In the latest Drug Enforcement Administration’s “Dateline DEA” email, they had the following item:
DID YOU KNOW?
In a milestone in U.S. – Colombian relations Carlos Lehder, who became known as a leader of “The Extraditables†arrived in the United States 25 years ago. A major cocaine trafficker, Lehder was indicted in 1981 on U.S. federal charges in Florida and a formal request for extradition was submitted to Colombia in 1983, and this was granted in 1987. Fanatical in his effort to prevent his extradition, he went as far as forming his own political party, with a key objective of preventing extraditions such as his own from Colombia to the United States. His extradition finally happened only after the murder of Colombia’s Justice Minister who was at the time prosecuting his case. Lehder was sentenced to 135 years in federal prison, and in the years since then about 1,350 other Colombians have been extradited to the United States.
This isn’t news, really, but that last number really hit me. 1,350 Colombians extradited. That’s 1,350 foreigners, most of whom never set foot on U.S. soil, and we’ve gone and had them brought here so we could try them at great expense, and then imprison them in our prisons for many years, also at great taxpayer expense (even with conservative numbers, that’s about $34 million per year just for prison for that many). And that’s just Colombia – it’s happened with other countries as well (think Marc Emery in Canada).
Why are we so worried about illegal immigrants? You know, the ones who come over here and work really hard jobs and pay taxes? The DEA is importing immigrants who provide no productive value at all to this country and cost us a ton!
What do we get for those dollars? Nothing.
Of course, the DEA gets work out of it, as do the federal prosecutors, and the prison industry. But we’re paying for it.
Nuremburg awaits.
Nuremburg would be awesome!
.
This is an extremely simple issue — incarcerating its prisoners is one of the fundamental duties of government, like waging war or coining money. Permitting private corporations to prey on American citizens for a cut in the take was and remains a criminal act by all in government who act in any way to support private prisons. The State must take charge of all the persons being held illegally by corporations or they should be freed, instantly. Anyone acting to support, transfer prisoners to, or who profits from prison-enterprises such as the CCA is an enemy combatant against our People and Constitution.
Robert Chase
So true, Malcolm.
Is it really a surprise that the country that’s seemingly determined to bankrupt itself acting as the world’s police also wants to serve as the world’s prison?
The government,which is made up of diverse bureaucratic empires,competing for the budget dollars,all wanting their agendas met first or to override the policies of the others.
The political fighting between budgeting bureaucrats would be better than any primary debate.
Hearing them try to justify spending those exorbitant amounts with such little return would be a very interesting screaming match.
America! Comin’ through to save the motherfuckin’ day!
.
.
Of course there’s never a piece of flag waving patriotism that doesn’t demand making Canada the butt of some gratuitous joke. Can we just imagine how our Country would be overrun with terrorists if Canada were the World Police?
A smart drug policy would focus on how to prevent the creation of millionaire drug kingpins in the first place…
It is too late for that,,now the only answer is legalization and regulation,,they have to remove the profits to remove the criminals.
It is a bitter pill for them to swallow.but as Kapt,allan and several others have ranted,the economy will end up being the deciding factor,,holding breath and having wax cleaned out of ears so I don’t miss a word of the budget hearings this year.
Foreign prisoner incarceration is another drug war hidden cost revealing yet another tip of another prohibition iceberg. Drug war screwups extend everywhere, but too often only direct costs are cited.
The indirect costs, those that cost the lives and futures of people via the social and legal isolation and alienation of four-out-of-ten American citizens, is a cost that cannot be estimated, but one which in the end will certainly have interest added.
There’s something about being the world’s policeman that makes one the jailer of the world. Perhaps 25% of the world’s prisoner population isn’t enough, maybe the privatized prison corporatists are thinking of taking over the remainder?
Study: Marijuana use among teens rises for 4th straight year
http://republicanherald.com/news/study-marijuana-use-among-teens-rises-for-4th-straight-year-1.1257837
“”Daily marijuana use is now at a 30-year peak level among high school seniors, the survey determined. In contrast, the use of alcohol among teenagers is declining.””
The harder the government pushes and the longer the legislators ignore the majority rule our nation was built on,the more the teenagers interest is piqued.
but clay, wait a minuet… I thought the drug war was working?
Only if you believe that dead people make a winning score.
Comments are not showing up at the article,,it lets you submit them but not showing any.
You’d think that would make most people happy, fewer teens drinking. Of course it doesn’t make the alcohol industry happy.
Pingback: DEA: creating a world-wide prison industry here at home - Death Rattle Sports | Death Rattle Sports
Pingback: DEA: creating a world-wide prison industry here at home - Marijuana.com
Well. Snow in Bellingham. Winter finally arrives.
Tee Hee,,58 and sunny
This is Washngton, that was day before yesterday. Tomorrow it might be raining hot lava. Dude, when we have weather …
DEA busts suspected drug-making lab in Lebanon home
http://bangordailynews.com/2012/01/15/news/portland/more-than-50-drug-enforcement-officers-emergency-workers-descend-on-lebanon-home/
“”LEBANON, Maine — The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the York County Sheriff’s Office broke up a suspected drug-making lab in the basement of a house at 25 Bigelow Road in Lebanon on Saturday.
A homeless man from the Augusta area, Aaron Lowden, 41, was arrested on a bail violation and will face drug-manufacturing charges once chemists have determined what he was concocting in the basement. The lab was discovered by the homeowner, Deborah Wilson, who had allowed Lowden to stay in her basement.
Sheriff’s deputies were called to the house about 12:30 Saturday afternoon and MDEA’s Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement Team arrived early Saturday evening equipped with protective suits and respirators. The suspected components of the drug-making operation, including a Coleman stove, beakers and glass tubes, were removed and the team cleared the home about 2 a.m. Sunday. Lowden is being held at the York County Jail.””
50 officers participated,,against a homeless man,camped out in a basement,,,good expenditure of tax dollars. No dogs were reported killed in this action.
I thought this was pretty cool. Leonard Pitts, a columnist for the Miami Herald, is giving away 50 copies of The New Jim Crow.
I love the idea and think it’s worth emulating. Buy your own copy (or 5 or 10) of “The New Jim Crow” (or any other anti-drug war book that had an impact on you) and give them away as gifts to friends or family. But make the recipients promise you two things: (1) they’ll read it; and (2) when they’re done they’ll pass it on to someone else (and extract the same promises).
System Of A Down – Prison Song
They’re tryin’ to build a prison
They’re tryin’ to build a prison
Following the rights movements
You clamped on with your iron fists
Drugs became conveniently
Available for all the kids
Following the rights movements
You clamped on with your iron fists
Drugs became conveniently
Available for all the kids
Ooh, I buy my crack, my smack, my bitch
Right here in Hollywood
{Nearly two million Americans are incarcerated in the prison system
Prison system of the U.S.}
They’re tryin’ to build a prison
They’re tryin’ to build a prison
They’re tryin’ to build a prison
They’re tryin’ to build a prison
For you and me to live in
Another prison system
Another prison system
Another prison system
For you and me
Minor drug offenders fill your prisons
You don’t even flinch
All our taxes paying for your wars
Against the new non rich
Minor drug offenders fill your prisons
You don’t even flinch
All our taxes paying for your wars
Against the new non rich
Ooh, I buy my crack, my smack, my bitch
Right here in Hollywood
{The percentage of Americans in the prison system
Prison system has doubled since 1985}
They’re tryin’ to build a prison
They’re tryin’ to build a prison
They’re tryin’ to build a prison
They’re tryin’ to build a prison
For you and me to live in
Another prison system
Another prison system
Another prison system
For you and me
Who for?
Who for?
Who for?
You and I
They’re tryin’ to build a prison
They’re tryin’ to build a prison
They’re tryin’ to build a prison
For you and me
Oh baby you and me
Why?
All research and successful drug policy shows
That treatment should be increased
Why?
And law enforcement decreased
While abolishing mandatory minimum sentences
Why?
All research and successful drug policy shows
That treatment should be increased
Why?
And law enforcement decreased
While abolishing mandatory minimum sentences
Utilizing drugs to pay for secret wars around the world
Drugs are now your global policy
Now you police the globe
Ooh, I buy my crack, my smack, my bitch
Right here in Hollywood
Drug money is used to rig elections
And train brutal corporate sponsored
Dictators around the world
They’re tryin’ to build a prison
They’re tryin’ to build a prison
They’re tryin’ to build a prison
They’re tryin’ to build a prison
For you and me to live in
Another prison system
Another prison system
Another prison system
For you and me
Who for?
Who for?
Who for?
You and I
They’re tryin’ to build a prison
They’re tryin’ to build a prison
They’re tryin’ to build a prison
For you and me
Oh baby you and me
© DDEVIL MUSIC
The Mexico drug war: Bodies for billions
http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/15/world/mexico-drug-war-essay/index.html
“”Editor’s note: This article begins an occasional series looking at the violence tied to Mexican drug cartels, their expanding global connections and how they affect people’s daily lives.
(CNN) — There are kingpins with names like the Engineer, head-chopping hit men, dirty cops and double-dealing politicians. And, of course, there are users — millions of them.””
Take a bong,,it is a long read.
It is absurd and frankly disgusting that so many people are incarcerated over charges for cannabis. Times are changing though and I think we’re on our way towards reform sooner or later.
.
.
Those wacky New Zealanders! They’ve actually run the regressions, calculated the curves, analyzed all the angles, made a list, checked it twice, and have come up with the social cost of a kilogram of kannabis. $11,740, but that’s probably in those play money New Zealand dollars, not real dollars. (USD $9322.734)
Cannabis is definitely on the naughty list in NZ. You can tell because they call it a scourge:
Hell, why don’t we just do this with anyone our government doesn’t like . I mean hell, lets stop Iran by extraditing all their leaders. We could avoid all wars this way. We could all be employed as prison guards! Job problem solved!
.
.
This is a free country TINMA. We need to focus on crime prevention, not punishment. To that end the best solution is to make 1/2 the population sworn police orificers and then handcuff each to one of the remaining citizens. With the guaranteed presence of an agent of the State at all times crime will promptly plummet to zero. Who in the world would commit a crime in the presence of a sworn police person, I axe you? Yes, the incidence of group sex will skyrocket but if Eng and Chang could deal with it, so can the rest of us.
Pingback: My solution for the jobs problem « BuelahMan's Revolt