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Should Candidates For Public Office Be Drug Tested?
No, but it certainly is tempting to subject our political leaders to the same rampant privacy invasions endured by millions of Americans in the name of the war on drugs:
Just pause for one moment and contemplate the collective stupidity of all this. Aside from these presumably non-drug related cock-fighting scandals and whatnot, this pretty much comes down to one guy doing some coke and now everyone wants to drug test candidates for public office even though anyone can blast rails of coke all weekend and just declare their candidacy on a Wednesday.
Once again, the popularity of drug testing thrives on the failure of its proponents to comprehend basic facts about how drug testing works. I'd propose the creation of some sort of website to provide that information, but there are already 12 million of those. And, of course, if anyone on South Carolina's Senate Judiciary Committee comes forth to point out that drug testing isn't really very effective against cocaine to begin with, they inevitably render themselves susceptible to accusations of cocaine use and possibly even cock-fighting.
The S.C. Senate Judiciary Committee last week adopted a proposal that could result in a constitutional amendment requiring candidates to take a drug test before seeking public office. As tempting as it seems on the surface, lawmakers should analyze it carefully before they plow into it. There could be rocky ground ahead.Ok, I understand that people believe that, but why candidates specifically? Is there any evidence of party-prone politicians bumping blow on the public dime?
Many believe that if drug testing is employed widely in business, it should be employed in the government, too. What is good for private citizens should be good for elected officials. The goal is to eliminate the use of illegal drugs from the workplace, where a variety of harms might arise. [Beaufort Gazette]
The proposal's origin started when former S.C. Treasurer Thomas Ravenel was indicted for possession of cocaine. He awaits sentencing, but shortly after the arrest, he checked into a rehabilitation facility. South Carolinians were embarrassed, and rightly so.Cocaine! Murder! Bribery! Cockfighting! What do all these things have in common? You can't prevent them with drug testing. And yes, that includes cocaine, which only stays in your system for a couple days.
South Carolinians have dealt with tarnished images before. In 1903, Lt. Gov. James Tillman shot and killed N.G. Gonzales, a co-founder of The State newspaper, on Main Street in Columbia. Former Congressman John Jenrette was convicted in Abscam. Many S.C. lawmakers were indicted in Operation Lost Trust. S.C.'s agriculture commissioner was arrested for taking at least $20,000 to protect illegal cock fighting.
Just pause for one moment and contemplate the collective stupidity of all this. Aside from these presumably non-drug related cock-fighting scandals and whatnot, this pretty much comes down to one guy doing some coke and now everyone wants to drug test candidates for public office even though anyone can blast rails of coke all weekend and just declare their candidacy on a Wednesday.
Once again, the popularity of drug testing thrives on the failure of its proponents to comprehend basic facts about how drug testing works. I'd propose the creation of some sort of website to provide that information, but there are already 12 million of those. And, of course, if anyone on South Carolina's Senate Judiciary Committee comes forth to point out that drug testing isn't really very effective against cocaine to begin with, they inevitably render themselves susceptible to accusations of cocaine use and possibly even cock-fighting.
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Thailand's Drug Strategy: Mass Murder Thousands of Drug Suspects
Via DrugWarRant, Thailand's new prime minister has pledged to continue his nation's shameful quest to maintain the most brutally evil drug policy in the world:
It is the temptation of any drug warrior to seek the gradual removal of any and all safeguards that impede progress towards purging and destroying the enemy. In America, we raid houses based on unreliable informant testimony, we confiscate property without establishing guilt, we tamper with juries, conceal exculpatory evidence, intimidate witnesses, overvalue seized contraband at trial, and we interpret and/or adjust our laws as needed to ensure that the people we accuse of drug crimes are convicted and punished quickly and severely.
The consequence of all this, ultimately, is that innocent people can't defend themselves from the drug war any better than the guilty. It is for this reason that you'll never hear American drug warriors rise to condemn human rights abuses fueled by foreign drug wars. Our political leaders thoroughly lack the moral standing to preach about the due process of drug prohibition.
Rather than becoming placated by the observation that our own drug war could be far worse, let us ask ourselves what sorts of vicious atrocities await should we ever dare to take our eyes off American drug warriors for even a moment.
"My government will decisively implement a policy against drug trafficking. Government officials must implement this policy 24 hours a day, but I will not set a target for how many people should die," said Samak Sundaravej, the new prime minister.They've tried it before, but it didn't work, so they're trying it again:
The interior minister Chalerm Yubamrung, said: "When we implement a policy that may bring 3,000 to 4,000 bodies, we will do it," [Telegraph]
During a three-month killing spree in 2003 as intense as a full-scale armed conflict, thousands named on police "black lists" were shot dead, allegedly on government orders.What can even be said about this? It is just a perfect exhibit of the fact that drug prohibition will still fail even when taken to the greatest heights of inhumanity and totalitarianism.
Yet the government's narcotics control board concluded that more than half the victims had no involvement in drugs. One couple from north-eastern Thailand were shot dead after coming into unexplained wealth and being added to a black list. They were, in fact, lottery winners.
It is the temptation of any drug warrior to seek the gradual removal of any and all safeguards that impede progress towards purging and destroying the enemy. In America, we raid houses based on unreliable informant testimony, we confiscate property without establishing guilt, we tamper with juries, conceal exculpatory evidence, intimidate witnesses, overvalue seized contraband at trial, and we interpret and/or adjust our laws as needed to ensure that the people we accuse of drug crimes are convicted and punished quickly and severely.
The consequence of all this, ultimately, is that innocent people can't defend themselves from the drug war any better than the guilty. It is for this reason that you'll never hear American drug warriors rise to condemn human rights abuses fueled by foreign drug wars. Our political leaders thoroughly lack the moral standing to preach about the due process of drug prohibition.
Rather than becoming placated by the observation that our own drug war could be far worse, let us ask ourselves what sorts of vicious atrocities await should we ever dare to take our eyes off American drug warriors for even a moment.
Event
Rio de Janeiro International Symposium on Public Security & Drug Policy
This event, co-hosted by the Brazilian Antidrug Secretariat, the Ministry of Justiceâs National Public Security Secretariat, Directorate of the Federal Police and The Senlis Council, brings together international authorities, experts and policy makers to discuss the most pressing challenges facing public security, and will explore the relationship between global drug policy and public security policies.
In The Trenches
Drug Policy Alliance: Crack the Disparity -- Call the U.S. Senate Now!
[Courtesy of Drug Policy Alliance]Â
Imagine being able to reform one of the worst federal drug laws of all time. You can do it. The draconian crack/powder cocaine sentencing disparity is on the ropes. We need you to provide the knock-out punch.
Today is a national call-in day on the issue. Please take a few minutes to call your two U.S. Senators and urge them to âeliminate the crack/powder disparity by supporting S. 1711, The Drug Sentencing Reform and Cocaine Kingpin Trafficking Act.â If you canât call today, thatâs OK. Call as soon as you can. Any time this week would be great. It's easy--our website will give you the phone numbers and tell you what to say.
Two weeks ago the Senate Crime and Drugs Subcommittee had historic hearings on the crack/powder issue. The House Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security Subcommittee is having hearings this week. The Drug Policy Alliance and almost a dozen other national groups are bringing in people from around the country to lobby key members of Congress tomorrow.
Support for reform is growing in both the House and Senate and among both Democrats and Republicans. We hope legislation reducing or eliminating the disparity will move within the next couple of weeks.
Itâs not every day we have an opportunity to reduce government waste, improve public safety, promote fairness and restore some sanity to U.S. drug policy. So I hope you take a few minutes to make two phone calls.
Phone calls will make the biggest impact in this campaign. But if you can't call, you can look up the email addresses and fax numbers for your two U.S. Senators at http://www.senate.gov/ .
You can find fact sheets, talking points and articles about crack/powder reform here.
Sincerely,
Bill Piper
Director, Office of National Affairs
Drug Policy Alliance NetworkÂ
In The Trenches
4:20 Drug War NEWS: 02/25/08
Drug Truth Network Update: 4:20 Drug War NEWS from 90.1 FM in Houston & on the web at www.kpft.org.
We provide the "unvarnished truth about the drug war" to scores of broadcast affiliates in the US and Canada.
4:20 Drug War NEWS 02/25/08 to 03/02/08 now online (3:00 ea:) Select online at www.drugtruth.net Mon - Drug War Facts & LSD in the UK
Tue - Frame Up Falls Apart in Pennsylvania
Wed - "Drug Warriors Prayer" + DTN Editorial
Thu - Mark Bennett, the incoming Pres of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers association discusses ramifications of the drug war Pt 1
Fri - Mark Bennett, the incoming Pres of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers association discusses ramifications of the drug war Pt 2
Sat - Mark Bennett, the incoming Pres of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers association discusses ramifications of the drug war Pt 3
Sun - Mark Bennett, the incoming Pres of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers association discusses ramifications of the drug war Pt 4
Next - Century of Lies on Tues, Cutural Baggage on Wed (Now With Transcripts):
- Cultural Baggage 12:30 PM ET, 11:30 AM CT, 10:30 AM MT & 9:30 AM PT: TBD
- Century of Lies 12:30 PM ET, 11:30 AM CT, 10:30 AM MT & 9:30 AM PT: TBD Hundreds of our programs are available online at www.drugtruth.net, www.audioport.org and at www.radio4all.net.
Check out our latest videos via www.youtube.com/fdbecker:
Please become part of the solution, visit our website: www.endprohibition.org for links to the best of reform.
