Saturday, December 31, 2005

Justice, Texas Style Interesting interview at Alternet with reporter Nate Blakeslee, who has a new book: "Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town." What does the story of Tulia reveal about the larger landscape of the national war on drugs? I think it shows the decline in standards of law enforcement that has come along with the Byrne Grant task force program. And it's not just in Texas; these grants are funding similar drug task forces in almost all rural and suburban areas in the United States. 5:46:47 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Former Drug Czar Signs with CNN According to TV Newser, William Bennett will join CNN as a "political analyst" (replacing Robert Novak as a high-profile conservative). Bennett was the Drug Czar under George Bush the First, and is smooth talker and fact shaver known for taking a high moral position against drugs and just about anything else, as long as it isn't Bill Bennett doing it (he turned out to be quite the gambler). Current Drug Czar John Walters was chief of staff under Bennett (and learned his techniques well). The two of them even wrote a book together called "Body Count: Moral Poverty...and How to Win America's War Against Crime and Drugs" (1996) - a thoroughly discredited piece of garbage that I actually slogged through. Nauseating. [Thanks to Crooks and Liars] 10:25:08 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Fundraising for Drug War Dollars Colombian President Uribe isn't satisfied with the drug war money he's gotten from the U.S. -- now he's putting out a fundraising pitch to the rest of the world: Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has told the BBC the world must play a bigger role in helping his country combat illegal drugs and rebel groups. "There are many countries helping us and there are many countries that do not help us yet," the president said. And how would the funds be used? "I want to underline our determination to go to the jungle again ... to destroy the illicit plantations that FARC has put within this national park," he said. Uribe told the BBC Colombians have a right to live in a country free of guerrillas, paramilitary groups, narcotics and corruption. Yes, give us more money so we can be free of corruption. Is Uribe stupid, or does he just think the rest of the world is? 9:46:27 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []