Conservative Watchdogs Say No to Just Say No

Drug Czar's Office A "Federal Wasteland" That Fails To Show Results:
Study Says ONDCP's Anti-Drug Ads, State Lobbying Efforts Cited As Grossly Inappropriate And Ineffective
Washington, DC:The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has wasted more than $4 billion since fiscal year 1997 on ineffective media advertising, inappropriate efforts to influence state legislation, and deficient anti-drug trafficking programs, according to a report released this week by the non-partisan Washington, DC think-tank Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW).
"The White House [ONDCP] has morphed into a federal wasteland, throwing taxpayer money toward numerous high-priced drug control
programs that have failed to show results," the report concludes.
The report cites the office's $2 billion National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign as one of the agency's most egregious programs, calling it "an utter failure ... [that] violated federal propaganda laws, did not reduce drug use amongst America's youth, and produced no significant results." Other independent reviews of the Campaign, including those conducted by the Annenberg School for Communication at the University
of Pennsylvania, have issued similar criticisms, noting that it failed to achieve "its major objective of affecting youth marijuana use, and [it]
even showed some evidence of an unfavorable delayed effect ... on youth."
The CAGW study also criticizes the Drug Czar's office for spending taxpayers' dollars to campaign against proposed state legislation to
liberalize the medical use of cannabis. The report notes that ONDCP officials lobbied in person against several statewide legislative efforts and spent nearly $100 million to run anti-marijuana advertisements aimed at influencing voters to reject state ballot initiatives.
"[T]he office continues to waste federal resources to influence the outcome of state ballot initiatives, acting like Big Brother and infringing upon states' rights," it states. "The White House's drug office should use its resources to root out major drug operations in the US instead of creating propaganda-filled news videos and flying across the country on the taxpayers' dime."
NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre added, "With the White House Office of Management and Budget recently rating the Drug Enforcement Administration a 'zero' in the category of 'results/accountability,' and a conservative watchdog group now calling the ONDCP a 'federal wasteland' of inefficiency, isn't it about time for Congress to reevaluate the drug war and, specifically, the Administration's costly and ineffective war on cannabis?"

Full text of the Citizens Against Government Waste report, "Up In Smoke: ONDCP's Wasted Efforts In the War on Drugs,"
is available online in pdf at:
http://www.cagw.org/site/DocServer/Up_in_Smoke.pdf?docID=1081

Thing is .... most any stoner could have told them this a long time ago. Kind of like a "Welll, DUH!"

Old School Goa

Recently a budro of mine posted up a mix of old school goa that listens and reads like a who's who of the beginning, the roots. It's inspiring and reminds me that I am now in a position to say "I was there when it all started". I was awed the first time he whipped out those crazy records with the mindblowing sounds and psychadellic covers. No words, just pure unadulterated spirit and a deep connection to something unexplored and ultimately completely universal. A journey beyond this world every sunset and an epiphany every sunrise. Early Goa guided me through many trials and I always found solace in it's beats and harmonies. It was through goa that I learned the secrets of the voice of the universe and humanities role in it. It was in those early days that I learned the true nature of the 'ecstatic experience'. Simply, only experience can describe that connection to the other dancers and the fluidity of movement that takes place as one body. It is a trance experienced and multiplied through the body movement. Goa taught me my first lessons in mind/body/spirit connection that actually meant anything and weren't just words upon a page. It was and is now real. Though the music has progressed and exponentially become more technical and advanced it is through the roots by which the tree grows. A big hug and thank you to Mel B for taking me back. He's like an old goa shaman standing there with a twinkle in his eyes inviting you in and saying "hey, wanna try something that's gonna blow your mind" and the next thing you know you're in another world. All the while he's smiling happily, sharing what he has found like a secret treasure, and your life has now taken on a new meaning. One cool brotha. So here's the link. You have to sign up to Global Beatz to get it. It's free.(which btw, tons of other great mixes and talent). PLAY IT LOUD.

Mix URL: http://music2.globalbeatz.net/dj_mixes/dawn_of_goa.mp3

Leaky Chambers

NIAID Encourages Use of Leaky Device in Biodefense
Chambers are Located in Nine US States, India, New Zealand, and Northern Ireland

(Austin, 18 April 2005) - A leaky aerosol chamber manufactured by the University of Wisconsin at Madison was responsible for three laboratory-acquired tuberculosis infections in a Seattle BSL-3 lab last year. The infections have not been made public until now. Nearly twenty Madison chambers exist across the US and in India, New Zealand, and Northern Ireland. While tuberculosis is not a biological weapons agent, the accident underscores the inherent dangers when working with dangerous disease agents, and the grave safety risks of the US biodefense program, which is encouraging more scientists to deliberately aerosolize bioweapons agents in Madison chambers and similar equipment.

The Madison chamber incident is the latest to be reported in a series of US lab accidents, including infections and/or mishandling of anthrax, tularemia, and pandemic influenza. At the encouragement of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Madison chambers have been purchased for use in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Colorado, Wisconsin, and California, as well as India, Northern Ireland, and New Zealand. More of the suspect chambers may be in use; but the legal counsel of the University of Wisconsin at Madison has refused to answer questions and has been reluctant to promptly answer requests filed under Wisconsin open records law. the story goes on

Was it not so long ago that we had our big Anthrax scare? Those evil terrorists and their biological warfare. Oh you mean we do that too? And you mean the substances could escape through faulty equipment?