Ethan Nadelmann Destroys Bill O'Reilly in Drug War Debate
Yeah, that pretty much sums it up:
As I've said in the past, we should be nothing short of thrilled that Bill O'Reilly is as big a drug war idiot as he is. Sure, he has his devotees, but an awful lot of people form their political identity around believing the opposite of anything he says. O'Reilly's recent obsession with trashing Sting and the Drug Policy Alliance is exposing his audience to ideas you won't often hear on primetime FOX News programming.
Hopefully, getting schooled by Ethan hasn't dampened O'Reilly's enthusiasm for ranting mindlessly about drugs.
As I've said in the past, we should be nothing short of thrilled that Bill O'Reilly is as big a drug war idiot as he is. Sure, he has his devotees, but an awful lot of people form their political identity around believing the opposite of anything he says. O'Reilly's recent obsession with trashing Sting and the Drug Policy Alliance is exposing his audience to ideas you won't often hear on primetime FOX News programming.
Hopefully, getting schooled by Ethan hasn't dampened O'Reilly's enthusiasm for ranting mindlessly about drugs.
Radley Balko Discusses Botched Drug Raids on FOX
John Stossel's new show on Fox Business Network is off to an impressive start with an hour-long assault on prohibition titled Drug War Disaster. Here's a segment featuring Radley Balko and Cheye Calvo:
You can (and should) watch the entire episode here. At the very least, check out the opening segment in which Stossel crushes Sean Hannity in a drug policy debate. It's truly priceless.
You can (and should) watch the entire episode here. At the very least, check out the opening segment in which Stossel crushes Sean Hannity in a drug policy debate. It's truly priceless.
Government-Sponsored Murder in the Name of Prohibition
This fascinating piece in Slate recalls the government's seldom-discussed effort to enforce alcohol prohibition by poisoning people:
It's a nightmarish tale of prohibitionist lunacy that's worth reading in its entirety. Government officials were viciously calculating in their actions and callously blamed naïve drinkers for the consequences.
Today, prohibition kills people in different, yet equally abhorrent and unnecessary ways. Its advocates continue to deny responsibility for the predictable and inevitable consequences of the policies they defend and the death toll has grown to incalculable proportions, spanning the globe. The drug war leaves sickness and murder in its wake at every turn, yet many among us remain blind to the lessons learned nearly a century ago.
Frustrated that people continued to consume so much alcohol even after it was banned, federal officials had decided to try a different kind of enforcement. They ordered the poisoning of industrial alcohols manufactured in the United States, products regularly stolen by bootleggers and resold as drinkable spirits. The idea was to scare people into giving up illicit drinking. Instead, by the time Prohibition ended in 1933, the federal poisoning program, by some estimates, had killed at least 10,000 people.
It's a nightmarish tale of prohibitionist lunacy that's worth reading in its entirety. Government officials were viciously calculating in their actions and callously blamed naïve drinkers for the consequences.
Today, prohibition kills people in different, yet equally abhorrent and unnecessary ways. Its advocates continue to deny responsibility for the predictable and inevitable consequences of the policies they defend and the death toll has grown to incalculable proportions, spanning the globe. The drug war leaves sickness and murder in its wake at every turn, yet many among us remain blind to the lessons learned nearly a century ago.
StoptheDrugWar.org on Huffington Post
I have started blogging on Huffington Post. Check out my first post there, SWAT Raids: No One Is Safe. This is a basic statement laying out the case for why SWAT deployments are now out-of-control and need to be dramatically reined in.
Sadly, even more outrageous and infuriating evidence of the need for SWAT to be reined in has already come out, as Scott's latest post here last night demonstrates.
If you'd like to follow me on Huffington Post on a regular basis, visit my page there to make use one of the subscription options -- make sure to "like" the page on Facebook too. I will also be writing more editorials over the coming months in our own Drug War Chronicle newsletter; check out the latest one if you haven't already, here.
Action Alert: Demand Criminal Justice Reform!
Tell Congress to pass the National Criminal Justice Commission Act! |
Dear friends,
Our criminal justice system is a disgrace. While the United States makes up only 5% of the world's population, we hold more than 25% of the world's prisoners. Prisons are overcrowded, courts are clogged, police resources are squandered and at the root of it all, is the war on drugs.
Thankfully, we have a chance to make Congress take a serious look at reform.
On Wednesday, June 23rd, SSDP is taking part in the National Call In Day for Criminal Justice Reform and we need your help to urge the passage of the National Criminal Justice Commission Act, S. 714. This legislation would create a bipartisan commission to review criminal justice policies and make recommendations for reform. Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) and 15 bipartisan cosponsors introduced the bill last year.
Now, the Senate Judiciary Committee has reviewed and favorably passed the bill and it is awaiting passage out of the U.S. Senate. Please take a minute to call the following Senators and ask them to prioritize and support Senate passage of this important legislation:
- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), 202-224-5556
- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), 202-224-3135
- Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL), 202-224-9447
Phone Script:
"Hello, my name is _______________. I am a registered voter in ____________, and I am calling to express both my support and concern regarding the National Criminal Justice Commission Act, Senate Bill 714. I am supportive of the measure because transparency on the bipartisan commission will increase public safety and government accountability, and because the incredible rates of incarceration over the past 20 years are unsustainable socially and economically. I am concerned because if this act is not passed, we will once again be endorsing a criminal justice system that is fundamentally flawed."
More information can be found at http://www.ssdp.org/cjreform (please tweet, buzz and share this link!).
The drug war has devastated America's criminal justice system. If this commission is approved, it will surely include recommendations to reform our nation's drug policies. So please, call Congress today!
Sincerely,Â
Jonathan Perri
Associate Director
Students for Sensible Drug PolicyÂ
P.S. Do you want SSDP to continue pressuring Congress to ensure more sensible drug policies? If so, please become a monthly donor
of $20 or more: