Pubdate: Fri, 17 Aug 2001 Source: Texas Observer (TX) Copyright: 2001 The Texas Observer Contact: http://www.texasobserver.org/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/748 Author: Greg Schorr Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1345/a03.html NO LAUNDER LAWS I write in response to Molly Ivins' column "Tracking the KLeptocrats" (July 20). I always enjoy her columns and usually agree with her, but in this case I think she is wrong. In general money laundering laws, which Ms. Ivins supports, started as a result of the drug war, something which she has come out strongly against in the past. If we want to put the current drug traffickers out of business all we have to do is legalize, and regulate these drugs. Throwing more money at law enforcement has never stopped a black market when there is strong demand for the product. It does, however, increase the profit margin, i.e., incentive, for the dealers willing to take the risks and with this increased illicit profit comes a greater chance of government corruption. She uses the "Russian financial melt-down," as a non-drug-war-related example to support her argument. The idea that somehow Russia's economy collapsed as a result of money laundering is absurd. The Russian economy has been a shambles since the days of Stalin. Finally, Ms. Ivins implies that privacy advocates, such as myself, are just conspiracy nuts. But what are we to believe about the world we live in, and our own government in particular, when we see such debacles as Noriega from Panama and, from her own list of examples, Fujimori of Peru. We fed these and other dictators billions of dollars and then acted surprised when they robbed their people blind. These are not figments of my imagination. Until we clean up our own house and stop supporting authoritarian leaders with money and arms in the name of fighting a moralistically bankrupt "War on Drugs," I will not support the money laundering measures of which she writes. Greg Schorr via the Internet - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager