From: American Anti-Prohibition League <[aal 01] at [teleport.com]>
Newsgroups: talk.politics.drugs
Subject: Re: Testimony October 31, 1995 Lee Brown
Date: Thu, 9 Nov 1995 15:22:26 -0800
A STERN REBUTTAL TO DRUG CZAR LEE BROWN & PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON
BY FLOYD FERRIS LANDRATH - DIRECTOR
AMERICAN ANTI-PROHIBITION LEAUGE
November 9, 1995
Portland, Oregon
Copyright 1995 Federal Document Clearing House, Inc.
Federal Document Clearing House
October 31, 1995, Tuesday
Congressional Testimony
SECTION: CAPITOL HILL HEARING TESTIMONY
HEADLINE: TESTIMONY October 31, 1995 LEE BROWN DIRECTOR OFFICE OF
NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY HOUSE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL
THE HONORABLE LEE P. BROWN
DIRECTOR
OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
TESTIMONY
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
OCTOBER 31, 1995
WITH A RUNNING COMMENTARY ADDED BY FLOYD FERRIS LANDRATH
DIRECTOR OF THE AMERICAN ANTI-PROHIBITON LEAGUE
I am pleased to testify before the Committee today, Mr. Chairman,
and to have the opportunity to discuss current international
counternarcotics issues, and the effectiveness of our law
enforcement and intelligence efforts in other countries.
This is all you really need to read: Politics as usual.
Let it serve as a warning to those who dare read on, don't expect
anything new here.
As you know, the drug problem in America continues to be very
serious. It is national in scope, but its impact is often most
clearly felt on the local level--in our cities and neighborhoods.
The response to the problem must be international as well as
domestic, because drug use and drug trafficking have become global
in scope.
Thanks in large part to adult drug prohibition making it so
profitable for criminals and corrupt officials.
The overarching goal of the National Drug Control Strategy is to
reduce both the casual and chronic use of illicit drugs and its
consequences. The best way to reduce the problem is to reduce the
number of chronic, hardcore users. Chronic, hardcore users account
for nearly two-thirds of the cocaine consumed in the United States
today, and they are responsible for much of the violence and crime
associated with drug trafficking. The best way to reduce chronic
drug use is to provide effective drug treatment in our
communities, and in our jails and prisons. The objective is to
break the cycle of drugs, crime, and violence.
Classic double speak. Obviously the "problem" would be reduced if
the number of "chronic" users declined, but they are not AND they
are getting younger and younger each year. Like so many others
who defend the status quo, there are two distinct problems which
Brown conveniently overlooks: 1) is the underground, unregulated
illegal drug market, and 2) is the actual problem of abuse of
drugs. Number 1 I believe would be eliminated by legalization and
regulation. Number 2 can be reduced but never completely
eliminated as long as people remain imperfect and get into trouble
with drugs. But we could do much more to reduce the problems -
like HIV - if we were not so preoccupied with waging "war" and
inflicting punishment. This only pushes the population of drug
abusers underground and out of reach of treatment/support
services.
It is imperative, however, to continue to attack the supply of
drugs at their source, where traffickers are most vulnerable and
our interdiction efforts are most cost effective, in transit, and
on the street, where our costs are also highest. Aggressive
enforcement and interdiction are critical to our efforts to reduce
illicit drug use in the US.
Flying in the face of common sense, again. Addicts are addicts,
substance switching nullifies interdiction. Today it's cocaine,
tomorrow it's heroin, the next airplane glue. "Aggressive
enforcement and interdicition" have little effect on drug use per
se.
The Administration's Strategy stresses both prevention and
treatment efforts, while continuing aggressive enforcement,
interdiction and international programs. This Strategy provides
for smarter and tougher enforcement activities in US ports of
entry and borders, as evidenced by Operation Hardline, recently
begun by US Customs in San Ysidro, California. Domestic law
enforcement efforts-- which have been greatly expanded in recent
years and now comprise the largest segment of our drug control
budget--remain central to supply reduction efforts to keep the
streets free of illicit drugs; and assist in achieving our demand
reduction goals.
"Prevention and treatment" are actually code words for
imprisonment and forced drug treatment. "Smarter and tougher,"
another great oxymoron, at tax payer expense of course.
I have recently returned from the coca cultivation and cocaine
processing and trafficking areas of South America, and would like
to take this opportunity to report to you on the implementation of
the President's international Drug Control Strategy in the source
countries. I returned convinced that our international strategy is
sound, and is causing significant damage to trafficker
organizations.
Aerial eradication in Colombia has been very successful. In the
first eight months of 1995, Colombia eradicated almost 23,000
hectares of coca and 2,000 hecatares of poppy. This constitutes
almost a 50 per cent reduction in coca and a 50 per cent reduction
in poppy under cultivation in Colombia. President Samper has
indicated that his goal is to completely eradicate coca production
by the end of 1996.
"Aerial eradication" what does that mean? I wondered what
happened to all that paraquat after it was shown to cause cancer
and eventually banned. Well, here in the U.S. anyway. I guess
our southern neighbors aren't so lucky. It's all so much off the
mark, and once again goes back to the artificial nature of the
illegal drug market. Regulated markets know how much to produce
based on consumption records, that's one reason they are called
regulated markets, Mr. Brown. Un-regulated markets, like cocaine
don't care, much less know, how much to produce as long as it can
be sold. And it can be sold, anywhere anytime. Therefore every
poor Andean peasant with a plot of land is faced with growing food
and maybe feeding his family, or growing coca and definitely feed
them. Enter the local drug lords and their gangs of armed thugs
and the peasant is left with no choice but to grow coca. Enter
the government army lead by our own sweet DEA spraying the
peasant's land and he and his family starves. Or moves to LA.
Drug organizations have responded to our successes in the source
region by moving cocaine production facilities to more remote and
less preferable areas. Traffickers are capitalizing on the largely
uncontrolled river systems in the Amazon Basin and increasingly
using commercial traffic from Venezuela and Colombia. To avoid
Peruvian and Colombian air interdiction, traffickers are shifting
air routes to the east to capitalize on what has become a virtual
sanctuary over vast expanses of the Amazon in Brazil.
One pictures the mad dog relentlessly chasing its own tail. Until
that is, it falls over exhausted or dead.
Regionalization is at the core of our success in the Andean
Region. Upon my return from South America, I asked the Department
of Defense to develop a multilateral effort to increase the
pressure against trafficker smuggling operations throughout the
region. This multilateral surge effort is underway and I would be
pleased to discuss it with you in a closed hearing. The role of
the US forces is to increase detection and monitoring,
intelligence gathering, and support host nation interdiction
operations. Our goal is to disrupt the flow of drugs to the US
and to enhance regional cooperation by enlisting greater
cooperation from other countries of the region.
Now we're getting to the core of what Mr. Brown wants from this
COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS of the US HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES: $$$... There's no concern for the corrupting
influence all this has on our own military, much less those in the
"source" countries. Or the improper use of our military as
aggressors against innocent people in their own countries. To
further compound the deception, Mr. Brown will only discuss the
details of a current "multilateral surge effort" in a "closed
hearing." What about accountability? If my military is involved
in a on-going foreign adventure I WANT TO KNOW! NOW!
UN SPEECH
The President, in his speech before the United Nations last week,
used this occasion to announce major new counternarcotics
initiatives. First, using his authority under the International
Economic Emergency Act (IEEPA), the President signed an executive
order which blocks the assets of, and prohibits transactions with,
four of the leaders of the Cali Cartel and a number of companies
and individuals associated with them. This action will have a
major impact and send a very strong signal that the US
government is serious about the drug problem.
One pictures the dying whale, sharks slowly circling. Closer and
closer waiting for the right moment to strike and finish off the
doomed creature. There are many sharks. The only "signal" the
President is sending is for the next batter to come to the plate.
At the same time, the President said that the Administration would
consider imposing sanctions against nations that assist with money
laundering to prevent them from doing business in the US. The
President directed US government agencies to identify and notify
those countries that are most egregious in facilitating criminal
money laundering that they should enter into bilateral or multi-
lateral arrangements to conform with international standards. If
an identified nation does not enter into such agreements, the
President could invoke economic sanctions against those countries.
Can you say PANAMA? MEXICO? RUSSIA?
The President also called for the negotiation of an international
declaration on Citizens' Security and Combating International
Organized Crime. Through this declaration, nations would join in a
series of international commitments to deny sanctuary to
international criminals and provide mutual assistance in
investigations of international crimes.
Mr. Brown, the biggest crime here is your own ignorance and/or
deliberate deceptions.
The President's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers
Act at this time shows great leadership and vision; as a result I
am looking forward to strengthened momentum against international
terrorism, criminal rings, narcotics and weapons.
And trampling human rights, and shredding the U.S. Constitution.
ACTION PLAN TO STRENGTHEN INTERDICTION AND INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS
U.S. drug control agencies have developed an aggressive.,
coordinated response to the cocaine, heroin, and marijuana threats
facing this Nation. The Action Plan for Strengthening Interdiction
and international Efforts encourages other nations to take a
strong stand against illicit drugs.
Again Mr. Brown turns things upside-down. Cocaine, heroin and
marijuana do not pose threats to any nation, it's their illegal
status which poses the real threat. Mr. Brown also fails to
mention the Colombian Supreme Court has recently decriminalized
adult personal use of cocaine and marijuana.
In 1993, an interagency review of our international cocaine
strategy resulted in a Presidential Decision Directive, which
emphasized that the international cocaine industry is a serious
national security threat requiring an extraordinary and
coordinated response by all agencies involved in national
security. Our resulting strategy is designed to: assist nations
who have demonstrated the political will to combat
narcotrafficking; increase international cooperation; interdict
narcotics trafficking; and destroy narcotrafficking organizations.
"Destroy narcotrafficking organizations?" How? By declaring a
national emergency, a "decision directive?" The lack of living-
wage jobs is the most serious "national security threat." If you
ask me. But hey! Clinton "gave" us Nafta, remember!
There has been a controlled shift of emphasis among cocaine
interdiction priorities from the traditional transit zones to
source countries. With limited resources, it is more effective to
attack drugs principally at the source of production. This is
where our intelligence is best, and the traffickers most
vulnerable, thereby allowing us and our allies to better target
our interdiction resources. Moreover, the strategy recognizes that
drug trafficking organizations have significantly shifted their
preferred method of smuggling drugs by employing different
tactics, methods, and geographic areas. For example, more than 70
percent of the cocaine entering the US crosses the border with
Mexico. Thus, we are focusing our efforts to interdict cocaine
before it gets to Mexico. Evidence suggests that this strategy is
working -- parts of the cocaine air pipeline have recently been
squeezed almost shut in Peru where the traffickers are scrambling
to develop new routes and means to move their drugs to the US
and Europe.
It's safe to assume there's vast amounts of cocaine already in the
U.S., stored for times like this. You may recall a major cocaine
bust in LA a few years ago. An entire warehouse packed floor to
roof with tons of the white powder. Up to this point cocaine has
been flown in using huge commercial jets which carry tons of
product. So high stakes is this game, that the players think
nothing of abandoning the aircraft once they have brought in a
single load. So Mr. Brown are you now prepared to bivouac the
troops? They're going to have quite a long wait down there in the
Amazon.
HALTING THE FLOW OF DRUGS TO THE UNITED STATES
Interdiction of drugs in source countries, in transit, and at the
US border is a priority national security objective. Our
efforts, along with those of our allies, are directed at
disrupting drug smuggling operations by forcing traffickers to
abandon activities and shift to more costly or ineffective
smuggling regimens.
Traffickers use a mix of air, land, and maritime approaches
including high flying large aircraft, fast boats,
semisubmersibles, and various commercial transports. Within and
between Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru, the traffickers rely almost
exclusively on general aviation aircraft and river craft to move
cocaine base and finished cocaine.
Smuggling routes flow in all directions from source countries, but
most of the cocaine destined for the US moves to Mexico where it
can be temporarily stored or moved directly across the US
border. Puerto Rico is a second gateway that is growing in
importance to the traffickers.
Given the nature of the current flow and potential opportunities
to interdict illicit drug shipments, we and our allies are
focusing our primary efforts on:
* The Peru/ Colombia "airbridge;"
* The Colombia/Mexico "airbridge;" and
* Puerto Rico and the nations of the Eastern Caribbean.
Our interdiction strategy is to:
* Continue to assist Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and Mexico to develop
their "end game" interdiction capabilities;
* Improve the sharing of information and intelligence among our
international partners;
* Foster greater regional cooperation;
* Enlist greater cooperation and interdiction support from the
British, French, Dutch, and Canadians.
THE PERU/ COLOMBIA "AIRBRIDGE"
Roughly 75 per cent of the supply of cocaine base in Peru is
currently moved to Colombia by air. The Peru/ Colombia "airbridge"
offers the US and host nation partners a good opportunity to
disrupt cocaine production and reduce the flow of drugs from the
source countries.
Encouraged by our advice and counsel, and supported by our
detection and monitoring resources, such as airborne and ground-
based radars, Peruvian and Colombian counterdrug forces during the
past six months have successfully disrupted the flow of cocaine
along the "airbridge."
"Advice and counsel?" Same as burning the candle at both ends: no
matter where you hold it, eventually you get burned.
Numerous smuggling aircraft flying
illegally in Colombia and Peru have been seized or destroyed.
Is Mr. Brown saying we are now helping "Peruvian and Colombian
counterdrug forces" blow airplanes out of the sky? How long
before somebody screws up and shoots down a commercial airliner?
This is absolutely ridiculous, disgraceful.
Since March, there has been a steady decrease in the number of
flights between the two countries.
Gee what a surprise. Don't think I'll be flying out of Bogota
anytime soon myself.
The traffickers apparently are
having difficulty finding pilots who are willing to take the
increased risk. This successful interdiction activity against the
current "airbridge" is forcing the traffickers to move more
cocaine by less efficient and slower riverine and overland routes.
At profit margins in the 70 to 80 percent range, I don't think the
cartels will be moving into the poorhouse just yet. What's next?
Agent Orange?
The increased Peruvian and Colombian counternarcotics activity has
led to a significant disruption in the supply and reduction in
price of cocaine base. In some areas the price of base has dropped
by as much as 50 per cent. Over time, continued lower prices will
make the cultivation of coca plants substantially less profitable.
Traffickers are stockpiling cocaine base hoping that the current
level of "airbridge" activity abates. Unless Peruvian traffickers
can find alternate routes and methods to move their product, the
current disruption in Peru's drug economy will become permanent.
It's interesting to note Andean people have been chewing the coca
leaf for centuries, to this day it's a common and accepted
practice. They have no idea what cocaine "base" is, the only
white powder they're interested in is flour for making bread.
They have no need for Betty Ford clinics either. Powder cocaine,
crack, heroin are all refined from raw plant material which if
used instead, is much less harmful or addicting. In other words
these refined drugs are by-products of prohibition and the
motivation to keep customers hooked on higher than natural
potencies in as small a quantity as possible.
THE COLOMBIA/MEXICO "AIRBRIDGE"
A significant portion of cocaine produced in Colombia moves to
Mexico by air and sea for transhipment to the United States. To
address this problem we have worked closely with Colombia and
Mexico to disrupt these flights before they can be launched and
once they have arrived in Mexico.
Since the beginning of the year, our allies have put together an
operational plan to halt the flights of the large cargo, 727-type
aircraft, used to transport cocaine from Colombia to Mexico. After
a furious pace of deliveries last year, traffickers appear to have
suspended these operations. The latest "large plane" flight
probably occurred in March. The plane, a Caravelle, was tracked by
US and Mexico, which directed the Mexican Northern Border
Response Force to a remote landing field in Mexico. Eventually,
Mexican authorities were able to seize 2.8 tons of cocaine near
the landing site.
As "Mexican authorities" seized the 2.8 tons, another 25 tons or
so made it across the boarder. Good work guys.
THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN AND PUERTO RICO
To respond to the smuggling threat through Puerto Rico and the
Eastern Caribbean, we have developed interdiction agreements with
the Dominican Republic, Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, St. Kitts and
Nevis, St. Lucia, and Dominica; fielded contraband detection
technology on board ships in the Caribbean; and worked with the
United Nations Drug Control Program (UNDCP) to develop broad
international agreements on maritime counterdrug enforcement
practices. Recent successes include seizure of 800 kilograms of
cocaine airdropped off the Turks and Caicos Islands intended for
delivery in Miami; and seizure of 1,140 lbs of marijuana on board
a Colombian fishing boat near the Cayman Islands.
These "recent successes" should give you an idea of just how much
actually gets through. The DEA estimates only about 10 percent of
all illegal drugs are interdicted. The net has holes, big ones.
In order to better deal with the problem of cocaine transiting the
Eastern Caribbean, last year I designated Puerto Rico and the U.S.
Virgin Islands as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA).
Through this HIDTA, Federal law enforcement agencies, including
the Coast Guard and Customs, are working closely with law
enforcement and National Guard officials in both Puerto Rico and
the Virgin Islands to develop a more effective and better
coordinated interdiction and drug law enforcement program.
Spoken like a true bureaucrat.
RECENT LAW ENFORCEMENT SUCCESSES
In addition to successes in our interdiction efforts, the U.S. and
its South American allies have made significant progress in
attacking the major drug kingpins. Over the past few months, six
major traffickers have been arrested and their organizations
dismantled or severely disrupted. In January, 20 members of the
Peruvian based Lopez-Paredes Organization were arrested following
the seizure of about three tons of cocaine. The leaders of this
group, all of whom were arrested, were in the process of shipping
this cocaine directly to Mexico. A week later, two top Bolivian
traffickers, Carlos Ali Bravo and Pedro Ramirez Correa, were
arrested by Bolivian police.
As Mr. Brown speaks over 1 million Americans are in prison, about
65 percent of them for non-violent, victim-less drug offenses.
In June, the top Peruvian supplier of cocaine HCL and base,
Cachique Rivera, was arrested in Bogota. Cachique fled to Colombia
in the wake of heavy Peruvian law enforcement pressure. His
capture and extradition to Colombia were the result of close
cooperation between the Peru and Colombia governments.
Also in June, Colombian National police arrested Gilberto
Rodriquez Orejuela, one of the top Cali Cartel kingpins. This
arrest was the result of extensive collaboration between the U.S.
and Colombia and was preceded by numerous raids on kingpin
properties and enterprises. The August 6 arrest of Miguel
Rodriguez Orejuela, the last of the Orejuela brothers--and at the
time the world's top cocaine kingpin--means that six of the top
seven leaders of the Cali cartel have been arrested by the
Colombian National Police with the help of the U.S. government.
How many more are there Mr. Brown? How many? When do we "win?"
MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS
Currently we are in the process of developing better methods to
evaluate program efforts. The legislation which reauthorized ONDCP
last year also establishes an important new step in our official
review process by which each year's goals and objectives will be
assessed. As part of the Crime Control Act of 1994, agencies and
departments are required to develop Measures of Effectiveness to
gauge results of their programs. I expect to be able to use the
findings of this study to help evaluate our overall international
drug control effort, particularly the impact of agency programs on
meeting Strategy objectives. I also will use the study to
recommend changes in next year's National Drug Control Strategy.
The real "objectives" Mr. Brown is interested in is how many more
people can he put in jail, get hooked on hard drugs, and how far
he can spread all this corruption.
HEROIN
As I said when I testified before the Subcommittee on Asia and the
Pacific in June, we have been experiencing an increase in the
availability of heroin on our streets over the past year as
indicated by lower prices and greater purity due to bumper crops
coming out of Asia and increased production in South America. It
is imperative that we respond aggressively to this increase in
heroin use. Our failure to do so will lead to increased health
care and criminal justice costs, as well as incalculable human
costs. Our strategy to address the heroin threat is targeted,
comprehensive, and cost-effective to address the problems of
trafficking, production and use, and to prevent the spread of this
deadly drug throughout our nation.
On pictures the hapless cartoon character seeking its prey in a
chest of drawers which pop open hitting him first in the head,
then the gut, then the head...
Substance switching, Mr. Brown. Addicts are addicts, take away
the cocaine they go to junk, take away the junk they go to meth...
As you may know, Mr. Chairman, worldwide opium production has more
than doubled in the last decade. Poppy growing areas are expanding
in Afghanistan and the new republics of the former Soviet Union.
Heroin addict populations, particularly in Asia, are increasing.
The cocaine cartels in Colombia are now shipping more heroin to
the US. And in the US, higher purity heroin is being marketed
in a smokable form, thus avoiding the stigma associated with the
use of needles and the consequences of contracting HIV-AIDS
through injection.
All Mr. Brown can do is think about the "stigma" but if he had
even an ounce of understanding or compassion he'd realize the
benefits of people smoking heroin instead of injecting it. Seems
even the cartels know more about "Harm Reduction" then the
Honorable gentleman.
Today at least 11 countries produce a total of 3,400 metric tons
of illicit opium for the international drug markets.
Our heroin strategy encompasses a focus on demand reduction,
treatment of addicts, and prevention of new users. Our recommended
international heroin strategy is a part of this broader program
effort, and has four major goals:
* expanding and intensifying contacts with foreign leaders to
mobilize greater international cooperation against the threat of
heroin;
Again backward thinking. Heroin is not the threat, it's the
illegal status of heroin which promotes its production and
distribution way beyond the actual market demand. Gotta keep
those kids hooked you know.
* dismantling the illicit heroin trafficking organizations by
prosecuting their leaders and seizing profits and assets;
Actually another way of saying it is, "We're creating
opportunities for aspiring traffickers." Picture the dying whale.
* treating heroin trafficking as a serious national security
threat; and
* reducing the supply of heroin entering the US
Further justification for taking away our rights and making
prisons the number 2 growth industry. [Number 1 is of course arms
for waging more war.]
We seek to optimize our limited counternarcotics resources to
carefully target those countries and regions that pose the most
direct heroin threat to the domestic health and national security
interests of the United States. Approximately 60 per cent of the
heroin sold in the US comes from Southeast Asia, particularly
Burma. Our primary heroin control priority within our
international strategy will be to reduce this flow. We will
continue to employ a range of activities to address US
counternarcotics concerns without undermining other vital US
objectives, including efforts to promote political reform and
reconciliation and curb human rights violations. Fortunately, the
Burmese regime released Aung San Suu Kyi on July 10, 1995, who had
been held under house arrest since 1989. However, the language
contained in the recently agreed to House/Senate Conference Report
on Foreign Operations would restrict any assistance to Burma at
this time.
It appears Mr. Brown is even willing to get in bed with the most
despicable, murderous despots on the planet. But then again why
not? Look who his boss is sleeping with these days in order to
"fight" drugs or sell our precious natural resources to.
The overwhelming proportion of our resources, programs and
activities are directed toward reducing the supply and demand for
cocaine in the United States, because cocaine remains the
principal drug threat to us. However, as the supply and purity
level of heroin have risen, so has use. If left unchecked, these
conditions can produce another drug use epidemic in the United
States that will create more health problems, more drug related
crime, and staggering social and economic costs.
There goes the chest of drawers again.
BUDGET
The key to success is full support of the President's budget
request for international and interdiction resources. Here,
Congress has come up short.
In other words if you still want to tell the folks back home how
"tough on drugs" you are you better give some more of the tax
payers money to us. Outside of D.C. this is known as extortion.
As you know, despite your support f or the President's request,
Mr. Chairman, the House/Senate Conference cut the INL budget to
$115 million; and will once again raise questions among our allies
about our resolve to deal seriously with the drug threat. In fact,
Congress has cut the INL budget below the President's request
since 1993. Congress provided only $148 million of the President's
request of $173 million for FY 1993, $100 million of the $148
million request for FY 1994, and $105 million of the $228 million
requested for FY 1995.
It's all politics, and our wasted tax dollars.
Despite these cuts, the U.S. has fielded a credible effort against
the cocaine threat by increased cooperation with our allies, using
pipe-line funds, fielding better technology and realigning our
declining resources. As a result, total worldwide cocaine seizures
have remained relatively constant, all but one Cali mafia leader
is in jail, successful interdiction has backed up tons of cocaine
in Peru, and Colombia so far this year has eradicated half of the
country's coca crop, some 23,000 hectares.
And not only will that 23,0000 hectares not be used for coca, it
wont be used for maze or wheat either. It wont produce anything
but death and suffering for the people who live near it. The
dying whale.
The FY 96 budget for INL will not sustain this level of
performance. The drug threat in Mexico is growing rapidly and the
South American traffickers are investing in new routes and
carriers to better protect their shipments. These developments
warrant greater U.S. and allied responses or we will lose more
ground to the traffickers. The INL budget is critical to meeting
this challenge since it supports programs in every major strategy
area: dismantling drug organizations, interdiction, institution
building, and international diplomacy.
The only thing in this paragraph that makes any sense is "lose
more ground." We'll wipe out drugs even if we have to destroy the
planet to do so. Now that's "zero tolerance."
The cuts allow for little if any sustained alternative
development, which will greatly concern our Andean allies. Without
alternative development help, the political costs for eradicating
coca fields is too high. It will be necessary to cut INL funds to
support the development and improvement of "end games"--the
capability of allies to take action on the intelligence and
detection and monitoring information. This is a critical shortfall
for which we are already paying a stiff price; helping our allies
resolve this relies heavily on INL funding.
In other words if we can't bribe more despots and dictators than
the cartels our "Andean allies" [sic] will tell Uncle Sam to take
a hike.
I cannot conclude without mentioning funds for ONDCP. Conference
discussions indicate that the overall operational budget for ONDCP
will be cut by approximately one-fourth. This does not make any
sense. Only last year, while reauthorizing ONDCP, Congress voted
to strengthen this office.
Mr. Brown is blowing in the wind. He's obviously headed to the
great political flush those pesky Republicans promissed last
November. Alas don't look for anything better from the
pachyderms.
Congress created this office in 1988 in order to bring focus and
central coordination of Federal counterdrug efforts. My job is to
develop the President's National Drug Control Strategy and Budget
to provide coherence and planning to our nation's fight to reduce
drug use. This involves coordinating the efforts of more than 50
Federal agencies and departments.
Truth be told the office of drug czar was created to give chain
smoker and boozer William Bennett a bully pulpit from which he
could whip up hate and bigotry over illegal drugs. An essential
ingredient to right-wing politics - hate, bigotry, and oh yeah
drugs. It's indicative of Bill Clinton's lack of identity with
the People, and his total disregard of anything resembling ethics
or common sense. "Bush-lite" I believe someone said. It fits.
The fight against drug abuse must be a bipartisan effort. This is
too important an issue for our Nation and our Nation's children to
allow ourselves to become caught in partisan rhetoric. I welcome
your interest, and look forward to working with you to change the
picture of drug use in America.
I'll give Mr. Brown one thing; he sure has wind. A lot of it.
But if you've read this far you certainly deserve something for
getting through so much foul smelling rhetoric. I haven't much to
offer, but it may be the single most important thing to help clear
the air of this lingering "war." Please contact the:
AMERICAN ANTI-PROHIBITION LEAGUE
3125 SE Belmont Street, Portland, Ore., 97214
voice: 503-235-4524, fax: 503-234-1330, e-mail: [aal 01] at [teleport.com]
Thank you.
In solidarity for "Drug Peace!"
Floyd Ferris Landrath - Director
***
*** DRUG WAR, or DRUG PEACE? ***