Jesse Jackson Slams US Drug War
August 7, 2000 11:44 AM Subscribe
Jesse Jackson Slams US Drug War Man, if Al would have picked Jesse for veep, I might not be voting for Nader after all.
Didn't Jackson negotiate a cease-fire and the release of 2,000 POW's in Sierra Leone? I'd sure as hell support him if he could a broker a cease fire in the drug war.
posted by snakey at 12:09 PM on August 7, 2000
posted by snakey at 12:09 PM on August 7, 2000
Al would never have picked Jesse for VP. Ever. He's got two things that would make Al look real bad to voters. He's got the courage of his convictions, a charming, funny personality, and he gets into trouble way too often by shooting his mouth off.
Three, I meant three things.
posted by chicobangs at 12:14 PM on August 7, 2000
Three, I meant three things.
posted by chicobangs at 12:14 PM on August 7, 2000
Also, I don't think I've heard anyone, left or right (certainly since Reagan was President), short of those who are actually getting $$ from the War on Drugs, who thinks the WoD [is / was ever] a good idea.
It saddens me that this viewpoint is presented as a radical one, when it's kind of a given that the Drug Czar isn't wearing any clothes.
Does anyone still believe that lie?
posted by chicobangs at 12:21 PM on August 7, 2000
It saddens me that this viewpoint is presented as a radical one, when it's kind of a given that the Drug Czar isn't wearing any clothes.
Does anyone still believe that lie?
posted by chicobangs at 12:21 PM on August 7, 2000
The real reason this is so cool is that Jackson is the biggest name in politics to (finally) criticize the drug war. And he gets lots of press, too -- which can only help to push the debate into the public eye.
posted by snakey at 12:43 PM on August 7, 2000
posted by snakey at 12:43 PM on August 7, 2000
Jackson is a pure publicity-seeker and will go wherever a camera will follow. He says he fights racism but calls New York Hymietown.
posted by gyc at 12:50 PM on August 7, 2000
posted by gyc at 12:50 PM on August 7, 2000
So gyc, because he's a camera hound, that means he's somehow not allowed to try to do any good deeds?
I'm not saying he's no hypocrite or anything (he certainly is), but he's talking about something else completely here. Put the NOI stuff down for a second and address the current issue.
posted by chicobangs at 1:46 PM on August 7, 2000
I'm not saying he's no hypocrite or anything (he certainly is), but he's talking about something else completely here. Put the NOI stuff down for a second and address the current issue.
posted by chicobangs at 1:46 PM on August 7, 2000
I vaguely remember back when Dukakis was gonna run for president, during the democratic convention, Jessie Jackson was really raising up a fuss. He'd made a big stink about how the Democrats pretended inclusion of blacks and other minorities but he considered it a token response. Some thought he was trying to jockey position to be VP, but if that was his goal he was making too many enemies along the way with his big mouth to insure success. I think he was just sincere about his opinion and belief, and wasn't letting anyone stand in his way.
He was being a little prick about it actually, if memory serves. I mean he was being very anti-political. I liked it. From that day on, I liked him.
The democrats in charge at the time basically had some kind of 'behind closed doors' session with him. Some people thought he'd be picked for Dukakis' vp. What basically happened was when he was before the media cameras again he changed his tune a little bit and toned down his rhetoric and ..well it looked like someone had just taken the wind out of his sails. It was rather anticlimactic. Sill, I applaud anyone who stands for what he believes in, even in the lion's den, even if he comes out with a bit less of a butt than when he went in.
Sure he's a publicity hound and a showoff and a loudmouth and a lot of things but the man's got moxie. Chutzpah. Guts. The man's got balls, coupled with occasional reluctant humility, and he's done his fair share of helping people. Even when I disagree with him, which is often, I still respect the hell out of him.
posted by ZachsMind at 2:22 PM on August 7, 2000
He was being a little prick about it actually, if memory serves. I mean he was being very anti-political. I liked it. From that day on, I liked him.
The democrats in charge at the time basically had some kind of 'behind closed doors' session with him. Some people thought he'd be picked for Dukakis' vp. What basically happened was when he was before the media cameras again he changed his tune a little bit and toned down his rhetoric and ..well it looked like someone had just taken the wind out of his sails. It was rather anticlimactic. Sill, I applaud anyone who stands for what he believes in, even in the lion's den, even if he comes out with a bit less of a butt than when he went in.
Sure he's a publicity hound and a showoff and a loudmouth and a lot of things but the man's got moxie. Chutzpah. Guts. The man's got balls, coupled with occasional reluctant humility, and he's done his fair share of helping people. Even when I disagree with him, which is often, I still respect the hell out of him.
posted by ZachsMind at 2:22 PM on August 7, 2000
Where can I find the reasons why Jackson said it was "institutional racism?"
posted by gyc at 3:09 PM on August 7, 2000
posted by gyc at 3:09 PM on August 7, 2000
(I can't say for certain that those are Jackson's reasons, but they should give you an idea.)
posted by sudama at 3:29 PM on August 7, 2000
posted by sudama at 3:29 PM on August 7, 2000
OK, I'm definitely NOT a conservative, but When Gary Johnson, the republican Governor of New Mexico, recently came out for marijuana legalization, I was like 'right on!' That takes some cajones.
When Gov. Jesse Ventura denounced the war on drugs, I was stoked -- even though I'm not a big fan of some of his other policies.
I might not agree with somebody's politics, but when it comes to the drug war, anytime somebody is willing to tell it like it is, I've got to give him credit.
posted by snakey at 3:56 PM on August 7, 2000
When Gov. Jesse Ventura denounced the war on drugs, I was stoked -- even though I'm not a big fan of some of his other policies.
I might not agree with somebody's politics, but when it comes to the drug war, anytime somebody is willing to tell it like it is, I've got to give him credit.
posted by snakey at 3:56 PM on August 7, 2000
Wha exactly happened in Sierra Leone? I have never heard the entire story.
posted by Mindy at 4:17 PM on August 7, 2000
posted by Mindy at 4:17 PM on August 7, 2000
Details of Jackson's intervention in sierra leone Here's the story . . . I'm not sure of the fiasco that kidsplateusa was referring to.
posted by snakey at 4:55 PM on August 7, 2000
posted by snakey at 4:55 PM on August 7, 2000
Odd, I thought I posted this a few hours ago. Oh well, here's a paraphrased version...
A quick rundown of the events in Sierra Leone: diamonds were discovered there a few years ago, and a group of rebels formed, with their main intent being to gain control of the mines. They forcefully enlist children into their army by cutting off the arms and legs of those who refuse, and often their parent's limbs as well. And of course there are the obligatory war crimes for a badly formed rebel group as well, such as rape, murder, razing villages, etc. So anyway, these aren't people to be negotiated with. However, Jackson for some reason felt the need to "intervene" and publicly likened the rebels to anti-apartheid South Africans in the 80s. Clinton of course backed him, and so there was a treaty signed which was completely against the interests of the country and its citizens. There is much more to it that I don't know. I'm not sure how much of this would be available in American or British news sources because of Jackson's spin on the situation, but my source is a family friend who is a (non-political; it's not like the Miami Cubans or something where his reports are politically motivated) refugee from Sierra Leone.
posted by kidsplateusa at 11:24 PM on August 7, 2000
A quick rundown of the events in Sierra Leone: diamonds were discovered there a few years ago, and a group of rebels formed, with their main intent being to gain control of the mines. They forcefully enlist children into their army by cutting off the arms and legs of those who refuse, and often their parent's limbs as well. And of course there are the obligatory war crimes for a badly formed rebel group as well, such as rape, murder, razing villages, etc. So anyway, these aren't people to be negotiated with. However, Jackson for some reason felt the need to "intervene" and publicly likened the rebels to anti-apartheid South Africans in the 80s. Clinton of course backed him, and so there was a treaty signed which was completely against the interests of the country and its citizens. There is much more to it that I don't know. I'm not sure how much of this would be available in American or British news sources because of Jackson's spin on the situation, but my source is a family friend who is a (non-political; it's not like the Miami Cubans or something where his reports are politically motivated) refugee from Sierra Leone.
posted by kidsplateusa at 11:24 PM on August 7, 2000
And stop spraying the rainforests of Colombia! Damn it!
posted by lagado at 11:25 PM on August 7, 2000
posted by lagado at 11:25 PM on August 7, 2000
Actually, you can trace the origins of the "institutional racism" meme to here. Though I'm not sure whether Jackson's use of the term dilutes its original force in the Stephen Lawrence inquiry.
posted by holgate at 3:24 AM on August 8, 2000
posted by holgate at 3:24 AM on August 8, 2000
holgate, I don't follow you... was Jackson referring to the Stephen Lawrence case? (Which I don't know anything about -- what happened?) The "institutional racism meme" surely has been around for decades.
posted by sudama at 6:05 AM on August 8, 2000
posted by sudama at 6:05 AM on August 8, 2000
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by kidsplateusa at 11:53 AM on August 7, 2000