"Prohibition is evil." - Reverend Dean Becker, Drug Truth Network Producer
Dean Becker
713-849-6869
www.drugtruth.net
In The Trenches
MSO Press Release: Colonial Management Group (CMG) now offering Buprenorphine/Suboxone in all their clinics
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 23, 2008
Contact Persons: Carol Sholiton, Founder/Director, E: [email protected]; Chuck Hilger, Colonial Management Group, E: [email protected]
Colonial Management Group (CMG) Now offering Suboxone in all Clinics
Colonial Management Group (CMG), with 54 opiate addiction treatment centers located throughout the United States, announced that as of January 1, 2008 all of their facilities are now offering Buprenorphine (Brand name Suboxone) in addition to their Methadone Maintenance Program.
Suboxone (Buprenorphine/Naloxone) received approval by the FDA on October 8, 2002. It is state of the art medication to treat the medical condition of Opioid addiction. It is improving the quality of life for patients in recovery and giving them hope, dignity, and the ability to have a normal life again.
CMG focuses the work in their clinics on managing the disease of addiction and strive to improve their patients' quality of life. This involves implementing the most current research findings in the treatment of their patients.
In The Trenches
Just Say Know Weekly News: 2-23-08
[Courtesy of Just Say Know]
Visit Our Web Site: If youâre using internet explorer web browser click this link: http://jsknow.angelfire.com/home; if youâre using any other web browser click this link: http://jsknow.angelfire.com/index.html.
Please pass this message on to ALL your contacts in the USA and ask them to join our mailing list using the form on our web site. THANK YOU! We never share email addresses from our mailing list with anyone.
Just Say Know works on your behalf toward drug policy reform, preserving and re-instating your legal rights. Drug policy and enforcement tactics are out of control and removing your rights at an alarming rate. Your financial contributions are greatly appreciated. To make a donation reply to this message with âdonationâ in the subject line and an associate will contact you. Thank you for your consideration. Donât hesitate to contact us by replying to this message; we appreciate your comments, questions and concerns. Together we will make a difference!
The drug war is being used as an excuse to remove your rights, steal your property destroy your ability to earn a living and many other harms to citizens and society. Thereâs a mountain of evidence supporting the need for policy reform that makes citizens, their family, their livelihood and their property more secure. One very good first step will be to take away the ability of criminals to profit from marijuana. How? Just like it was done with alcohol, remove the prohibition and regulate legal adult use. As soon as alcohol prohibition was removed the crime and violence perpetrated by the gangsters who controlled alcohol during prohibition was removed.
Tell your friends about the "Enough is Enough" petition to stop the reckless overuse of SWAT tactics and save the lives of civilians and police alike. This petition is sponsored by: StoptheDrugWar.org. For details, see http://ga0.org/campaign/enough_is_enough.
Feature Story:
THE DRUG WAR AND YOUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS
If you need some inspiration that will no doubt stir you into taking action against the unjust war on the American people known as the drug war, take a couple of minutes and read The Declaration of Independence. Government oppression calls for strong action. Take a look at the Bill of Rights and think about how the drug war has been used as an excuse to remove the rights our founding fathers took great care to provide. Letâs not forget the reason these rights were so important was the founding fathers lived under a totalitarian government that held no regard for civil rights. Thatâs exactly where weâre headed if you continue to sit on your backside and think someone else will do something. Itâs going to take actions by us all to get back the rights weâve already lost to the drug war and stop more from being lost. More and more the drug warriors are working to instill hysteria among the population claiming that weâre all under attack by drug users to such a degree that we should give up our rights and freedoms in order to protect ourselves. By the way, when was the last time you were attacked by a pot smoker? The right; to freedom of religion, free speech, a free press, to keep and bear arms, to be secure in your person, house, papers and effects against unreasonable search and seizure, to life, liberty and property, to be protected from having your property taken by the government without due process of law and without just compensation, to confront the witnesses against you, to be protected from excessive bail, excessive fines, cruel and unusual punishment and to vote have been denied to millions of Americans in the name of the drug war and allegedly to protect us from these terrible drug users skulking about destroying citizens and society. In the next few newsletters weâll be taking a closer look at each of these rights and how the drug war has damaged or removed them. If you have data or input on this topic youâd like us to publish forward it to us. References must be included. Unlike the drug warriors, we strive to only publish documented truths. Itâs interesting to note that for all of recorded history except the last 100 years or so, many drugs were well known and readily available, there were no laws criminalizing their use, yet somehow vast civilizations managed to survive without falling prey to addiction or addicts. Can this be true? If so, why do we need to put people in jail for using drugs?... Our point exactly! A drug user is not necessarily a drug abuser or a drug addict or a threat to their self or society. We thought it would be interesting to explore what our founding fathers might have had to say about the drug war if they had the facts and The Declaration of Independence and Constitution to use as outlines. What we came up with was this:
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Keep the work up and prohibition will end.
Now that police keep screwing up and bringing the swat type enforcement into middle America the love of police is fading. I know a lot of people who do not dare call police for anything, they take care of it themselves. It's too dangerous to call cops, they cause more trouble than they are worth. I have seen the person who called for help be the one arrested when it was all said and done, now that is screwed up if I may say so. Just keep the fight up and we the people will end this nightmare we live in.
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