Pubdate: Thu, 14 Feb 2002 Source: Athens News, The (OH) Copyright: 2002, Athens News Contact: http://www.athensnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1603 Author: Dan Wolf Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?203 (Terrorism) THE WHITE HOUSE IS SPENDING TO MISLEAD US ON DRUGS, TERRORISM The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy wants you to believe that domestic drug consumption supports international terrorism. This is only somewhat true and in a very circuitous way. However, the context of the delivery of this message makes it hypocritical. At the most superficial level, the Superbowl advertisements' argument that the underworld network in place to support the drug trade can easily be utilized by other malignant elements suggests a solution the White House Office is expressly against. Their allegations, while true, ignore the fact that the easiest method to eliminate the black-market infrastructure of the drug trade is to take the drug trade off the black market. In the same way prohibition of alcohol created large extra-legal organizations to support its trade, so too does the prohibition of drugs. If in fact the real moral impetus behind objections to drug use is objection to support for terrorists, perhaps a call for partial legalization is past due. One caveat to their argument: it only applies to terrorists directly if you are buying black tar opium while in Macedonia, Greece, Romania, Serbia, Albania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Spain and perhaps Italy. There is only a very remote possibility U.S. drugs come from the opposite side of the globe. In addition, the argument could be made that a debt of gratitude is owed to all those Swiss junkies. If a family living in northern Afghanistan begins to starve because they can't afford food, it becomes more likely that they will turn to the local Madrasa for food or shelter, and as a result, be subject to terrorist brainwashing. This is not funded by the fat drug lords of Afghanistan, but by Wahabbi Saudi Arabian oil. The income from the trade of opium may be the only thing that kept some Afghanis off the crack of Islamic Extremism. So, if you really want to fight terrorism, don't quit your drug habit, buy a smaller car. You should also criticize the Bush administration. Recently, Hamid Karzai visited Washington to raise funds for his new coalition Afghani government. You may recognize him as the guy in the funny hat who sat next to Laura Bush during the State of the Union Address. He was successful in accumulating $50 million in U.S. financial aid. In contrast, the new budget proposed by the Bush White House calls for a $2 billion increase in U.S. border control next year. That's 40 times our budget for nation building in Afghanistan. The proposed increases in the defense budget simply as a result of Sept. 11 are over 400 times our aid to Afghanistan. The total proposed defense budget for fiscal 2002: $379 billion is 7,500 times our proposed aid to Afghanistan. Clearly an ad campaign that emphasizes combating the roots of terrorism by abstaining from drugs, which will cost $152 million over the next three years, is disingenuous at least. How could such ignorance of the situation occur in our top government law enforcement officials, who are ensconced in the war on terrorism even now? Shouldn't they realize building a more stable Third World is more effective at combating terrorism than throwing millions at an ad campaign meant to indirectly affect a minor segment of the terrorist threat. Well, I am sure they do. You see, this was not in fact a part of a united front against terror, but like so much of the war on drugs, this was simply a marketing strategy. No Washington bureaucrat had a hand in the design of this misleading hypocrisy. This was the brainchild of a Madison Avenue marketing firm. Using focus groups and elite international talent this commercial was as contrived and artificial as any Super Bowl halftime show. Dan Wolf, Treasurer Students for Sensible Drug Policy Athens - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager