Pubdate: Sun, 11 July 1999 Source: The Media Awareness Project of DrugSense Note: The following is a rare commentary by the undersigned. General Barry McCaffrey, our Drug Czar and the leading advocate of the War on Drugs, went on the attack in a congressional hearing. In the testimony read into the subcommittee's records, he attacks the Media Awareness Project no less than four times: "...Media Awareness Project's homepage (a group advocating drug policy reforms)...." "...Media Awareness Project (a not-for-profit organization whose self-declared mission is to encourage a re-evaluation of our drug policies)...." "The Media Awareness Project website also includes links to instructions about how drug users can defeat drug tests." "Similarly, the websites of both the Drug Policy Foundation, a self-proclaimed drug policy reform group, and the Media Awareness Project,..." The General’s testimony is at: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v99/n636/a02.html We have long known that his staff actively followed our efforts. We find it typical of the hysteria he tries to promote that he finds links from our link page at http://www.mapinc.org/dpr.htm will, after several jumps through the pages of other organizations or publications, reach information he thinks should be censored. But he fails to mention our even handed links to his own Office of National Drug Control Policy and 22 similar sites. Why single us out for this special treatment? Perhaps because we, daily, are exposing the truth about our failed drug policies? Or is it because we make available the growing number of editorials that question drug policy? Perhaps it is because so many no longer fear to write Letters to The Editor exposing the problems with our drug policies as shown at http://www.mapinc.org/lte/ Or maybe it is because of the huge circulation of our DrugSense Weekly, the first of it's kind in the country dedicated to providing original, comprehensive coverage of the drug war and the growing movement for reform, and now in it's 105th issue at: http://www.drugsense.org/current.htm NO, it is not for these reasons the General points us (and others) out for attack. It is because he knows full well that there millions of you who, each in your own way, are "Moving the Discourse on Drugs from Hysteria to Sanity and Humanity." "We say in a democracy that good ideas will drive out bad ones, so if the good ones aren't there, we're left with the bad ones." - General Barry McCaffrey - You are insuring that we are not left with just the bad ideas. Thank you! Richard Lake Sr. Editor; MAPnews, MAPnews-Digest and DrugNews-Digest More than 23,653 Drug-Related News Clippings in a SEARCHABLE database! http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/ For subscription information see: http://www.MAPinc.org/lists/ Quick sign up for DrugNews-Digest, Focus Alerts or Weekly: http://www.DrugSense.org/hurry.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Get Active! Write Letters to the Editor! See Three Tips for Letter Writers: http://www.mapinc.org/3tips.htm and the Published Letters Archive: http://www.mapinc.org/lte/ ............................................. The original weekly drug policy newsletter, DrugSense Weekly http://www.drugsense.org/current.html ............................................. Information about state and topic discussion lists is at: http://www.drugsense.org/lists/ ............................................ Analysis and commentary on the news: http://www.marijuananews.com/ ............................................ Partnership for Drug-policy Facts and Alternatives http://www.pdfa.net/ ............................................ Interactive chat room for activists: http://www.drugsense.org/chat/ The chat starts at about 9:00 p.m on Saturday and Sunday night Eastern time. ........................................... - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake