Tomas de Torquemada was known as "The hammer of heretics," "the light of Spain," "the saviour of his country," and "the honour of his order." Barbaric he may have been and was in fact the very heretic he was looking for, but he destroyed less than 2,000 lives during his 15 years as the grand inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition.
Today's "compassionate" drug warriors have fractured the futures and pulverized the possibilities of more than 37,000,000 US citizens for the crime of possessing plant products and are responsible for tens of thousands of lives lost each year to the folly of their policy. Drug Czars are continuously lauded with platitudes and praise by their fawning minions; far more than was ever heaped on the head of Torquemada.
Hitler's propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, "...exerted totalitarian control over the media, arts, and information in Germany. In that position, he perfected an understanding of the "Big Lie" technique of propaganda, which is based on the principle that a lie, if audacious enough and repeated enough times, will be believed by the masses." - (Wikipedia)
The drug war is the first war ever declared for eternity and for nearly 100 years, we have had our own US drug war propaganda ministers; first with the director of the Bureau of Narcotics on through the more recent series of drug czars that blatantly lie for a living. It's actually in their contracts, to forbid, dissuade, prevent or otherwise deny any talk of legalization and as stated most recently by the new drug czar, Gil Kerlikowske, they will continue, hell or high-water and per Presidential guidelines to 'believe' that "legalization is not in my vocabulary".
The US leads the world in its incarceration rate. Our children have the best access of all to drugs through contacts easily made in high school. The Taliban is thriving by profiting on our fear of flowers. The deadly cartels in Mexico continue making their tens of billions of dollars each year despite and because of the presence of tens of thousands of armed troops. The US gangs are prospering as well and continue to afford their high powered weaponry to shoot up our city streets by selling contaminated drugs to our children. AIDS and Hep C cases continue to rise because we are somehow afraid that users might never quit using if they had legal access to syringes.
Where are the politicians and officials who want to kill Osama's fattest cash cow, who want to eviscerate the Latin cartels or who want to eliminate the reason for which most violent US gangs exist? Who among them wants to take away our children's easy access to drugs or to eliminate most overdose deaths or to end the street corner shoot outs over drug sales turf?
They are too busy counting the cash they receive as part of the worlds largest scam. Too busy lying for a living to notice or care about the misery caused by their complicity.
This coming Sunday, July 26th I begin a new schedule for the Drug Truth Network radio shows. At 6:30 PM central time I will interview our guest on the Cultural Baggage program, Mr. Paul Armentano of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Paul is co-author of a book now hitting the shelves: Marijuana is Safer - So Why are We Driving People to Drink?
Here's where you come in, following at 7PM central, Century of Lies will feature a new segment: "Face the Inquisition" where you get the chance to question Paul and I about progress in ending the marijuana wars and the forthcoming NORML conference in smoky San Francisco, September 24-26.
You can tune into both programs, live, at 6:30 central time on Pacifica's www.kpft.org and call in your questions toll free at 1-877-9-420 420. More details available in the 4:20 report for Monday July 20th.
The two, 29:00 shows will appear along with the seven, daily, 3:00 "4:20 Drug War NEWS" reports each Monday morning, starting July 27 at http://www.drugtruth.net. (We currently have 64 affiliated, yet independent broadcast stations. With a simple email request to dean@drugtruth.net, your station can join the Drug Truth Network, free of charge.)
Future guests will include on August 2nd, the author of Drugs - America's Holy War, by Professor Arthur Benavie.
As did Torquemada, the modern inquisitors need snitches and informants, liars and certainly a Holy War; but mostly they need you, to remain silent, to fear their venomous wrath.
How long will you allow the Big Lie of the drug war to stand, in the very bright light of now?
Face the inquisition.
PROHIBITION REVERSED
Prohibition creates more harm than drugs
Activists live and die to advance Truth
Truth becomes public consciousness
Reform sought on every continent
We will decide
Gathered at the commons
A beautiful day
The end of war
Media heeds call for human rights
Governments embrace the Truth.
Worldwide jubilation
Civilization blossoms