Sorry, Right Number (Feb. 29, 2004- Free NYTimes registration required)
German intelligence agents gave the CIA the first name and phone number of one of the hijackers-to-be some 30 months before the September 11 attacks, but George Tenet claimed that wasn't enough to find him. As Maureen Dowd wrote while quoting a friend of hers, "For crying out loud. As one guy I know put it: 'I've tracked down women across the country with a lot less information than that.'" She also wrote, "Here's a hot tip: If you think the White House should be more cooperative with the 9/11 commission, call George at (202) 456-1111. I'm sure everyone outside the C.I.A. can take it from there."

Drug Policies (Feb. 29, 2004)
"This is in response to 'Marijuana is not medicine,' by Andrea Barthwell, a deputy director at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and a past president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine ( Commentary, Feb. 17 ). Barthwell failed to include some very important truths not only about medicinal marijuana but, more important, the government's determination to keep facts, truth and the ability to make our own health-care decisions from us." Also see in the same paper, "Marijuana by Prescription Only," also in reaction to Barthwell's silly and outright reefer madness-inspired screed.

Justice Scalia and Mr. Cheney (Feb. 29, 2004)
As if after the 2000 election there was any doubt that the US Supreme Court was crooked, the latest revelations about the cozy relationship between Cheney and Scalia hammer home the point.

The Rumsfeld-Bush Legal Black Hole (Feb. 29, 2004)
"The idea that you could theoretically keep someone locked up forever under these circumstances is reprehensible. . . . It's nothing to do with law as any person should understand it, at least since the Magna Carta. How do you know without a trial that these people are even dangerous? It all depends on the military's word."

Diebold, Electronic Voting and the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy (Feb. 27, 2004)
"Bev Harris, author of Black Box Voting: Ballot Tampering in the 21st Century, argues that without a paper trail, these machines are open to massive voter fraud. Diebold has already placed some 50,000 machines in 37 states and their track record is causing Harris, Johns Hopkins University professors and others great concern."

Hastert Tells W. House He Won't Extend 9/11 Panel (Feb. 27, 2004)
This is sickening and repulsive and gives an honest view of these maniacs in control at the top of the heap. Anything to protect their asses for allowing the attacks to take place, whether by accident or by design. IT doesn't matter- they don't want the public to know what is going on, and may succeed if we don't show our fury at this latest outrage from the liars and thieves in control of the United States.

The Oliver North File: His Diaries, E-Mail, and Memos on the Kerry Report, Contras and Drugs (Feb. 27, 2004)
Oliver North lied through his teeth on Feb. 26, 2004 when he told talkshow hosts "Hannity & Colmes that the Kerry report was 'wrong,' that Sen. Kerry 'makes this stuff up and then he can't justify it,' and that 'The fact is nobody in the government of the United States, going all the way back to the earliest days of this under Jimmy Carter, ever had anything to do with running drugs to support the Nicaraguan resistance. Nobody in the government of the United States. I will stand on that to my grave.'" Here is the evidence that proves he's still a liar and protector of international drug cartels.

Court Allows Medicinal Use of Marijuana (Feb. 27, 2004)
"The federal appeals court here has refused to reconsider its ruling that allows Californians to grow and use marijuana to treat their illnesses." In other words, the court told the prohibitionist feds to take a hike and quite bothering sick pot smokers in California.

Scalia Took Trip Set Up by Lawyer in Two Cases (Feb. 27, 2004)
Can there really be any doubt left in anyone at all that Scalia is as crooked as the day is long?

Heed the warning of global warming (Feb. 25, 2004)
"It’s not an easy thing to accept the fact that we are destroying the atmosphere we live in."

When John Kerry's Courage Went M.I.A. (Feb. 25, 2004)
"The Massachusetts senator, now seeking the presidency, carried out this subterfuge a little over a decade ago— shredding documents, suppressing testimony, and sanitizing the committee's final report—when he was chairman of the Senate Select Committee on P.O.W./ M.I.A. Affairs."

Rhode Island's War on Anarchism (Feb. 24, 2004)
Those who have struggled for decades to end the War on Some Drugs and Users have long known that the maniacs are in control of much if not most of the United States of America, but the rest of the country is finally beginning to figure it out as well. Is "better late than never" the correct thing to say, or is it rather "too late?"

The Nature of the Threat (Feb. 24, 2004)
Other than for that pesky, on-going Big Brother thing, this is the freest country in the world...right?

Ecstasy Reconsidered Wednesday (Feb. 24, 2004)
"A study by a prominent researcher warning of the dangers of Ecstasy was retracted last September after it was revealed that primates in the study had been injected with a different drug. What does this mean for the future of Ecstasy research? What are the implications for U.S. drug policy? Join us here on Wednesday, February 25, at 2 p.m., U.S. Eastern time."

C.I.A. Was Given Data on Hijacker Long Before 9/11 (Feb. 24, 2004)
"American investigators were given the first name and telephone number of one of the Sept. 11 hijackers two and a half years before the attacks on New York and Washington, but the United States appears to have failed to pursue the lead aggressively, American and German officials say."

South Haven administrator quits after marijuana flap (Feb. 24, 2004)
Sometimes good does win over evil. This is the assistant principle who tried to set up a young boy at his school who he suspect was a drug dealer. The assistant principle is facing serious charges now.

George Bush, Drug Kingpin (Feb. 24, 2004)
"Let me be the first to suggest that we hold this year's Annual Drug Kingpin Awards Night in Crawford, Texas. That way we can applaud the prodigious efforts of George W. Bush in reenergizing the moribund drug trade in Afghanistan and single handedly insuring its exponential growth well into the future. For this he has proved himself singularly worthy of our Pablo Escobar Lifetime Achievement Award."

Guerrilla of the Week (Feb. 24, 2004)
"Plum Island's new owner is the Department of Homeland Security. If another country were to send UN weapons inspectors to American soil to search for 'weapons of mass desctrution,' they might just find the 'smoking gun' to launch a "preventive invasion" not far from P. Diddy's summer home."

A phony war defeats free speech (Feb. 24, 2004)
"The beauty of Jefferson's marketplace of ideas is that it opens our society to all voices and all arguments, presuming the most persuasive will rise to the top. But those who promote the War on Drugs find this a dangerous concept. Drug reform makes too much sense and in recent years has been too compelling to voters."

ACLU and Drug Policy Groups Sue Over Censorship of Advertisements Criticizing "War on Drugs" (Feb. 24, 2004)
"Amendment Silences Political Speech by Denying $3 Billion in Funds to Local Transit Authorities that Accept Advertisements on Marijuana Law Reform."

Now the Pentagon Tells Bush: Climate Change Will Destroy Us (Feb. 24, 2004)
"Climate change over the next 20 years could result in a global catastrophe costing millions of lives in wars and natural disasters." This is one hell of a scary article. If the Pentagon has it right, things are going to get really chaotic and violent over the next few decades, and life will continue to change drastically for all of us. Maybe the prohibitionist powers that be will finally find something more important to focus on that waging a wasteful War on Some Drugs and Users.

A Secret Hunt Unravels in Afghanistan (Feb. 24, 2004)
"The seeds of the CIA's first formal plan to capture or kill Osama bin Laden were contained in another urgent manhunt -- for Mir Aimal Kasi, the Pakistani migrant who murdered two CIA employees while spraying rounds from an assault rifle at cars idling before the entrance to the CIA's Langley headquarters in 1993."

Home Drug-Making Laboratories Expose Children to Toxic Fallout (Feb. 24, 2004- Free NYTimes registration required)
"What makes the spread particularly worrisome is new evidence that children living in homes with laboratories face a health threat as hazardous as those who actually use the drug."

Soldier for the Truth (Feb. 23, 2004)
"She would soon conclude that the OSP — a pet project of Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld — was more akin to a nerve center for what she now calls a 'neoconservative coup, a hijacking of the Pentagon.'"

Assistant principal admits planting marijuana in student's locker (Feb. 21, 2004)
"Pat Conroy has been placed on administrative leave as assistant principal at South Haven High School. Earlier this month, he told police he put the drugs in the locker last year because he suspected the student was a drug dealer, and wanted the boy expelled." DrugWar.com list subscriber Elmer Elevator wrote, "for those of us who want to Share Your Feelings, Principal Dene Hadden is at dhadden@shps.org and Asst. Principal Pat Conroy is at pjconroy@hotmail.com."

Man who sold urine sent to prison (Feb. 21, 2004)
"Curtis maintains he sold the product because he felt random urine testing by companies was an invasion of privacy. The state contends he sold it to help people defraud drug tests."

O.C. Clinic Sees Pot as a Valid Treatment (Feb. 20, 2004)
Two doctors open an office focused on recommending marijuana. Being a target of law enforcement is a fear."

US opens door to 15,000 Hmongs (Feb. 19, 2004)
"Most of the residents at the temple belong to families of veterans of the CIA’s secret operation in Laos during the Vietnam War. The guerrillas were considered a major US ally and were driven from their hillside villages when Vientiane fell in 1975." The Hmong were also the ones growing the opium and involved in many other ways with the illegal heroin/opium trade in collaberation with the CIA.

Scientists Accuse White House of Distorting Facts (Feb. 19, 2004-Free NYTimes registration required)
Considering the huge number of times the White House has distorted the facts about the drugs they've decreed illegal, why would anyone be surprised to find they've done it in other areas too?

A Candid Conversation with Antero Alli (Feb. 19, 2004)
"TRP: You mentioned that your paratheatrical research sessions can often induce altered states of consciousness that are very similar to those felt on psychedelic substances."

Rush Limbaugh and the Sick Federal War on Pain Relief (Feb. 18, 2004)
"Mr. Speaker, the publicity surrounding popular radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh's legal troubles relating to his use of the pain killer OxyContin hopefully will focus public attention on how the federal drug war threatens the effective treatment of chronic pain."

FAVOR Calls for Stories of Students Affected by the Higher Education Act (Feb. 18, 2004)
"As part of its campaign to restore the right of students with drug convictions to receive federal financial aid, Faces and Voices of Recovery wants to hear from people who have been affected by this law."

Prosecutor in terror case controversy sues Ashcroft (Feb. 17, 2004)
"A federal prosecutor in a major terrorism case in Detroit has taken the rare step of suing Attorney General John Ashcroft, alleging the Justice Department interfered with the case, compromised a confidential informant and exaggerated results in the war on terrorism."

Research in Italy Turns Up a New Form of Mad Cow Disease (Feb. 17, 2004- Free NYTimes registration required)
"Along with the Italian study, there have been recent reports of unusual types of mad cow disease in France and Japan, and scientists say the discovery of new forms suggests that many cases of 'sporadic' human disease — by far the most common kind, responsible for about 300 deaths a year in the United States — are not spontaneous at all, but come from eating animals."

Sticks, carrots, juice and corruption (Feb. 16, 2004)
"Even former U.S. officials argue that shaming Colombia into action may have had the opposite effect: weakening the government while the drug business quickly retooled."

Getting Tough on the Police (Feb. 16, 2004)
"Delgadillo said he was not surprised that 17 [Ciudad Juarez, Mexico] state police officers had been implicated in the deaths of 12 people found buried in the neighborhood. What shocked him, he said, was that some of those policemen were in jail."

Indictment latest in series of allegations of corruption in Cameron County Sheriff’s Department (Feb. 16, 2004)
"The Sheriff’s Department has been marked by incessant allegations of corruption within the jail hierarchy — including jailers stealing from inmates and aiding escape, supervisors having sexual contact with inmates and exposing themselves to staff, captains covering up misconduct and inmates dealing drugs within the jails."

Probing too far U.S. should keep mitts off baseball's drug tests (Feb. 16, 2004)
"The seedy side of winning an Olympic gold medal never appears on international television. The cameras stick with the champions through the victory laps and the medal ceremonies, but tastefully vanish during the drug- testing phase, when an athlete must deliver a urine sample, which is the most delicate way of describing a repugnant process."

After OxyContin Series, A Delayed Reaction (Feb. 16, 2004)
"The Orlando Sentinel portrayed David Rokisky as a happy newlywed -- 'Life was perfect,' he said -- whose life was ruined when he started taking the painkiller OxyContin. Unfortunately for the Florida paper, Rokisky's life had not been so perfect. He had pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy in a cocaine case four years earlier."

The Five Sisters (Feb. 16, 2004- Free NYTimes registration required)
"If one huge corporation controlled both the production and the dissemination of most of our news and entertainment, couldn't it rule the world?"

Latest government report on Wellstone 'accident' finds its scapegoats, many questions remain (Feb. 16, 2004)
"At a meeting full of war veterans in Willmar, Minn., days before his death, Wellstone told attendees that Cheney told him, 'If you vote against the war in Iraq, the Bush administration will do whatever is necessary to get you. There will be severe ramifications for you and the state of Minnesota.'"

Partisan Denunciations Fly Over Secret Strategy Memos (Feb. 16, 2004- Fre NYTimes registration required)
Dirty politics in all their glory, this time around practiced by the Republican side of the equation.

Mr. Attorney General, Listen to the Doctors and Patients - John Ashcroft, meet a cancer victim (Feb. 15, 2004)
This is a one year old article and still as meaningful as ever.

British spy op wrecked peace move (Feb. 15, 2004)
"A joint British and American spying operation at the United Nations scuppered a last-ditch initiative to avert the invasion of Iraq, The Observer can reveal."

Fancy Greens, Pusherman Blues (Feb. 13, 2004)
"Why the new Jackson spells problems for your local dealer–and more tax dollars for Uncle Sam."

Heroin forum looks for answers (Feb. 12, 2004)
"'It is my belief that his story can really make a difference,' said Waxler. 'There are so many stereotypes when it comes to addiction.' He said he is hoping his book will illustrate the complexity of addiction and how it can happen to anyone."

Did Bush, Cheney, and Powell Deliberately Mislead Us? (Feb. 11, 2004)
"The administration's selective disclosures about Iraq denied Americans the opportunity to reach fully informed judgments about a matter of incalculably grave consequence."

Drug Problem (Feb. 11, 2004)
"The clash was a reminder that the influence of opium and heroin production over almost all facets of Afghan political and national culture is deep rooted and growing, and that Afghanistan runs the risk of dissolving into a lawless narco-state."

Another 'Successful' Drug Raid (Feb. 11, 2004)
"The Providence (RI) Journal reports: A drug sweep and 'school lockdown' at East Greenwich High School last Friday found no drugs but did raise the ire of some parents, who argued that the police action – the first of its kind here – sparked unnecessary alarm in the community."

German Experts Offer Alternatives in Afghan Drug War (Feb. 11, 2004)
"While Britain proposes a 'slash and burn' policy in the fight against the Afghan opium trade, the Germans want to link education and prevention with development in a different type of war."

Media knocked for Iraq war coverage (Feb. 11, 2004)
"Experts say US too soft, foreign media often too hard."

Representative Rush Holt on Paper Voting Trails and Restoring Voter Confidence (Feb. 11, 2004)
"The answer to some came in the form of touch screen voting technology. But what began as a technological fix to voting irregularities, may open pandora's box and potentially undermine the voting process and democracy itself."

O'Reilly eats words on WMD claims (Feb. 11, 2004)
"Fox News flamethrower Bill O'Reilly shocked fans and foes alike yesterday by apologizing for accepting President Bush's claim that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction."

Opium cash fuels terror, experts say (Feb. 10, 2004- Free Chicago Tribune registration required)
Drug profits fund all sides of almost all conflicts to some degree, including our own CIA and other intelligence organizations who ally themselves with drug traffickers all the time all over the world.

Bush Aides Testify in Leak Probe (Feb. 10, 2004)
"A federal grand jury has questioned one current and two former aides to President Bush, and investigators have interviewed several others, in an effort to discover who revealed the name of an undercover CIA officer to a newspaper columnist, sources involved in the case said yesterday."

Cop 'turned a blind eye' to drugs (Feb. 10, 2004)
"A female officer based in Sydney's Northern Beaches told the Police Integrity Commission (PIC) she had 'turned a blind eye' to recreational drug use by some members of her social group over the past 14 months, which included a policeman with whom she worked."

Could Your Doctor Be Giving You The Wrong Medicine? (Feb. 10, 2004)
"Doctors don't always give their patients the best medicine. In fact, a new study finds nearly 10 percent of prescriptions for elderly patients are inappropriate."

Lotto winner admits drug charges (Feb. 10, 2004)
"A millionaire lottery winner has pleaded guilty to possessing illegal drugs."

The White House: A New Fight Over Secret 9/11 Docs (Feb. 10, 2004)
"The documents at the heart of the dispute are the so-called presidential daily briefs, or PDBs—the daily intelligence brief given to Bush by a senior intelligence official, usually the CIA director or his deputy. White House lawyers have guarded the documents as the "crown jewels" of executive privilege. But last year Kean and other commissioners complained they couldn't write their report without seeing exactly what Bush, and Bill Clinton before him, had been told about the threat of Al Qaeda."

Blix Says Bush, Blair Insincere Salesmen on Iraq (Feb. 10, 2004)
"Hans Blix -- who pleaded for more time to search Iraq for nuclear, chemical and biological weapons before a U.S.-led invasion in March -- said the West had a right to expect more from their leaders."

Lay off drugs and alcohol (Feb. 9, 2004)
"As the Beastie Boys said, 'You've gotta fight for your right to party.' If students at the university want to party, they certainly do have to fight."

Karzai seek help in fight on drugs (Feb. 9, 2004)
"Afghan President Hamid Karzai appealed Monday for greater international help to combat the flourishing drug trade in Afghanistan."

State awards NORDEG $131,000 to fight illegal drugs (Feb. 9, 2004)
"The Northcentral Drug Enforcement Group (NORDEG) task force received a $131,000 grant from the state Thursday to continue its fight against the proliferation of illegal drugs in the Northwoods." I don't suppose there are better uses for this money.

China has 1.05 million illegal drugs users on record (Feb. 9, 2004)
"China had 1.053 million illegal drugs users registered by law enforcement departments by the end of 2003, including 220,000 involved in compulsory rehabilitation programs last year, figures from the Ministry of Public Security show."

Florida's War on Drugs Now a War on Doctors Says Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (Feb. 9, 2004)
"The more than 48 million people who suffer chronic pain in the United States are having difficulty finding doctors to treat them as a result of misguided drug policy, law enforcement, and overzealous prosecutions -- and pending prescription reporting bills will only make things worse in Florida."

Cops predict meth will dethrone King Coke (Feb. 9, 2004)
"Cocaine is still king in Northwest Indiana, but police fear a new crown prince is lurking in the shadows in the form of methamphetamine."

War against drugs in Afghanistan has been launched: official (Feb. 9, 2004)
"A covert operation in northeast Afghanistan in which a heroin laboratory was destroyed was only the beginning of the country's war against drugs, an official told an international conference which opened here."

Ottawa's pot stand hurts war on drugs: police (Feb. 9, 2004)
"Local efforts to curb illegal drug use are being complicated by the federal government's mixed message on marijuana, a high-ranking Edmonton police officer said Friday."

President Bush, at Home With the Issues (Feb. 9, 2004)
"What did the president really know, and what made him think he really knew it?"

High School Students Appear In Court (Feb. 6, 2004)
More dangerous high school students targeted by insane prohibitionists. One of the 49 students facing drug charges might do 8 years, for possessing and selling marijuana, that dastardly, ever so dangerous drug...errr, no, that's no quite right...that almost entirely benign and almost completely harmless (other than for that "getting arrested by cops" harm) flower, cannabis.

Bush Budget Cuts a Variety of Programs (Feb. 6, 2004)
"The White House on Tuesday released a list of 128 government programs that it plans to cut back or eliminate, including money for drug treatment centers and secondary school counselors and modernization of the air traffic system."

Did Bush drop out of the National Guard to avoid drug testing? (Feb. 6, 2004)
"The young pilot walked away from his commitment in 1972 -- the same year the U.S. military implemented random drug tests."

Mad Cow Quandary: Making Animal Feed (Feb. 6, 2004- free NYTimes registration required)
Truely a stomache churner. For those who think burgers are scrumptious, check out what you are eating, once removed- "Though consumers may imagine bucolic scenes of nursing calves and cows munching on grass or hay, much of American agriculture no longer works that way. For years, calves have been fed cow's blood instead of milk, and cattle feed has been allowed to contain composted wastes from chicken coops, including feathers, spilled feed and even feces." Mmmm, Yum!

Dutch Do De Facto Decriminalization for Small-Time Cocaine Smugglers (Feb. 6, 2004)
"The Dutch government has quietly quit prosecuting people it catches smuggling cocaine into Amsterdam's Schipol Airport, the Times of London reported Wednesday. Last year, Dutch customs officers arrested 2,176 smugglers flying in on "cocaine flights" from the Caribbean, an average of more than five every day. Now it says that prosecuting them is a waste of resources."

Florida Pain Doctor Sees Murder Charge Dropped (Feb. 6, 2004)
"Florida prosecutors overreached when they charged a Palm Beach County physician with first-degree murder after one of his patients died of a drug overdose, a Florida judge ruled January 29. Palm Beach County prosecutors charged Dr. Denis Deonarine in July 2001 under the state's felony murder law, which allows the bringing of first-degree murder charges if the death takes place during the commission of another crime."

The Continuing Revolt of the Black Robes, Part I (Feb. 6, 2004)
"Discontent within the federal judiciary over Attorney General John Ashcroft's hard line on judicial discretion in sentencing continued to simmer this week." Once you finish this part, check out Part 2 of this story.

Matrix Plan Fuels Privacy Fears (Feb. 6, 2004)
"Mark Zadra, chief investigator for Florida state police, which runs the Matrix project, said organizers have given presentations to more than 10 Northeastern and Midwestern states in recent weeks, arguing at each stop that the database is an invaluable law enforcement tool."

The Lie Factory (Feb. 4, 2004)
The tactics used to get the US into a war on Iraq are remarkably similar to those of the Office of National Drug Control Policy- use only that information that supports their cause, then denigrate or ignore all that proves how wrong that information is.

Bush to 9/11 Families: 'Enough Already' (Feb. 4, 2004)
"While the Bush Administration never tires of reminding the American people that the president's war on terrorism, his invasion of Iraq, and the Patriot Act I and II are all rooted in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, it has tired of one little bitty aspect of this post-9/11 period: the investigation by the ten-member bi-partisan independent commission."

Iraq Probe Said to be Based on JFK Panel (Feb. 3, 2004)
Either these people in the Bush administration have no shame or sense of irony, or they are simply and very blatantly rubbing our faces in what they can get away with..

Washington's drug dependence (Feb. 2, 2004)
"The answer lies in a little-advertised factoid by the Washington Institute of Policy Studies. They calculated that the oil business is not the world's largest sector of economy. Arms and narcotics trafficking is."

Justice Warns Against Civil Rights Apathy (Jan. 31, 2004)
"Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said Thursday that people concerned about losing freedom to government anti-terrorism efforts should speak out." Apparently she hasn't noticed the vast threats to civil liberties already ongoing in the War on Some Drugs and Terror.

Global Eye – Royal Flush (Jan. 31, 2004)
Remember folks- using and/or selling pot and other drugs is BAD, but using/selling arms and weapons materials is GOOD. "Out of the blood and murk of Iraq, yet another sinister connection is emerging, a skein of corruption tying Dick Cheney's Halliburton, the Bush Family fortunes -- and a mysterious Kuwaiti company that peddles material for building weapons of mass destruction." The evil Dick continues to ride his personal wave of dishonor.

