The Government’s War on Children by Sheldon Richman November 19, 2003 Goose Creek, S.C., recently was the scene of a horrific event spotlighting two government institutions: schools and the war on drug users. On a quiet day early in November a squadron of policemen stormed into Stratford High School, automatic pistols and shotguns drawn. They ordered the students to the floor ...
The Inalienable Right to Self-Medication by Sheldon Richman November 3, 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. True, governments don’t recognize this right. Limbaugh himself has not recognized it. But as some conservatives say about the right to ...
The Drugs-and-Terror Ad Campaign by Paul Armentano October 1, 2003 “Where do terrorists get their money? If you buy drugs, some of it might come from you.” Or so claimed a year-long series of U.S. taxpayer-funded public service announcements (PSAs) alleging that recreational drug use sponsors international terrorism. Nevertheless, despite the Bush administration’s having spent tens of millions of dollars on the much-ballyhooed ad campaign, it’s painfully apparent that ...
Axing the Drug-Terrorism Ad Campaign by Paul Armentano July 2, 2003 “Where do terrorists get their money? If you buy drugs, some of it might come from you.” Or so claimed a year-long series of U.S. taxpayer-funded public service announcements (PSAs) alleging that recreational drug use sponsors international terrorism. Nevertheless, despite the Bush administration’s having spent tens of millions ...
The Drug War Helps Terrorists by Scott McPherson July 1, 2003 The U.S. government has become quite accustomed over the years to orchestrating world events to fit its own agenda. In our name, the government keeps American troops in more than half the countries of the globe, openly supports brutal regimes, and uses its intelligence agencies to manipulate the policies of foreign governments. But no matter how hard it tries, ...
“There Was a Report of Guns and Drugs” by Scott McPherson June 6, 2003 On May 16 New York City police officers dressed in riot gear broke down a woman’s door and exploded a concussion grenade in her Harlem home. The woman, 57-year-old Alberta Spruill, was unarmed. She died a few hours later of a heart attack. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and ...
Articles on Race and the Drug War by Future of Freedom Foundation June 1, 2003 The following articles have been linked in FFF's Email Update: Racism and the Drug War by Jacob G. Hornberger The Future of Freedom Foundation Drug War Justice for the Rich and Powerful by ...
Leave Bill Bennett Alone by Scott McPherson May 9, 2003 Public revelations of former drug czar William J. Bennett’s penchant for high-stakes gambling has produced immediate reform for the Book of Virtues author: “It is true that I have gambled large sums of money.... I have done too much gambling, and this is not an example I wish to set. ...
Book Review: Bad Neighbor Policy by Richard M. Ebeling May 1, 2003 Bad Neighbor Policy: Washington’s Futile War on Drugs in Latin America by Ten Galen Carpenter (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003); 282 pages; $24.95. The U.S. government’s war on drugs has been going on since 1914, when new federal regulations were imposed making many narcotics illegal. Through most of the 19th century, opium and cocaine were obtainable legally from pharmacies with few ...
Racism and the Drug War by Jacob G. Hornberger March 1, 2003 Its all fine and good that Trent Lott is no longer Senate majority as a result of his praise for Strom Thurmonds 1948 race for president, in which Thurmond endorsed segregation. Its also fine and good that Lotts fellow members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, overwhelmingly condemned his racial insensitivity and elected Bill Frist in his stead. But given ...
Air Force: Fly High by Scott McPherson January 7, 2003 A popular bumper sticker reads, “Don’t Steal. The Government Hates Competition.” A new bumper sticker should read, “Don’t Deal Drugs. The Government Hates Competition.” According to an Associated Press report in the January 3 issue of the Washington Times, David Beck, attorney for Maj. William Umbach, one of the ...
Drug-War Justice for the Rich and Powerful by James Bovard December 1, 2002 Even in these difficult times, a few simple rules can take some of the peril out of everyday life. For instance, if you’re planning to become a crackhead, make sure that you are the president’s niece. And a governor’s daughter. And that your family is rich enough to hire three lawyers to ply every legal ...