Federal Money Linked to NYPD’s Muslim Surveillance Program
The Associated Press reports that the New York Police Department’s controversial program to monitor Muslim neighborhoods and organizations was funded, at least in part, by White House grants meant to pay for the drug war. The money was given to the NYPD through the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program, which was established years ago to fight gangs and drug trafficking. After September 11, 2001, however, local authorities were permitted to redirect some of that money to fight terrorism. The HIDTA has given out around $2.3 billion over the last 10 years, with about $135 million given to officials in the New York/New Jersey metro area.
Both the drug war and the war on terror are largely about authoritarianism — giving the government more power over the people as opposed to giving people more power over the government — and thus their funding is jealously protected by those in power.
Perhaps this incident will help give the HIDTA another black eye. HIDTA is responsible for many of the most outrageous drug war stunts we’ve seen (particularly through drug task forces).
They’re the folks paying the cops to spend all their time watching the westbound side of all the interstates. Not stopping the drugs on their way east, but trying to catch the money going back west. Funny how their catch has fallen off since that became public. You’d think the runners had discovered UPS.
Or found a local DEA office to launder their cash for them.
If this surprises anyone, it’s those who believe the sun rises in the west.
This story won’t surprise anyone here, but the larger question is:
What other activities, completely unrelated to drugs, are being funded by the ever-expanding drug war?
Also, why? If you need funding for “X”, then you should ask for money for “X” and not “Y”. If you are using “Y” money to combat “X”, what is happening to the efforts to battle “Y”? Couldn’t the argument be made that if you don’t really need the money to battle “Y” (because that money is being diverted to battle “X” and not “Y”), you should not be getting that budget money?
Hopefully this will highlight how drug war funding fuels most of the civil liberties violations in America.
This is playing out like an episode of The Wire.
and smile! you’re on candid camera!
Give the drug war credit again for providing the public with a big clear fish-bowl with which to view every aspect of juridical and political corruption in the world.
Seriously, how much would we know today about corrupt cops and sheriff’s people, crooked bureaucrats and politicians, shady local governments, botched and stupid police work, misuse of public funds, falsifying evidence reports (lie sheets), falsifying court testimonies (testilying), theft of private property through forfeiture, subversion of foreign governments, anti-intellectualism and anti-scientism as it applies to the law, as well as expenditures of fraud, bigotry, racism and hate mongering within the judicial industrial complex and political arena, were it not for the daily examples prohibition provides?
Whether it’s some scheme to target ethnic, cultural or political groups; or some plausible disguise to undermine civil liberties, prohibition stands ready like an obedient fascist soldier to deliver the means necessary to achieve the task.
Colorado made the ballet:
Marijuana-legalization initiative qualifies for ballot
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_20055570
The Colorado Secretary of State’s office announced this afternoon that the campaign turned in enough extra signatures to make the ballot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=yeV1QxtmoD8
love the way he kicks that asshole “dog” the bounth hunter out of the way
Why is this news? Why, for the most part, only 3 peeps chat. Hmm? Groupthink?
It’s really just me talking to myself.
You’ve obviously smoked too much, and have gone completely insane.
Kieth Olberman had it as his number two story.
Who’s Keith Olbermann?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=68nG673XTfM
Spread this one around, folks. The more who see it the better off we all are.