Power, Propaganda and Conscience in the War On Terror (Jan. 31, 2004)
"At first, there was the 'war on drugs' – and the Bogeyman Theory of History is still popular. But neither can compare with the 'war on terror' which arrived with September 11, 2001. Last year, I reported the 'war on terror' from Afghanistan. Like East Timor, events I witnessed bore almost no relation to the way they were represented in free societies, especially Australia."

Cannabis: Just a peaceful way to relax or a potent threat? (Jan. 31, 2004)
"After this week's reclassification of one of Britain's most popular drugs, Alice Thomson spoke to 50 people involved in the debate. She was told of tragedy, desperation and hope - and found uncertainty among users, experts and the authorities."

Taking a different look on the war against drugs (Jan. 31, 2004)
"In an ideal world all drugs would be legal, but no one would want to take them, American drug reform advocate Clifford Thornton says."

Single Injection Promising for Heroin Addiction (Jan. 31, 2004)
"The findings suggest that a new, long-lasting formulation of the drug buprenorphine is safe and seems to prevent withdrawal symptoms for 6 weeks. What's more, the long-lasting form of the drug, known as a 'depot' formulation, seems to block the effect of other opioid drugs, the class of drugs that includes heroin and morphine."

Are Prisons Obsolete? (Jan. 31, 2004)
"In Is the Prison Obsolete?, Professor Davis seeks to illustrate that the time for the prison is approaching an end. She argues forthrightly for 'decarceration', and argues for the transformation of the society as a whole."

Security Poor in Electronic Voting Machines, Study Warns (Jan. 29, 2004- Free NYTimes registration required)
If people and companies associated with prohibitionistic types in and out of the prohibition-supporting US government own the machines which we use to vote more and more places around the country, how sure can we be that real drug law reform will ever be possible, even with citizens' referendums?

Court throws out evidence in 227 pound marijuana drug bust (Jan. 29, 2004)
"Some 227 pounds of marijuana found in the trunk of a rental car cannot be used as evidence against a California man convicted of driving across Iowa on Interstate 80 with the drugs, the Iowa Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday."

Departing DA Pulls No Punches (Jan. 29, 2004)
"'I think our whole war on drugs needs to be looked at,' Morgan said as he prepares to leave office Saturday. He said people see crack cocaine users being sent to prison 'and on the other hand you've got Rush Limbaugh getting thousands of [prescription pills] and he's making millions of dollars and he's out on the street.' The result, he said, is that 'juries will no longer hold individuals accountable in drug cases. . . . Juries are telling us that prosecution is not the answer.'"

R&B singer Faith Evans faces drug charges (Jan. 29, 2004)
"Multi-platinum recording artist Faith Evans and her husband are facing drug charges in Fulton County, after a traffic stop Tuesday night in Hapeville."

No 'Silver Bullet' (Jan. 29, 2004)
"Last year's large federally funded survey that showed declines in illegal drug use also compared schools with and without drug testing. It turned out there was no difference in illegal drug use among students in drug testing v. non-drug testing schools. Aside from imparting misinformation about the deterrent value of testing, since only 5 percent of American schools currently utilize drug testing, Bush's crediting these programs for reductions in use is putting the cart before the horse."

Lower HIV rates among black tar heroin users (Jan. 29, 2004)
Prohibitionists would have us believe that all drug use and abuse is the same, with the result that news like this will not reach a mainstream audience. Real drug education is a foreign concept to the prohibitionist mind.

Young Calif. inmates caged, drugged (Jan. 29, 2004)
"'This is not the 1930s. Even in mental hospitals, I thought we'd gotten rid of these practices long ago,' she [California State Sen. Gloria Romero] said."

Justice Dept. Ends Testing of Criminals for Drug Use (Jan. 28, 2004)
"The Justice Department has quietly ended a program to measure criminals' use of drugs and forecast new drug epidemics, citing budget cuts by Congress."

Leak Against This War (Jan. 28, 2004)
"Later that afternoon, I turned to the radio man, a wiry African American kid who looked too thin to be lugging his 75lb radio, and asked: 'By any chance, do you ever feel like the redcoats?' Without missing a beat he said, in a drawl: 'I've been thinking that ... all ... day.' You couldn't miss the comparison if you'd gone to grade school in America."

Security breach on Capitol Hill: It's criminal (Jan. 26, 2004)
Republican excuses about why and how secret Democartic notes and files were read and leaked to the press by GOP staffers sound like a burglar blaming his victims for his robbing them because they left the key under their mat where he could find it. This is yet one more sign of how hypocritical government officials are, particularly in the GOP in this case. The seriousness of this case is apparent when one reads that a "Computer Reportedly Seized From Frist's Office" is being examined by federal investigators.

Couple convicted of slavery lose their property (Jan. 26, 2004)
"Rabuck said most federal crimes have forfeiture provisions but, until now, forfeitures have mostly been imposed in drug cases...Rabuck said most federal crimes have forfeiture provisions but, until now, forfeitures have mostly been imposed in drug cases."

States Rights vs. Federal Tyranny (Jan. 26, 2004)
"Here's the background. In 1966, [sic- this should read 1996- DW Ed.] by direct vote, Californians allowed themselves to use doctor-prescribed marijuana as a medicine. Both the Clinton and Bush administrations refused to honor the referendum. They held that the federal Controlled Substances Act superseded state law."

Cheney's Latest Distortions (Jan. 25, 2004)
The editor of DrugWar.com feels that G.W. Bush may just be addle-brained enough to be mislead by his underlings and handlers, but Richard "Dick" Cheney is smart enough to know he is lying through his murderous, white collar crime ridden face about all sorts of things involving Iraq and making money.

Staged & Scripted terror to come from Bush Regime (Jan. 25, 2004)
"I am convinced that as Bush's numbers sink in the poles, we are going to see another staged terror attack like 9-11 before the election." Michael Kane, freedom activist, is not optimistic about the Bush regime and the violent, destructive paths it may want to lead the rest of us down.

Another Leak Controversy Brews (Jan. 24, 2004)
Another confidential name has been leaked by "official" sources to reproters, blowing the cover this time on a drug suspect who was giving information about terror suspects in Detroit.

Grand Jury Hears Plame Case (Jan. 24, 2004)
"Prosecutors are believed to be starting with third-party witnesses, people who were not directly involved in the leak of Plame's identity. Plame's husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, claims that the leak was an act of retaliation against him for undercutting Bush's weapons-of-mass-destruction rationale for going to war in Iraq."

911 Visibility Project (Jan. 24, 2004)
"We are an action-oriented 9-11 website. Many good websites already exist offering research and analysis of the events of September 11th, 2001. Our purpose is not to duplicate these efforts, nor to prove or disprove what really happened. Rather, our goal is to support the 9-11 truth movement itself, led by the victims' families' efforts to obtain full government accountability for the unprecedented intelligence and air defense failures that took place before and during the attacks. What you will find on this site are information and tools designed to help build this movement."

Libertarian and Drug War Reformer Ron Crickenberger Dies (Jan . 24, 2004)
Ron Crickenberger was tireless in his fight against the stupidity and destruction of the US War on Some Drugs and Users. He was just 49 years old.

Bush Administration Plan to Give Western Arctic to Oil Industry Will Industrialize Largest Remaining Wilderness Area in Nation (Jan. 24, 2004)
"'It makes no sense to industrialize this incomparable wilderness area when there's only about six month's worth of economically recoverable oil in the entire NPR-A, and it would take at least 10 years to get it to market,' said Charles Clusen, Alaska Project director at NRDC. 'The United States has only 3 percent of the world's proven oil reserves and we use 25 percent of the world's produced oil. We can't drill our way to oil independence. We have to wean ourselves off oil.'"

Halliburton Tells Pentagon Workers Took Kickbacks to Award Projects in Iraq (Jan. 24, 2004)
More illegal shenangegans on the part of US Vice-President Richard "Dick" Cheney's "old" company Halliburton.

The Challenge Of Policing Police Brutality (Jan. 23, 2004)
"But Davis is no ordinary activist. In fact, he would be the last person expected to be involved in these activities. That's because he's a police officer. Twelve years ago, he decided he would stop tolerating unprovoked beatings and abuse of criminal suspects by police when he established Black Cops Against Police Brutality."

What Brought Down WTC Tower 7 (Jan. 23, 2004)
Something(s) just aren't right about the whole "investigation" into what exactly happened before and during the Sept. 11 2001 terrorist attacks. Watching this 7 minutes video presentation raises some serious issues about how buildings fall.

Democracy at Risk (Jan. 23, 2004- Free NYTimes registration required)
No, in ain't a conspiracy theory and it ain't idle speculation- the touch screen voting machines, particularly those of Diebold, can and very well may have cost some candidates the election in 2000: "Computer experts say that software at Diebold and other manufacturers is full of security flaws, which would easily allow an insider to rig an election. But the people at voting machine companies wouldn't do that, would they? Let's ask Jeffrey Dean, a programmer who was senior vice president of a voting machine company, Global Election Systems, before Diebold acquired it in 2002. Bev Harris, author of 'Black Box Voting' (www.blackboxvoting.com), told The A.P. that Mr. Dean, before taking that job, spent time in a Washington correctional facility for stealing money and tampering with computer files."

Detective ruled too cute in drug bust (Jan. 23, 2004)
"Nahum is so cute that a Broward Circuit Court judge threw out a criminal charge against a West Palm Beach man charged with selling drugs to Nahum during an undercover sting at a gay nightclub in Fort Lauderdale. Judge Susan Lebow ruled the defendant, Julio Blanco, was lured by the police officer into committing a crime in hopes he would be rewarded with sex."

The Hidden State of the Union (Jan. 23, 2004)
"Each side interprets "compassion" differently. In both systems, compassion means feeling another's suffering and sincerely wanting to help. But what constitutes help is very different in the two systems; for the strict father it is imposing proper discipline and refusing to coddle. For the strong nurturer, compassion is shown through relieving suffering. The difference is striking, and when projected onto politics it matters enormously."

City of Los Angeles Defies Bush Over Extending Patriot Act (Jan. 23, 2004)
"Los Angeles' city council defied President George W. Bush and voted to back legislation that would repeal parts of the controversial USA Patriot Act that Bush wants renewed."

Patient Dignity Project Threatened (Jan. 23, 2004)
"The reason we call it the patient dignity project is that it will allow patients to go to any program and eventually any hospital and get their medicine immediately in the event of an emergency. Currently, in an emergency, patients have to wait hours to have their doses verified. When that is not possible, and most times it is not, patients are given a few milligrams at a time by worried physicians. Patients are left begging for hours for more medication."

O'Neill's Claims Supported by 1998 Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz 'War' Letters (Jan. 23, 2004)
"The letters offered no hard evidence that Iraq was in possession of weapons of mass destruction, but they did say that with Saddam Hussein in power 'a significant portion of the world's supply of oil will all be put at hazard ...'"

Senate panel's GOP staff pried on Democrats (Jan. 22, 2004)
"Republican staff members of the US Senate Judiciary Commitee infiltrated opposition computer files for a year, monitoring secret strategy memos and periodically passing on copies to the media, Senate officials told The Globe."

New Ad Highlights Presidential Candidates' Medical Marijuana Positions (Jan. 22, 2004)
"Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana (GSMM) has announced that it will air a dramatic political spot highlighting four Democratic presidential contenders' refusal to stop federal arrests of cancer and AIDS patients who use medical marijuana. The ad will begin airing on New Hampshire stations tomorrow."

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And ... Pot: Art Garfunkel Busted (Jan. 22, 2004)
"Art Garfunkel can add one more herb to the pungent foursome "parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme" that he and partner Paul Simon sang about in the '60s."

Chong Backed by Tokin' Resistance (Jan. 22, 2004)
"'I can say that the fact that my local Wal-Mart is selling rolling paper, tobacco pipes and cigarette-rolling machines at the same time they went after Tommy Chong for selling bongs makes this entire situation something I label hypocrisy,' said the creator of FreeTommyChong.net...."

When Prison Walls Talk (Jan. 21, 2004)
"Prison is a place steeped in mythology. Politicians tell outright lies about it; prison officials spew propaganda; even prisoners, in their writings, contribute to the mythology."

Ad Rejections by CBS Raise Policy Questions (Jan. 20, 2004- Free NYTimes registration required)
"CBS has rejected Super Bowl advertisements from two groups, saying the ads violated its advocacy rules. At the same time, the network has in the past and could again accept spots from the White House's antidrug office, raising questions about what is acceptable and what is not, and why."

Study Faults White House Anti-Drrugs Ads (Jan. 20, 2004)
"A study commissioned by the National Institute on Drug Abuse ( NIDA ) has concluded that the advertising program of the White House anti-drug office has had little impact on its primary target: America's teenagers."

Costello pushes hearings on Cheney (Jan.20, 2004)
"U.S. Rep Jerry Costello has called for impeachment hearings against U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney during Congress' session that begins today."

Fixing Democracy (Jan. 20, 2004)
"The morning after the 2000 election, Americans woke up to a disturbing realization: our electoral system was too flawed to say with certainty who had won. Three years later, things may actually be worse."

Peace Not War Music Festival (Jan. 20, 2004)
"The Peace Not War Festival and the new CDs are intended to reawaken the energy of last February 15th, motivate and fund a wordwide peace movement which would challenge our goverments' war plans before George Bush can say 'let's roll.'"

Ed Forchion's Letter to Comcast (Jan. 19, 2004)
Comcast has a history of banning pro-marijuana advertising, as Ed "NJWeedman" Forchion knows first hand.

Cheney, Scalia Hunt Raises Questions (Jan. 19, 2004)
"Vice President Dick Cheney and Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia spent part of last week duck hunting together at a private camp in south Louisiana just three weeks after the Supreme Court agreed to take up the vice president's appeal in lawsuits over his handling of the administration's energy task force."

CBS Cuts MoveOn, Allows White House Ads During Super Bowl (Jan. 19, 2004)
The ONDCP will be able to air its paid-for-by-US-taxpayers anti-drug commercials, but MoveOn.org will not be able to air anti-Bush, pro-thinking ads, during the upcoming SuperBowl.

The Rebellion of Freedom’s Guardians (Jan. 19, 2004)
"As the shock of September 11 becomes more distant, jurists are mobilizing against the threats that the Bush administration’s 'War on Terrorism' brings to bear against public freedoms."