Monday, July 24, 2006

and the Award for Moronic Reporting... KSLA News 12 -- Coverage you can Count On - #1 in the ARK-LA-TEX Check this gem out! A new study by the National Association of Counties says meth is not only "on the rise", but it is the most used drug in America, with more users now than heroin, pot and coke combined. And in the weather, the forecast is for sunny skies with highs in the mid-90's, causing icing on the roads. The "study" they reference -- from the National Association of Counties -- is a promo piece survey of some sample of law enforcement officers. It's used to get more drug war funding and has no real scientific validity. But even still, I don't believe it said anything quite that stupid! [Via Blog Reload] 10:54:45 PM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []

A Drug WarRant Challenge: Opening Eyes to the Damage Caused by the Drug War - The DEA Targets America By now, most of you know about the extraordinarily offensive DEA exhibit that uses pieces of wreckage from the World Trade Center with children's toys mixed in as a means of promoting the DEA! (If not, more detail is available here) As Newsday reported on the exhibit when it was in New York: Like many anti-drug campaigns before it, this one rests on shaky evidence and throws a fast emotional punch. [..] To hammer it home, there's a prominent display of World Trade Center debris accompanied by an audio sound track reliving Sept. 11 and tying it straight to the drug trade. "Target America: Opening Eyes to the Damage Drugs Cause" will be opening at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago on August 11 and running until December 3. We need your help to counter this propaganda! At Drug WarRant, we have crafted a response and plan to make a powerful statement: We're working on getting a full color hand-out flyer printed to pass out to people at the Museum of Science and Industry that counters the DEA's propaganda and encourages them to find out more of the real facts. You can view the flyer here. That site will also provide detailed sources for the information on the flyer and eventually include point-by-point rebuttals of the exhibit. What you can do 1. Volunteer to help pass out flyers at the museum. If you're in the Chicago area, or plan to be there during the run of the exhibit, we need your help. No experience needed -- simply sign up to legally and non-confrontationally stand outside the museum and welcome people while giving them one of our flyers. Sign up here or email . 2. If you're not in the area, or don't have the time to volunteer, help us print the flyers. Keep in mind that I rarely have asked for money from readers. In the three years that this blog has been operating, I've made a major ask... never. It's really easy. Contribute here through a simple and easy charge to your credit card. If you'd rather make a contribution while buying fun stuff, go to the Drug WarRant store. The best contribution is through buying the 11x17 poster of the new graphic for $14.99. $10 of that purchase price will go toward the flyer printing fund. I encourage you to buy other things as well to tell the world you don't support the drug war, but the others are priced much closer to cost. If you don't like sending money online, you can send a check: Pete Guither 909 W Market St Bloomington, IL 61701 Thanks for helping us counter DEA propaganda. 12:54:47 AM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment [] A Drug WarRant Challenge: Opening Eyes to the Damage Caused by the Drug War - The DEA Targets America')" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()">

Washington Times OpEd: Legalize Drugs Column in Monday's paper by Terry Michael Many officials admit behind closed doors that our drug policy needs radical revision. Few will say so publicly. This "third rail" of politics is exacerbated by the collusion of mainstream media, suspending usual rules of journalistic practice, publishing government propaganda without quoting critics of drug-war policy. Our policies result in tremendous harm creation, about which much has been written, but I'll summarize here: Denial of liberty. Our drug war constitutes an assault on individual liberty, privacy and choice, from both the left and right. [...] Waste of treasury. [...] Government-created violent black market. Alcohol did not create Al Capone. Prohibition created Al Capone, with the mayhem, official corruption and murder that accompanied the 18th Amendment. And cocaine does not create drug cartels. America's War on Drugs creates drug cartels. Government violence against its own people. [...] Promoting disrespect for the rule of law. [...] Health harm creation. [...] Read the whole thing. Nice job, Terry! 12:24:08 AM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []