Pubdate: Sat, 15 Feb 2003 Source: Watertown Daily Times (NY) Copyright: 2003 Watertown Daily Times Contact: http://www.wdt.net Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/792 Author: Robert K. Kirchoff Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/campaign.htm (ONDCP Media Campaign) ANTI-DRUG COMMERCIAL SENDS WRONG MESSAGE There is a new anti-drug campaign television commercial that has a young man clumsily defending his purchase of illegal drugs against an older man. This older man declares that drug money supports terrorism. Is this what the feds expect me to think. Were the 9-11 hijacking murderers financed oil-wealthy individuals and nations or by the narcotics underworld? Were the 9-11 terrorist allowed to roam the U.S. through failure to enforce immigration laws or the drug laws? How are/were known terrorist able to freely and frequently cross the border where peaceful citizens are turned away because they are behind in child support payments? How were the 9-11 terrorist able to move large sums of money without notice, which is something, no American citizen can do? For all its failings, was not the Taliban strongly anti-drug and in the process of eradicating the poppy fields of Afghanistan? The small pox and anthrax possessed by Iraq was sold with the permission of the federal government (maybe there is a drugs fry our brain link after all). The Iraqi nuclear program came from Europe, in particular the centrifuges and related enrichment technology from Germany. Plastic explosives used by terrorist don't come from anyone's garage either. Are these weapons and poisons created and "controlled" by drug cartels or governments? Were the purchases of these products done by drug lords or by governments through taxation of the citizenry? Was the distribution of these products and the potential dangers discussed with the citizenry? And was permission to do so sought? No, of course not! We, the citizens, have to deal with such recklessness committed "on our behalf" by faceless, unaccountable government. It's as though a child were to say, "by the way Dad, I left that smallpox stuff with Saddam-oops!" So the message of this particular anti-drug commercial is clear to me: the federal government is not to be blamed for any part of the current mess: we, the people are to blame. No one at the federal level is to be held accountable. Neither incompetence, nor failure to enforce just laws, nor the continued refusal of the elite who rule us (as opposed to governing) to heed the wise voices of the founders of this republic have caused the American people harm. No sir! Indeed, and with certainty, it's the guy next door smoking pot who is about to destroy our way of life. ROBERT K. KIRCHOFF Clayton - --- MAP posted-by: SHeath(DPFFlorida)