Monday, August 14, 2006

Welcome, Congress In today's Congressional Quarterly (sorry, no link - subscription only) Drug Dissenters Make Terror Link by Shawn Zeller, CQ Staff For the five years since the Sept. 11 attacks, federal drug warriors have publicized the ways that ill-gotten narcotics profits have paid for terrorist activity. Now the critics of the drug war are seeking to turn that argument to their own advantage, suggesting that drugs are attractive funding sources to terror groups for one main reason: because they're illegal. [...] Just as Capone profiteered using the illegal status of alcohol during Prohibition, Angell argues, terror groups are able to realize enormous profits because of the artificially high prices of illicit drugs today. The exhibit's DEA sponsors are "hiding the fact that it is their prohibitionist policy that has allowed terrorists to make money off drugs," he says. He says his group plans to dispatch members to the exhibit throughout its four-month run to distribute leaflets promoting a rival online exhibit created by Pete Guither, who writes the blog DrugWarRant.com. (And that rival online exhibit is DEAtargetsAmerica.com) The best thing in the article is how the DEA spokesman obliviously steps right into it. DEA spokesman David Ausiello says that, while the exhibit does make use of such specific cases [terrorist drug connections], its primary message is much broader: "We are up against a formidable enemy that is well-funded with money that comes from drugs," he says. "We have to take away their means to make money." Yep. And there's one way to do that. End prohibition, and the criminals lose their source of funding. (Of course, so does the DEA.) Thanks for helping us make our point, David. 2:12:35 PM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []

The DEA Exhibit -- your turn We've had a good start with our response to the DEA exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry. I know a lot of you wanted to do something to help, but aren't available to pass out flyers. Here's your chance. The exhibit has generated some press, and you can capitalize on that by writing letters to the papers and the sponsors. Here are some talking points. Parallels between alcohol prohibition and prohibition today. The inappropriateness of using a museum exhibit to act as a commercial for a federal agency. The DEA's failed record. It's a one-sided exhibit, and it's political propaganda. The drug and terror connection being promoted in the exhibit is a blatant attempt by the DEA to step up to the terror funding trough, and it ignores prohibition's impact on the obscene profitability of the illicit drug trade. MAPinc is a great source for letter-writing tips. Here are some papers that have published articles on the exhibit. Washington Post (Letters) Chicago Tribune (Letters) Knox News (Letters) Indianapolis Star (Letters) Tampa Trib (Letters) Washington Times (UPI story) (Letters) Chicago Sun Times (Letters) [Note: Chicago Sun Times is also a sponsor of the exhibit.] NBC 5/Telemundo (Contact Form) [Note: NBC 5/Telemundo is also a sponsor of the exhibit.] A few more sponsors... McDonald's - the main sponsor of the exhibit (Social Responsibility Contact Form) Chicago Blackhawks (Contact Form) Motorola Foundation (Email Contact) McCormick Tribune Foundation (Contact Info) Field Foundation (Staff email addresses) Chicago Community Trust (Contact info) Note about sponsors: There appears to be some confusion as to the actual list of sponsors for the exhibit. I got the list on the right side of this page directly from the DEA Museum's site (which had been updated as of July 27). However, their site now has this shorter list as of May 1 and an even shorter list as of January 15. The museum's exhibit site only lists two sponsors - McDonald's and NBC 5. So write some letters. It only takes a few minutes. And it's your turn. 1:17:11 AM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []