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Flex Your Rights Protests Random Searches in D.C.
{Cross-posted from Flex Your Rights}On Wednesday, Flex Your Rights brought together numerous allies, volunteers and friends to protest random searches on public transportation in the Nationâs Capital. The effort was aimed at voicing opposition to the new search policy, while educating the public about the 4th Amendment right to refuse police searches.The event generated considerable media attention, including the Washington Post, the Washington CityPaper, and local ABC and NBC affiliates:Thanks so much to our friends at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, StoptheDrugWar.org, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, and all the volunteers who came out and made this effort a success. The constant emergence of new threats to our civil liberties is a difficult thing for any freedom-loving citizen to behold, but this unfortunate event also provided a unique opportunity to educate the public about 4th Amendment rights, and thatâs exactly what we did.
Telemarketers Refuse to Make "Soft on Crime" Attacks Against Obama
Further evidence that "soft on crime" attacks are becoming politically toxic:Some three dozen workers at a telemarketing call center in Indiana walked off the job rather than read an incendiary McCain campaign script attacking Barack Obama, according to two workers at the center and one of their parents.Nina Williams, a stay-at-home mom in Lake County, Indiana, tells us that her daughter recently called her from her job at the center, upset that she had been asked to read a script attacking Obama for being "dangerously weak on crime," "coddling criminals," and for voting against "protecting children from danger."...The daughter, who wanted her name withheld fearing retribution from her employer, confirmed the story to us. "It was like at least 40 people," the daughter said. "People thought the script was nasty and they didn't wanna read it." [Talking Points Memo]TPM reports that the call script was drawn from this robocall used in other states:Hello, I'm calling for John McCain and the RNC, because Democrats are dangerously weak on crime. Barack Obama has voted against tougher penalties for street gangs, drug-related crimes, and protecting children from danger. Barack Obama and his liberal allies have a disturbing history of coddling criminals. so we can't trust their judgment to keep our families safe. This call was paid for by the Republican National Committee and McCain-Palin 2008 at 866 558-5591. Thank you, byeOf all the ferocious bile that gets strewn about in a presidential election, it strikes me as quite remarkable that it was a crime-themed attack which finally broke the will of these callers. Telemarketing is a notoriously unscrupulous profession (no offense) and one would assume that nothing short of a visceral discomfort with the content would produce this kind of open revolt. When telemarketers sacrifice pay during an economic crisis rather than read an angry "soft on crime" attack script, it really speaks volumes about the rapid descent of crime-themed political posturing. No one wants to here that crap anymore. The limitations of our criminal justice system have become horribly evident and it's growing more difficult to sell the idea that politicians who advocate reform are somehow detached from the realities of the crime issue. Accusing one's opponent of protecting criminals and endangering children just won't fly. Our politics are changing in subtle, yet significant ways. Some of the greatest obstacles on the path to reform may soon be behind us.(This article was published by StoptheDrugWar.org's lobbying arm, the Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also shares the cost of maintaining this web site. DRCNet Foundation takes no positions on candidates for public office, in compliance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and does not pay for reporting that could be interpreted or misinterpreted as doing so.)
The Drug Czar Canât Stop Panicking About Medical Marijuana
Here we go again:Pete Guither couldnât make it all the way through. Iâm not even going to try. Weâve heard all of this before. We heard the same thing in Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. Yet no one is demanding the repeal of those laws. Medical marijuana works and so do the laws that protect patients from arrest.If youâre in Michigan, vote Yes on Prop. 1. Pass it on.
Anti stigma group pt.2
The Vancouver anti stigma group held it's second meeting and they seem to have found a way to get some funding from somewhere as there are plans to create ads promoting better understanding between th
The Perfect Argument for Medical Marijuana in Michigan
Wow. The drug czar likes to complain about the deep pockets of the "pot lobby," and he's lucky it's a lie. If we could afford to put this video on the airwaves across America, the federal war against medical marijuana would be over in the blink of an eye. This is the truth about why we do what we do. These are the people who pay the price for our brutal drug laws and their stories are in our hearts each day as we fight for change. If you live in Michigan, please vote YES on Prop. 1. Tell your friends. Tell your mom. With your support, we can win another important victory for seriously ill patients.
Corruption at the Top Levels of the Mexican Drug War
This is the kind of crap weâre subsidizing with our massive financial support of Mexicoâs war on drugs:MEXICO CITY (AP) - A major drug cartel has infiltrated the Mexican attorney general's office, and one cartel worker says he even spied on DEA operations from inside U.S. Embassy, Mexican prosecutors said Monday. â¦The revelations of corruption inside the control centers of the U.S.-Mexican anti-drug effort were a major blow to President Felipe Calderon's anti-drug campaign, in which he has sent tens of thousands of troops and federal police across Mexico to combat violent cartels. â¦Assistant Attorney General Marisela Morales said two top employees of her organized-crime unit and at least three federal police agents assigned to it may have been passing information on surveillance targets and potential raids for at least four years. [Guardian] If the Mexican drug war were a Fortune 500 company, would you invest in it? Seriously, can anyone prevent our drug war donations from ending up in the hands of the cartels? This is an extraordinary mess, a complete mockery of everything weâre trying to accomplish and we have no clue how deep it goes.There isnât a single thing happening in Mexico right now that could be construed as progress in the war on drugs. To the contrary, every day that goes by brings new evidence of the fundamental failure of our strategy on every conceivable level.
Rumors of NYPD Sexually Assaulting a Marijuana Suspect
The New York Post has a horrible story alleging that NYPD officers sodomized a marijuana suspect with a walkie talkie. Sounds pretty bad, but I should note that former cop and current LEAP member Peter Moskos has doubts about the accuracy of the reports. Even if that story turns out to be false, this one is very true.
Random Searches in Our Nationâs Capital
Iâve got a post at Flex Your Rights about a new random search program that will supposedly protect Washington, DCâs public transit system from terrorism. Of course, anyone found with contraband will be arrested, and you can bet theyâll be finding a lot more bongs than bombs. As many of you know, I donât buy into that defeatist "4th Amendment is dead" hyperbole, because that mentality leads people to surrender and start waiving their rights. The greatest threat to the 4th Amendment is the widespread misconception that itâs no longer worth understanding and asserting our rights. People who know their rights get better outcomes during police encounters and that remains true despite anything and everything the wars on drugs and terror have done to undermine our basic freedoms. So we put together The Citizenâs Guide to Refusing DC Metro Searches. If you live in the DC area, or plan on visiting sometime, youâll want to check this out.
$5 Million to Catch One Drug Trafficker?
If anything resembling success ever happens in the drug war, this would be it: TIJUANA, Mexico (Reuters) â Mexican security forces have arrested the drug cartel leader Eduardo Arellano Félix, one of the international traffickers most sought by the United States, after a shootout in this border city, the government said Sunday.â¦The police arrested Mr. Arellano Félix on Saturday after they chased his car to a three-story home in an upscale neighborhood, according to federal police officials in Tijuana. A three-hour gun battle with more than 100 police officers and soldiers ensued, leaving the home riddled with bullet holes.The United States indicted Mr. Arellano Félix in 2003 on drug-smuggling and money-laundering charges and had offered a reward of up to $5 million for his capture. [NYT]In the midst of an unprecedented economic crisis, we'll still shell out $5 million for a trivial symbolic victory in the war on drugs. Everything returns to normal tomorrow. The drugs keep flowing, the bullets keep flying, and our generous reward money will help pay for it. Who do you think it was that gave up Eduardo Arellano Félix? Who has that kind of information? You can bet we'll never find out, but I'd give 10 -1 odds it's one of his own people, who now gets a promotion plus a hefty reward, all while making sure the cocaine train never falls a minute behind schedule.Even in its finest hour, the drug war is nothing but a predictably mindless ritual.
Will Mexico's Drug War Violence Come to the U.S.?
A troubling alert from the FBI:The FBI is warning that one of Mexico´s most brutal drug cartels is attempting to violently regain control of drug trafficking routes in the United States and has been ordered to engage law enforcement officers to protect their operations, according to an intelligence report obtained by The Washington Times.Los Zetas, the enforcer of Mexico´s infamous Gulf Cartel, is reinforcing its ranks and stockpiling weapons in safe houses in the U.S. in response to recent crackdowns in the U.S. and Mexico against drug traffickers, said the FBI San Antonio Field Office's Joint Assessment Bulletin. The bulletin was dated Oct. 17 and was sent to law enforcement officials in the Texas region. [Washington Times]As difficult as it is to imagine Mexico-level drug trade violence within our borders, itâs a much more likely outcome than, say, winning the drug war. The harder we push, the more bloodshed and disorder awaits us. And just as intolerable levels of violence have invigorated the drug war debate in Mexico, there is no doubt that increased casualties here at home would draw yet more attention to the role of prohibition in funding and sustaining violent organized crime. Letâs hope it doesnât come to that.
"Economically, our criminal justice policies are cutting our throat"
CJPF President Eric Sterling has a simply fantastic article at Huffington Post illustrating the virtually infinite economic harm caused by drug prohibition and over-incarceration.I highly recommend reading this, particularly because I often find reformers getting confused about the economics of prohibition. Itâs easy to look at the prison guard unions, the small towns with big SWAT teams, the forfeiture-funded drug task forces, etc. and find oneself arguing that the drug war is all about making money. Itâs true that drug war profiteering may help explain why certain interests will always shamelessly defend their piece of the prohibition pie. Yet, as Eric helpfully explains, the criminal justice system is hemorrhaging resources on every imaginable level, not only through the cost of maintaining our massive prison population, but also in terms of the lost economic participation of millions of inmates and felons. Â To whatever extent certain individuals and institutions may profit from the war on drugs, they do so at the expense of the economic health of the nation. Educating ourselves and the public about this concept is vital to framing the drug war debate in terms all Americans can relate to.
Red Ribbon Week in Kindergarten
Next week is red ribbon week, the beginning of DARE for my kindergarten son.
Smoking Pot Wonât Make You Stupid, But Stupid People Do Smoke Pot
Despite major ballot initiatives pending in Massachusetts and Michigan, these are the two most-reported marijuana stories of the month:1. Some guy who tried to trade pot for a meal at McDonalds.2. Miss Teen Louisiana losing her crown after ditching the bill at a restaurant and leaving behind her purse, which contained her ID and some marijuana.No matter what happens, the media will always be primarily interested in the most trivial, embarrassing marijuana-related news that can possibly be drudged up. Nothing we say or do is ever going to change that. And for what itâs worth, I must admit that stories like this are just priceless and deserve every click.But as long as this kind of inconsequential fluff continues to dominate marijuana-related press coverage, the worst stereotypes will endure and the effort to stimulate serious discussion of our marijuana laws will remain a steep uphill battle.
Parents Are Using Drug Dogs on Their Own Children
I suppose it was just a matter of time:Ali is a highly trained German shepherd that spent eight years on narcotics patrol with the New Jersey police force, hunting down drug smugglers at airports and drug dealers on inner-city streets. Post-retirement, he's working in the private sector, sniffing teenagers' bedrooms.Ali and his handler are now working for a new company in New Jersey called Sniff Dogs.The company, which also conducts business in Ohio, rents drug-sniffing canines to parents for $200 an hour. It was started this year by Debra Stone, who says her five trained dogs can detect heroin, cocaine, crystal meth and ecstasy.The dogs' noses are so sensitive that they can smell a marijuana seed from up to 15 feet away and marijuana residue on clothing from drugs smoked two nights before.One of the selling points of this service? Avoiding the kind of confrontation that comes with a drug test. [ABC News]Yeah, unless Derrick walks in while youâre marching a snarling drug dog around his room. This is ridiculous. Anyway, it makes no sense to do it when your kid isnât home. The drugs are usually on them, so thereâs gonna be a confrontation after all. And subjecting your children to dog sniffs is at least as likely to provoke animosity as a urine test. Who are they kidding?Parenting is hard and teenage drug abuse is almost impossible to handle exactly the right way. But bringing drug sniffing dogs into your house is just totally crazy, it really is. Itâs the sort of approach that only occurs to parents whose over-the-top hysteria about drugs has already eliminated the possibility that their kids would actually tell them anything voluntarily.Update: In response to this comment, I don't think the point is really to help parents who are already dealing with a drug abuse problem in their home. At that point, you don't need a drug dog to tell you what you already know. If you start doing stuff like that, your kid just won't bring it in the house. One of the mothers quoted in the story is using the dog as an extra precaution even though her kids seem fine. And that's weird. Seriously. If your kids say they're not using drugs and they're happy and doing well in school, etc. and yet you're still marching drug dogs around their rooms...you're the one with a problem.
Wow, I almost forgot it was Drug Free Work Week
Fortunately, the drug czar remembered, which makes sense because itâs his third favorite drug war theme-week. And having burdened us with this annoying ritual, he goes on to explain unintentionally how unbelievably unimportant it is:October 20-26th is Drug Free Work WeekEvery year, the Department of Labor sponsors a Drug Free Work Week to raise awareness of the consequences of drug use on the workplace. According to recent research this is a serious problem:â¢Â   75 percent of the nationâs current illegal drug users are employedâand 3.1 percent say they have actually used illegal drugs before or during work hours.That means 97% of drug users donât go to work high. Seriously, these numbers show that the overwhelming majority of drug users have jobs and scrupulously avoid drugs on workdays. Thatâs not a problem, thatâs awesome. And it goes to show how completely nuts you are if you think we have to drug test everybody to keep them from spilling bong water in the copier. Even at my office â where we oppose drug testing and advocate drug legalization â weâll still throw you the hell out if you come in drooling and screwing around. If thereâs ever been a solution in search of a problem, itâs the little plastic cup that proves you smoked pot at some point in the past month. Unfortunately, in the drug war, we always do things the hard way and thatâs why the federal government would rather prosecute purveyors of prosthetic piss-test penises than admit that anyone with half a brain shouldnât need laboratory results to identify the dumbass in the department. Meanwhile, Joe Sixpack, the very epitome of traditional American values, is far more likely to mix business with pleasure than the average illegal drug user:â¢Â  79 percent of the nationâs heavy alcohol users are employedâand 7.1 percent say they have actually consumed alcohol during the workday.But nobody drug tests for that, so the workplace drug testing tyranny tinkles on, untethered by the towering absurdity of busting employees for smoking pot over the weekend, while vastly larger numbers get drunk on their lunch break with impunity. The whole thing is such a monument of stupidity and craziness, I suppose itâs fitting that the drug czar must set aside a whole week each year to bask in it.Punk Rock Bonus: Hereâs NOFX with "Go To Work Wasted"
Why Do Prison and Alcohol Lobbies Oppose Drug Treatment?
Iâve been severely remiss in failing thus far to cover the very important Prop. 5 in California. The Nonviolent Offender Rehabilitation Act (NORA) would save billions in incarceration costs by referring many drug offenders into treatment instead of prison. Itâs a significant reform and the vested drug war interests are in full-blown panic mode trying to defeat it.The drug czar is in California right now campaigning against it, and a whoâs who of drug war profiteers have assembled a well-funded No on 5 campaign, branding Prop. 5 as "the drug dealerâs bill of rights." So who exactly is funding opposition to this commonsense drug treatment initiative?DPA director Ethan Nadelmann explains via email:Last week the powerful prison guards union contributed $1 million to the opposition campaign. That's on top of hundreds of thousands of dollars from Indian tribes/casinos with close links to law enforcement as well as $100,000 from the California Beer and Beverage Distributors.Isnât it obvious whatâs going on here? The prison industry lobbies shamelessly to keep as many people in prison as possible. The alcohol industry defends the interests of the criminal justice infrastructure that protects their monopoly on legal intoxication. And yet the drug czar has the audacity to present George Sorosâs support for reform as some kind of shady conspiracy. Itâs just amazing, it really is.Itâs not even my style to go around accusing our opposition of unscrupulous drug war profiteering at every turn, but what else is there to say about this? Itâs right in front of our face. Itâs as transparent as it is hypocritical. And it canât be allowed to succeed. If you live in California, please vote YES on Prop. 5 and tell everyone you know to do the same.
Giuliani Robocall Attacks Obama on Drug Sentencing
Voters in several swing states are receiving this recorded message from Rudy Giuliani:Hi, this is Rudy Giuliani, and I'm calling for John McCain and the Republican National Committee because you need to know that Barack Obama opposes mandatory prison sentences for sex offenders, drug dealers, and murderers.It's true, I read Obama's words myself. And recently, Congressional liberals introduced a bill to eliminate mandatory prison sentences for violent criminals -- trying to give liberal judges the power to decide whether criminals are sent to jail or set free. With priorities like these, we just can't trust the inexperience and judgment of Barack Obama and his liberal allies. This call was paid for by the Republican National Committee and McCain-Palin 2008 at 866 558 5591. [TPM]TPM's Greg Sargent points out the incredibly misleading use of the term "mandatory sentencing":Note that Rudy claims Obama "opposes mandatory prison sentences" for rapists and murders, Rudy is actually referring to Obama's opposition to specific mandatory minimum sentences. By dropping the word "minimum," he's insinuating that Obama opposes mandatory prison sentences in general.Thatâs dead-on. The correct term is "mandatory minimum sentencing," but Giuliani reworks the phrase to make Obamaâs position on sentencing reform sound more sinister. Of course, this is all just total nonsense. Giuliani uses the word "liberal" to disparage judges, as though they are a criminalâs best friend and they all want to "set free" sex offenders, drug dealers, and murderers. Moreover, McCain and Obama are on the same page when it comes to sentencing nonviolent drug offenders. Obamaâs opposition to mandatory minimum sentencing stems from his concern that we have too many first-time nonviolent drug offenders in prison, a point McCain agrees with. The Republican platform completely omits drug crimes from the list of offenses for which republicans support mandatory minimum sentencing.As sleazy and disgusting as this is, I just donât see it going anywhere. At this point in the campaign, this kind of hysterical mudslinging is inherently suspect. Thereâs just not much to debate in terms of the candidatesâ differences on crime issues anyway, so if the McCain campaign wants to go there, theyâll need to create some kind of meaningful distinction. Arguing that Obama wants to free dangerous criminals sounds ridiculous on its face and wonât survive as a talking point without some substance to back it up. There is none.My prediction: Giulianiâs throwback to the "soft on crime" attack politics of the '80's will accomplish nothing.(This blog post was published by StoptheDrugWar.org's lobbying arm, the Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also shares the cost of maintaining this web site. DRCNet Foundation takes no positions on candidates for public office, in compliance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and does not pay for reporting that could be interpreted or misinterpreted as doing so.)
The Drug War is Destroying Mexico Right Before Our Eyes
Everywhere you look, it is just so obvious that the drug war is making Mexicoâs problems worse, not better:A record number of Mexicans are fleeing to Canada, claiming their own country cannot keep them safe as it struggles to contain a grisly narcotics war that is spilling into nightclubs and restaurants.There are currently 9,070 Mexican refugee claimants waiting to have their cases heard, the largest number yet from one country since the Immigration and Refugee Board was established in 1989.â¦The brutality is intense: human heads lobbed into discos; bound men found asphyxiated in cars; shootouts in shopping centres in the middle of the day. In September, grenades were lobbed at a public celebration of Independence Day in Morelia, a colonial town about 240 kilometres west of Mexico City, prompting some to call it "narco-terrorism" as the victims were civilians. [Globe and Mail]How much more of this can the Mexican people withstand? The number of refugees may soon grow exponentially as it becomes increasingly clear that there is no plan to stop the violence, or rather, that the plan currently in effect is exactly whatâs causing the problem. As bad as things already are, the potential for greater bloodshed and disorder is virtually limitless and it seems weâre now marching forth into a true test of wills as the drug war faithful must behold and somehow defend the unfathomable disaster theyâve created. It stands to reason that there exists a threshold beyond which the insanity of the drug war cannot be sustained. This has to stop somehow, because it really is as bad as the drug warâs critics have long maintained. I believe we may be witnessing the emergence of a tipping point at which the totality of drug war destabilization, festering for decades, has now exploded all over the map. Calderon canât turn back without admitting the drug warâs failure, nor can he push forward without placing in great jeopardy the very foundations of the society heâs sworn to defend. We are witnessing the deadly consequences of a failed international drug strategy. The virus of prohibition that entered the sociopolitical bloodstream decades ago is now shutting down vital organs and inflicting damage that wonât soon heal. It cannot be allowed to continue as it has for so long. This must end and although legalization isnât a magical or perfect solution, it is at least something that can be tested and manipulated to maximize benefits and minimize harm.Already, the most apocalyptic visions of drug legalizationâs legacy pale in comparison to the nightmare of prohibition that smolders right in front of us. It may soon become very difficult for our opponents to continue presenting reform as the dangerous, frightening approach to the drug problem.
Could Mexico City Become the Next Amsterdam?
As the failure of the drug war in Mexico becomes increasingly difficult to deny, weâre beginning to see a change in the tone of the drug policy discussion:The architect of Mexico's offensive against drug traffickers, President Felipe Calderon, has sent a proposal to Congress that would decriminalize small amounts of drugs by giving those consumers the choice of treatment instead of jail time. Authorities hope the change would free up resources to go after higher-level criminals.The speaker of Mexico City's legislative assembly has gone even further, saying he wants to turn the capital into another Amsterdam by legalizing small sales of marijuana, which he calls a "soft drug" currently controlled by criminals. [Chicago Tribune]Can you even imagine how U.S. drug warriors would react if Mexico tried to legalize marijuana sales? Move over Cuban Missile Crisis, this would really be the greatest national security nightmare in American history. Iâm not kidding, because these drug war cheerleaders really are more afraid of an 1/8 ounce of marijuana than the devil himself. But as far as Mexico is concerned, regulated marijuana sales would be frickinâ ingenious. You could de-fund a major sector of the blackmarket economy, while cashing in on massive tourism income. It would be like Amsterdam, except with delicious tacos instead of the wretched crap that passes for food in the Red Light District.