Dubai: Strip Searching the Fun From Vacations

DUBAI Vacation:
Stripping the Fun out of Those Two Weeks




[ABOVE: Dubai]

---

DUBAI:
Sandy Beaches, Intimate Strip Searches

Dubai is often sold as a vacation heaven. The idea of vacationing in a 120-degree desert , while attempting to enjoy the civilization, i.e. malls, dance clubs, shopping and fine restaurants, that one gave up back home to be in this desert hellhole was always a mystery to us here at DBKP.

I mean we can enjoy these things without the airfare and hotel costs of Dubai (the hotel cost per night approach the $600 range for a beachfront). But there are many, apparently, who will pay for rocky beaches, artificial islands shaped like palm trees, little booze, and a population that believes: if you are a non-Muslim you are a second-class human.

You learn the latter at the wonderful airport.

My strip-search trauma at Dubai airport by Lily... and her showbiz pals Agy and Rhys

Some of Britain’s best-known stars – including singer Lily Allen and supermodel Agyness Deyn – were subjected to intimate strip-searches on their way to the lavish launch of the world’s most expensive resort in Dubai. Now I don't know who any of these Actor Rhys Ifans and Ms Deyn’s rock-star boyfriend Albert Hammond Jnr were also among more than 100 guests examined by Dubai Customs officials to ensure they were not smuggling drugs into the country.

Now that is not the way anyone would like to start a vacation. Nor did these individuals.

"Ms Allen said she was left ‘terrified’ by her ordeal, while Ms Deyn said she found her treatment ‘traumatic’.


[ABOVE: All smiles: Lily Allen enjoyed herself at the Aquaventure water park in Atlantis but the airport strip search was no laughing matter]

The United Arab Emirates has a strict anti-drugs policy. Earlier this year British tourist Keith Brown was jailed for four years after a microscopic speck of cannabis was found on the sole of his shoe."

Now I know what the cynical DBKP readers are thinking: Big Deal. We got nothing to hide. Well as it turns out it is a big deal. Because these searches are not only time consuming, and initiated without cause except for the non-Islamic status of the victim, but they are bizarrely intrusive and humiliating.. Almost as if that were the intention. Hmmmmm. Recollection about one male quest, all invited by the way to publicize the opening of a hotel:

"But one of his travel companions said: ‘Rhys quivered to jelly as soon as the officers approached him. He was beside himself with worry. They made him strip bare and poked him about with plastic gloves.

‘He had to hold his private parts out of the way while an officer did a thorough inspection. After nearly two hours of being interrogated and molested he was told to put his clothes back on and go on his way.
‘He was very scared and at one point was close to tears as he honestly thought he was going to be banged up. It’s really put the wind up him. It will be the only thing he will remember about the trip – he tells everyone he comes into contact with. "

This is by no means an isolated incident.Here is an account of a honeymonner a couple of years ago:

"[Bam Marera] told NY Daily News that upon returning from his honeymoon in Dubai with new wife, Missy Rothstein, he and his wife got close and personal with airport security.

He said, “I know Perez Hilton made a joke about how Bam and Missy are going on their honeymoon in Dubai — and don’t take any drugs with you because some guy just got caught with weed and got in big, big, big, big trouble.

“So I guess they were waiting for us to come in because they checked every pocket of our clothes. They even tapped out our cigarettes to make sure it was tobacco.

“Then they led both of us to a certain room, and we both had to get completely nude. I was like, ‘Are they kidding?’

“They were like checking under my dick for something taped under it. I’m like, ‘This is literally insane.‘"

Yes it insane. And so is anyone who would support these nutcases with his money. Try Florida or Hawaii instead. Leave these creeps to stew in their own juices.


[ABOVE: Muslim served by his naked Hindu slave]


by pat
images:
* trip advisor
* hindu jagruti
sources
http://www.celebritysmackblog.com/2007/02/26/bam-margera-and-wife-get-strip-searched-in-dubai/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1088551/My-strip-search-trauma-Dubai-airport-Lily---showbiz-pals-Agy-Rhys.html

Larry Sinclair: DBKP Library of Stories and Videos

Larry Sinclair: The DBKP Library of stories on Larry Sinclair, including his allegations of a sex-and-drugs party with Barack Obama in the back of a limo in Gurnee, IL in 1999, his later polygraph tests administered by whitehouse.com and his continuing story of filing lawsuits against Obama and online posters.

Part of the DBKP Political Scandals Library involving 2008 presidential candidates. Included are John McCain, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards.

UPDATED: March 20 2007 * Obama: Man Claims Gay Sex, Drugs with Barack in 1999 * Larry Sinclair’s Obama Allegations: MSM Has Plenty of Practice Ignoring Certain Stories * Obama: Gay Man Threatened Over Sex and Drug Claims * Bill O’Reilly: Tap Dancing Around Alleged Obama Scandal? ALSO at DBKP.com: Larry Sinclair Library of DBKP stories and videos * Larry Sinclair: Obama Accuser Submits to Polygraph * Larry Sinclair-Obama: Obama Supporters Circulating Fake WashPo Story? * Larry Sinclair: Obama Accuser Fails Polygraphs * Larry Sinclair-Obama: Polygraph Expert Flunks Credibility Test? * Larry Sinclair: Controversy Surrounding Polygraph Expert * Larry Sinclair: Obama Accuser Hits Youtubers Up For Cash * Larry Sinclair: Latest on Obama Accuser * Larry Sinclair: Obama Accuser Goes After Whitehouse.com * Larry Sinclair: Obama Accuser Blows Credibility * Larry Sinclair: Obama Accuser Demands Cell Phone Records * Larry Sinclair: Files $3M Suit Against Anonymous Posters

compiled by Mondoreb
image:DBKP file
Source: Death By 1000 Papercuts archives


DBKP.com - Bigger, Better!.
Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.

Video: Cops Plant Drugs on Camera

Disturbing video of cops pulling over a guy wanted on a domestic charge and--on camera--appearing to plant a bag of marijuana on him.

Oh, and the drug dog bites the guy on tape also.



No one came out a winner in this one.

Another victory in the War on Drugs.

by Mondoreb
hat tip: AR-15 forum
image: ending drug nightmare


Cops plant drugs, drug dog bites guy
Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.

Larry Sinclair-Obama: Polygraph Expert Flunks Credibility Test?

Polygraph Expert Not a Ph.D?

Larry Sinclair's Full Statement

Sometimes, the more information you get, the more questions you have.

DBKP participated in a brief email exchange with Larry Sinclair Saturday, before he took his polygraph tests organized by whitehouse.com.

We had another brief exchange late Sunday night, after the polygraph tests were administered and whitehouse.com publicized their results as "showing deception".

Sinclair pointed us toward a personal webpage which contained a statement concerning the polygraph results and a couple of other interesting additions.

We'd addressed the statement in an earlier article. We're publishing the full text of Larry Sinclair's statement, as well as some information about the polygraph expert that administered the test, Sinclair's letter of February 4, 2007 to the Obama campaign and a comment from Reverse Speech.com.

