9 - 11 Victims' Relatives: Extend Probe (Nov. 28, 2003)
Why is the White House so adamant about not cooperating with the attacks investigation?

Bush Brother Business Deals Detailed in Divorce (Nov. 27, 2003)
"Neil Bush, younger brother of President Bush, detailed lucrative business deals and admitted to engaging in sex romps with women in Asia in a deposition taken in March as part of his divorce from now ex-wife Sharon Bush."

Western powers redefine 'democracy' (Nov. 26, 2003)
"Those halcyon days when "democracy" really meant "for the people, by the people" are tragically over in countries which purport to expound this ancient method of governance. In its place comes a system which spies on, categorises, labels and restricts "the people" for the benefit of governments. It's clever though."

The Miami Model (Nov. 26, 2003)
"In the times in which we live, this is what democracy looks like. Thousands of soldiers, calling themselves police, deployed in US cities to protect the power brokers from the masses. Posse Comitatus is just a Latin phrase. Vigilantes like John Timoney roam from city to city, organizing militias to hunt the dangerous radicals who threaten the good order. And damned be the journalist who dares to say it - or film it - like it is."

Armed Police Invade High School, No Drugs Found (Nov. 26, 2003)
Though this raid took place a couple of weeks ago, it behooves us all to take a good long lingering look at these still shots taken from surveillance video at the school, posted at The Memory Hole website by Russ Kick. This is what the War on Some Drugs and Users looks like- it ain't pretty, and it should shake any liberty loving American to their core. These are some of the children the Drug Warriors purport to be "protecting" by waging their endless War.

Donkeys of Mass Destruction (Nov. 26, 2003)
"Americans continue to die, the cost of this invasion continues to skyrocket, and all of the dire threats we were told of do not, in any way, exist. In short, the donkeys are kicking our ass."

800 in Colombia Lay Down Arms, Kindling Peace Hopes (Nov. 26, 2003- Free NYTimes registration required)
"The ceremony was choreographed by President Álvaro Uribe's government and clearly did not mean the end of the group, the United Self-Defense Forces, a 13,000-member federation of paramilitary factions. But it did suggest that the Colombian authorities might be making some headway in their new, two-pronged strategy to end the war: co-opt the right, defeat the left."

Medical marijuana workers get probation; DEA criticized (Nov. 25, 2003)
"Three men who pleaded guilty to distributing medical marijuana to seriously ill patients received probation instead of a federal prison term after a judge expressed admiration for their work and called the prosecution 'badly misguided.'"

Marijuana activist pledges more protests (Nov.25, 2003)
"Marijuana legalization advocate Ed Forchion is getting ready to complete a 20-month parole term for drug possession, but don't expect the self-described "nj-weedman" to keep quiet once that term is done."

Anarchy And The FBI (Nov. 25, 2003)
"Representing the land of the free, F.B.I. officials told Lichtblau the comforting news that the "intelligence-gathering effort was aimed at identifying anarchists and 'extremist elements' plotting violence, not at monitoring the political speech of law-abiding protesters." If there was ever a fail-safe, catch-all band of villains, it's the anarchists."

Patriot Act Expansion Moves Through Congress (Nov. 23, 2003)
"Acting at the Bush administration's behest, a joint House-Senate conference committee has approved a provision in the 2004 Intelligence Authorization bill that will permit the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to demand records from a number of businesses--without the approval of a judge or grand jury--if it deems them relevant to a counter-terrorism investigation."

Abandoning the 'Drug-Free America' Myth (Nov. 23, 2003)
"Rush Limbaugh is addicted to OxyContin. Arnold Schwarzenegger smoked pot and consumed anabolic steroids. Most Americans enjoy a daily cup of coffee. The fact is, this country is filled with drugs – prescription, over-the-counter, illegal and otherwise. The drug warriors have been promising for decades to make America drug-free. Billions of dollars have been spent and hundreds of thousands of people are locked up. Yet drugs are as prevalent and easy-to-get as ever."

F.B.I. Scrutinizes Antiwar Rallies (Nov. 23, 2003- Free NYTimes registration required)
"The abuses of the Hoover era, which included efforts by the F.B.I. to harass and discredit Hoover's political enemies under a program known as Cointelpro, led to tight restrictions on F.B.I. investigations of political activities. Those restrictions were relaxed significantly last year, when Attorney General John Ashcroft issued guidelines giving agents authority to attend political rallies, mosques and any event 'open to the public...' The F.B.I. memorandum, however, appears to offer the first corroboration of a coordinated, nationwide effort to collect intelligence regarding demonstrations." We are a police state, not becoming one, which is clear to anyone who pays the slightests bit of attention to the decades long War on Some Drugs and Users.

Unjust Laws: Another Reparations Issue (Nov. 22, 2003)
"How do agreements crafted by criminals and for the sole benefit of criminals get accepted, codified, and defended as 'the law?'"

Court to FBI: No spying on in-car computers (Nov. 21, 2003)
"The FBI and other police agencies may not eavesdrop on conversations inside automobiles equipped with OnStar or similar dashboard computing systems, a federal appeals court ruled." This apparently means it is possible and can be done by law enforcement, just not "legally".

Crimes Against Nature (Nov. 21, 2003)
"George W. Bush will go down in history as America's worst environmental president...Today, George W. Bush and his court are treating our country as a grab bag for the robber barons, doling out the commons to large polluters. Last year, as the calamitous rollbacks multiplied, the corporate-owned TV networks devoted less than four percent of their news minutes to environmental stories. If they knew the truth, most Americans would share my fury that this president is allowing his corporate cronies to steal America from our children."

George W. Bush Loves Michael Jackson (Nov. 21, 2003)
Taking attention away from the disastrous conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq Michael Jackson is proving to be a perfect weapon of mass distraction.

Rush detects a conspiracy (Nov. 20, 2003)
"Rush Limbaugh says he's being tarred by trumped-up money-laundering claims...The money-laundering probe grew out of a joint Florida and federal task force investigation of the drug ring that allegedly supplied Limbaugh with OxyContin and other prescription painkillers." But there's no word from Rush about the whole "continuing the War on Some Drugs and Users no matter how wasteful, damaging and destructive it is" conspiracy that is at the root of his current troubles.

Officials clear acres of debris left by marijuana growers above Corralitos (Nov. 20, 2003)
Something seems perverted about an article decrying the "environmental damage" caused by illegal marijuana growing in California without mentioning that the prohibitionist US government is actively engaged in severe environmental destruction in Latin America by spraying tons of poisons on the people and their environment there.

Machine aims to replace drug dogs (Nov. 20, 2003)
"One day soon, the so-called Dog on a Chip may replace the police officers best friend _ the K-9 drug dog. Georgia Tech researchers have developed a machine that can instantly sniff out cocaine and other illegal drugs without the hassle of feeding, training and interpreting a police dog."

US imposes military agenda (Nov. 20, 2003)
"US seeks to assert its political and military doctrine in the [Latin American] region."

High-tech drug trade hits courts (Nov. 20, 2003)
"The customer requested 20 morphine, 60 oxycodone, 30 hydrocodone, 40 Skelaxin and 20 Percocet pills. He then drove to the Circle K on Old Hammond Highway in Baton Rouge and wired $222.75 via Western Union...He [the so-called 'seller'] picked up the money, investigators say -- but he never mailed the pills."

Forty-seven charged in U.S. forex sting (Nov. 20, 2003)
"The latest scandal to hit Wall Street involves charges related to stock and wire fraud, extortion, kickbacks, rigged trading, money laundering, guns and cocaine. The schemes included phony trades and fraudulent or non-existent investments to con small investors into thinking they were getting a piece of a market generally beyond their reach."

War Critics Astonished as US Hawk Admits Invasion Was Illegal (Nov. 20, 2003)
Richard Perle told an audience in London: "I think in this case international law stood in the way of doing the right thing." In other words, Saddam's bucking and breaking international law was great to quote as an excuse to invade Iraq, but the US should not be held to the same standards. Hmmm.

You Gotta Have Friends (Nov. 20, 2003- Free NYTimes registration required)
"Then I pick up The Independent to read in the taxi and I see that London's left-wing mayor, Ken Livingstone, has denounced President Bush as 'the greatest threat to life on this planet that we've most probably ever seen.' Then I check out The Guardian, which carried open letters to the president, one of which is from the famous playwright Harold Pinter, who says: 'Dear President Bush, I'm sure you'll be having a nice little tea party with your fellow war criminal, Tony Blair. Please wash the cucumber sandwiches down with a glass of blood.'"

Cheney's hawks 'hijacking policy' (Nov. 20, 2003)
"'What these people are doing now makes Iran-Contra [a Reagan administration national security scandal] look like amateur hour. . . it's worse than Iran-Contra, worse than what happened in Vietnam,' said Karen Kwiatkowski, a former air force lieutenant-colonel."

Musicians Rock Miami Protests (Nov. 20, 2003)
"In light of the popularity of recent books with names like 'Big Lies: The Right-Wing Propaganda Machine and How It Distorts the Truth' by Joe Conason, 'Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them' by Al Franken, and AlterNet's own book, 'The Five Biggest Lies Bush Told Us About Iraq,' there can be no mistaking the political climate that spurred the creation of the Tell Us the Truth Tour, now in its penultimate week on the East Coast."

Assassins R Us (Nov. 20, 2003)
"As the Iraqi resistance expands and perfects its attacks, the American military, like so many occupying armies before it, is turning to methods of warfare long outlawed by civilized nations – assassinations and reprisals against civilians."

Money Matters (Nov. 20, 2003)
"Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh may have violated state money-laundering laws in the way he handled the money he used to buy the prescription drugs to which he was addicted, law enforcement officials in Florida and New York told ABCNEWS...His lawyer denied today there was any foundation for a money-laundering prosecution."

States Starting To Reverse Get-Tough Prison Policies (Nov. 19,. 2003)
"Faced in recent years with burgeoning budget deficits, half of the legislatures in the country have rolled-back at least some of the get-tough on crime provisions of the past two decades, prison reform advocates were told Nov. 10. States have repealed mandatory sentencing laws, re-established parole, and diverted nonviolent offenders from prison and into treatment programs, said Judith A. Green, of Families Against Mandatory Minimums."

Ithacans March For Drug Rehab (Nov. 19, 2003)
"Protesters gathered in front of the Tompkins County courthouse Friday to rally against District Attorney George Dentes' decision to pull out of a drug rehabilitation project. The program, drug court, offers those found guilty of non-violent offenses intense rehabilitation instead of jail time."

Looney Labs Introduces Stoner Fluxx (Nov. 19, 2003)
"Looney Labs, the game company that created the popular Fluxx™ card game, has announced the introduction of Stoner Fluxx™; a version of Fluxx being marketed as a fundraiser for the legalization of marijuana and the drug peace movement."

Street Sweeping (Nov. 19, 2003)
"Stacey was finally talked into a drug treatment program by a female public defender, but according to a new report by the Sex Workers Project at the Urban Justice Center, she's one of the few who break from the cycle of arrest-imprison-repeat, called the "revolving door" by advocates. That's also the title of the report, which makes a case for the futility of repeated arrest and incarceration, and documents the sexualized and often abusive police treatment of street prostitutes, the majority of whom are homeless and drug-dependent, the report found."

Forget Oswald -- conspiracies happen (Nov. 19, 2003)
"Alan Sager and Deborah Socolar, co-directors of the Health Reform Program at Boston University's School of Public Health, recently released a report entitled 'New Medicare Rx Benefit Means Big Profits for Drug Makers.'"

Rewritten marijuana proposal rejected by AG (Nov. 19, 2003)
"State Attorney General Mike Beebe on Tuesday again rejected the ballot title and name of a proposed initiated act that would legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes."

Afghan Security Worries Envoy (Nov. 19, 2003)
"[US Ambassador Zalmay] Khalilzad gave the administration's bleakest assessment yet of security conditions in Afghanistan, saying that a regrouping of the Taliban and al Qaeda, increased drug trafficking and even common criminals are hampering President Hamid Karzai and the transition to democracy."

Martin Booth: Cannabis: a history (Nov. 18, 2003)
"Martin Booth started with opium, but moved on to softer drugs. The new book from the author of the Booker Prize-shortlisted Opium: A History tells the tale of the narcotic weed Cannabis sativa - nom de guerre: hemp, marijuana, gunja, hashish, dope, weed, grass."

Licensing Unreasonable Police Conduct (Nov. 18, 2003)
"One of the most pernicious, and least reported, indignities inflicted on Americans is the waiver of the protections of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Fourth waiver occurs whenever a criminal defendant 'cops a plea', typically to a drug offense, and is given a sentence involving probation...Police have lists of Fourth Amendment waivers and use it as their cheat sheet for busting drug abusers and thieves without cause. Anyone who doubts this has not been keeping up with the stream of reporting of police misconduct nationally."

Lobbyist Says 'For A Drug Addict' He's Doing Well (Nov. 18, 2003)
"Well known South Florida lobbyist, Rick Sisser, was in court today, answering to charges that he bought crack cocaine in Coconut Grove."

Afghan poppies sprout again (Nov. 18, 2003)
The US invades, and the poppies are abundent again, grown and produced by many of the warlords supported by US militarists. "Production nears record levels, worrying anti-drug officials."

Colombian drug czar quits (Nov. 18, 2003)
"The man who spearheaded Colombia's war on drugs has resigned amid allegations of corruption."

Colombian drug war stalls (Nov. 18, 2003)
"The ouster of a Colombian army general — sacked in June partly because of secretly recorded conversations obtained by American agents — has apparently caused distrust between U.S. and Colombian officials and hindered cooperation in the war on drugs...'I collaborated [with the DEA] totally, providing them very important antinarcotics information, and look what happened,' Gen. Diaz said.'The fact is that of the three informants I handed over to the DEA, two are dead. And the cocaine passed through.'"

Rumsfeld's Propaganda Ministry (Nov. 18, 2003)
"Last year he wanted to set up a special propaganda bureau called the Office of Strategic Influence, but he had to close it down amid reports it was putting out false information in an effort to sway public opinion." What do these reporters who are so outraged over this think has been going on for the last few decades in the US when it come to the insane and wasteful War on Some Drugs and Users? Isn't it obvious that these propaganda tactics ( in other words, lies) have been honed for years already?

High Risks in Afghanistan (Nov. 18, 2003)
"A revived Taliban army, flush with new recruits from Pakistan, is staging a frightening comeback. Major cities remain in the hands of the corrupt and brutal warlords. Much of the countryside is too dangerous for aid workers. The postwar pro-American government led by Hamid Karzai rules Kabul and little else. Opium poppies are once again a major export crop. And Osama bin Laden remains at large."

Challenges for Colombian farmers (Nov. 18, 2003)
"Coca and poppy, the base material for cocaine and heroin, are considered cash crops by many small farmers like Lucero. They are very profitable because they are easy to maintain and there is always a market, thus avoiding problems such as spoilage. These farmers usually maintain a mix of crops, including food crops for home consumption."

City's FBI chief out (Nov. 18, 2003)
"The FBI's top man in El Paso, Hardrick Crawford Jr., who was handled a number of high-profile national and international cases involving murder and terrorism, retired "abruptly" Friday afternoon amid complaints against him by Mexican officials.

Narcotics officers transferred on charges of overtime abuses (Nov 17, 2003)
"The transfers resulted from a yearlong investigation that also brought administrative and departmental charges against other officers and supervisors, according to published reports. In all, 69 NYPD employees face charges ranging from falsifying records to failing to supervise." No criminal charges have been filed as near as can be told from this report. Double standards anyone?

The Scalping Party (Nov. 17, 2003)
The War on Some Drugs and Users isn't the only war that US forces have committed war crimes while waging.

Speaker to address racism in ‘war on drugs’ (Nov. 16, 2003)
"Speaker Jack Cole, from an organization known as Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, used to work with the New Jersey State Police, where he posed as an undercover fugitive drug dealer in order to track members of drug-trafficking organizations."

Women caught in web of war on drugs (Nov. 16, 2003)
"The number of New Jersey women getting busted for drugs is skyrocketing - so much so that the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility, built in 1913 as a reformatory for "wayward women," is bursting at its seams."

New Weapon in War on Drugs (Nov. 16, 2003)
The downside of drug abuse.

Honor society hosts debate (Nov. 16, 2003)
"The use of marijuana for medicinal use, the difference between alcohol prohibition and marijuana prohibition, and the Federal Drug Administration's approval system are among the topics to be debated at an upcoming satellite seminar at Gogebic Community College."

For the Yi of China, a road leads to outer world and ruin (Nov. 16, 2003)
"The Yi of the Cool Mountains, a clan society that owned slaves, were isolated from outside rule until the Communists finally finished the road and took control in 1956. Mao's soldiers freed the slaves, and the road eventually offered the Yi a route out of poverty. But traveling that road, the Yi brought back gambling and prostitution. In the 1990s, they also brought back heroin."

Legacy of Suspicion (Nov. 16, 2003)
"Forty years later, suspicions of a conspiracy endure: Seven in 10 Americans think the assassination of John F. Kennedy was the result of a plot, not the act of a lone killer — and a bare majority thinks that plot included a second shooter on Dealey Plaza." This article poo-poos conspiracies.

Scientists create a virus that reproduces (Nov. 16, 2003)
"But the questions ethicists have raised about such work are numerous: Should we be playing God? Does the potential for good that new life forms may have outweigh the harm they could do?"

Prison worker charged with drug dealing (Nov. 15, 2003)
"A corrections officer is accused of slipping heroin to an inmate at Bucks County prison."

Panel Reaches Deal on Access to 9/11 Papers (Nov. 15, 2003)
This is pathetic, that the White House will edit out any compromising or embarrassing (or indications of criminal or treasonous) information from the Presidential papers the 9-11 Commission is seeking which, pre-edit, supposedly detail information about what Bush knew and when he knew it prior to the terrorist attacks which killed nearly 3000 civilians.

Venezuela’s War on Drugs (Nov. 15, 2003)
"Venezuela’s role within the international narcotics trade may be on the rise. During the past six months, three incidents have taken place which signals that drug traffickers are increasingly using Venezuela in their routes."

By George! (Nov. 15, 2003)
"It is not only Bush the Chicken-hawk warmonger and promoter-in-chief of the great illusion about Saddam's weapons of mass destruction who they will be denouncing. It is also Bush the ignorant, self-righteous Christian warrior, Bush the smirking executioner and Bush the believer in one law for America and another for everyone else."

What Did Bush Know Before 9/11 Attacks? (Nov. 15, 2003)
"In capital shorthand, they are known as PDBs, and they may hold the key to one of the great unanswered questions of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Did U.S. President George W. Bush receive — and ignore — advance warning of a plan by Al Qaeda to hijack passenger planes and fly them into buildings in the United States?"

Stand Up to the Drug War Tank (Nov. 15, 2003)
"Our War on Drugs was born of the unholy marriage of racism and Puritanism, as scared nativists passed laws to protect white women and children from pot-smoking Mexicans, coke-crazed African-Americans and opium-addled Chinese."

Drug war, to a samba beat (Nov. 15, 2003)
"Apart from professional soccer, only music can rival drug trafficking in earnings and status among poor Brazilians."

Love Stays Home From Court (Nov. 15, 2003)
Just the latest celebrity target of prohibitionist enforcers.

Report rips DEA enforcement efforts (Nov. 15, 2003)
"Three federal agents assigned to fight the drug trade in this port city mishandled evidence, lied to their bosses and were among the least efficient in the country, according to a report obtained by a Boston newspaper."

A Scary Afghan Road (Nov. 15, 2003)
"Here's a foreign affairs quiz: 1. In the two years since the war in Afghanistan, opium production has: (A) virtually been eliminated by Hamid Karzai's government and American forces. (B) declined 30 percent, but eradication is not expected until 2008. (C) soared 19-fold and become the major source of the world's heroin." The answer is "C".

Take Criminal Element Out Of Marijuana (Nov. 15, 2003)
"Another grow-op, another shootout. Another comparison to Chicago during alcohol prohibition and yet another police spokesperson who doesn't get it...It's time to stop listening to special interests like the police unions, ill-informed MPs bent on scoring political points and the United States, who we now know fight wars, be it drug or conventional, based on lies."

Scientists Warn CIA About Future Biological Arms (Nov. 15, 2003)
It's not a crime for scientists and military types to develop killer germs and diseases, but not for private citizens to grow pot or other drug plants?

Sweet tooth, a marker for alcoholism (Nov. 15, 2003)
"A liking for sweets precedes alcoholism and may in fact serve as a "marker" for the genetic risk for developing alcoholism."

Chrétien Leaves at Ease, Even if Bush Is Displeased (Nov. 14, 2003)
"'I don't think a kid of 17 years old who has a joint should have a criminal record,' he [Chrétien] said flatly on Monday in the broad-ranging interview in his elegant official residence as he prepared to retire after 10 years in office."

'Our Democracy is in Danger of Being Paralyzed' (Nov. 14, 2003)
"Free and responsible government by popular consent just can’t exist without an informed public."

Tobacco chemical 'halts brain diseases' (Nov. 14, 2003)
"A tobacco chemical could provide new treatments for memory loss and brain diseases, according to new research. The substance, cotinine, is obtained when the body breaks down nicotine."

Starve the Racist Prison Beast (Nov. 13, 2003)
"...I imagine that I would have responded something like this: 'As racist and undemocratic as this country may be [remember, during that period, the demands of the Civil Rights Movement had not yet been consolidated], I do not believe that the U.S. government will be able to lock up so many people without producing powerful resistance. No, this will never happen, not unless this country plunges into fascism." So wrote activist Angela Davis as quoted in this article.

Rush Returns From Rehab on Monday (Nov. 13, 2003)
After entering drug rehabilitation because of an admitted addiction to prescription drugs five weeks ago, radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh is set to return to his popular show on Monday."

Love Pleads Not Guilty To Felony Drug Charges, Asks For Rehab (Nov. 13, 2003)
"At her arraignment, the former Hole singer asked to be considered for a program that allows nonviolent drug offenders to receive treatment instead of jail time."

Pill May Help People Overcome Fears (Nov. 13, 2003)
"Scientists say a pill may help people overcome their worst phobias. In a small study released Monday, a drug already on the market for tuberculosis helped people who were terrified of heights get over that fear with only two therapy sessions instead of the usual seven or eight."

Boca Assistant Principal Arrested On Drug Charges (Nov. 13, 2003)
"A Boca Raton assistant principal was in federal court today on charges that he supplied illegal OxyContin to a drug dealer."

Are You a Habitual Marijuana Smoker? (Nov. 13, 2003)
An on-line poll out of Canada.

Freedom and Security (Nov. 12, 2003)
Why Al Gore didn't speak like this during the 2000 campaign is a mystery.

With Cash Tight, States Reassess Long Jail Terms (Nov. 10, 2003-Free NYTimes registration required)
"In the past year, about 25 states have passed laws eliminating some of the lengthy mandatory minimum sentences so popular in the 1980's and 1990's, restoring early release for parole and offering treatment instead of incarceration for some drug offenders. In the process, politicians across the political spectrum say they are discovering a new motto. Instead of being tough on crime, it is more effective to be smart on crime."

Meet Thine Enemy (Nov. 10, 2003)
Rush Limbaugh is apparently being treated at a thousand dollar a day treatment facility run by people one might imagine would normally be receiving Rush Limbaugh's scorn, not his pleas to help keep him out of jail...um, I mean, off drugs.

The DEA's War on Pain Doctors (Nov. 10, 2003)
"However you describe the current campaign, which according to pain-patient advocates began under Janet Reno, but which they say has increased in intensity under John Ashcroft, the DEA's hardball tactics—storming clinics in SWAT-style gear, ransacking offices, and hauling off doctors in handcuffs—have scared physicians nationwide to the extent that legitimate pain sufferers now find it increasingly difficult to get the medicine they need."

New drug 'mafia' targets South Africa (Nov. 10, 2003)
"A security document has lifted the veil on Pakistani 'mafia' who have been operating relatively undetected in Cape Town and Johannesburg, running sweatshops and pumping Mandrax and 'temple ball' - a cocktail of opium and compressed dagga - into the local drug market."

Time To Face Reality (Nov. 10, 2003)
"The UN Security Council sent a high-ranking delegation to Afghanistan yesterday to bolster the country's leader, Hamid Karzai, amid signs that his authority is steadily slipping to powerful warlords and warnings that an opium boom could turn Afghanistan into a failed state run by drug cartels."

US 'war on drugs' faces problems in Latin America (Nov. 9, 2003)
"It's even being suggested that Washington's hard line on coca eradication is creating instability and driving some governments to the left. The most recent case was the overthrow of the Bolivian President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada, who has now taken refuge in Washington D.C."

How rock'n'roll fell out of love with drugs (Nov. 9, 2003)
"Young musicians today are more likely than those of previous generations to decry the harm that drugs can cause, according to research in America."

The Inalienable Right to Self-Medication (Nov. 9, 2003)
"What’s lost in discussion of Rush Limbaugh’s alleged illegal use of painkillers is the inalienable right to medicate oneself, which is contained in the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness...Is there really a distinction between someone trying to escape a painful back and someone trying to escape a painful life? Doctors tell us that stress and anxiety can cause physical illness. So why is self-treating psychic pain so different from self-treating physical pain? The real distinction is between responsibility and irresponsibility, not between back pain and stress."

Teen drug, alcohol use prompts parent-police workshop (Nov. 9, 2003)
"Any war on drugs needs to start at home, school and law enforcement officials say. That's why they are trying to enlist the help of parents to curb an alarming teen drug and alcohol abuse problem in Missoula."

Court Treatment System Is Found to Help Drug Offenders Stay Clean (Nov. 9, 2003- Free NYTimes registration required)
There's a rush to mandate treatment for people who like to use drugs not sanctioned with official blessings. Is mandated treatment better than a prison term? For some perhaps, and for some perhaps not. Is it really a choice?

Police dog earns keep (Nov. 9, 2003)
"Rex can sniff out illegal drugs such as cocaine, heroin, marijuana, hashish, crack and methamphetamine. He can find them in buildings and vehicles, Riley said during a recent demonstration of the police dog's skills."

Special Deals in Rebuilding Iraq? (Nov. 8, 2003)
"We’ve been zeroing in on some of the line items that American taxpayers are buying with the billions of dollars being spent in Iraq. Now, a look at an American company that got one of the biggest, most lucrative contracts to rebuild the country."

Pain Doctor Acquitted in Virginia -- Feds Fail to Win Single Count (Nov. 8, 2003)
"The prosecution of Dr. Knox is only the latest of a string of prosecutions of pain management specialists across the country. But its outcome so far is a blow to the Justice Department's already staggering campaign against what it views as doctors running "pill mills" but what patients' and doctors' advocates see as physicians applying the latest and most effective techniques of pain management."

'Highway Robbery' at Halliburton (Nov. 8, 2003)
Sell bongs, go to prison. Rip of US taxpayers to the tune of thousands upon thousands of dollars, loose your contract...somtimes. "The corruption doesn't stop there. On Tuesday, House Republicans conveniently stripped the Iraqi supplemental bill of a provision that would hold corporations, such as Halliburton, accountable for war profiteering. At the same time, Halliburton was coming under fire for pricing schemes and war profiteering, House Republicans were protecting Halliburton even before the full facts were put before American taxpayers."

Drug Policy Alliance National Conference Underway in New Jersey -- State Ripped for Leading Nation in Drug-Incarceration Rate (Nov. 8, 2003)
"There is a powerful, compelling case for legalization," Nadelmann said. "Some of us don't want to go that far, but we are united in believing that the criminal justice system should not rule drug policy."

Cannabis medicine trial reveals benefit to MS sufferers (Nov.8, 2003)
How many studies is it going to take before we end this stinkin' war?

Police officer talked man into drug deal (Nov. 8, 2003)
"A judge has thrown out trafficking charges against a defendant who was arrested when he agreed to purchase $20 in crack cocaine for a man in a wheelchair who was actually an undercover Toronto police officer."

No drugs found in high school raid (Nov. 6, 2003)
"An effort to stem a growing drug problem at a Lowcountry high school netted no illegal narcotics but did get some complaints...'Several officers did unholster their weapons in a tactical law enforcement approach,' Lt. Dave Aarons of the Goose Creek Police Department said. 'There was no force whatsoever. Everyone was very compliant.'" Cops burst in to a crowded school hallway with guns drawn and pointed at children. Are these prohibitionists out of their minds?

When Can Drivers Be Halted? Justices Take Up Issue Anew (Nov. 5, 2003- Free NYTimes registration required)
"Police roadblocks, and the circumstances under which the police can impede the free movement of drivers whom they have no reason to suspect of a crime, are familiar territory for the Supreme Court. The court has upheld roadblocks to catch drunken drivers and, near the country's borders, illegal immigrants. It has struck down those aimed at finding illegal drugs."

The Hypocrisy Smokescreen (Nov. 5, 2003)
"Anyone expecting that Limbaugh or his apologists would lay down their arms and take up Limbaugh's call for the incarceration of white drug abusers like himself, or better yet, call for a dramatic overhaul of American drug policy, is in for a rude awakening. Not only do his supporters refuse to confront the counterproductive consequences of this war and its obvious race and class-based double standards, they've turned hypocrisy into their own rallying cry."

Industrial Crops: Let's Revisit Hemp (Nov. 5, 2003)
"It would be great if there were a plant that we already knew how to breed and manage for maximum production. Scientists also need a plant that is easy to genetically modify. Consumer groups would be thrilled if that plant could also be raised in an ecologically sustainable manner. The good news is that this plant already exists: It is hemp! The bad news is that a small group of US ideologues currently holds this ancient crop plant hostage."

Lawyers at E.P.A. Say It Will Drop Pollution Cases (Nov. 5, 2003- Free NYTimes registration required)
"A change in enforcement policy will lead the Environmental Protection Agency to drop investigations into 50 power plants for past violations of the Clean Air Act, lawyers at the agency who were briefed on the decision this week said."

Skin up, dad (Nov. 4, 2003)
"How do you tell your kids not to smoke dope when you do? Patrick Matthews, who has written a book on cannabis, tries hard not to make a hash of it."

Workshop to focus on effects of trendy drugs (Nov. 4, 2003)
"Youths and parents, law enforcement personnel and the public at large are invited to hear Trinka Porrata, a retired LAPD officer with eight years' experience in narcotics enforcement and a nationally recognized expert of GHB, MDMA, Ketamine, LSD and other drugs. The workshop is at 7 p.m. at the Oxnard Performing Arts and Convention Center, 800 Hobson Way."

Drug clinic sought in Shelby County (Nov. 4, 2003)
"Some of Susan Staats-Sidwell's clients drive almost 90 miles round trip from Shelby County to her Bessemer clinic, seeking an alternative to the illegal drugs they crave."

Drugs strategy to be tackled with 'energy and vigour' (Nov. 4, 2003)
"The government will continue to take forward the Northern Ireland drug strategy with energy and vigour."

Beyond Patriotic (Nov. 4, 2003)
"A lawsuit filed in July by the ACLU and six other plaintiffs from the Arab and Muslim communities takes aim at the secret search provisions of the law and is sparking discussions of how best to rein in the Justice Department."

File Sharing Pits Copyright Against Free Speech (Nov. 4, 2003)
"Forbidden files are circulating on the Internet and threats of lawsuits are in the air. Music trading? No, it is the growing controversy over one company’s electronic voting systems, and the issues being raised, some legal scholars say, are as fundamental as the sanctity of elections and the right to free speech."

In the Everglades, Environmental War Endures (Nov. 4, 2003)
More evidence that unspoiled nature scares the bejesus out of many people.

Dutch May Ban Foreigners from Cannabis Coffee Shops (Nov. 4, 2003)
"Responding to international pressure, the Netherlands is considering a proposal that would prohibit foreigners from patronizing the country's cannabis cafes, the Drug War Chronicle reported Oct. 31."

Where Have All the Flowers Gone? (Nov. 4, 2003)
"Reflections on the Spirit and Legacy of the Sixties."

Record set in drug war (Nov. 3, 2003)
"The Campaign Against Marijuana Planting shattered the previous statewide record, with 466,054 plants seized during the 2003 eradication season, about 100,000 more plants than last year. This year's haul had an estimated street value of more than $1.9 billion. Plants were seized in 32 counties during 182 raids."

Drug money to help buy county vehicles (Nov. 3, 2003)
No wonder prohibitionists don't want to legalize or even reform the anti-drug laws.

Picking up the medical marijuana torch? (Nov. 3, 2003)
"Legalizing the use of medicinal marijuana was one of the late State Sen. Ronnie DePasco's final causes in the Missouri General Assembly. So far, though, only one candidate for the late senator's seat has said she will take up the torch."

Cancer patient awaits trial on marijuana charge (Nov. 3, 2003)
"Now, Singleton is awaiting trial on a felony charge of growing marijuana -- which he admits he grew in his basement for personal use. If convicted, the 65-year-old could go to prison for one to five years or be placed on probation."

Patient Touts Anti-Cancer Properties Of Marijuana (Nov. 3, 2003)
"A new scientific study is the 'smoking gun' that proves the anti-pot crusade is a pack of lies and that medical marijuana works, says an American cancer patient claiming refugee status in Canada."

Group wants pot tests for loaded drivers (Nov. 3, 2003)
"Scientist says that's not so easy."

Students buck DMCA threat (Nov. 3, 2003)
"When Diebold Election Systems learned that its internal e-mail correspondence had popped up on the Web, it used a common legal tactic: sending cease-and-desist letters to Webmasters...Far from vanishing, the files have appeared on more than 50 Web sites, run mostly by students who claim Diebold has a suspiciously cozy relationship with the Republican Party and that the e-mail conversations demonstrate its election software is flawed and should not be trusted."

Bush Administration "Neo-Cons" Oversold Prewar Intelligence to Justify War in Iraq (Nov. 3, 2003)
"One former National Security Council official, Kenneth Pollack says that the Bush people, 'dismantle[d] the existing filtering process that for fifty years had been preventing the policymakers from getting bad information... Their position is that the professional bureaucracy is deliberately and maliciously keeping information from [the top leadership.'"

Guatemala's Fictional Democracy (Nov. 3, 2003- Free NYTimes registration required)
"At last count, two dozen candidates and party activists, mostly belonging to the opposition, have been assassinated. Simultaneously, though probably not coincidentally, the country has witnessed a slew of spectacular gang-style slayings, tied to the narcotics trade. Fears abound that the general and his allies are preparing an electoral fraud, through widespread vote-buying or other schemes. If the campaign seems more like a mafia war, that's because, in a sense, it is."

Math project doesn't add up for parents (Nov. 2, 2003)
"Is my kid in a math class? Or a meth class? That's what some parents in San Dimas, Calif., were wondering last week when they discovered that drug-habit economics had been added to the curriculum of one seventh-grade mathematics class."

Spreading the Word Students take pride in stand against tobacco, drugs, alcohol (Nov. 2, 2003)
"Red Ribbon Week is a national campaign that has spread throughout the local schools, and teenagers are leading the effort to educate their peers about the dangers of drugs. More than 60 local high school students have pledged to abstain from tobacco, alcohol, drugs and violence. These students, who make up Jefferson County PRIDE, organized spirit days, brought in a motivational speaker, manned informational tables during lunch, performed skits and made daily announcements about different drugs."

Coast Guard to turn over $370 million in seized drugs (Nov. 2, 2003)
"Two Coast Guard cutters confiscated almost 13,000 pounds of cocaine and marijuana on routine sea patrols from Oct. 17 until Monday, Lt. Tony Russell said Friday. They also arrested seven suspected smugglers, who will be turned over to federal authorities after the cutters arrive in Miami Beach and Cape May, N.J."

Underage, Illegal And Taking Their Chances in Spain (Nov. 2, 2003)
"Moroccan Girls Defy Social Convention To Escape Poverty, Violence and Despair"

Trouble Stalks a Champion (Nov. 2, 2003)
"Torino says most of Spadafora's bad behavior over the years can be traced to alcohol abuse. 'If he's not drinking, he's the nicest guy in the world. But when he drinks, he's a totally different person.'"

Why War? (Nov. 2, 2003)
This is the same question opponents of the US War on Some Drugs and Users have been asking for decades now- Why War?

E-Vote Software Leaked Online (Nov. 2, 2003)
Some US citizens are not at all happy about the shift towards touch-screen voting, due not only to how unsecure many of these companies' programing codes are (not to mention the difficulty had obtaining code and other related information from some of these companies through legal channels) and how easy it is to steal elections using this technology, but also due to disturbing ties between rich businessmen and powerful politicians (often one and the same) and some of the companies, like Diebold, producing the new computerized voting systems.

The Leak, WMDs and the Dems (Nov. 2, 2003)
"Several Washington reporters to whom I have spoken recently have asked, what can the Democrats do to keep the Wilson leak story alive? This sort of question--common in the capital--is a reflection of the structural bias of the press corps. It is easy for reporters to cover an issue if the Ds and the Rs are tussling over it. But if there is no conflict or no holy-shit new developments, reporters move on."

Peru's Congress charges ex-president Fujimori with torture (Oct. 31, 2003)
Yet another former stalwart US War on Some Drugs and Users ally is outted as a cutthroat murderer (not to mention all the other criminal acts he committed while "President" of Peru) after having been forced to flee his country before real justice could be done, instead of the travesty that was carried out under his decade-long rule with full US support and funding.

Shutdown at lab called 'nightmare' (Oct. 31, 2003)
"One day after the Houston Police Department shuttered its toxicology division, Assistant District Attorney Marie Munier said her office is bracing for the possibility that the lab's newest problems could affect thousands of cases. Prosecutors are set to launch a review of Pauline Louie's work as supervisor and lone analyst of the toxicology division, but Munier noted that Louie also supervised the enormous narcotics division."

Hiding the Truth? (Oct. 31, 2003)
Practicing "need to know" democracy.

Debate to Reclassify Marijuana (Oct. 31, 2003)
England just reclassified marijuana as a non-arrestable offense in most cases. Read the debate here, and how the various officials voted here.

US develops lethal new viruses (Oct. 31, 2003)
Developing stronger, better pot is Bad, but developing stronger, "better" deadly viruses, (an action allegedly undertaken by Iraq, which our government just used as one of the justifications to invade) is Good. What is going on here? Does this really make any sense to anyone else?

Open to Attack (Oct. 31, 2003)
"The risk to the American people is great. According to the General Accounting Office, '123 chemical facilities located throughout the nation have toxic 'worst-case' scenarios where more than a million people in the surrounding area could be at risk of exposure to a cloud of toxic gas if a release occurred.'"

Support Bush, Trust Jesus (Oct. 31, 2003)
"Across the top of the banner, which was clearly professionally made and not hand-lettered, were the block-letter words 'SUPPORT PRESIDENT BUSH.' Through the center of the banner were black outlines of a fighter aircraft, a tank, an M-16 rifle, a .45 caliber pistol, an attack helicopter, a surface-to-air missile battery, and a thermonuclear bomb. Underneath these images were two more block-letter words: 'TRUST JESUS.'"

Goshen Elementary 'ties one on' (Oct. 30, 2003)
"To make the week interesting, students are dressing with a different theme each day. On Wednesday, students at Goshen Elementary School dressed up in ties for 'Tie One on Against Drugs' day. Today, students will 'sock it' to drugs with socks and Friday they will wear red."

Coalition Announces Anti-Drug Campaign (Oct. 30, 2003)
"A new anti-drug media campaign targeting Hispanic youth urges their parents to talk to children about the dangers of marijuana and other illegal drugs."

NZ- Coalition Govt won't change cannabis legal status (Oct. 30, 2003)
"The Progressive Party is campaigning around the country against any change to the legal status of cannabis until it is proven safe. It believes teenagers, in particular, need to be sent a strong message that drugs like cannabis are not OK nor an acceptable lifestyle choice."

One-in-five Northern Ireland people have taken illegal drugs (Oct. 30, 2003)
"The report showed that cannabis is the most commonly used illegal drug whilst illegal drug use is more common amongst men than women."

Cops, politicians warned: Stop protecting druglords (Oct. 30, 2003)
"President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo yesterday warned members of the police, military and politicians not to protect the druglords and drug pushers."

Illegal drugs crop up on campus (Oct. 30, 2003)
"Although illegal drug use is not rampant at USC, there is enough to make students and administrators nervous."

No Brass Check Journalists (Oct. 30, 2003)
The country needs a change of direction, writes Studs Terkel.

Cheney's Hawks 'Hijacking Policy' (Oct. 30, 2003)
"'What these people are doing now makes Iran-Contra [a Reagan administration national security scandal] look like amateur hour. . . it's worse than Iran-Contra, worse than what happened in Vietnam,' said Karen Kwiatkowski, a former air force lieutenant-colonel."

Democrat Clark Blames President Bush for Sept. 11 Intelligence Failures (Oct. 30, 2003)
"Democrat Wesley Clark on Tuesday blamed President Bush for the intelligence failures that contributed to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks...Later Tuesday, Clark called on Bush to release the details of an intelligence briefing he received from CIA Director George Tenet in August 2001."

MPs vote to downgrade cannabis (Oct. 30, 2003)
"Cannabis will now be ranked in the category that includes bodybuilding steroids and some anti- depressants. Possession will no longer be an arrestable offence in most cases, although the police will retain the power to arrest users in certain instances, such as when the drug is being smoked near schools."

Court Throws Out Ex-CIA Officer's Conviction After 20 Years In Prison (Oct. 30, 2003)
Ed Wilson may get out of prison after being railroaded and shafted into a 52 year prison sentence for really selling at least 20 TONS of C-4 explosives to Lybia. He'd claimed at the time that he was acting under order of the CIA but the CIA denied it. Turns out the CIA was the bigger liar.

The 5th Estate- Conspiracy Theories (Oct. 30, 2003)
Some conspiracies are not just theories.

Terahertz rays track down drugs (Oct. 29, 2003)
"Drug smuggling may become much harder in the future thanks to a terahertz imaging system being developed in Japan."

Why Are We Back in Vietnam? (Oct. 29, 2003)
"When an administration is hiding in a no-news bunker, how do you find the news? The first place to look, we're starting to learn, is any TV news show on which Ms. Rice, Mr. Card, Dick Cheney, Colin Powell and Donald Rumsfeld are not appearing. If they're before a camera, you can assume that the White House has deemed the venue a safe one — a spin zone, if you will. They will proceed to obfuscate or dissemble at will, whether they're talking to Oprah, local anchors or a Sunday morning network chat-show host."

Secret Documents Shine New Light on How the CIA Used a Newspaper to Foment a Coup (Oct. 29, 2003)
"Although former U.S. officials such as Henry Kissinger have insisted that Washington had no involvement in the military takeover, and was trying only to preserve democracy in Chile, CIA and White House records, analyzed here for the first time, show how the CIA used Chilean media to undermine the democratically elected government of Socialist Salvador Allende, an operation that 'played a significant role in setting the stage for the military coup of 11 September 1973.'" So what exactly is it that stops the CIA and US Government from engaging in similar behavior inside the US itself, to support policies that the public might not enthusiastically support?

Herbal remedy is controversial (Oct. 29, 2003)
"Heuston uses medical marijuana through a state program to quell his nausea and boost his appetite. More than 140 Central Oregonians participate in the program, which voters placed into law in 1998."

New Law Assists Political Intimidation (Oct. 29, 2003)
"Drug reformers and concert promoters united a year ago to block passage of Democratic Senator Joe Biden's Rave Act, which would have subjected promoters and club owners to prohibitive fines for any but the most incidental drug use at their events. This year, though, Biden--who said the law was needed to deter drug use and 'protect kids'--attached it to the anti-child abduction AMBER Alert bill, which passed in April."

White House Needs to Cooperate Fully With Sept 11 Panel (Oct. 29, 2003)
Considering the number of times Bush has drawn connections between the Sept. 11 attacks and the invasion of Iraq, one would think the White House would be more than willing to cooperate with attack investigators, but this apparently is not the case. The White House and other executive branch agencies may be facing subpoenas from the committe investigating the attacks.

Dick Cheney, Commander in Chief (Oct. 29, 2003)
"It would not be the first or last time that Cheney simply ignored his commander-in-chief. The extent of Cheney's power is not surprising given the degree to which Bush relied on him during his presidential campaign and in the administration's early days. And the fact that Cheney, who was asked by Bush to recommend his running mate in 2000, picked himself for the job reveals that he expected to wield extraordinary power if Bush won the election."

Targeting Diebold with Electronic Civil Disobedience (Oct. 29, 2003)
It is very important for US citizens to know how endangered their voting rights are, in that the newfangled touch-screen voting system by Diebold being foisted upon us is full of ways to cheat and steal elections. And here one can read "A Brief History of Computerized Election Fraud in America."

Border crime ravaging parks in Arizona (Oct. 29, 2003)
"In 'Smugglers Crescent,' public is losing out as rangers are forced to act as border police."

Illegal Drugs (Oct. 28, 2003)
"In the light of The Post's 'Pharmaceutical Roulette' series published last week -- which described for the first time the full extent of the "shadow market" in American pharmaceuticals -- it has become clear that this issue needs to be given much higher priority."

Sixth-Grade Students Learn How Much Illegal Drugs Cost (Oct. 28, 2003)
"Blame it on a classroom project...'Samantha came home Wednesday and told us she's addicted to marijuana and has a $300 drug habit,' said one parent, Diana Mitchell. 'My husband and I were both stunned.'"

Superfund Undermined (Oct. 28, 2003- Free NYTimes registration required)
"Unless Congress renews the fund, which pays for cleaning up toxic waste dumps, taxpayers will have to foot the bill instead of the companies that caused the messes in the first place. An important principle will have gone down the drain, and public health may suffer as a result."

A Willful Ignorance (Oct. 28, 2003-Free NYTimes registration required)
"According to The New York Times, President Bush was genuinely surprised to learn from moderate Islamic leaders that they had become deeply distrustful of American intentions. The report on the 'perception gap' suggests that the leader of the war on terror has no idea how badly that war — which must, ultimately, be a war for hearts and minds — is going." This sounds a lot like the way US politicians seemingly think about their endless WOSDU, doesn't it?

55% back softer marijuana laws: poll (Oct. 28, 2003)
Even though a new poll showing that "55 per cent of Canadians favouring marijuana decriminalization and 40 per cent saying there should be complete legalization," has been released, many expect Canada's decrim bill, C-38, not to pass this year.

R.J. Reynolds Plans to Buy Tobacco Rival (Oct. 28, 2003- Free NYTimes registration required)
"Executives of R. J. Reynolds, which is based in Winston-Salem, N.C., said the merger of the two companies' operations would eventually result in savings of $500 million a year." So when does the US government invite the Colombian military in to spray these US drug lords' incredibly lucrative and health damaging tobacco fields all over the United States? Tobacco is much more dangerous, much deadlier than cocaine and heroin combined. Blatant signs abound illustrating how corrupt and asinine the entire War on Some Drugs and Users really is, like the fact that tobacco barons are openly discussing the hundreds of millions they'll save in this deal whereby they'll grab a larger share of the death and disease-dealing tobacco industry.

insite -- North America's first legal supervised injection site (Oct. 27, 2003)
"Vancouver is home to North America’s first legal supervised injection site (SIS) scientific research pilot project."

Prominent Republican Challenges President Bush's Vow to "Uncover Every Detail" of September 11th Attacks (Oct. 27, 2003)
"Frustrated by Bush officials withholding key documents requested by the bipartisan Commission investigating the September 11th attack, 9-11 Commission chairman Thomas Kean, the former Republican Governor of New Jersey, is challenging President Bush's vow to 'uncover every detail and learn every lesson of September 11th.'"

The Prisoners of War (Oct. 27, 2003)
"US soldiers are well-equipped with guns to fire, clothes to wear, vehicles to drive, radios to call and maps to help them navigate, thanks in large measure to the 21,000 inmates working for Federal Prison Industries (FPI), a quasi-public, for-profit corporation run by the Bureau of Prisons. In 2002, the company sold $678.7 million worth of goods and services to the US government, over $400 million of which went to the Department of Defense."

Rally Recipe Wins No Prizes (Oct. 27, 2003)
A mishmash of messages made the protest a faintly unfocused efforts, according to writer Traci Hukill.

Rush to Judgment Should Limbaugh Do Time? (Oct.. 26, 2003)
"Limbaugh hasn't yet died from overdosing on opiates--he may have damaged his hearing -- and has far less talent than the late lead guitarist of the Grateful Dead. Unlike Jerry, a most un-judgmental individual, Rush is a flaming hypocrite--an addict who pretends he's superior to all other addicts. The cops have thus far not arrested Limbaugh, who confessed to his addiction."

U.S. drug policy stirs upheaval in Bolivia (Oct. 25, 2003)
"In Bolivia, the backlash has strengthened the hand of the political figure regarded by Washington as its main enemy: Evo Morales, head of the coca growers' federation, who finished second in presidential elections last year. American officials have considered Bolivia such a success in the drug war that they were looking to replicate the strategy in Peru. But there, too, signs of discontent are appearing, like the re-emergence of the Shining Path, the guerrilla group that terrorized the country in the 1980s."

Anti-Drug Flights Not Warned in Colombia (Oct. 25, 2003)
"State Department officials who sent the planes on the fatal mission Sept. 21 were unaware of intelligence showing a heavy guerrilla presence in the area, according to a summary obtained by The Associated Press of the report's final draft." When do the Colombians get an invite by the US government to help it erradicated the dreaded scrouge of tobacco, the number one killer of a drugs in the world, exported in massive quantities everywhere else in the world and all over it's own country too by the US.

Battle looms over whether Iraq threat was oversold (Oct. 25, 2003)
"A bitter partisan battle is brewing over where to lay the blame for grossly misjudging the threat posed by Saddam Hussein's Iraq: with the White House or with the spies."