Drug War Victims « Drug WarRant

In the early 1990s I followed the death of Donald P. Scott in Malibu when police raided his home, and shot him to death, in the hopes of getting his property under the Federal asset forfeiture laws.  I remember that it was going to go to court, but I never learned what happened.
I found out that Donald Scott's family was awarded $5Million in compensation -- $4 M from LA County and $1M from the Federal Government.  Of course, that money will not bring Mr. Scott back to his wife and 4 children. .

However, It was clear that a crime was committed by the police agencies.  I don't know how to categorize the crime, but one or more of the government officials conspired to steal Mr Scott's property and even though those individuals probably wouldn't have any financial personal gain from the theft, they probably would have gained recognition from their superiors and possibly promotions or raises.  I don't believe any of those Government officials were ever taken to justice, nobody was reprimanded, nobody fined, and nobody sent to prison for a murder.

It is amazing how the "Drug War" has enabled our police forces to expand their power and take away individuals rights to safety, security and privacy.  It is also amazing how our fine Government officials who write the drug laws seem to ignore the "collateral damage" from the laws they enact.

I discovered this web site which keeps a log of the more well-known deaths due to that collateral damage:

Drug War Victims « Drug WarRant  It astounds me to read the stories of the various victims.  I'm sure this list is just the "tip of the iceberg" -- there are thousands of people in prison who have been framed by police, or for possession of small amounts of ilicit drugs.  Those individuals lives are ruined forever, and, if released from prison will never be able to get a decent job etc because of that arrest.

RETIRED EXEC OBEYS THE LAW EXCEPT WHEN SMOKING POT TO EASE PAIN | UTSanDiego.com

I was surprised that our far-right-wing Union Tribune would publish this article.

RETIRED EXEC OBEYS THE LAW EXCEPT WHEN SMOKING POT TO EASE PAIN | UTSanDiego.com:

The Cost of ‘Zero Tolerance’ - NYTimes.com

Here is another good editorial that points out the futility and waste caused by our nation's idiotic approach to resolving the "drug problem."

The Cost of ‘Zero Tolerance’ - NYTimes.com:

New York's "zero tolerance" has destroyed more lives than it has saved.

Mary Anastasia O'Grady: A Path to Victory in the Drug War - WSJ.com

This lady seemed to put together a very good argument for ending the drug war
Mary Anastasia O'Grady: A Path to Victory in the Drug War - WSJ.com:

Private labs are testing pot in a legal vacuum - latimes.com

It appears that the right-wing drug-enforcement legal/industrial lobby borrowed a page from the liberal side, by voting to "protect" the chronically sick from buying "tainted" marijuana from pot shops. They require that the pot being sold be tested for hazardous chemicals, such as pesticides, and for potency.

Of course, they knew that because of the precarious legal state of pot, that it would be very difficult to get labs into the business. Also, because of the difficulty in tracking a "lot" from a particular grower, the sampling used to test will always be suspect.

Private labs are testing pot in a legal vacuum - latimes.com

Again, normal citizens are not complaining about "pot shops" it is the legal, police, prison guards, and the other associated industries who are simply trying to protect their "cash cow" of "criminals" -- who, if Pot were legalized would all be out of work.

Cyberattacks Temporarily Cripple 2 Israeli Web Sites - NYTimes.com

Israel has clearly become a terrorist state. They used cyber warfare to damage Iran's nuclear processing. They blew up an Iranian Nuclear Scientist. All of this is in addition to the state-sponsored terrorism that Israel practices against the Palestinians. Yes, the Palestinians do make some feeble attempts to blow things up--but Israel has ultra-modern weapons and uses them against an almost helpless group of people.

Israel opened up the cyber war front by "firing the first shot. Now they will have to defend against all of their neighboring countries on the same front. Yes the Israelis are smart, well educated and they have a lot of money (mostly due to US welfare payments to them). Yes they could possibly do a better job of cyber defense than the US. However Israel has intentionally stirred up and angered groups of very dedicated, single-minded people who are now willing to devote all of their energy and resources into attacking Israel's cyber-based assets. They had better be very careful!

Cyberattacks Temporarily Cripple 2 Israeli Web Sites - NYTimes.com:

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Calif. AG's cuts less severe under proposed budget

It is interesting that when California's budget cuts get severe enough to cut our state's contribution to CAMP, the Federal Government is willing to come up with the difference.

Calif. AG's cuts less severe under proposed budget:

Personally, I'm not sure that that program is cost-effective. I would like to see the State have nothing to do wtth the Federal Marijuana enforcement efforts