-------------------------------------------------------------------
No On Measure 57 (A Staff Editorial In The Bend, Oregon, 'Bulletin'
Says The State Ballot Measure That Would Recriminalize Possession
Of Less Than One Ounce Of Marijuana Would Be Ineffective
And Would Take Up Jail Beds Needed For Real Criminals)
Date: Wed, 23 Sep 1998 18:32:11 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US OR: Editorial: No On Measure 57
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Dave Fratello (amr@lainet.com)
Source: Bulletin, The (OR)
Contact: bulletin@bendbulletin.com
Website: http://www.bendbulletin.com/
Pubdate: 22 Sep 1998
NO ON MEASURE 57
Under current law, toting around less than an ounce of marijuana is a
noncriminal act punishable by a fine up to $1,000. Measure 57, which will
appear on the ballot Nov. 3, would make it a Class C misdemeanor, which
means small-time pot users would face not only a fine, but a jail sentence
of up to 30 days.
While we don't condone marijuana use, Measure 57 strikes us as the wrong
way to stop it. When the state developed an estimate of the law's cost --
about $1.5 million annually -- it assumed that about 6,000 penny-ante pot
users would be busted every year, and that half of them would spend one day
in jail in addition to paying a fine. Faced with these mild consequences,
we don't think Oregon's weed warriors are going to be flushing their
stashes down the commode any time soon. Meanwhile, marijuana users who do
get comparatively stiff sentences will occupy jail space desperately needed
for more serious offenders.
The most reasonable punishment for people caught with small amounts of
marijuana is the one that's already on the books.
We see no reason to change it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
State Police Fire 18-Year Veteran For Improper Conduct
('The Associated Press' Says Oregon State Police Undercover Detective
David Campbell Was Accused Of Pressuring A Drug Informant Into Having Sex -
A March Newscast By KOIN-TV, Portland's CBS Affiliate,
Noted An Albany Waitress Said Campbell, A Member
Of The Albany-Based Valley Interagency Narcotics Team, Threatened To Reveal
Her Identity To Traffickers, Ignored Her Tips About Prominent Drug Dealers,
Gave Her Prescription Medication, Openly Talked About Secret Investigations
And Was Afraid Of 'Going After Certain People' Because He Feared For His Job
And His Safety)
From: "W.H.E.N. - Bob Owen" (when@olywa.net)
To: "-News" (when@hemp.net)
Subject: Police fire veteran for improper conduct
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 19:05:18 -0700
Sender: owner-when@hemp.net
State police fire 18-year veteran for improper conduct
The Associated Press
09/22/98 4:55 AM Eastern
SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- An 18-year veteran of the Oregon State Police accused of
pressuring a drug informant into having sex has been fired.
Undercover detective David Campbell was dismissed for "violations of rules,
regulations and department policies," State Police Lt. Greg Hastings said.
Hastings would not elaborate on the reasons for the firing.
But in March, a Portland television station reported that an Albany waitress
said Campbell had threatened to reveal her identity to drug dealers if she
talked about his deeds.
Amanda Murphy told KOIN-TV that Campbell had ignored her tips about
prominent drug dealers, had sex with her and gave her prescription
medication.
Murphy also said Campbell had openly talked about secret investigations. In
an audiotape Murphy made of one of her conversations with Campbell, he
appeared to talk about specifics of an undercover investigation.
Campbell, who had spent the past five years working as an undercover agent
for the Albany-based Valley Interagency Narcotics Team, was placed on
administrative leave Jan. 7 and suspended pending the department's
eight-month investigation.
A grand jury did not return criminal charges against Campbell in April.
Murphy, who has since moved to the East Coast, said she was relieved at
Campbell's dismissal.
"I'm pleased," she told KOIN, but added: "I hope it doesn't end there."
Murphy said that while she was an informant, she learned that Campbell was
afraid of "going after certain people" because he feared for his job and his
safety.
Campbell could not be reached for comment Monday.
Hastings said the investigation took longer than usual because a new
internal affairs investigator was assigned to the case once the criminal
case had ended.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
State Police Fire 18-Year Veteran For Improper Conduct (A Somewhat Different
'Associated Press' Version)
Date: Wed, 23 Sep 1998 00:07:45 -0700
From: Paul Freedom (nepal@teleport.com)
Organization: Oregon Libertarian Patriots
To: Cannabis Patriots (Cannabis-Patriots-L@teleport.com)
Subject: CanPat - State police fire 18-year veteran for improper conduct
Sender: owner-cannabis-patriots-l@lists.teleport.com
Reply-To: cannabis-patriots-l@teleport.com
PROHIBITION FUELS CORRUPTION!
HERE'S ANOTHER EXAMPLE FROM LINN COUNTY,
THE FOLKS WHO WANT TO TRAMPLE ON BILL CONDE'S
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS. JUST ANOTHER COPPO GUSTAPO.
WHEN YOU USE IMFORMANTS TO SPY ON AMERICANS THINGS
GET UGLY. DISBAND VALIANT AND THESE FASCIST DRUG TEAMS
OF SEXUAL PERVERTS!
PF
***
State police fire 18-year veteran for improper conduct
The Associated Press
9/23/98 1:08 AM
SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- An 18-year veteran of the Oregon State Police accused
of pressuring a drug informant into having sex has been fired.
