Comments on: Your Government, Working for You

Your Government, Working for You

five fresh fish — Wed, 14 Jan 2004 19:32:58 -0800

Top Ten Drug Stories of 2003. Ten of the more egregrious examples of why the "War on Drugs" is a very bad idea poorly implemented.

By: uncanny hengeman

uncanny hengeman — Wed, 14 Jan 2004 19:51:35 -0800

The first line of the story reminded me of this great cartoon...

By: uncanny hengeman

uncanny hengeman — Wed, 14 Jan 2004 19:54:27 -0800

Yikes! Works OK on a white background. Maybe just try the link: GYWO

By: homunculus

homunculus — Wed, 14 Jan 2004 21:24:12 -0800

Government plans broader drug screening

By: CrazyJub

CrazyJub — Thu, 15 Jan 2004 05:18:25 -0800

Don't worry USA, once Canada decriminalizes pot possession and shows that the country will NOT fall apart, the US population will scream bloody murder at the administration to change. Or it will invade, either way it will be fun.

By: spazzm

spazzm — Thu, 15 Jan 2004 05:32:59 -0800

CrazyJub: The Netherlands haven't fallen apart either, why should one more example open the eyes of the population?

By: dabitch

dabitch — Thu, 15 Jan 2004 05:33:30 -0800

what!? untested pathogenic fungus – fusarium oxysporum – to wipe out coca - that's insane on so many levels. And wtf is the US doing deciding what plants are allowed to grow in the world? Fine, fight drugs but do it within your own borders.

By: magullo

magullo — Thu, 15 Jan 2004 05:35:12 -0800

To think that the most powerful modern empire in the world is scared shitless of a harmless weed is beyond laughable. /spazzm, one might be an exception, but two starts to look like a pattern. Then again, it's not like foreign nations have taught the US anything when it comes to gun control

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Thu, 15 Jan 2004 09:57:59 -0800

I think the eyes of the majority population are fairly much open. It's the eyes of the majority of the government representatives that have their eyes screwed shut.

By: dabitch

dabitch — Thu, 15 Jan 2004 11:20:21 -0800

the fusarium oxysporum idea really scares me. They can do that? How on earth could that be legal?

By: lasm

lasm — Thu, 15 Jan 2004 12:00:17 -0800

This link has some very frightening info on fusarium oxysporum. Not only does it wipe out coca, but also coffee (probably Columbias second largest export) and over 100 other plants. And those are just the ones we know of. Florida entertained the idea of spraying a cannabis killing strain of fusarium oxysporum, but this was stopped by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. They said, "Fusarium species are capable of evolving rapidly. Mutagenicity is by far the most disturbing factor in attempting to use a Fusarium species as a bioherbicide. It is difficult, if not impossible to control the spread of Fusarium species. The mutated fungi can cause disease in large numbers of crops, including tomatoes, peppers, flowers, corn and vines and are normally considered a threat to farmers as a pest, rather than as a pesticide.... Fusarium species are more active in warm soils and can stay resident in the soil for years. Their longevity and enhanced activity under Florida conditions are of concern, as this could lead to an increased risk of mutagenicity." The American Chestnut tree is gone becase of the cryphonectria parasitica fungus and there is still no cure for it. Luckily, that fungus effects only one species and doesn't mutate like fusarium oxysporum.

By: alex_reno

alex_reno — Thu, 15 Jan 2004 12:47:42 -0800

once Canada decriminalizes pot possession Don't hold your breath. I am starting to doubt that this will happen. Anyone heard whether Martin intends to do this or is it, as I suspect, going to die a slow death on Parliament hill?

By: thomcatspike

thomcatspike — Thu, 15 Jan 2004 13:51:54 -0800

once Canada decriminalizes pot possession and shows that the country will NOT fall apart, Iirc, thought doing this would make it worse. As it is now, caught with a joint up to the cops discretion. Changing it will surely earn you a trip to the magistrate's(judge) bench.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Thu, 15 Jan 2004 16:18:28 -0800

Yah, decrim without legalization is useless. This fungal idea is sounding worse and worse. Isn't there anyone in the government who recognizes what an unmitigated disaster this will all be if it goes wrong? I should think the fear of embarassment, let along of rampant destruction of South America, would be enough to put a stop to that plan.

By: magullo

magullo — Thu, 15 Jan 2004 16:39:32 -0800

decrim without legalization is useless No shit, you can own but you can't buy - which one is it?

By: fenriq

fenriq — Thu, 15 Jan 2004 16:51:06 -0800

dabitch, what makes you think our government gives the first damn about legality?

By: squirrel

squirrel — Thu, 15 Jan 2004 17:06:55 -0800

decrim without legalization is useless I believe that it's merely decriminalized in the Netherlands. Seems like a good first step. You know, this ramp-up of storm trooper tactics is only going to get worse as the popularity of the drug war continues to wane. Those with money to lose (law enforcement, correctional corps) start pulling more dirty tricks as they see the tide is turning against them. In that sense, this is good news.

By: dabitch

dabitch — Thu, 15 Jan 2004 18:53:43 -0800

heh, good point fenriq. what about the sensitive ecology of the world. Oh, right.. forget I asked. ;) [before anyone calls me a leftist whatnot, spores freak me out. that's all, like FFF I wonder if anyone has thought that one through...].

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Thu, 15 Jan 2004 20:07:51 -0800

The problem with decrim is that it becomes a ticketable offense instead of an arrest offense. That means it becomes a revenue stream instead of a paperwork hassle. Which in turn means the cops will quit turning a blind eye. Bad idea, that. It becomes very much more a gang activity in that case. The ideal solution is to use the same laws as are currently implemented for alcohol. You can make personal-size batches of wine and beer, but you can't sell them, and it is illegal to drink in public or drive impaired; plus, the government has it's own hand in the business and collects an excellent revenue from its liquor stores. The alcohol model seems to work well as far as criminal activity goes. I've never heard of gang-related commercial vint/brew operations nor of gang-related large-scale distribution of alcohol. Well, other than the government gangsters, that is.

By: dinsdale

dinsdale — Fri, 16 Jan 2004 09:04:41 -0800

I found the story about the Philly drug squad pretty interesting too - CIA caught dealing drugs to finance overseas operation, sound familiar? When are we gonna wake up - the international drug trade is just waaaay too profitable for da big boyz to pass on.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Fri, 16 Jan 2004 11:43:07 -0800

How is it that the CIA can deal hard drugs to Americans and not get prison time? The CIA is one of the scarier institutions in the USA. It is just mindbogglingly out of control.