TMR: CIA Tortured Suspects "to the Point of Death", Town of 1,000 Issues 11,000+ Traffic Tickets in 1 Year, World Leaders Recommend Drug Legalization
Bienvenidos a su Morning Roar para Miercoles!CIA Tortured Suspects "to the Point of Death"In a report issued by the UK's Telegraph, a security source has provided details regarding the torture of Al Qaeda suspects (key word: suspects!) by the CIA. The words used to describe the torture unleashed upon people merely suspected of conspiring to commit terrorist attacks against the U.S. should be troubling to anyone with a respect for individual rights, let alone a sense of humanity:
The CIA brought top al-Qaeda suspects close “to the point of death” by drowning them in water-filled baths during interrogation sessions in the years that followed the September 11 attacks, a security source has told The Telegraph.The description of the torture meted out to at least two leading al-Qaeda suspects, including the alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, far exceeds the conventional understanding of waterboarding, or “simulated drowning” so far admitted by the CIA.“They weren’t just pouring water over their heads or over a cloth,” said the source who has first-hand knowledge of the period. “They were holding them under water until the point of death, with a doctor present to make sure they did not go too far. This was real torture.”The account of extreme CIA interrogation comes as the US Senate prepares to publish a declassified version of its so-called Torture Report – a 3,600-page report document based on a review of several million classified CIA documents.
The north Florida town of Waldo has long had a reputation as a speed trap, and it’s no wonder. A small segment of highway that runs through Waldo requires drivers to speed up and slow down six times: 65 mph becomes 55 mph; 55 becomes 45; then goes back to 55; then back down to 45; to 55 again and eventually, 35 mph.AAA named the tiny town between Jacksonville and Gainesville one of only two "traffic traps" nationwide and even placed an attention-getting billboard outside the limits of the town to warn drivers to slow down before entering.
First, let's give a hat tip to AAA, a great organization, for putting up a billboard to warn drivers of these ridiculous speed traps just outside the town's limits. A great service, and brilliant marketing. But there is more trouble brewing in little Waldo:
Now Waldo faces a scandal following allegations that the town victimizes motorists to turn a profit. Two police chiefs have been suspended, the police department has rebelled and the state is investigating possible wrongdoing.
Victimizing motorists in order to generate revenue? From a police department? You don't say! This is certainly not a concept which is unique to Waldo, FL, but the town does seem to be particularly efficient at the practice, as these shocking stats reveal:
In 2013, Waldo’s seven police officers filed 11,603 traffic citations, according to records obtained by the Gainesville Sun newspaper. That compares with 25,461 citations in 2013 for much larger Gainesville, which has 300 officers and 128,000 residents, including thousands of college students.The fines paid by motorists are a big money-maker. According to the city’s 2013 budget, about half of its $1 million in revenue came from "court fines" from tickets issued.
Local governments often craft all sorts of man-made laws which then suck many otherwise harmless people into the court system, where many of the poorer victims end up remaining due to an inability to navigate the system. In a world which respected individual rights, surely there would be roads and some sort of system for policing them for safety, but the difference would be that individuals would willingly agree to such rules as a condition for driving on the roads of other property owners. In our more socialized system, motorists are often seen as an opportunity for bureaucrats to refill the coffers.Global Commission on Drug Policy Recommends Drug LegalizationIn our final story, The Daily Beast details a report issued by the Global Commission on Drug Policy in which the group recommends the legalization of many drugs, including cannabis and psychedelics. The group included former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Sir Richard Branson, so it certainly carries some weight in the global political community.Here are four recommendations the Commission recommended to change drug policy, as detailed by Abby Haglage at The Daily Beast:
1. Stop focusing on the drugs and focus on the drug users.According to the report, many drug users could be helped if given the tools they need to overcome the issues that drove them to drugs in the first place. Those suffering from addiction in the streets risk disease, overdose, and death. In the process, families are punished and communities torn apart. Harm reduction techniques such as needle exchanges, opioid substitution treatment, and overdose prevention drugs such as naloxone are suggested.“The import of the commission’s report lies in both the distinction of its members and the boldness of their recommendations.”2. End mandatory minimum sentencing.The report calls for law enforcement to “stop criminalizing people for drug use and possession—and stop imposing ‘compulsory treatment’ on people whose only offense is drug use or possession.” Besides the incredible expense of housing millions of first-time drug offenders in prisons, a 2011 review from the International Journal of Drug Policy found that increased enforcement pressure actually increases levels of violence.3. Stop using police and prisons as the solution to the problem.The leaders suggest that countries begin to rely on other options outside of incarceration for nonviolent, low-level participants in illicit drug markets such as farmers, couriers, and others involved in the production, transport and sale of illicit drugs.4. Experiment with legally regulating markets.According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, drug prohibition has fueled a global illegal trade estimated to be in the hundreds of billions. To fix this problem, the leaders encourage diverse experiments in legally regulating markets in currently illicit drugs, beginning with but not limited to cannabis, coca leaf, and certain novel psychoactive substances. “The Commission is now calling for the decriminalization and legal regulation of not just cannabis but as many of the drugs that are currently illegal as possible, with the understanding that some drugs may remain too dangerous to decriminalize,” the report says. The leaders point to successes and failures in regulating alcohol, tobacco, and pharmaceutical drugs as potential roadmaps to map out a legalization plan. “Ultimately the most effective way to reduce the extensive harms of the global drug prohibition regime and advance the goals of public health and safety is to get drugs under control through responsible legal regulation.”
While falling short of a call for full drug legalization and a complete respect of the right of the individual to put whatever he or she wants in his or her body, this is still the most radical step towards a sane drug policy ever presented by such a global body. One can only hope this is another small move towards a world in which no man, woman or child is locked in a cage for the mere possession or consumption of a plant or chemical.I discussed some of the disastrous consequences of the War on Drugs with Dr. Mark Thornton way back in Episode 7 of the Lions of Liberty Podcast. Check it! {Note: Dr. Thornton is also this week's guest on the Political Badger Show.}
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