[PenultimateManStanding]

Reading up on Gary Webb and the San Jose Mercury News story from the 90's about how the CIA funded the Nicaraguan Contra operations with cocaine smuggling which brought on the crack epedemic. An old story, of course, but to what extent has that story been accepted as a given? There are important ramifications for more contemporary stories. As Webb said himself, the News Media have gone from being 'watch dogs' exposing wrongdoing to 'guard dogs' protecting the establishment. How do peak oilers feel about it?

[MicroHydro]

Gary Webb was very depressed according to his friends. Divorced, unemployed, middle aged, and broke, all classic reasons for suicide. Still, his was the only two bullet head shot suicide I have ever heard of.

[PenultimateManStanding]

One of the major implications of this old story is that it shows how the MSM will circle the wagons to discredit any truly damaging investigative journalism. Poor Gary Webb. He had offers of big bucks if he wanted to take them. He chose to stand by his newspaper who then threw him overboard when the backlash hit. His wife was smart and told him to take the bucks which he obviously should have done.

http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=3874 American Journalism Review article, The Sad Saga of Gary Webb.

[0mar]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MicroHydro', 'S')till, his was the only two bullet head shot suicide I have ever heard of.

[shakespear1]

If it sounds "Orwellian" not much we can do about it, but if Webb's story is even partly true ( first pipeline between Colombia's cocaine cartels and the black neighborhoods of Los Angeles ) then it is a really sorry world we live in.

The consequences of the War on Drugs are the over built, privatized prison system we have in the US. This money COULD have been spent on a hell of a lot of other things that are needed in the US but are too mundane to consider by those making those decisions. Such things as more economical cars, better mass transport system, education ( I think one of the Bush's was the education President ) etc.

Nehh, lets make Guns.

U.S. Military Spending

The United States, being the most formidable military power, it is worth looking at their spending.

The U.S. military budget request for Fiscal Year 2006 is $441.6 billion. (This includes the Defence Department budget and funding for nuclear weapons activity of the Department of Energy Budget. It does not include other items such as money for the Afghan and Iraq wars ($49.1 billion for Fiscal Year 2006), or Homeland Security funding ($41.1 billion for Fiscal Year 2006), for example.)

* For Fiscal Year 2005 it was $420.7 billion
* For Fiscal Year 2004 it was $399.1 billion.
* For Fiscal Year 2003 it was $396.1 billion.
* For Fiscal Year 2002 it was $343.2 billion.
* For Fiscal Year 2001 it was $305 billion. And Congress had increased that budget request to $310 billion.
* This was up from approximately $288.8 billion, in 2000.

Compared to the rest of the world, these numbers are indeed staggering.

AMAZINGLY even at these figures we are still not safe!!!!!

I wonder what my friend's mom who has cancer and problems with the bills would say if she heard how her tax dollars are being spent.

[Kent]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('shakespear1', '.')..if Webb's story is even partly true ( first pipeline between Colombia's cocaine cartels and the black neighborhoods of Los Angeles ) then it is a really sorry world we live in.

[PenultimateManStanding]

The results are running pretty clear here: 3 to 1 against the naysayers. I think that spooks have always been amoral servants of TPTB going back as far as you care to look. How about the Opium trade in China? Wasn't that a British Spook deal? American spooks caught on in the 20th Century (if they hadn't already been completely up to speed). People may think that Ruppert is reaching and making false conclusions, but he has reported as an eyewitness his firsthand knowledge of his recruitment by the CIA to the illicit drug smuggling operations. Basically, you have to have on some pretty deeply colored rose-tinted glasses to deny this ugly reality. Its the deeper implications of this that have to be worked out. How about the MSM's treatment of the Webb story? If the deception has worked here, what else have they been practicing deception about?

[zed]

It's no secret that the CIA also used heroin money from the Golden Triangle to finance secret illegal wars in Laos and Cambodia during the Vietnam War era.

US-occupied Afghanistan now produces almost 90% of the world's opium crop. This is reported to generate something like $30 billion dollars - an impressive amount of money. Where is this money going, and who is benefitting from this? It seems like none of our fine journalists dare pursue this question and see where it leads. Some are likely to allege that "terra-ists" are benefiting, but does it really seem plausible that the US would let someone else rake in that much money from a land occupied by its own military?

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('zed', 'I')t's no secret that the CIA also used heroin money from the Golden Triangle to finance secret illegal wars in Laos and Cambodia during the Vietnam War era.

US-occupied Afghanistan now produces almost 90% of the world's opium crop. This is reported to generate something like $30 billion dollars - an impressive amount of money. Where is this money going, and who is benefitting from this? It seems like none of our fine journalists dare pursue this question and see where it leads. Some are likely to allege that "terra-ists" are benefiting, but does it really seem plausible that the US would let someone else rake in that much money from a land occupied by its own military?

[Specop_007]

Look into MK Ultra experiments. Pretty crazy stuff for sure.
While not drug running, I think it does go to show what our own government may be capable of.

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Specop_007', 'L')ook into MK Ultra experiments. Pretty crazy stuff for sure.
While not drug running, I think it does go to show what our own government may be capable of.

[threadbear]

You're nibbling around the edges of the red pill, PMS. Watch it, Dude, once you eat the whole thing, it's Alice in Wonderland time. The only difference is the white rabbit is chasing you, rather than the other way around. You'll see.

[PenultimateManStanding]

A little nibble of the red pill, then a little nibble of the blue pill. Compare and contrast. Take notes and repeat. That's my strategy.

[Specop_007]

Hell with pills. I'm just doin lines of coke off a hookers ass, and washin it down with tequila.

WOO HOO!

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Specop_007', 'H')ell with pills. I'm just doin lines of coke off a hookers ass, and washin it down with tequila.

WOO HOO!

[Specop_007]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Specop_007', 'H')ell with pills. I'm just doin lines of coke off a hookers ass, and washin it down with tequila.

WOO HOO!

[Chuckmak]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Specop_007', 'H')ell with pills. I'm just doin lines of coke off a hookers ass, and washin it down with tequila.

WOO HOO!

[Liamj]

The history of old money being involved in drug running goes back centuries, shouldn't be any surprise that the elite-families that populate upper levels of CIA/other intel orgs are still doing it.

Question is what to do about it, and i'd suggest doing coke isn't helping - why not mail the money to Bush direct?

Apart from adapting your drug use to non-thug sources, C.A.Fitts & Solari.com seem to me the best way to combat them - crudely speaking they're pushing for the development of localised investment systems, via greatly increased transperancy and some volunteerism.
Might just be my bias as a spatial geek & relocalisation fanatic, but Ms.Fitts apparent sincerity & the quality info coming out of the allied Sanders & Assoc. i find convincing.

But doing coke makes you a Bush clan/corrupt-CIA stooge. Stupid to bitch about them when you're paying their way.
(p.s. i don't think all CIA are corrupt, but the straight ones are obviously either pretty dim or otherwise compromised).

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Liamj', 'T')he history of old money being involved in drug running goes back centuries, shouldn't be any surprise that the elite-families that populate upper levels of CIA/other intel orgs are still doing it.

[zed]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', 'I')ts a good bet that much of the money ends up in New York Banks. And why don't journalists investigate? Several reasons come to mind. First of all look what happened to Gary Webb, his career was destroyed. Second, even an intrepid, fearless young journalist who tried would probably find that anything dug up would not be printed. Everything is about money. And the money says don't rock the boat. I came to PeakOil about 8 months ago as a registered Republican. Prior to that I never would have bought into this stuff and might even have reacted like the Bigg Buffoon scoffing at 'tin foil hats'. The more subtle minds on the right here have probably come to the conclusion that some evil stuff is just a neccessity. I don't know, maybe they are right about that. I'll bet I am not the only one here, though, who has found his or her view of life thoroughly tested by knowledge of Peak Oil. (oh, BTW, journalists do investigate this stuff, just not, apparently, the ones who work in the mainstream media)