Undercover narcotics detective David Campbell, 45, was dismissed Monday
for "violations of rules, regulations and department policies," State Police Lt.
Greg Hastings said. Hastings would not elaborate on the reasons for the firing.
But in March, a Portland television station reported that an Albany waitress said
Campbell had threatened to reveal her identity to drug dealers if she talked
about his deeds.
Amanda Murphy told KOIN-TV that Campbell had ignored her tips about
prominent drug dealers, had sex with her and gave her prescription medication.
Murphy also said Campbell had openly talked about secret investigations. In an
audiotape Murphy made of one of her conversations with Campbell, he
appeared to talk about specifics of an undercover investigation.
Campbell, who had spent the past five years working as an undercover agent
for the Albany-based Valley Interagency Narcotics Team, was suspended and
placed on paid administrative leave Jan. 7 and suspended pending the
department's eight-month investigation.
A grand jury did not return criminal charges against Campbell in April.
It would not be necessary for Campbell to commit and indictable crime to
justify dismissal for violating departmental rules and policies, Hastings said.
Murphy, who has since moved to the East Coast, said she was relieved at
Campbell's dismissal.
"I'm pleased," she told KOIN, but added: "I hope it doesn't end there." Murphy
said that while she was an informant, she learned that Campbell was afraid of
"going after certain people" because he feared for his job and his safety.
Jason S. Carlile, Linn County district attorney, said Murphy's statement was the
first he had heard about Campbell being afraid to investigate anyone.
"I don't have the faintest idea of what he is talking about," he said. "However, he
was not privy to testimony grand jurors heard in April.
Campbell could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Hastings said the investigation took longer than usual because a new internal
affairs investigator was assigned to the case once the criminal case had ended.
In order to have an outsider oversee the investigation, Carlile asked Dan Glode,
Lincoln County district attorney, to work with Oregon State Police investigators
and present the case to the grand jury.
The agency, known as Valiant, suspended operations for a few weeks after
Campbell's suspension. But Carlile said Valiant is back at work and has no
reason to believe it has been compromised.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Hypocrisy Abounds Among Foes Of Medical Marijuana ('Seattle Times' Columnist
Michelle Malkin Eloquently Endorses Washington State Initiative 692,
The Medical Marijuana Ballot Measure, While Pointing Out
The Various Double Standards Of Such Republican Politicians As Newt Gingrich,
Steve Forbes, And Those In Congress Who Recently Pushed Through
House Joint Resolution 117, Together With Such Democrats
As Washington State Senator Patty Murray And Lieutenant Governor Brad Owen)
From: "W.H.E.N. - Bob Owen" (when@olywa.net)
To: "-Hemp Talk" (hemp-talk@hemp.net)
Subject: HT: Hypocrisy abounds among foes of medical marijuana
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 19:03:31 -0700
Sender: owner-hemp-talk@hemp.net
Copyright (c) 1998 The Seattle Times Company
Posted at 06:16 a.m. PDT; Tuesday, September 22, 1998
Michelle Malkin / Times staff columnist
Hypocrisy abounds among foes of medical marijuana
A terminally ill woman smokes marijuana to ease intense nausea caused by
chemotherapy. An elderly man with glaucoma discovers that smoking marijuana
lessens the debilitating pain in his eyes. A family doctor determines, after
careful consideration of the individual health risks and benefits, that an
AIDS patient can safely stimulate his waning appetite by smoking marijuana.
Who would stand in the way of these private and professional efforts to
heal, relieve and restore hope?
Politicians. Hacks on the left and right, Democrat and Republican. Control
freaks inside the Beltway and down in Olympia who favor the deadly grip of
government over compassion. Moralists who sacrifice the sick and infirm in
the name of upholding public safety, defending the regulatory process, or
protecting the collective good.
As citizens in Washington state and Washington, D.C., prepare to vote on
medical marijuana initiatives this fall, they should ready themselves for
six weeks of Drug War wile and dissimulation.
Let's start with Republicans. It was Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) who once
sponsored a bill in Congress to allow therapeutic use of marijuana. In 1982,
Gingrich wrote an impassioned letter to the Journal of the American Medical
Association attacking the "outdated federal prohibition" of medical
marijuana. He decried the plight of "thousands of glaucoma and cancer
patients" held hostage by "bureaucratic interference."
Sixteen years later, Gingrich is Speaker of a House that just declared that
marijuana "contains no plausible medicinal benefits." No, the plant wasn't
corrupted. Gingrich was.
Last week, the House Republican Conference passed a joint resolution
condemning state-level efforts to legalize medical marijuana. GOP leaders,
swept into the majority in 1994 to get government out of our lives,
sponsored the election-year declaration against states' rights and
self-determination. Former champions of streamlining the federal bureaucracy
voiced full-throated support of the "existing Federal legal process for
determining the safety and efficacy of drugs . . . for medicinal use."
The message from Republican revolutionaries, who only two years ago planned
to eliminate the Food and Drug Administration, is no longer Bust the FDA -
but Trust the FDA. GOP reformers who once assailed the agency's glacial pace
and politicized approval procedures now defer to the FDA's "expert judgment"
over the judgment of individual patients and doctors. Take Steve Forbes, the
magazine publisher and 1996 GOP presidential candidate. Not long ago, he
lambasted the FDA's sluggish pace in approving new drugs. Now, he slams
medical marijuana proponents as stealthy and "insidious" radicals thwarting
the FDA's beneficent administrators.
Forbes and other free-market posers argue that patients should shut up and
be satisfied with FDA-approved Marinol, a synthetic form of marijuana's
therapeutic chemicals. But what happened to consumer choice? What happened
to breaking the government's monopoly on medicine? What happened to reducing
the sphere of the FDA's paternalistic influence and letting individuals make
risk-benefit calculations for themselves?
Democrats are just as two-faced when it comes to putting patients first.
Pro-choice liberals have stretched the constitutional right of privacy to
cover only the most politically correct of medical procedures. U.S. Sen.
Patty Murray, for example, is one of the state's staunchest defenders of a
woman's right to choose . . . abortion. She speaks frequently about
protecting "personal freedoms" and privacy on the Senate floor. Yet, she
opposes Initiative 692, the narrowly crafted Nov. 3 ballot measure to allow
the private, personal use of physician-prescribed marijuana by patients with
terminal diseases or debilitating illness.
Sen. Murray marches in lock-step with the Clinton White House. Though the
administration made heroic efforts to repeal the so-called gag rule
prohibiting federally funded clinics from advising patients about the option
of abortion, it imposed a gag rule of its own by urging local law
enforcement to arrest and prosecute doctors recommending medicinal use of
marijuana in California and Arizona.
Like House Republicans, the Clinton drug policy office hides behind the FDA
to oppose an upcoming medical marijuana initiative in the District of
Columbia. "Science, not politics, should determine what is safe and
effective medicine," says a spokesman. Yet, for more than two decades,
politics has impeded scientific research on marijuana's health benefits. As
drug policy researchers Lynn Zimmer and John Morgan note in their book,
"Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts": "Findings from animal and cellular
studies are used and cited as evidence of marijuana's biological harms, even
when researchers have consistently found no such harm in humans. Studies
showing no effect - or a positive effect related to marijuana - are ignored
completely."
Democratic Lt. Governor Brad Owen, an outspoken foe of medical marijuana,
says I-692's "loose language" betrays a broader pro-drug agenda. But the
tightly worded measure states clearly that the possession, sale, manufacture
or use of marijuana for non-medical purposes would remain prohibited; it
makes the public use or display of physician-supervised medical marijuana a
misdemeanor, and it narrowly spells out the qualifying terminal or
debilitating medical conditions, including cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis,
epilepsy and glaucoma.
Owen casually dismisses real stories of those who have benefited from
medical marijuana as "anecdotal evidence." On Nov. 3, the flesh-and-blood
family, friends and co-workers of those "anecdotes" can wrest control from
calculating bureaucrats like Owen and put the power to heal - with dignity,
privacy, and freedom from fear - in the frail fingers of their loved ones.
The I-692 web site address is: http://www.members.aol/sativaflo/index.html
Michelle Malkin's column appears Tuesday on editorial pages of The Times.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
SLO Man Files Claim Against Law Agencies Over March Raid
('The San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune' Says Howard Leasure,
Who Spent 16 Days In Jail When San Luis Obispo County Narcotics Task Force
Officers Mistook 10 Pounds Of Lye For Methamphetamine, Filed A Lawsuit
Wednesday In Superior Court, Alleging False Arrest And Imprisonment
And Violation Of His Civil Rights)
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 16:54:36 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US CA: SLO Man Files Claim Against Law Agencies Over March
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Jo-D Harrison
Source: San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune (CA)
Contact: slott@slnt01.sanluisobispo.com
Website: http://sanluisobispo.com/
Pubdate: Tues, Sept 22, 1998
Author: Matt Lazier, Telegram-Tribune
SLO MAN FILES CLAIM AGAINST LAW AGENCIES OVER MARCH RAID
SAN LUIS OBISPO -- A man jailed when county Narcotics Task Force
officers mistook 10 pounds of lye for methamphetamine has filed a
claim against several law-enforcement agencies.
Howard Leasure, 42, spent 16 days in jail after he was arrested March
18, when the task force served a search warrant at his O'Connor Way
home in San Luis Obispo.
Leasure was arrested on charges of manufacturing and possession of
meth. But those charges were dropped in July after it was discovered
that the 10-pound bag investigators found inside Leasure's home
contained caustic soda or lye -- not meth.
The claim, which was filed Wednesday in Superior Court, alleges false
arrest and imprisonment and violation of civil rights and is the first
step in a lawsuit over the March raid, Leasure said.
It names the state, county and the city of San Luis Obispo as
responsible parties.
Narcotics Task Force agents watched the mobile home rented by Leasure
and his wife and daughter for months before serving the warrant in
mid-March.
Search warrants were served at the O'Connor Way property and Cambria
property owned by Nickolaus Kopp, 62. Kopp was also arrested in the
raid, but posted bail soon after. His charges were also dismissed in
July.
During the search at O'Connor Way, agents said they seized equipment
and chemicals used to make meth at the property.
Agents said they confiscated more than 70 Freon cans, a gas cylinder,
red phosphorous, a hydraulic meth press, filters with residue
consistent with the manufacturing of meth and 300 pounds of lye, which
is used in the process of manufacturing the drug.
But Leasure has said he never manufactured meth and that chemical
containers found in the trailer were not his. He said the 10-pound
sack of lye was his, but said he used the chemical to separate toxins
out of his water storage tank, which he thought might have been
contaminated.
"The property owner had been taking things and bringing things to the
property before the raid," Leasure said. "I knew they were watching me
for months, so why would I have continued to do what they said I was
doing?"
Leasure spent 16 days in the San Luis Obispo County Jail while
Narcotics Task Force agents searched his mobile home.
During that time, Leasure alleges task force agents destroyed his
sweat lodge, a holy place in his Native American religion, and
violated his right to religious freedom.
The claim also points to comments and actions of San Luis Obispo
Police Chief Jim Gardiner and Grover Beach Police Chief Ernest
Klevesahl that Leasure said damaged his reputation.
Leasure accuses Klevesahl of defamation during a television interview
that took place after Leasure's charges were dropped.
Leasure characterized the task force's raid as political, to which
Klevesahl reportedly responded, "We don't play politics. We just
arrest drug dealers," according to the claim.
Klevesahl, who is now chairman of the Narcotics Task Force governing
board, said he had not seen the claim Monday.
"I cannot comment directly to it," he said. "From the standpoint of
the NTF, that's what we do. We put drug dealers in jail. Whether or
not those comments were directed at him, I can't say without reading
the wording in his claim."
Leasure also alleges the raid on his trailer was performed with local
media invited to create publicity for Gardiner's campaign for county
sheriff. Gardiner has repeatedly rejected the charge.
"It has been asked and answered," Gardiner said. "The timing of the
raid was up to the investigators and the media was not invited. Once
the arrests were made, it became a newsworthy event. It is unfortunate
that it would be speculated that way."
Narcotics Task Force representatives could not comment on the status
of their case against Leasure and Kopp Monday, but San Luis Obispo
Police Sgt. Jim English and Deputy District Attorney Ron Abrams both
told the Telegram-Tribune in earlier interviews that charges may be
refiled against the two men.
Task force spokespersons also could not comment on the claim Monday,
saying they had not yet seen or heard of it.
Leasure, meanwhile, said the claim is the first step in a federal
civil lawsuit.
"You have to exhaust all your channels first," Leasure said. "It's
just a matter of normal practice and I believe they'll deny the claim.
Then, we'll move to a lawsuit."
The claim doesn't specify damage amounts being sought. Leasure said
Monday he didn't yet know how much he would ask for, but that he would
seek mostly punitive damages for himself and for the Cheyenne tribe,
of which he is a member.
Leasure's claim is not the first of the Narcotics Task Force's legal
woes this year.
In June, Carole Ann Martin of Atascadero sued the task force, claiming
NTF agents searched her home by mistake one year before.
Investigators entered Martin's home on the morning of July 8, 1997, as
she lay in bed with her child and allegedly held her at gunpoint while
they searched the home.
Martin lives at 1901 San Gabriel Street in Atascadero, and the search
warrant specified 1905 San Gabriel, a nearby home.
Martin was arrested on a minor drug charge that was later dropped. She
is seeking unspecified monetary damages.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Court Allows Parolee Search For No Reason (An 'Associated Press' Article
In 'The Orange County Register' Says The California Supreme Court
Ruled Monday That Law-Enforcement Officers Can Search Any
Of California's 108,000 Adults On Parole, Or Their Homes, Without Having
To Show Any Reason At All, Because It Would 'Discourage Crime' -
Juveniles And Those On Probation Had Their Fourth Amendment Rights
Removed Previously)
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 17:31:28 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US CA: Court Allows Parolee Search For No Reason
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: John W.Black
Pubdate: Tue, 22 Sep 1998
Source: Orange County Register (CA)
Contact: letters@link.freedom.com
Website: http://www.ocregister.com/
Author: Bob Egelko - The Associated Press
COURT ALLOWS PAROLEE SEARCH FOR NO REASON
Law Enforcement: Justices Say Allowing Random Checks Would Discourage Crime.
SAN FRANCISCO - Law-enforcement officers can search any of California's
108,000 adults on parole, or their homes, without having to show a
reason to suspect wrongdoing, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday.
The 4-3 ruling overturned a unanimous 1986 decision that had allowed
parolees to be searched based on "reasonable suspicion" of crime or
parole violation. For most other Americans, the Constitution requires
a warrant and probable cause of a crime, a more stringent standard
than reasonable suspicion, to authorize a police search.
The court majority said allowing random searches of parolees would
discourage crime. Dissenting Justice Joyce Kennard said the ruling
allowed searches of "private homes in neighborhoods throughout the
state, by day or by night, for any reason or no reason," if a parolee
lived there.
But Deputy Attorney General Joel Carey said people who live with
parolees or probationers "suffer, by definition, a lesser expectation
of privacy." He said the ruling doesn't allow searches of another
resident's body, clothes or bedrooms, only the parolee's quarters and
common areas of the home.
Parolees are felons who have completed their state prison sentences
and undergo supervision for three to five years after release. They
must report regularly to parole officers, can be searched without a
warrant and can be returned to prison for the remainder of their
parole period for violating parole conditions, which typically forbid
drug use and all criminal conduct.
The case involved Rudolfo Reyes of Woodlake in Tulare County, who was
in the last year of a three-year parole term in February 1995 when his
parole officer got an anonymous telephone tip about possible drug use
and other misconduct.
Police saw Reyes in his yard that evening, found no sign that he was
under the influence of drugs, but searched his shed and found a small
amount of methamphetamine. After unsuccessfully challenging the
search, he pleaded guilty to possession and was sentenced to seven
years in prison.
A state appeals court overturned the conviction, rejecting a Superior
Court judge's finding that the search was based on reasonable
suspicion of wrongdoing, and ruling that the search was therefore
illegal, based on the state Supreme Court's 1986 decision requiring
reasonable suspicion for a parole search.
In reinstating Reyes' conviction, the high court noted that it had
already approved searches without reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing
for people convicted of less serious crimes and placed on probation
instead of going to jail. Adults must consent to such searches as a
condition of probation, but juveniles, the subject of a 1994 ruling,
have no right to refuse consent.
Privacy right should be no broader for an adult parolee, said the
opinion by Justice Janice Rogers Brown.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Three Law Officers Resign Their Posts After Drug Tests
('The Houston Chronicle' Says The Deputy Constables In Montgomery County,
Texas - Two Of Them Assigned To Police Duty In The Willis School District -
Tested Positive For An Undisclosed Drug)
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 16:06:23 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US TX: 3 Law Officers Resign Their Posts After Drug Tests
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: adbryan@onramp.net
Source: Houston Chronicle (TX)
Contact: viewpoints@chron.com
Website: http://www.chron.com/
Pubdate: Tue, 22 Sep 1998
3 LAW OFFICERS RESIGN THEIR POSTS AFTER DRUG TESTS
CONROE -- Three Montgomery County deputy constables resigned after testing
positive for an undisclosed type of drug, authorities confirmed Monday.
The officers, including a lieutenant and two other deputies who were
assigned to police duty in the Willis school district, resigned last week
after employees in Precinct 1 Constable Don Chumley's office were tested for
drugs, County Attorney Frank Bass said.
"It's my understanding that everybody in that constable's office -- from
Chumley himself down to the newest employee -- was tested," Bass said.
Those who resigned were Lt. Greg Gibson, 41, of Montgomery; Jon Harold
Puckett, 31, of Conroe; and Drew Michael Warren, 45, also of Conroe. Gibson
was in charge of the constable's patrol on Lake Conroe, and Puckett and
Warren were assigned to six campuses in the Willis school district.
Chumley said the officers "resigned on their own." He referred all other
questions to Bass.
Bass said his office is researching public information laws to determine
what details, if any, he can disclose about the drug tests. He also said
that he has not determined whether to file charges against the three former
officers.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Filthy Rich (According To ABC News, The October Issue Of 'Discover' Magazine
Says Scientists From The University Of California At San Francisco
Took A Sampling Of Money From Miami, Chicago And Houston
And Found 70 Percent To 80 Percent Of It Had Traces Of Cocaine -
7 Percent Of Paper Money And 18 Percent Of Coins Had Traces
Of Fecal Bacteria)
From: "W.H.E.N. - Bob Owen" (when@olywa.net)
To: "-News" (when@hemp.net)
Subject: US Money has dope on it
Date: Wed, 23 Sep 1998 18:37:55 -0700
Sender: owner-when@hemp.net
Source: ABC News
Pubdate: September 22, 1998
Online: http://www.abcnews.com/ sections/us/DailyNews/wolffiles.html
Writer: Buck Wolf
Newshawk: ccross@november.org
FILTHY RICH
Your mother probably told you not to put money in your
mouth. Now here's scientific proof that she was right
The October Discover magazine takes a look at the dirt
dollars pick up as they go from hand to unwashed hand. No outbreaks have
been linked to the greenback. But you might never put your money where
your mouth is again
Certainly, exchanging bills with a cashier at the deli
isn't nearly as risky as taking him to bed. Then again, you don't know
where his money has been
A study from the University of California at San Francisco
shows that 7 percent of paper money and 18 percent of coins have traces
of fecal bacteria, including E. coli and other strains that "can usually
be traced to someone's sloppy bathroom habits," according to
microbiologist Shirley Lowe
The dirtiest hands, according to a survey in the article,
belong to New Yorkers.
But the real shocker about money is not bacteria. It's
cocaine.
Scientists took a sampling of money from Miami, Chicago and
Houston and found 70 to 80 percent of it had traces of the drug. That
doesn't mean some drug fiend curled up one of the bills in your wallet
and sniffed himself into oblivion. Much of the contamination is passed
from dollar to dollar by currency counting machines
But Discover finds that cocaine is so thoroughly embedded
in our money, a drug-sniffing dog could detect cocaine in any large
stash of cash
P.S.: Want clean money? Move to Japan. Germs are so feared
there you can visit a "clean ATM" and get your yen pressed between
rollers at 392 degrees, hot enough to kill the less hearty critters
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Exclusive - Drug Use Probed In White House - Reports Say 25 Percent
Of Staff Has History ('World Net Daily' Says Trained Dogs Brought In
By The Secret Service Detected Drug Use In And Around The Oval Office -
Several Sources Have Reported Independently Of Each Other
That Monica Lewinsky's Dress Not Only Had Evidence Of A Sexual Encounter
With Bill Clinton, But Also Traces Of Cocaine)
From: "W.H.E.N. - Bob Owen" (when@olywa.net)
To: "-News" (when@hemp.net)
Subject: Drug use probed in White House Reports
Date: Wed, 23 Sep 1998 18:38:33 -0700
Sender: owner-when@hemp.net
Source: World Net Daily
Pubdate: September 22, 1998
Online: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/
Writer: David M. Bresnahan (David@talkusa.com)
Comments; jfarah@ibm.net
Newshawk: ccross@november.org
EXCLUSIVE
Drug use probed in White House Reports say 25 percent of staff has
history
As heads are still spinning over sex, perjury, abuse of power and
security scandals in the White House, trained dogs brought in by the
Secret Service detected drug use in and around the Oval Office, sources
tell WorldNetDaily.
While Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr is said to be aware of the drug
problems in the White House, no mention of such problems were in his
report to Congress. But reports indicate as many as 25 percent of the
White House staff have a history of illegal drug use, say the sources.
According to security protocols, White House clearance is supposed to be
denied those with significant illegal drug use. Past administrations
welcomed FBI checks to weed out applicants and avoid scandal. But the
Clinton administration has stymied FBI efforts to keep known drug users
off the White House staff.
A security clearance is required to gain access to various parts of the
White House and to see certain documents. Yet, even as an intern, Monica
Lewinsky had a top-level security clearance which enabled her to gain
access to the White House at any time, day or night. Such access for an
intern was not unusual, just questionable, say FBI sources. Several
sources have reported independently of each other that Monica Lewinsky's
dress not only had evidence of a sexual encounter with Bill Clinton, but
also traces of cocaine.
"There was a significant amount of cocaine residue," said one source
close to the FBI. Another source with ties to the White House Secret
Service confirmed the allegations and was astonished the Starr report
does not mention more about the dress.
"The dress is not the only evidence Starr has regarding drugs in the
Oval Office," said the source.
Former FBI agent Gary Aldrich, who was stationed at the White House
during the Bush and early Clinton years and who was responsible for
background checks of prospective employees, confirmed reports that drug
users have the run of the chief executive's offices.
Allegations of drug use have long followed Bill Clinton throughout his
political career. He is known to have had regular social activity with
Dan Lasater, a convicted cocaine dealer, in Arkansas during the 1980s.
Lasater was arrested for illegal drug trafficking, along with Roger
Clinton, the president's brother. While Lasater was in jail, Patsy
Thomasson was given power of attorney to run Lasater's investment
business. That business was suspected of laundering illegal drug money,
according to a former investigator involved with that case. Lasater was
later pardoned by Gov. Clinton.
The fact that Thomasson was placed in charge of the White House employee
drug-testing program alarmed Aldrich, who voiced his concerns of White
House security problems in his book "Unlimited Access."
Previous administrations used the FBI background investigation as a type
of screening process for potential White House employees. The Clinton
administration looked at the FBI as an obstacle to be overcome, charged
Aldrich.
"They took a totally cavalier attitude towards security clearance
investigations and totally disregarded what the FBI brought to them by
way of evidence of serious wrongdoing in a persons past," said Aldrich.
"They kept the Secret Service from even knowing the results of these
investigations. Which of course is absurd. They're the ones that are
supposed to protect the White House and the president from unsuitable
people in the first place. But they didn't want the Secret Service to
know that upwards of 25 percent of their staff members had serious
experience with significant illegal drugs, for example."
Drug use was not just by low-level staff. It included "Cabinet-level
people too," said Aldrich.
"It was like a circus side show in the Clinton White House, except it
wasn't funny and it certainly wasn't entertaining," he added.
His investigations turned up other problems that should have also
prevented a large number of the Clinton staff from getting security
clearances. He found many violations of federal laws, failure to pay
student loans, previous employment dishonesty that resulted in
dismissals, refusal to pay federal income taxes, and some had serious
mental disorders requiring medication to function and maintain emotional
stability.
Aldrich says his information and evidence points to continued drug use
and security problems in the White House to this very day.
"They treated drug use as a normal part of their lifestyle activity," he
said. "This was the scary thing. There was no evidence that they felt
inclined to stop using drugs once they became a White House employee."
The use of drugs in the White House may be shocking, but not as shocking
as other evidence Aldrich and other sources claim Starr has not yet
reported to Congress. There is evidence involving abuse of power
surrounding the White House Travel Office scandal, and the misuse of FBI
files. National security may also have been compromised when favors were
done for Red Chinese agents in exchange for multimillion-dollar campaign
donations.
Aldrich and other sources speculate that the failure of Starr to release
information on these scandals may be a deliberate effort to spare the
country the agony of dealing with such difficult subjects.
"Perhaps as a country we would have difficulty going there to determine
that the president, or some of his people in fact were involved in
treasonous matters," said Aldrich. "So maybe it's just easier to let him
off the hook on a sexual escapade matter. I don't know. Ken Starr's had
four years and lots and lots of FBI agents to look into all these
things, but I don't think Ken Starr's empowered to make these kinds of
lofty huge decisions on how to proceed. If in fact these reports are
softballs on Travelgate and Filegate, then I'm going to be suspicious
that somebody or somebodies have sat down and decided that it's just not
politically digestible to report what Clinton has actually done."
