Vegas sports memorabilia dealers had items that he believed belonged to Simpson, and he informed Simpson of this. Simpson came to Las Vegas from his home in Florida last week for a wedding, so he decided to retrieve his items while he was there. Conspiring with Simpson, Riccio lured the two dealers to a motel room last Thurs., Sept. 13, by saying he had a buyer looking to spend a lot of money on Simpson items. As they waited for the "buyer," Simpson burst into the room with several men, including two brandishing guns from the onset; upon entering the room, one of the armed men claimed to be a police officer. They frisked the two memorabilia dealers for weapons, then Simpson instructed his accomplices on what to take as he berated the two dealers for stealing from him. (Neither the police report nor any of the news reports have made it clear why Riccio thought the items were Simpson's; why Simpson thought the items were his, other than based on the say-so of Riccio; or how the dealers allegedly stole the items, or from where or when.) After Simpson and his accomplices left, the two dealers called the police and reported the incident. The next day, Simpson was questioned in his hotel room by the police. He admitted the details of the incident, including taking what he estimated as $100,000 worth of memorabilia. But he asserted that he had not committed an armed robbery, but was just retrieving his own property that had been stolen from him. Simpson also admitted to the Associated Press that day that he conducted his own "sting operation" the night before. "Everybody knows this is stolen stuff," Simpson told the AP. "Not only wasn't there a break-in, but Riccio came to the lobby and escorted us up to the room. In any event, it's stolen stuff that's mine. Nobody was roughed up." According to the victims, Simpson promised the victims that, after going through the items, he would leave anything he believed not to be his for them at the hotel's front desk, which tends to validate Simpson's version of the story. In spite of Simpson's claims, he was charged with one misdemeanor and 10 felonies. Even when he was arrested Sunday, Simpson continued talking to the police, and his demeanor with them, in the car driving to the jail, was described by them as "chatty and amicable." (Simpson likely tried to retrieve the items himself, rather than going to police, because he lost a $30 million-plus civil judgment to the family of Ron Goldman, one of the two people he was acquitted of killing in his criminal trial. Almost all of that remains unpaid, and any of Simpson's income, aside from his pensions and residence, are supposed to be seized by the California court to help pay down the debt.) It's understandable that many have little sympathy for Simpson, whom they believe (probably correctly) got away in 1995 with brutally killing two innocent people the previous year. It's even more difficult to feel sorry for Simpson when it's so obvious that he's an arrogant, likely-sociopath with poor judgment and poor impulse control. However, there are a number of lessons that this case illustrates about the nature of the state and its hegemonic relationship to its citizens. (Hopefully you'll never need this advice; if you do, please understand that this is for general information and that I'm not an attorney, and you should consult with one for any personal legal problems.) (Also, please understand that I am not advising anyone to break any law.) 1. It makes no difference whether you think you broke the law, nor does it matter what your reasons were for your conduct. Prosecutors arbitrarily determine, on a case-by-case basis, whether any laws have been broken, what laws have been broken, whether to file charges, what charges to file, and how many charges to file. While there are probably some fair prosecutors who truly believe they're pursing justice for victims, many prosecutors are corrupt. You may have charges piled on you because the prosecutor has political ambitions; because he or she is having financial, medical or marital problems and needs someone to take it out on; or because he or she is just in a bad mood that day. As Michael Nifong showed, some prosecutors will even go after people they know are innocent, if they think they can get away with it. Prosecutors also often pile on as many charges as they can, because that makes it more likely that the defendant will accept a plea bargain, to have some charges dropped in exchange for pleading guilty to others. The vast majority of criminal cases in the U.S. end this way, never making it to a jury trial. For a great example of this, see Rudy Giuliani's despicable persecution of Michael Milken. Over one incident, lasting probably two or three minutes, Simpson has been charged with one misdemeanor: conspiracy to commit a crime, and 10 felonies: conspiracy to commit kidnapping; conspiracy to commit robbery; first degree kidnapping with use of a deadly weapon; burglary while in possession of a deadly weapon; robbery with use of a deadly weapon; assault with a deadly weapon; and coercion with use of a deadly weapon (the total comes out to 10 because some charges have more than one count). This is clearly a case of piling on charges, although it may not be unusual. "Conspiracy" laws are ludicrous. Yes, every case has to be judged on its own, and there are mitigating factors, such as whether something was planned or committed in the heat of the moment. But, in a free society, there should be only two standards for illegality: That someone's body or property has been violated, and that there's a victim (or his or her beneficiaries, in the case of murder) filing a complaint. In theory, conspiracy laws make it possible for the government to prosecute people for planning crimes that never even occurred, and I'm sure that has happened. But their main function is to allow prosecutors to double charges. In reading the criminal complaint, the burglary charge involves entering a location with intent to steal, while robbery involves the actual stealing (and probably that the victims were present). So they're basically the same thing. The kidnapping charges are quite serious, and it's not clear from either the criminal complaint or any news reports that either of the victims were forcibly removed anywhere. So these charges seem dubious. According to the description of the assault with a deadly weapon charges, no actual assault took place; the intruders just made the victims fear that they might be assaulted. The coercion with a deadly weapon charge involves forcing the victims to give up their property. So it's also hard to distinguish this from the actual robbery. While I'm not accusing the DA of this, it's reasonable to wonder whether he piled these charges on Simpson because he, too, believes that Simpson got away with murder 12 years ago - and, since the constitution forbids double jeopardy, he's trying to put Simpson away for life as retribution for the state. Of course, prosecuting this case will also make him a superstar. 2. You have nothing to gain, and a great deal to lose, by "cooperating" with the "authorities." The government is not your friend, especially if you or someone you care about is being investigated for a possible crime. There are numerous points to make here: A) If you think what's being investigated is too minor to worry about, re-read rule one. You won't decide whether charges will be filed, what those charges will be, or how many they will be; or what the sentence will be if you or your loved one is convicted. Something you admit to that you didn't think was illegal could turn out to be a severe misdemeanor; something you thought was a misdemeanor could turn out to be a felony - or five or ten. B) If the police had enough evidence to arrest you or get a search warrant, you'd already be arrested or they'd already be searching. They're fishing for a confession or for you to lead them to evidence to obtain an arrest or search warrant. You can't be forced to talk without a subpoena, so volunteer nothing, shut the door in their faces and immediately call your attorney. C) Don't think you have nothing to fear because you're innocent; the Duke lacrosse players were innocent, and they almost went to prison for life. D) You will not gain "brownie points," such as reducing charges or your sentence, by cooperating. The best thing to do is to make it as hard as possible for the state to bring charges in the first place. E) Don't believe the police if they make promises about what you'll be charged with or what your sentence will be, if only you'll cooperate. They have no say in such matters; they gather evidence and present it to the prosecutor, who determines whether to file charges, and if so, what charges to file. Upon conviction, the judge imposes sentence based on the sentencing guidelines enacted by the state legislature (or Congress, in the case of federal crimes). F) If you are arrested, the advice is the same: Volunteer nothing and demand to speak to your attorney. 3. The state is a predator looking out for its own interests, not yours - even if you're the victim of a crime. When someone is charged with a crime, they're being charged because they broke one of the state's laws, not because they violated someone's property rights. Today, of course, many crimes (like drug possession) have nothing to do with property rights; if anything, the state is the one violating the defendant's property rights (such as by confiscating drugs that the defendant paid for and owns). That's not a trivial distinction. Generally, civil courts exist to avenge victims; criminal courts exist to avenge the state. Prosecutors even sometimes go forward with trials against the alleged victim's wishes. The state likes to have as many laws as possible, to charge as many people as possible, so it can employ as many judges, prosecutors, social workers, police, guards, etc. as possible. This has nothing to do with justice or making the victim whole; it has only to do with justifying the state's existence and enriching those who work for it or with it. It also "punishes" those it successfully convicts for its own purposes, so politicians can appear to be "tough on crime" and so it can continue to create jobs, make money and pay off political debts through expanding its prison-industrial complex. In the Simpson case, he and his accomplices are alleged to have stolen about $100,000 worth of merchandise. It appears that the entire incident lasted a couple of minutes and that no one was physically assaulted. Assuming he's convicted of all 11 charges, Simpson will go to prison for at least 60 years (in other words, for the rest of his life). While the victims will likely get at least some of the merchandise back, no rational, reasonable person could think this is a fitting punishment - not the least of which is due to the victims suffering the indignity of being forced to help pay with their tax dollars to feed, clothe and house their assailants for the rest of their assailants' lives. In a system of competing, private courts, the one goal would be making the victims whole (in other words, satisfying their paying customers). In a case like Simpson's, a private court would seek to determine who is the rightful owner of the property, and that the owner obtained it (or was compensated if it was missing or destroyed) and received any damages, and that the thief pay the bill. (While this is obvious with property crimes such as this, where the defendant would have to pay for what was stolen, damaged or destroyed, it could work for bodily crimes as well.) Losing defendants who couldn't pay would have their wages garnished, through innovative market