While the issue of the polygraph expert's credentials may raise some eyebrows, we're publishing the rest without comment--the reader can draw his own conclusions.

We will only say that at this late hour, we've left our checking for tomorrow.

As we've stated before: at this point, no one but Larry Sinclair and Barack Obama knows the truth of the matter.

Everything else is conjecture--by proponents of both sides.

DBKP is attempting at the moment to check on a few details of the story: to either corroborate or disprove the story presented by Larry Sinclair.

We've gotten no help in this regard from Sinclair. We think that, while he had to know he was in for abuse by coming forth with this story, he's going to have to provide some hard evidence to shore is declining credibility.

We will only add that the Washington Post story--circulated in an email--that Sinclair refers to in his statement, is a fabrication (as we reported yesterday).

The following is the complete contents, minus one angry comment from an Obama supporter, of the site Larry Sinclair directed us to.

We'd also like to commend whitehouse.com for their organizing the polygraph tests--there were two, as well as a drug test--in an attempt to provide some information in the Larry Sinclair saga.

STATEMENT FROM LARRY SINCLAIR I am making this statement regarding the claims recently made against me and attributted to the WASHINGTON POST. FIRST The claims that I have an “extensive record of drug convictions” is in fact completely false and according to both the national new desk and city desk at the Washington Post has never been reported by anyone employed at this newspaper. SECOND The claims made that I “have been investigated eight times over the past 25 years for trying to secure money through “black male” and two of those involving politicians in IL and IN” also is in fact false and according to the Washington Post has never been reported by anyone employed at this newspaper. THIRD Dan Parisi of Whitehouse dot com has decided to ignore the conditions and agreement we entered into regarding the polygraph examination. Mr. Parisis has failed to provide the identity and contact information on the second Expert and in doing so has never obtained any agreement from me for using this individual. Mr. Parisi failed to provide information that I recently received from emails from people I do not even know, which shows Dr. Edward Ira Gelb has in fact misrepresented his own credentials before a case filed in front of the US Supreme Court. (attached below) fyi www.antipolygraph.com/articles/article-036.shtml Gelb has publicly claimed to hold a Ph.D. degree in psychology since at least 1996. I***997, he represented himself as a Ph.D. to the highest court in the land -- the United States Supreme Court -- as a co-signer of the Committee of Concerned Social Scientists' amicus brief in U.S. v. Scheffer, where he is listed as "Ed Gelb, Ph.D." No, the "LaSalle University" that awarded Gelb his "doctorate" turns out to be a defunct, unaccredited diploma mill in Mandeville, Louisiana that was owned and operated by one Thomas James Kirk, A.K.A. Thomas McPherson. I***996, LaSalle was raided by the FBI, and i***997 Kirk pled guilty to federal fraud charges. (For more on the bogus LaSalle University, Mr. Edward I. Gelb is no Ph.D., and he should stop masquerading as such. In addition Mr. Parisi and his assistant refused to inform or allow me to be present during their meetings with Dr. Gelb in his office before, during and after the exams. Mr. Parisi and his assistant spent approximately two hours behind closed doors with Dr. Gelb before I was even introduced to him. During the examination process Dr. Gelb printed something off his computer and left the room telling me he would be back in five, only to return some 30 to 45 minutes later with Parisi’s assistant and an associate of Dr. Gelbs and then asked me to step out side for another 20 minutes before calling me back in to proceed with the exam. FOURTH Tonight (2-24-08) after Mr. Parisi refused to respond to my emails I posted on Whitehouse dot com the fact that Parisi this afternoon claimed he had not sent me copy of the results because he had not received them. Shortly after making that statement this afternoon Parisi’s assistant called saying they would fax the results in 15 minute, needless to say that never happened. Later Parisi claimed he had only then received a handwritten report faxed this date to him from Dr. Gelb and that he would wait to fax me the typed report. If Mr. Parisi fails to comply with our agreement by Monday 2-25-08 I will post all email communications with him concerning this matter and which clearly state the conditions for this arrangement. These emails will clearly show Mr. Parisi did not follow our agreement and I will consider at that time what course of action should be taken. It is only natural that I would become suspicious of Mr. Parisi after finding out he has misrepresented this expert, he has claimed I was examined by two (2) experts of which I agreed and yet I only met one and still have not been given the contact information to this date on the second. It needs to be made perfectly clear that I have from the very beginning demand all of this be done openly and with credible, unbiased, and apolitical individuals. These facts about Dr. Gelb make it hard for me to believe that Mr. Parisi can claim this person is unbiased and credible when he has misrepresented himself before the highest court in this Country. Mr. Parisi’s claims that I approved both experts is untrue because I was never given this person whole name or any contact information on him/her. I was simply told Gordo something in Salt Lake City. Thank you, Larry Sinclair

http://www.reversespeech.com/sinclairpoly.htm

Reverse Speech Stands by Its Sinclair Results

Whitehouse.com has announced a very limited and somewhat cryptic statement about the first portion of the polygraph examination test results for Larry Sinclair, the man who claimed he shared drugs and had gay sex with Barack Obama. Their official statement says "deception indicated." This rather nebulous remark throws no light on the actual 'deception' they are referring to during the four hour session. One wonders why WhiteHouse.com appears to be stringing this process out?

Reverse Speech.com, however, stands firmly by its reversal analysis of Larry Sinclair which indicate he is telling a true story. Reverse Speech found no 'deception' of any kind in Mr. Sinclair's accounting. Furthermore, Reverse Speech did find clearly conflcted and incongruent reversals in its evaluation of a number of campaign statements by Mr. Obama. Both Sinclair and Obama reversals can be heard here: http://reversespeech.com/obamadrugs.htm and http://www.reversespeech.com/obama.htm

It is extremely important to note that in its 24 year history, Reverse Speech has never once been proven to have been wrong or to have erred in determining a person's genuine truth spoken by that person's subconscious mind. Some of its successes can be seen here - http://www.reversespeech.com/trackrec.htm

The polygraph, on the other hand, has a vast history of documented failures of false positive and false negative results. In fact, Wikipedia states "A 1997 survey of 421 psychologists estimated the test's average accuracy at about 61%, a little better than chance." See more here - http://rense.com/general80/poly.htm

ReverseSpeech.com also wonders why Barack Obama has not come forward to refute Sinclair's claims, and is now calling on him to do so. Reverse Speech would welcome the opportunity to analyze Mr. Obama speaking directly about the Sinclair allegations.

Larry Sinclair's February 4 Letter to Obama campaign

Axelrod's need to contact me forthwith‏
From: Larry Sinclair (larysinclair0926@hotmail.com)
Sent: Mon 2/04/08 11:43 PM
To: info@akpmedia.com
This message is for David Axelrod. My name is Larry Sinclair. Attempts to leave messages for you with the Obama headquarters have not gone well.

I have been informed that you personally have stated the claims in my youtube video are untrue. I also understand that you personally in your capacity with the Obama camp has stated the Obama camp is conducting an investigation into me and my associates.

I have contacted legal counsel and have asked that civile litigation be filed forthwith against you and the Obama camp for conducting investigations in an attempt to prevent my truthful allegations against your candidate from becoming public and a national scale. I am also asking counsel to take action to determine if you and or the Obama camp have violated any federal or state laws in the funding of your invesstigation and/or attempts to keep the truth out of the election process.

Understand all you have to do is ask me about me, because I have been 100% open and honest about my life and every aspect of it.

I am sick of threats being sent by Obama staff and supporters, I am sick of Obama bloggers using edited versions of my video to slam other candidates who have nothing to do with me or my video.

I have notified the DNC that I intend to take action against them as well for ignoring complaint filed by me with them regarding your statements about the purpose for the posting of my video.

Understand you do not know me, and I assure you I will stand my ground on this, and I will defend myself against the false claims being made against me by you, Obama's camp, paid or unpaid staffers, and Mr. Obama personally if I find him to have knowledge of your actions.

I suggest you address this matter because I assure you it will not be going away anytime soon.

DBKP Political Scandal Library Over 45 DBKP stories and videos about scandals involving 2008 presidential candidates. Included are stories on Barack Obama, John McCain, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards.

by Mondoreb
images:
* orangewebhosting
*
Source: Larry's space



Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.

Zombie Drug: It's Gonna Get You

Is there really a "zombie drug"?

If there isn't, how can it be a "problem"?



In case you were wondering what CNN Headline News does to fill the time it didn't use to report on the John Edwards Love Child Scandal or ask questions about the Larry Sinclair-Barack Obama sex and drug allegations, we may the answer.

They spent 7 minutes a year ago on this "scary" documentary about scopolamine--a common ingredient in motion sickness medications.

In medicine scopolamine has 3 primary uses: treatment of nausea and motion sickness, treatment of intestinal cramping, and for ophthalmic purposes. Use as a general depressant and adjunct to narcotic painkillers is also common. The drug is less commonly used as a preanesthetic agent and uncommonly for some forms of Parkinsonism. Scopolamine is also used as an adjunct to narcotic analgesia, such as the product Twilight Sleep which contained morphine and scopolamine, some of the original formulations of Percodan and some European brands of methadone injection, as well as use of tablets or patches to combat nausea as well as enhance the pain-killing ability of various opioids. Scopolamine can be used as an occasional sleep aid and was available in some over the counter products in the United States for this purpose until November 1990.

Just in case you weren't sufficiently terrified by the weenie producer and his pantie-waist "Tales from the Dark World of Scopolamine", he:

1 soundtracked a cheesy voo-doo wailing music throughout the whole interview.

2 invented scary stories, i.e., "We were afraid he would blow some of this drug in our faces and steal our car."

3 Keep talking about how frightened people are of it.

4 Kept referring to scopolamine as "The Zombie Drug".

The only trick in the "drug demonization" handbook he left out was saying that blacks liked to use it to rape white women.

Watch the CNN "Report" and then you decide for yourself



Usually, demonization of a substance is the first step in getting more money appropriated so drug warriors can combat the new "demon drug".

The whole thing started with a couple books written back 1982 by a Canadian.

Wade Davis, a Canadian ethnobotanist, presented a pharmacological case for zombies in two books, The Serpent and the Rainbow (1985) and Passage of Darkness: The Ethnobiology of the Haitian Zombie (1988).

Davis traveled to Haiti in 1982 and, as a result of his investigations, claimed that a living person can be turned into a zombie by two special powders being entered into the blood stream (usually via a wound). The first, coup de poudre (French: 'powder strike'), induced a 'death-like' state because of tetrodotoxin (TTX), its key ingredient. Tetrodotoxin is the same lethal toxin found in the Japanese delicacy fugu, or pufferfish.


At near-lethal doses (LD50= 5-8µg/kg), it can leave a person in a state of near-death for several days, while the person continues to be conscious. The second powder, composed of dissociatives like datura, put the person in a zombie-like state where they seem to have no will of their own.

Davis also popularized the story of Clairvius Narcisse, who was claimed to have succumbed to this practice. There remains considerable skepticism about Davis's claims, although there is wide belief among the Haitian people of the existence of the "zombie drug". The Voodoon religion being somewhat secretive in its practices and codes, it can be very difficult for a foreign scientist to validate or invalidate such claims.

As always, we prefer to let the reader make up his own mind.

But if you ask us--and nobody did yet--we'd be quick with our decision of this "report".

Zombie drug, my ass.

by Mondoreb
image:
Source:
* Scopolamine
* Zombie



Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.

Failed War on Drugs: Combined January-February Edition

Corrupt Cops, This Week in Drug History, Reforms, News, More!


Our January-February Special Edition of the "Failed War on Drugs" is a special combo edition that covers all that we've received in the last two months.

It takes a look at all aspects of the second longest-running war in U.S. history. Only the "War on Poverty" is older.

1 It's Safer to Be a Cop Than a Farmer

Police deaths in the line of duty were up last year, and so was the number of cops killed by gunfire. But only handful died. enforcing the drug laws, and policing remains safer than a good number of other professions.

2 This Week's Corrupt Cops

The Detroit drug squad is under investigation, a Pennsylvania police chief is accused of stealing money from drug busts, and a Wisconsin prison has a problem with pill-stealing guards.

3 Seeing Someone Smoke a Joint Outside is not Grounds for Police to Enter Home

The California Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled last Friday that police cannot enter a home without a search warrant just because they see someone smoking marijuana inside. Police may enter a home to preserve evidence of a crime, the court held, but only if the crime is punishable by jail or prison. The ruling came in People v. Hua.

4 Vermont Looks into De-Criminalization; Wants to Crack Down on "Hard" Drugs

The Vermont legislature will this year take up a bill to decriminalize the personal possession, growing of two plants, and small-scale sales of marijuana. At the same time, the legislature will consider a proposal to lower the threshold for what constitutes "trafficking amounts" for hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Both proposals will be discussed at public hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 23.

5 After 30 Years, Nebraska Legislator Wants to Re-Criminalize Pot

For three decades, marijuana possession has been decriminalized in Nebraska, but now a state legislator has filed a bill, LB844, that would make it a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $500 fine. Currently, the maximum penalty for possession of less than one ounce is a $100 fine.

6 The Poppies Blossum in Iraq

British journalist Patrick Cockburn, writing in The Independent reports that opium poppy cultivation is rapidly spreading across Iraq. While Cockburn reported in May that poppies had appeared near Diwaniyah in southern Iraq, he now reports that poppies are growing in restive Diyala province, where Al Qaeda in Iraq is making what could be a last stand.

7 This Week in Drug History: January 4, 2008
Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.

8 This Week in Drug History: January 11, 2008
Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.

9 This Week in Drug History January 18, 2008
Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.



10 This Week in Drug History January 25, 2008
Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.

11 This Week in Drug History February 15, 2008
Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.

12 Ohio SWAT Team Kills Mother, Wounds Toddler in Drug Raid

An Ohio SWAT shot and killed a young black mother and wounded the toddler she was holding in her arms during a routine drug raid last Friday. An angry community wants some answers and some accountability.

13 Drug Smugglers Battle Cops, Soldiers in Mexican Border Town

The new year has brought more drug war violence to the Mexican border, as drug gunmen battled cops and soldiers in a bloody confrontation in Rio Bravo, across the river from McAllen, Texas.

14
Group to Challenge Controlled Substances Act over Pain Medication

The arrest and prosecution of a Kansas pain management physician and his nurse wife have prompted a leading pain advocacy group to file a lawsuit challenging the application of the Controlled Substance Act when it comes to doctors and patients.

15 More Corrupt Cop Stories

There's some funny accounting in some Mississippi anti-drug task forces, a pot-peddling Houston cops is in hot water, there's a bunch of dope missing from the Boston police evidence room, and crooked cops are headed for prison in Chicago, Nashville, and New Haven.

16 DEA to Hire 200 New Agents

Thanks to funding provided in the 2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act, passed last month by Congress, the DEA will be able to lift a hiring freeze in place since August 2006, the agency announced late last month. The new funds will allow the agency to hire 200 new agents, as well as a similar number of support staff.

17 International Campaign to Stop Drug Executions Gearing Up

Some 32 countries have laws on their books allowing for the death penalty for drug offenses. A new report details the situation and lays the groundwork for a campaign to stop it.

18 Still More Corrupt Cops Stories
A crooked Florida cop seeks a sentence cut, and two more jail guards get in trouble.

19 British Police Chief Predicts Drugs will Be Legal in 10 years; Ecstasy Safer Than Aspirin

Richard Brunstrom, the Chief Constable of North Wales, has created a firestorm with comments made to the BBC that drug legalization is both desirable and inevitable and that ecstasy is "safer than aspirin." In response, anti-drug campaigners, politicians, and elements of the British tabloid press are calling for his head.

20 Iran, Vietnam Ring in New Year with More Drug Executions, Death Sentences

Both Iran and Vietnam greeted the new year by resorting -- yet again -- to the ultimate sanction for drug trafficking offenders. In Vietnam, eight convicted heroin traffickers were sentenced to death this week, while in Iran, five drug traffickers were among 13 people executed Wednesday.

21 No Relief in Sight: Reynosa, Mexico Military Occupation Yields No Let-up in Drug War Violence

In the latest move in his ongoing war against Mexico's powerful and violent drug trafficking organizations -- the so-called cartels -- President Felipe Calderon last month sent some 6,000 Mexican soldiers and federal police into the cities on his side of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, from Nuevo Laredo down to Matamoros. They disarmed the municipal police forces, who are widely suspected of being in the pay of the traffickers, established checkpoints between and within cities, and are conducting regular patrols in Reynosa and elsewhere.

22 Another Round of Corrupt Cop Stories

A Pennsylvania cop's bad habits get him in trouble, a Boston cop goes to prison for steroids and perjury, and a Texas Department of Public Safety technician goes away for a long, long time for ripping off the lab's cocaine stash.

23
Faced with Swollen Prisons, Idaho Ponders Reforms

With nearly 7,500 people behind bars in Idaho -- more than half of them for drug offenses -- the Idaho legislature is finally beginning to move away from the "tough on crime" posturing and infliction of mandatory minimum drug dealing sentences that helped create the current crisis. A bill with bipartisan support that would give Idaho judges the option to send people convicted of drug distribution offenses to treatment instead of mandatory prison terms if they are found to be addicts is on the move in Boise.

24 Smell of Pot No Grounds for Arrest or Search

The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal has ruled that the scent of burning marijuana emanating from a car window is not probable cause for an arrest and vehicle search. The decision came in the case of Archibald Janvier, who was pulled over for a broken headlight four years again in La Loche, Saskatechewan.

25 Nebraska Man Files Complaint over Bogus SD Bust

Eric Sage got pulled over on his motorcycle as he left South Dakota after the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally last summer and ended up being charged with possession of paraphernalia even though he didn't possess any paraphernalia. He fought the charges and faced threats from prosecutors if he didn't plead. Finally, the prosecutors gave up, but Sage still wants justice.

That's this month look at the Failed War on Drugs. Next edition: March 15. Send all submissions to: Hummmbert@gmail.com.

Thanks to Stop The Drug War.org for the great links.

Back editions of The Failed War on Drugs archived at Failed War on Drugs.

by Hummmbert
images: wfxl



Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.

Today in History: January 18, 2008

WAR!, DISASTERS, EXPLORERS, UFOs, KAISERS, EXHIBITIONS, DRUGS, JEWS, RATIONING, LOTTERIES, PROGRESS, SERIAL KILLERS, CIVIL RIGHTS, RUNAWAY PROSECUTORS, PRO WRESTLING, MUSIC, POPES, SPORTS, DEATH PENALTY, FINANCE, DIVORCE, BIRTHDAYS, DEATH



EXPLORERS

On Jan. 18, 1912, English explorer Robert F. Scott and his expedition reached the South Pole, only to discover that Roald Amundsen had beaten them to it. (Scott and his party perished during the return trip.)

WAR!

1862 Confederate Territory of Arizona is formed.

1919 the Paris Peace Conference, held to negotiate peace treaties ending World War I, opened in Versailles, France.

1943 During World War II, the Soviets announced they had broken through the long Nazi siege of Leningrad (it was another year before the siege was fully lifted).

2003 Top U.N. officials warned Iraq it was running out of time to cooperate and avoid war. Protesters nationwide and overseas demonstrated in opposition to possible war in Iraq.

DISASTERS

1915 Train crashes at Colima-Guadalajara Mexico, about 600 die.

1947 Small river steamer sank on Yangtze River, kills 400.

1988 Airliner crashes in SW China, killing all 108 on board.

EXPLORERS

1778, English navigator Capt. James Cook reached the Hawaiian Islands, which he dubbed the "Sandwich Islands."

UFOs

1644 Perplexed Pilgrims in Boston reported America's 1st UFO sighting.

KAISERS

1871 William I of Prussia was proclaimed German Emperor in Versailles, France.

EXHIBITIONS

1733 1st polar bear exhibited in America (Boston).

DRUGS

1990 Washington DC, Mayor Marion Barry arrested in drug enforcement sting.

JEWS

1943 Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto begin resistance of Nazis.

RATIONING

1943 A wartime ban on the sale of pre-sliced bread in the U.S. — aimed at reducing bakeries' demand for metal replacement parts — went into effect.

LOTTERIES

1986 New York Lotto pays $30.5 million to one winner (#s are 19-20-27-34-41-46).

PROGRESS

1911 1st shipboard landing of a plane (Tanforan Park to USS Pennsylvania).




SERIAL KILLERS

In 1967, Albert DeSalvo, who claimed to be the "Boston Strangler," was convicted in Cambridge, Mass., of armed robbery, assault and sex offenses. (Sentenced to life, DeSalvo was killed in prison in 1973.)

CIVIL RIGHTS

1949 1st US Congressional standing committee headed by Negro (W Dawson).

1966 Robert C Weaver, confirmed as 1st black cabinet member (HUD).

RUNAWAY PROSECUTORS

1990 A jury in Los Angeles acquitted former preschool operators Raymond Buckey and his mother, Peggy McMartin Buckey, of 52 child molestation charges.

PRO WRESTLING

1971 Ivan Koloff beats Bruno Sammartino in NY, to become WWF champ.

MUSIC

1980 Pink Floyd's "The Wall" hits #1.

POPES

1998 Pope John Paul II named 22 new cardinals, including Archbishop Francis Eugene George of Chicago and James Francis Stafford, the former archbishop of Denver.

SPORTS

1951 NFL rules tackles, guards & centers ineligible for forward pass.

DEATH PENALTY

2007 Truck driver Tyrone Williams was spared the death penalty and sentenced in Houston to life in prison for his role in the deaths of 19 illegal immigrants crammed in a sweltering tractor-trailer.

FINANCE

1980 Gold reaches $1,000 an ounce.

1991 Eastern Airlines goes out of business after 62 years.

DIVORCE

1996 Lisa Marie Presley filed for divorce from Michael Jackson in NY.

BIRTHDAYS

Movie director John Boorman is 75. Singer-songwriter Bobby Goldsboro is 67. Comedian-singer-musician Brett Hudson is 55. Actor-director Kevin Costner is 53. Country singer Mark Collie is 52. Actress Jane Horrocks is 44. Comedian Dave Attell is 43. Actor Jesse L. Martin ("Law & Order") is 39. Rapper DJ Quik is 38. Rock singer Jonathan Davis (Korn) is 37. Singer Christian Burns (BBMak) is 35. Actor Derek Richardson is 32. Actor Jason Segel is 28. Actress Samantha Mumba is 25.

DEATH

1862 the 10th president of the United States, John Tyler, died in Richmond, Va., at age 71.

1936 author Rudyard Kipling died in Burwash, England.

1991 Nita Krebs actor (Munchkin-Wizard of Oz), dies of heart attack at 85

1996 Minnesota Fats [Rudolf Wanderone Jr], billiard hustler, dies at 82

1997 Paul Tsongas (Senator-D-MA), dies at 55

January 18, the 18th day of 2008. There are 348 days left in the year.

compiled by Mondoreb
[images:
Sources:
* Today in History
* Today in History



Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.

Today in History: January 16, 2008

NANNY STATE, WAR!, TERRORISM, DISASTERS, SELF IMMOLATION, DICTATORS, JEWS, CIVIL RIGHTS, AMBUSH, SPIES, BROADWAY, MAINSTREAM MEDIA, DISMISSED, USELESS, RAINBOW, DRUGS, GEEZERS, MUGGING, SPORTS, COMICS, RUNAWAY PROSECUTORS, POLITICS, BIRTHDAYS


NANNY STATE

1920 Prohibition began in the United States as the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution took effect, one year to the day after its ratification. (It was later repealed by the 21st Amendment.)

WAR!

1944 Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower took command of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in London.

1991 Operation Desert Storm begins - US & 27 allies attack Iraq for occupying Kuwait (air war begins January 17 at 2:38AM (local time) or January 16 at 6:38PM EST due to an 8 hour time difference, with an Apache helicopter attack)

TERRORISM

1981 Protestant gunmen shoot & wound Bernadette Devlin McAliskey & husband

1986 Police arrested 3 IRA-terrorists in Amsterdam

2007 Two car bombs exploded outside Al-Mustansiriya University in Baghdad, killing at least 70 people.

DISASTER

1219 Floods in Northern Netherlands after storm, 1,000s killed

1865 Drunken sailor attacks munitions at Fort Fisher NC, 40 die

1974 L A Landslide kills 9, Canyonville OR

1942 Actress Carole Lombard, 33, her mother and about 20 other people were killed when their plane crashed near Las Vegas while returning from a war-bond promotion tour.

SELF IMMOLATION

1969 Jan Palach protesting Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, self immolates at 20

DICTATORS

1547 Ivan IV of Russia (popularly known as "Ivan the Terrible") was crowned Czar.

CIVIL RIGHTS

1883 the U.S. Civil Service Commission was established.

1967 Lucius Amerson, becomes 1st southern (Alabama) black sheriff in 20th century

AMBUSH

1948 35 Haganah members are ambushed & killed in Gush Etzyon

JEWS

1950 Belgium, Luxembourg & Netherlands recognize Israel

1956 Egyptian President Nassar pledges to reconquer Palestine

2003 The space shuttle Columbia blasted off under extremely tight security; on board was Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon. (The mission ended in tragedy on Feb. 1, when the shuttle broke up during its return descent, killing all seven crew members.)

SPIES

1961 Russian espionage ring detected in Great Britain

BROADWAY

1964 the musical "Hello, Dolly!" opened on Broadway, beginning a run of 2,844 performances.

MAINSTREAM MEDIA

1965 "Outer Limits" last airs on ABC-TV

1973 NBC presents 440th & final showing of "Bonanza"

1988 Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder was fired as a CBS Sports commentator, one day after telling a Washington, D.C., TV station that, during the era of slavery, blacks had been bred to produce stronger offspring.

DISMISSED

1925 Leon Trotsky dismissed as CEO of Russian Revolution Military Council

USELESS

1967 Alan S. Boyd was sworn in as the first U.S. secretary of transportation.

RAINBOW

1978 NASA named 35 candidates to fly on the space shuttle, including Sally K. Ride, who became America's first woman in space, and Guion S. Bluford Jr., who became America's first black astronaut in space.

DRUGS

1980 Paul McCartney jailed in Tokyo for 10 days on marijuana possession

GEEZERS

1998 NASA officially announced that John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, would fly aboard the space shuttle later in the year.

NANNY STATE

1998 The tobacco industry reached a $15.3 billion settlement with the state of Texas.

MUGGINGS

1981 Boxer Leon Spinks is mugged, his assailants even take his gold teeth

COMICS

1939 Comic strip "Superman" debuts

SPORTS

1988 NFL St Louis Cardinals announce move to Phoenix

POLITICS

2007 Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) launched his bid for the White House.

RUNAWAY PROSECUTORS

2007 Jury selection began in the CIA leak trial of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

BIRTHDAYS

Author William Kennedy is 80. Author-editor Norman Podhoretz is 78. Opera singer Marilyn Horne is 74. Auto racer A.J. Foyt is 73. Singer Barbara Lynn is 66. Country singer Ronnie Milsap is 65. Country singer Jim Stafford is 64. Talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger is 61. Movie director John Carpenter is 60. Actress-dancer-choreographer Debbie Allen is 58. Singer Sade (shah-DAY') is 49. Rock musician Paul Webb (Talk Talk) is 46. Rhythm-and-blues singer Maxine Jones (En Vogue) is 42. Actor David Chokachi is 40. Actor Richard T. Jones is 36. Actress Josie Davis is 35. Model Kate Moss is 34. Rock musician Nick Valensi (The Strokes) is 27. Actress Yvonne Zima is 19.

Jan. 16, the 16th day of 2008. There are 350 days left in the year.


compiled by Mondoreb
[image: flavinscorner]
Sources:
* Today in History
* Today in History



Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.

Today in History: January 13, 2008

WAR!, TERRORISM, DISASTERS, MAINSTREAM MEDIA, GEEZERS, DRUGS, QUEENS, SCIENCE, POLITICS, LAWSUITS, CYNICS, FLAGS, DEALS, PATENTS, CIVIL RIGHTS, LABOR, POLICE ACTIONS, SOCIETIES, UFOs, POLITICAL PARTIES, REVOLUTION!, JEWS, PROGRESS, EXPLORERS, BLACK GOLD, CARTOON, SUPREME COURT, DICTATORS, POPE, COUPS, MUSIC, WOMEN, CRIME, COMPUTERS, SUBWAYS, SERIAL KILLERS, DRAMA, MURDER, SPORTS FATALITY, BORN, DEATH

Another reporting coup by the New York Times

MAINSTREAM MEDIA

1920 New York Times editorial (falsely) reports rockets can never fly.

WAR!

1099 Crusaders set fire to Mara Syria.

1842 - On this day Dr.William Brydon, a surgeon in the British Army during the First Anglo-Afghan War, became famous for being the sole survivor of an army of 16,500 when he reached the safety of a garrison in Jalalabad.

1847 - The Treaty of Cahuenga ends the Mexican-American War in California

1865 Federals attack Fort Fisher NC.

1915 W Churchill presents plan for assault on Dardanelles.

1942 German U-boats begin harassing shipping on US east coast.

1942 Allied Conference for war trials.

1942 Interallied war trial conference publishes St James Declaration.

1942 - The United States begins Japanese American internment.

1943 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrives in Casablanca.

1943 Hitler declares "Total War".

1943 Russian offensive at Don under General Golikov.

1943 US infantry captures Galloping Horse-ridge Guadalcanal.

1968 Beginning of Tet-offensive in Vietnam.

TERRORISM

1954 Military rule in Egypt; 318 Mohammedan Brotherhood arrested.

1987 W German police arrest Mohammed Ali Hamadi, suspect in 1985 hijacking.

DISASTERS

1830 Great fire in New Orleans thought to be set by rebel slaves.

1883 Fire in circus Ferroni in Berditschoft Poland kills 430.

1915 Earthquake in Avezzano Italy kills 30,000.

1953 Gas explosion in Belgium coal mine kills 14.

1982 Air Florida 737 took off in a snowstorm, crashes into the 14th St Bridge in
Washington, DC, & falls into the Potomac River, killing 78.

1982 A Washington DC Metro Rail train derailed, killing 3 people.

1985 Express train derails in Ethiopia, kills at least 428.

1991 42 killed in exhibition soccer match in Johannesburg South Africa.

DRUGS

1980 Head of narcotic brigade arrested for drug smuggling in Belgium.

GEEZERS

1985 99-year-old Otto Bucher scores a hole-in-one at Spanish golf course.

QUEENS

1559 Elizabeth I crowned queen of England in Westminster Abbey.

SCIENCE

1610 Galileo Galilei discovers Callisto, 4th satellite of Jupiter.

POLITICS

1630 Patent to Plymouth Colony issued.

1733 James Oglethorpe & 130 English colonists arrive at Charleston, SC.

1935 Plebiscite in Saar, indicates a desire (90.3%) to join Nazi Germany.

LAWSUITS

1979 YMCA files libel suit against Village People's YMCA song.

CYNICS

1695 Jonathan Swift ordained an Anglican priest in Ireland.

MAINSTREAM MEDIA

1785 John Walter publishes 1st issue of London Times.

FLAGS

1794 Congress changes US flag to 15 stars & 15 stripes.

DEALS

1849 Vancouver Island granted to Hudson's Bay Co.

PATENT

1854 Anthony Foss patents the accordion.

1863 Chenille manufacturing machine patented by William Canter, New York City NY.

1863 Thomas Crapper pioneers one-piece pedestal flushing toilet.

1942 Henry Ford patents a method of constructing plastic auto bodies.

CIVIL RIGHTS

1869 National convention of black leaders meets in Washington DC.

1966 1st black selected for Presidential cabinet (LBJ selects Robert C Weaver-HUD).

1990 1st elected US black governor inaugurated (Douglas Wilder-Virginia).

LABOR

1869 Colored National Labor Union, 1st Black labor convention.

1874 Battle between jobless & police in New York City NY, 100s injured.

1902 Textile workers strike in Enschede Netherlands till June 1.

1914 IWW-leader/songwriter Joe Hill arrested "Girl from Utah" East-Prussia.

1995 26 HNL teams unanimously ratify agreement to end NHL strike.

POLICE ACTIONS

1874 US troops land in Honolulu to protect the king.

1882 Richard Wagner completes his opera "Parsifal".

SOCIETIES

1888 National Geographic Society founded (Washington DC).

1929 Humanist Society established, Hollywood CA.

POLITICAL PARTIES

1893 British Independent Labor Party forms (Keir Hardie as its leader).

REVOLUTION!

1894 Revolution in Sicily crushed by government troops.

JEWS

1898 Emile Zola publishes his open letter (J'accuse) in defense of Captain Alfred Dreyfus in Paris.

1951 9 Jewish Kremlin physicians "exposed" as British/US agents; known as the Doctors' Plot.

PROGRESS

1906 1st radio set advertised (Telimco for $7.50 in Scientific American) claimed to receive signals up to one mile.

1908 French pilot Henry Farman is 1st European to fly roundtrip.

1928 The British War office abolishes the lance as a weapon of battle.

1928 - Ernst F. W. Alexanderson gave the first public demonstration of television.

1948 1st country music TV show, Midwestern Hayride, premieres on WLW Cincinnati OH.

1957 Wham-O Company produces the 1st Frisbee.

EXPLORERS

1911 Roald Amundsens anchors at Walvis Bay.

BLACK GOLD

1927 US & Mexico battle over oil interests.

CARTOON

1930 "Mickey Mouse" comic strip 1st appears.

SUPREME COURT

1988 Supreme Court rules (5-3) public school officials have broad powers to censor school newspapers, plays & other expressive activities.

DICTATORS

1953 Marshal Josip Tito chosen president of Yugoslavia.

POPES

1964 Karol Wojtyla becomes archbishop of Krakow.

COUP

1967 Coup in Togo.

1986 Bloody coup overthrows government of South Yemen.

UFOs

1979 On this evening a farmer in Viterbo, Italy spotted a large fiery red sphere descend and land in a nearby pasture. The sphere changed color to a bright orange, then it began to dim revealing a two-meter wide metallic sphere. A small man wearing a silvery white suit emerged from the object and walked around the object, frequently bending down as if he was picking things up. The witness ran away from the scene.

MUSIC

1969 Beatles release "Yellow Submarine" album.

1979 Charlie Daniels hosts the Volunteer Jam.

WOMEN

1972 Former umpire, now housewife Bernice Gera wins her suit against baseball, initiated on March 15, 1971 to be allowed to umpire.

1976 Sarah Caldwell is 1st woman to conduct at NY's Metropolitan Opera House as she led orchestra in a performance of "La Traviata".

1995 America3 becomes 1st all-female crew to win an America's Cup race.

CRIME

1987 7 top New York Mafia bosses sentenced to 100 years in prison each.

COMPUTER

1989 "Friday the 13th" virus strikes hundreds of IBM computers in Britain.

SUBWAYS

1989 Subway gunman Bernhard Goetz begins 1-year jail sentence.

SERIAL KILLERS

1992 US serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer pleads guilty but insane.

DRAMA

1994 Tonya Harding's bodyguard, Shawn Eric Eckardt & Derrick Brian Smith arrested & charged with conspiracy in attack of skater Nancy Kerrigan.

LEFTIST HERESY

1938 - Church of England accepts theory of evolution.

MURDER

1986 Abdel Fattah Ismail President of South-Yemen (1969-80), murdered.

SPORTS FATALITY

1968 Bill Masterson (Minnesota Northstars) checked into the boards & killed.

BORN

1628 Charles Perrault France, lawyer/writer (Mother Goose)
1808 Salmon P Chase (Senator-R) cabinet member, 6th chief justice (1864-73)
1832 Horatio Alger, Jr., American minister and author (d. 1899)
1882 Alois Hitler's common-law wife, Franziska 'Fanni' Matzelberger, gives birth to Adolf Hitler's older half-brother, Alois Jr.
1884 Sophie Tucker [Kalish], Russia, singer/last of red hot mammas
1885 Alfred Fuller CEO (Fuller Brush Man)
1893 Clarke Ashton Smith US, sci-fi author (Lost Worlds, Genius Loci)
1909 Danny Barker jazz guitarist
1918 Lester Sill pioneer music publisher/record producer
1919 Robert Stack Los Angeles CA, actor (Eliot Ness-Untouchables, Airplane, Unsolved Mysteries)
1931 Charles Nelson Reilly New York City NY, actor (Match Game, Ghost & Mrs Muir)
1933 Ron[ald Joseph] Goulart US, sci-fi author (Deadwalk, Plunder, Cheap Thrills)
1933 Tom B Gola NBA Hall-of-Famer
1934 Rip Taylor comedian (Gong Show, $1.98 Beauty Show)
1938 Billy Gray Los Angeles CA, actor (Bud-Father Knows Best)
1943 Richard Moll California, actor (Night Court, House, Dungeonmaster, Survivor)
1948 T Bone' Burnett rocker
1949 Brandon Tartikoff TV exec (NBC)
1949 Rakesh Sharma India, cosmonaut (Soyuz T-11)
1955 Jay McInerney author (Bright Lights, Big City)
1961 Julia Louis-Dreyfus New York City NY, comedienne (SNL, Seinfeld, Day by Day, Soul Man, Troll)
1966 Patrick Dempsey Lewiston ME, actor (Mike-Fast Times, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Can't Buy Me Love, Face The Music)
1966 Tabitha Stevens fictional character (Bewitched)
1970 Keith Mitchell Palm Springs CA, actor (Jeffrey-Waltons, Gun Shy)
1971 Elmer Dessens Hermosillo Mexico, pitcher (Pittsburgh Pirates)
1972 Byron "Bam" Morris NFL running back (Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers)

DEATH

1599 Edmund Spenser poet (Faerie Queene), dies at about 46
1625 Pieter Bruegel "the Older" (Bloemenbruegel), Flemish painter, dies
1691 George Fox founder of Quakers, dies at 66
1864 Stephen Foster composer (My Old Kentucky Home), dies in a New York hospital at 37
1929 Wyatt Earp US marshall (OK Corral), dies at 80
1941 James Joyce novelist (Ulysses), dies in Zürich Switzerland, at 58
1962 Ernie Kovacs comedian, dies in a car crash in West Los Angeles, at 42
1978 Hubert Humphrey (Senator-D-MN, Vice President), dies at 66 in Waverly MN
1978 Joseph V McCarthy baseball manager (New York Yankees), dies at 96
1979 Donny Hathaway Chicago IL, rocker (Ghetto), commits suicide at 33
1982 Marcel Camus French director (Orfeu Negro), dies at 69
1983 Doodles Weaver comedian (Spike Jones & City Slickers), dies at 71
1985 Carol Wayne Johnny Carson's teatime movie hostess, dies at 42
1995 Ruby Starr vocalist (Grey Ghost), dies of brain tumor at 44

January 13, the 13th day of 2008. There are 353 days left in the year.


compiled by Mondoreb
[image: dougross@journal]
Source: Today in History





Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.

Dutch Drug Police Fight For Right to Smoke Pot

Has drugs, but is not a policeman

Drug police in Amsterdam are going to fight for their right to party.

The men in blue (or whatever color Dutch police wear) in Amsterdam, the largest city in the Netherlands, are up in arms over a new code of behavior that orders them to quit using drugs in their free time.

Actually they are in "open revolt.

The new rules, due to come in on January 1, have upset officers who patrol the city’s infamous coffee shops, where cannabis is smoked openly by locals and millions of tourists attracted by Amsterdam’s relaxed atmosphere.

It has been their duty for years to operate a policy of nonenforcement over the coffee shop culture. Now the police union will back its members in defying the cannabis ban. The union has vowed to bring a test case in court against the first officer to fall foul of the new rules, claiming that they amount to an unjustified intrusion into personal life.

Has drugs, but is neither Dutch nor a policeman

Cops are people, too. They want to have some fun.

According to the head of the policemen's union, the cops just "wanna be me".

“Police should not be put in pigeonholes in which they can no longer be themselves,” said Hans van Duijn, the chairman of the Nederlandse Politie Bond, the police union. “If you allow people in the country to smoke [cannabis], you would be a hypocrite to say to the police officers, ‘You are not allowed to do that’.

“It is illegal by law but we allow it for everybody else just to use it in small amounts for themselves. There must be scope for using soft drugs.”

The neighbor kid's mom is always saying that, too: there must be scope for using soft drugs.

Like so many cities around the world, the Dutch masters of Amsterdam have their "image" to consider. Amsterdam's mayor has some big plans.

The code, however, is only the latest example of a backlash against years of Dutch tolerance that have given Amsterdam a seedy reputation that the city’s authorities are keen to reverse.

This month Job Cohen, the Mayor, unveiled plans to convert scores of Amsterdam’s notorious prostitutes’ windows into fashion displays in an attempt to clean up parts of the red-light zone around some of the more attractive streets and canals. He has also led intense efforts to close coffee shops and so-called smart shops, which sell harder drugs such as magic mushrooms.

A policeman, but has no drugs (that can be seen)

Dutch drug laws seem a bit confusing.

Supplying and possessing cannabis remains illegal in the Netherlands and police have always been banned from drinking or taking drugs on duty. But the city force now wants all officers to set a better example.

Got that?

“Hitherto, it was only clear that you could not appear at your work drunk or stoned,” a police spokesman said. “We are now saying: You are also seen as a police officer when off-duty.” The use of alcohol is permitted when off-duty but officers should not be seen “drunkenly babbling on the street” in their free time, the spokesman said.

Drunkenly quoting Shakespeare is okay apparently.

The Amsterdam police have another code of behavior already in place--it's kinda like the Boy Scouts.

The code states that officers must behave as “model citizens”. The key words they must live by are “respect, transparency, responsibility, involvement, trustworthiness, justice and balance”.

Mr van Duijn remained defiant. “If there is one police officer who has been smoking a soft drug in private and they catch him, we will go to court to ask to be treated as everybody else.”

The police will go to court so they can be allowed to smoke pot. That's a switch from most countries.

Cool.

Of course, there are the football games to consider.

Unlike the Police Federation in Britain, the NPB union has full powers of industrial action. In a dispute over pay, the NPB has forced the postponement of several top-level football matches this month by refusing to work overtime and is planning to use its strike powers from January 9 if it does not get a better salary offer.

Largest police bust in Canada

One sympathizes with the Dutch police.

Instead of hoisting a few beers after a hard day's work, why not twist one up?

It would seem to get confusing, however.

What happens if the police get a call from the chief ordering them to "bust a joint"?

by Mondoreb
[image: thevarsity; jackthehack; bodybuilding;
Source:
* Drug Police in Netherlands Demand Right to Smoke Cannibis





Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.

Drug Death, Thy Name is Hershey's

Reaction to drug warriors' next target?

"Drop the Ice Breakers and step away from the car."

It would've been mildly amusing had it had been satire.

After searching the story to see if it was intended to be a humor piece, "
Mint or Drug: Is Hershey's Cracked?" by Jill Porter, Philadelphia Daily News, one is overcome by a sadden resignation.

Have drug alarmists no shame? This is unintended humor from a usual source.
They've now settled their focus on a familiar group of law-breakers: Hershey's. The offending candy? Ice Breakers that are so similar to crack cocaine in appearance that--what?

A serious story about decidedly un-serious people who pose as serious.

FAMILY COURT Judge Lori Dumas Brooks wanted to make sure she wasn't overreacting.

So she held the small blue packet of powdered substance in her palm and showed it around at work yesterday.

Everyone asked the same thing:

What was she doing with crack cocaine?

Why is it that every time someone over-reacts, they start by saying "I don't want to over-react"?

The story continues in a National Lampoon-like manner.

"I thought she confiscated it in the courtroom," said Administrative Judge Kevin Dougherty.

No one could believe what the tiny pouch actually was: a new breath mint made by - get this - Hershey's.

Ice Breakers Pacs, which hit the stores this month, are dissolvable pouches in blue or orange that look uncannily like tiny heat-sealed bags of cocaine, crack, heroin or any other powdered drug.

The Pacs, filled with powdered mint and sweetener, are meant to dissolve on the tongue like breath strips.

They're even packaged in a plastic slide-top case similar to the magnetic key cases drug dealers use to hide their wares under cars.

Other drug-dealer packaged products

Who knew? Hershey's and Listerine are involved in a plot to make their products appear to be drug-related? They are joined by another in this nefarious enterprise by British candy-maker Altoids.

Their breath strips are also packaged in "a plastic slide-top case similar to the magnetic key cases drug dealers use to hide their wares under cars".
This is serious!

Back to the stunned judge.

"I could not believe it," Judge Dumas Brooks said yesterday.

"Who in the world thought of that, and how did it get approved?"

The pouches are so realistic, they even fooled Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector William Blackburn.

"Being in narcotics the majority of my career, I thought it was the real stuff," said Blackburn.

"It's a disgrace to see a company selling a product like this and basically glorifying the drug trade. The best word to describe it is despicable."

Blackburn's statement might indicate why Philidelphia seems beset with crime--other than it being Philidellphia.

The police have been spending all their time running down leads in 7-11 and Wal-Mart check-out lines. Meanwhile, the poor chief is fooled by a Hershey's product. We'll let the readers draw their own conclusions here.


Merchants of drug death line up

Even the reporter, Jill Porter, gets caught up in this outrage. One is sympathetic: how could she not be?

Porter: "The best word to describe Hershey's is . . . clueless."

Clueless.

Good word. Again, we'll let the reader draw their own conclusions about the who gets to wear this label.
Hershey's reaction? Well, they couldn't just say, "Are you freakin' kidding me?" They were more polite.

"It's not intended to simulate anything," corporate spokesman Kirk Seville told me yesterday, refusing to acknowledge the similarities between the candy and street drugs.

"We have a longstanding commitment to consumer safety, product quality and responsible packaging," he said, adding that the Pacs are "clearly labeled."

"The dissolvable pouch is what makes the product innovative and unique. The overwhelming feedback from consumers is they love the product."

The story quickly spirals out of control. Another familiar player in the "quick, we have to do something--anything" scenario is recruited, the tearful victim.

Linda Wagner, a police veteran, shares a personal story that, while tragic, has its meaning stood on its head in this piece.

Maybe Hershey's should have had Linda Wagner in one of its focus groups.

Wagner is a 10-year veteran of the Police Department who switched to narcotics three years ago for personal reasons: Her teenage daughter died of a heroin overdose in 2001.

When Blackburn showed her the mint packets yesterday, Wagner was near tears.

"I was shocked," she said.

"Hershey's is totally irresponsible for marketing this product."

When Officer Regina Missouri saw them, she immediately conjured up the potentially deadly scenarios the look-alike pouches could create.

What if children use them and subsequently stumble upon and ingest a real bag of drugs, thinking they're mints, she said?

Future crime scene photo?

The story continues from there, lining up further witnesses, all apparently anxious to see their names in a paper.

All seemingly unaware their participation would be examined by others who'd seen this same story before; with different reactions.

The name of the offender is the only thing different.

The story of the attempts at painting Coca-Cola as a dangereous substance in the 1920s and 30s comes to mind. Before dismissing it on "fact" gathered from hearsay, do some research and then decide.

Same group of non-thinkers, same M.O.

That story almost bankrupt Coke and led to three ownership changes as today's soft drink giant went from most popular drink in America to drug target. And no, it contained no cocaine, as you might have heard.

Research will reveal that some of the flavor was obtained from a process which used denatured coca leafs.

What if someone is enjoying the minty, fresh breath that comes from using an Ice Breaker and gets tased by the good drug-battling Philidelphia Police Department?

That unlucky Hershey's consumer would likely have no recourse, as this article will be held up as "proof" that it was all a mistake; a natural case of mistaken identification between a breath mint and dangerous drugs.

That's one reason this whole article would be absolutely hilarious if it didn't provide cover for future shenanigans. Would Porter, Judge Brooks, or Chief Blackburn think twice about it?

Unlikely, from the amount of mental firepower which predominates this drug warrior puff piece.

Hopefully, no harm will come of it, other than to the reputations of the above trio as reflective thinkers.

Unlike Ms. Porter, we'll let the readers decide that.

by Mondoreb
[graphics: RAPH, hersheys,listerine,altoids,pez]



Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.