Aldrich speculates that Starr may be hoping Clinton resigns rather than
face the music of more serious wrongdoing. But the former FBI agent does
not believe that strategy will work. He says Clinton thinks he can
overcome such scandals.
"I don't believe he's going to go easily," says Aldrich. "It's going to
be a long, dirty battle that will be destructive to the country in many
ways."
David Bresnahan, a WorldNetDaily contributing editor, hosts "Talk USA
Investigative Reports" and is the author of "Cover Up: The Art and
Science of Political Deception."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Salinas Warns Mexico Against Drug Probe ('The Los Angeles Times'
Says Former President Carlos Salinas De Gortari Lashed Out
From His European Exile Monday, Demanding That Mexican Justice Officials
Officially Discredit A Report By Swiss Police Claiming That His Brother Raul
Virtually Ran Narcotics Traffic In Mexico During The 1988-94 Salinas
Presidency)
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 17:25:38 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Mexico: Salinas Warns Mexico Against Drug Probe
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Jim Rosenfield
Pubdate: Tue, 22 Sep 1998
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Contact: letters@latimes.com
Fax: 213-237-4712
Website: http://www.latimes.com/
Author: Mary Beth Sheridan, Times Staff Writer
SALINAS WARNS MEXICO AGAINST DRUG PROBE
MEXICO CITY--Former President Carlos Salinas de Gortari lashed out
from his self-imposed seclusion Monday, warning Mexico's top justice
officials that they could be implicated in a widening scandal about
drug trafficking during his administration.
Salinas counterattacked after the leak of a report claiming that his
brother Raul virtually ran narcotics traffic in Mexico during the
1988-94 Salinas presidency. That secret report was drawn up by Swiss
police investigating possible money laundering by Raul Salinas.
The former president demanded Monday that Mexican justice officials
officially discredit the report, parts of which were leaked to the New
York Times. Through his lawyer, he said that many of the witnesses
against his brother were jailed drug traffickers whose testimony
cannot be trusted.
Salinas' warning also indicated that Mexico's top political groups,
who traditionally send discreet messages to one another, are now
displaying all the gentility of boxing champion Oscar de la Hoya on
match night. It indicated that any probe into the Salinas' involvement
in trafficking could tar the government of current President Ernesto
Zedillo.
Raymundo Riva Palacio, a prominent political columnist, said Salinas
was warning not only Atty. Gen. Jorge Madrazo Cuellar but the entire
government.
The former president, once considered a close ally of the U.S.
government, has denied any ties to drug trafficking. Salinas lives in
self-imposed exile in Europe, an outcast since an economic crisis left
his reputation in tatters.
His brother also denies criminal activity. But the secret report
prepared by the Swiss police during their three-year investigation
paints a devastating portrait of Raul. Expanding on previously
reported allegations that he was tied to leading drug traffickers, it
reportedly depicts the former president's brother as a virtual godfather.
"When Carlos Salinas de Gortari became president of Mexico in 1988,
Raul Salinas de Gortari assumed control over practically all drug
shipments through Mexico," the report states, according to the New
York Times.
While working as a midlevel government functionary, Raul Salinas
directed soldiers and police to allow the movement of cocaine
shipments, and even commandeered government vehicles to truck cocaine
to the U.S., it claims.
Raul Salinas has been in jail in Mexico for three years on accusations
of murder and illegal enrichment. But several other charges have been
dropped, and many observers believe that he could be released shortly
due to the weakness of the cases against him.
Mariano Albor, the attorney for former President Salinas, has asked
Madrazo to investigate the witnesses quoted in the Swiss report to
prove their statements would be inadmissible under Mexican law.
He said many of the witnesses were traffickers in U.S. jails, who
provided "false information" in exchange for reduced sentences or
other benefits.
The former president's lawyer didn't stop at asking justice officials
to discredit the report. He asked justice officials not only to
"determine the falsity of the witnesses" quoted in the Swiss report
but to "take penal action against them." If the attorney general
does not act, Salinas' lawyer warned bluntly, he could face trouble
himself.
"These witnesses who are behaving falsely from foreign jails . . .
have launched such a serious attack that neither you nor your staff,
Mr. Attorney General, can escape the kind of grave accusations that
these people make," said Albor, whose statement was provided to
journalists.
He noted that Madrazo and senior members of his staff also served in
Salinas' administration. Those who attacked the former president's
anti-drug credentials could tar the current officials as well, he said.
In a brief interview, Madrazo said, "I have nothing to fear from what
Mr. Albor or anyone else could say. I am absolutely sure the same is
true for my staff." U.S. officials have expressed confidence that
Madrazo is honest.
Madrazo pointed out that he was a human rights official, not a drug
investigator, during the Salinas administration. He acknowledged that
several of his top aides were veteran justice officials, but added, "I
am convinced if they needed to do a specific investigation into drug
trafficking during the government of Carlos Salinas de Gortari, they
would have done it."
Analysts said the unusual declaration by the
former president appeared to be a warning to the Mexican government
not to pursue the Salinas family.
"I see this as a message to Zedillo and Madrazo, to not think about
charging Raul with drug trafficking and money laundering" based on the
Swiss investigation, said Luis Astorga, a sociologist and prominent
expert on drug trafficking.
Salinas, he said, wants "to remind them that he has information too."
Riva Palacio said that the attorney general's office has been
aggressively pursuing the Salinas family recently, by searching a
family-owned company and seeking to question Raul Salinas' associates.
Carlos Salinas was now striking back, he said.
"Salinas' level of belligerency has been growing," he said.
Swiss authorities are expected to use the police report to try to
seize more than $100 million in Swiss bank accounts maintained by Raul
Salinas. His lawyers have held that the money was part of a legal
investment pool maintained by Raul Salinas and several associates.
The Swiss report does not implicate former President Salinas in drug
trafficking, but it does "seriously question the probability that a
person with as much power as the president of Mexico for years did not
learn about criminal activities of this extent," the New York Times
reported.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Huge Outsourcing Deal With Organised Crime (That's How A Letter To The Editor
Of 'The Australian Financial Review' Characterizes Governments' Attempt
To Control Drugs Through Prohibition)
Date: Sat, 26 Sep 1998 16:52:43 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Australia: PUB LTE: Huge Outsourcing Deal
With Organised Crime
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: kwr01@uow.edu.au (Ken Russell)
Pubdate: Tue, 22 Sep 1998
Source: Australian Financial Review
Contact: edletters@afr.fairfax.com.au
Author: Phillip Cohen
HUGE OUTSOURCING DEAL WITH ORGANISED CRIME ON DRUGS
If John Howard can get into such a snit over an ABC interviewer's bungled
question, the following should really knot his knickers.
That $75 million be says he will spend on drug central will be money down a
well-worn rat hole.
The truth is, we - society, government, law enforcement - in fact make no
effort whatsoever to "control" drugs. We don't control their production,
their distribution or their sale.
Instead, we (and this includes most of the world's governments) have done
the biggest outsourcing deal in history and we have done it with organised
crime.
In effect, we have said to the criminal world: "Here, you control the
production, distribution and sale of drugs. You can produce as much as you
want with no safety or quality controls, sell them to whomever you wish for
whatever price you can get, and use as much of your (tax-free!) profits as
it takes to buy as many guns, boats, planes and public officials as you
need to keep your business protected and growing. And we in turn will try
to control you."
The truth is we will never solve the drug problem, no matter how many
millions John Howard or any other politician promises to throw at it, until
one basic principle is recognised: The true control of drugs - their
production, distribution and sale - must be taken out of the hands of
organised crime and placed where it rightfully and logically belongs: in
the hands of organised society.
That is what must be done. The nitty-gritty of how to do it must wait,
however, until our fearless but benighted leaders finally realise that
there are some problems that can't be solved by outsourcing.
Phillip Cohen, Manly, NSW.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Human Rights Activists Accuse Drug Squad Of Planting Drugs
(According To An 'Agence France Presse' Article In 'Russia Today,'
Russian Human Rights Activists Monday Alleged 'An Organization
Of Crooked Policemen' Had Been Planting Illegal Drugs On Suspects,
Either To Embellish Their Own Track Records, Or Under Orders
From Political Or Organized Criminal Groups Wishing To Compromise
Their Enemies - 63,458 Russians Were Sentenced In 1997 For Making,
Possessing, Transporting Or Selling 'Drugs')
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 22:03:34 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Russia: Human Rights Activists
Accuse Drug Squad Of Planting Drugs
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com (Frank S. World)
Source: Russia Today
Contact: feedback@ein.cz
Website: http://www.russiatoday.com
Pubdate: Tue, 22 Sep 1998
Author: Agence France Presse
HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS ACCUSE DRUG SQUAD OF PLANTING DRUGS
MOSCOW -- (Agence France Presse) Human rights activists Monday accused
several Russian police officers of planting drugs on suspects "under orders"
from political or mafia groups wishing to compromise their enemies.
The renowned human rights activist Lev Ponomaryev, parliamentary deputy
Valery Borshchev and lawyer Yevgeny Chernoyusov said that "an organization
of crooked policemen ... are persecuting people who have nothing to do with
drugs."
The policemen were acting "either under orders or to embellish their own
track records," the activists said at a special press conference.
Sergei Bachinin, editor in chief of the paper Vyatski Nabliodatel, said that
following inquiries he was "convinced that there are many files falsified
with the help of fake testimonies and provocation."
Bachinin, who ran for mayor in the Ural city of Kirov, received a suspended
one-year jail sentenced after 0.4 grams of marijuana were discovered in his
editorial office.
Nikolai Dubina, 42, president of an agricultural concern in Yasnogorsk, 300
kilometers (180 miles) south of Moscow, claims police planted drugs on him
after he tried to reclaim money from a debtor, Chernoyusov, his lawyer said.
"As if by chance, three policemen appeared and 'discovered' 0.39 grams of
heroin on him," his Chernoyusov said.
Dubina, a father of three, has spent four months in remand custody and faces
up to 15 years in jail for "acquiring, transporting and possessing drugs,"
said his lawyer.
Chernoyusov said that police arrested drug users rather than the traffickers
or dealers in order to boost their working statistics.
In 1997, 63,458 people were sentenced in Russia for making, possessing,
transporting or selling drugs, according to the prosecutor general's office.
(c) 1998 Agence France Presse
-------------------------------------------------------------------
[End]
to the 1998 Daily News index for September 17-23