Today, I was pleased to join my colleagues from throughout the Administration to announce the first U.S. strategy on transnational organized crime (TOC) in fifteen years. The Strategy to Combat Transnational Organized Crime provides a comprehensive plan that will, in part, help us build on our progress to further reduce drug use in the United States and disrupt drug trafficking and its facilitation of other transnational threats.
Remember, this is the guy that declared an end to the War on Drugs, saying that we have to focus on treatment, yet who just hired a military general for Deputy Director of Supply Reduction.
And now the Office of National Drug Control Policy is getting heavily involved in major new expanded efforts to “Combat Transnational Organized Crime.” Really?
Not that he has a clue as to what’s going on there…
“You can read the full strategy (pdf) and a fact sheet on the strategy (pdf).”
Um, no. Those are links to the International Strategy for Cyberspace. Interesting, but has nothing to do with the ONDCP or transnational organized crime.
The actual strategy is available here, and it’s a doozy. A real ratcheting up of the international war on drugs and, following the UNODC lead, tying drug control to all international crime.
The vagueness of the language and the way drugs and crime and terrorism are conflated is quite frightening.
Along emerging trafficking routes, such as the transit route through West Africa to Europe, criminal networks are spreading corruption and undermining fledgling democratic institutions. Due to the enormous profits associated with drug trafficking, the illegal trade is also a way to finance other transnational criminal and terrorist activities.
To diminish these threats, we will continue ongoing efforts to identify and disrupt the leadership, production, intelligence gathering, transportation, and financial infrastructure of major TOC networks. By targeting the human, technology, travel, and communications aspects of these networks, we will be able to monitor and gather intelligence to identify the full scope of the TOC networks, their members, financial assets, and criminal activities. We will continue ongoing efforts to enhance collaboration among domestic law enforcement agencies and our foreign counterparts in order to strengthen our ability to coordinate investigations and share intelligence to combat drug trafficking and TOC. Continued use of economic sanctions under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act) to pursue transnational drug organizations will enhance our ability to disrupt and dismantle TOC networks. The Kingpin Act also may be used to prosecute persons involved in illegal activities linked to drug trafficking, such as arms trafficking, bulk cash smuggling, or gang activity. Enhanced intelligence sharing and coordination among law enforcement and intelligence agencies, the military, and our diplomatic community will enable the interagency community to develop aggressive, multi-jurisdictional approaches to dismantle TOC networks involved in drug trafficking. […]
By disrupting and dismantling the world’s major TOC networks involved in drug trafficking, we will be able to reduce the availability of illicit drugs, inhibit terrorist funding, improve national and international security, and bring TOC networks to justice.
Yep. Just wrap the entire crime, terrorism and drug issues into one major international war, with no understanding of the underlying causes or economic factors.
There’s also a reference to the administration looking to increase its asset seizure efforts, both abroad and at home. Not good.
Not good? It’s a strategy designed to enhance the already astronomical profits of the black market, and insure and increase the flow of public monies into a corrupt and ever expanding police apparatus. It provides the excuse to further erode our civil rights. It provides an expanding market for military hardware and a ready pretext for sending our imperial troops anywhere the O-bomber wants ’em to go. As a strategy, it has success written all over it! One must be careful to remember to separate the stated goal from the actual objective.
I must say…I’m disturbed and concerned…remember I said something about the “toothpaste being out of the tube” and all that? Well, TRYING to force it back into the tube is a VERY messy process…
it’s way easier to just wipe it up with a paper towel and throw it out
Obama may be even worse than Bush on the drug war. Not publicizing any of these gives the drug warriors the cover they need to operate outside of the sunlight. Bush at least trumpeted his actions in this sphere.
Marijuana capitalism would be a boost of unfettered,capitalism.
Obama keeps taking about how he support the economy,but have yet to see him to anything cheer for it. He throws more regulations and stoppages to it all,to long to go into here,
Oh he Obama remember was going to end,Cuba,embargo,get prisoners out of Guantanamo Bay, tamper down wars both Terror and DRUG INSTEAD now we are in We are involved in yet another conflict Libya,and The Drug War the attack on dispensaries and medical Marijuana was the last straw for some folks in their support of Obama, such high hopes many had and in some ways he has turned out to be like Bush or worse.
Obama not a real progressive,a real one should be for legalizing Drugs. He’s a farce.He could have lead the way to stop and reduce Drug war instead ratchets it up.Fool.
Love those campaign promises, all lies, but not to worry the suckers err I mean voters have a 90second attention span so they’ll vote for more of Obushma.
Let’s examine our Federal Government’s wars, shall we?
The “war on poverty” has created more poor people, and it does not help poor people. It accomplished the opposite of what was advertised. Still, the spending goes on.
The “war on illiteracy”, aka No Child Left Behind, has produced more sub-standard education of our children. It has also produced cheating scandals involving teachers trying to game the system. It has accomplished the opposite of what was advertised. Still, the spending goes on.
The “war on illegal immigrants” aka immigation reform, has produced an explosion of illegal immigrants. Curiously, the Number One Employer of illegal immigrants is the United States Federal Government. These reforms, started under President Reagan, have accomplished the opposite of what was advertised. Still, the spending goes on.
The “war on terror” has created many more terrorists than it has eliminated, and has caused ill-will towards America throughout the entire world. A great deal of the taxpayer money to fund this war ended up in the hands of the Taliban/terrorists themselves (whoops). It has accomplished the opposite of what was advertised. Still, the spending goes on.
And of course, the “war on drugs” has created an explosion of new drugs, new drug criminals, drug overdose deaths, violence, corruption, and it has even shattered the stability of sovreign nations. It has accomplished the opposite of what was advertised. Still, the spending goes on.
Bottom line: They are all mind-numbing failures, and the spending never stops.
Dante, an interesting comment on the war on terror http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21128225.600-us-science-cuts-pay-for-war–and-we-all-suffer.html “a host of measures suggest that bin Laden’s goal – to strike a long-lasting blow to the system of government of the US and to the health and well-being of its citizens – may have been achieved.” after $4T in spending of those two wars…
It is always the citizens who suffer, just as with the WoD.. a few at the top benefit via increases in power or wealth.. or both, and those at the bottom bemoan the injustice and then just vote for them again. It is not just the spending that never stops, it is the lies too.. you would think that the conflated link between drug trafficking and ‘terror’ would be enough to show that the UN conventions trying to stop the “evil” of addiction (because that is their stated ‘goal’.. right?) is enough to realise the cure is worse than the ‘disease’… but no, just cause for more more more!
I cannot understand why our Government mentality is all ways lets get tough on crime add more cops. The crime is the money in it, and with the DEA required lie and to forbid any illegitimate research toward legalization that they just want to build a bigger house of cards, Just legalize it and in three years from now we will look back on how stupid we were.
Will States need to Succeed to re-establish our
constitutional rights.
This is a good video of how No Knock Raids are now legal
http://biggovernment.com/reasontv/2011/06/19/no-knock-raid-a-song-about-the-drug-wars-deadliest-tactic/
Screw this…I call for mass production of personal pot users. Boycot the blackmarket! The thing is that all these government officials get a big wad of cash for continuing this stupid war. So since government won’t listen it tells us only one thing, they are not representing the people anymore…and what does the US constitution say about that?
I think that is the reason US citizens can have guns…right…or correct me if I’m wrong…
Me I’m more of a pacifist, so I only call for a mass production of cannabis in every neighborhood, city, state and country around the world. they have the guns…but we have the numbers…
i have not bought pot for years because i can’t afford to. i’m just lucky i can grow my own legally. not supporting drug lords is a good idea. if you don’t sell or buy it’s pretty hard to incur bad kharma.