Though the Republican Party prides itself on being a champion of state sovereignty, one need only mention phrases like "medical marijuana" or "drug law reform" to see how quickly the Administration of George W. Bush becomes hostile to the notion of the autonomy of states. The latest--and perhaps most egregious--example of this enmity is about to become manifest via a new appointment: that of veteran Justice Department official Karen Tandy, soon to be new chief of the Drug Enforcement Administration. [continues 1088 words]
These days, the buzz on Capitol Hill seems loudest about Gary Condit. But late Thursday afternoon, phones started ringing after a congressional staffer discovered a disconcerting bit of text in the considerably-less-sexy but eminently-more-important House Foreign Operations Appropriations bill. The passage has left a number of legislators and staffers wondering: Is the Bush Administration trying to quietly increase the use of private US military contractors in the Andean drug war? When the Clinton Administration was pushing Plan Colombia--the $1.3 billion package of largely military aid it held would help end Colombia's narcotics-financed civil war--Congress took into account concerns that the US might find itself mired in another Vietnam. As such, legislators capped the number of Colombia-based US military personnel at 500, and restricted them to training activities. Unlike their active duty counterparts, however, civilian contractors--many of whom are former soldiers or airmen working under State Department auspices--can put themselves in harm's way, as they're specifically paid to do everything from piloting fumigation planes to ferrying and even rescuing counternarcotics troops. [continues 1455 words]
WASHINGTON -- These days, the buzz on Capitol Hill seems loudest about Gary Condit. But late Thursday afternoon, phones started ringing after a congressional staffer discovered a disconcerting bit of text in the considerably-less-sexy but eminently-more-important House Foreign Operations Appropriatons bill. The passage has left a number of legislators and staffers wondering: Is the Bush administration trying to quietly increase the use of private U.S. military contractors in the Andean drug war? When the Clinton administration was pushing Plan Colombia -- the $1.3 billion package of largely military aid it held would help end Colombia's narcotics-financed civil war -- Congress took into account concerns that the U.S. might find itself mired in another Vietnam. As such, legislators capped the number of Colombia-based U.S. military personnel at 500, and restricted them to training activities. Unlike their active duty counterparts, however, civilian contractors -- many of whom are former soldiers or airmen working under State Department auspices -- can put themselves in harm's way, as they're specifically paid to do everything from piloting fumigation planes to ferrying and even rescuing counternarcotics troops. [continues 1489 words]
Could the State Department's antidrug contractors in South America possibly be dabbling in narcotics trafficking? A key part of the US's $1.3 billion contribution to Plan Colombia--the scheme that will supposedly expedite the end of Colombia's civil war--calls for the use of private contractors (as opposed to actual US military assets) to fly airborne missions against both the fields that grow coca and poppy and the labs that process them. While some contractors, like Aviation Development Corporation of Montgomery, Alabama, fly surveillance missions for the CIA, those that fly on retainer for other US government agencies are a bit more expansive in their missions. [continues 1575 words]
Special Report Best known as a place where the Air Force shoots satellites into orbit, the Eastern Space and Missile Center--just south of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida's Brevard County--would appear to focus solely on the wild blue yonder and beyond. Indeed, the 45th Space Wing's web page is pretty clear about the mission of Patrick Air Force Base and the adjacent Cape Canaveral Air Force Station: to enhance "national strength through assured access to space for Department of Defense, civil, and commercial users." [continues 1953 words]
An Alabama Contractor's Ties To The Downing Of A Plane Of Missionaries In Peru In January 1998, five twin-engine Cessna Citation V jets owned by the Defense Department arrived at Alabama's Maxwell Air Force Base. Their landing was heralded by the local Montgomery Advertiser, which noted in a short but enthusiastic piece that the aircraft were part of a $ 10 million program the military had outsourced to a recently incorporated local contractor. According to the paper, the new company, Aviation Development Corporation, had been retained to test state-of-the-art airborne radar, forward-looking infrared, and signals intercept sensors -- sensors that, according to a base spokesman, had broad applications for aerial law enforcement operations and military search-and-rescue missions. It wasn't a stretch to conclude that the sensors-equipped aircraft were destined for Latin America, where a number of private military companies have spent the past decade flying a variety of anti-drug missions for the U.S. government. [continues 1734 words]
Washington -- In January 1998, five twin-engine Cessna Citation V jets owned by the Defense Department arrived at Alabama's Maxwell Air Force Base. Their landing was heralded by the local Montgomery Advertiser, which noted in a short but enthusiastic piece that the aircraft were part of a $10 million program the military had outsourced to a recently incorporated local contractor. According to the paper, the new company, Aviation Development Corporation, had been retained to test state-of-the-art airborne radar, forward-looking infrared, and signals intercept sensors -- sensors that, according to a base spokesman, had broad applications for aerial law enforcement operations and military search-and-rescue missions. [continues 1938 words]
It would be nice to think that, after mass-murder coverage that put youth culture through the wringer, local news outlets might refrain from lurid reporting that harks back to Reefer Madness. But, carrying on in the grand tradition of William Randolph Hearst ("MARIJUANA MAKES FIENDS OF BOYS IN 30 DAYS"), WTTG-5, Washington's Fox News affiliate, presented a report last Wednesday night about "the underground of raves," rife with "pulsating music, illegal drugs, even sex." Declining to provide any historical context about young-adult drug use-- such as the fact that, since the 1920s, teens have played with everything from liquor to pot to coke to psychedelics to whippets, etc., yet the Republic is still intact-- the report relied largely on snuff-film grade hidden-camera footage and a matter-of-fact but righteously indignant voiceover from reporter Elisabeth Leamy. Her "revelations" about a drug that lends itself to a cool sensory experience were punctuated by images sure to inspire horror in the hearts of suburban parents everywhere: teens blissfully stroking each other's faces and shoulders, grinding teeth on pacifiers, and badgering bartenders for water. [continues 200 words]
The U.S.-led echelon spy network is eavesdropping on the whole world Talk back! editor@villagevoice.com Suppose, this past weekend, you sent an e-mail to a friend overseas. There's a reasonable possibility your communication was intercepted by a global surveillance system--especially if you happened to discuss last week's bombings in East Africa. Or suppose you're stuck in traffic and in your road rage you whip out a cell phone and angrily call your congressman's office in Washington. There's a chance the government is listening in on that conversation, too (but only for the purposes of "training" new eavesdroppers). [continues 2891 words]
