The White House Just Don't Understand

Thanks BBC news for your in depth reporting and totally non-biased review of the government's decision to post what you describe as "sharp and witty" anti-drug ads on youtube.com. Recently, LEAP blogged and posted a press release referencing the determination by independent evaluating company Westat Inc. that these ads not only failed to inhibit drug use but actually exacerbated the problem.

"The only significant effect indicated in the relationship between campaign exposure and self-reported drug use was that more 12-1/2 to 13-year-olds and girls were trying the drug after seeing the ads."

"We want people to take this issue seriously and get the right facts about illegal drug use," says Raphael Lemaitre from the White House Drugs Office of the anti-drugs ads. Interesting statement from a representative of an organization that daily publicizes total misrepresentations of facts about illicit drugs and warps statistical data to fit their ill conceived points. Moreover, the very advertisement campaigns being discussed in this particular context rarely, if ever, detail the effects of the drugs in question, opting instead to utilize "sharper and wittier" tactics such as having a kid sprint away from a dog or shove his fist in his mouth and state, "I'm am idiot. I'm doing stupid things, and that ain't me."

The so-called MTV generation may be precocious and saavy but it's a bit much to expect anyone to glean anything intelligible about drug use from these adverts. Fortunately, it appears that some are educated about the propaganda generated by government controlled prohibitionist agencies. "When people see that these videos are from the government they'll probably just back-click out of them," 14-year-old Axel Kabundji said.

Unfortunately it appears that there are still others who wish to use more insidious tactics such as Michael Cornfield, professor of political management at George Washington University. "The government should start recruiting young people to use MySpace, the social networking website," he says. "To spread the anti-drugs message, peer pressure is always more effective than suggestions from the government."

Does this sound eerily 1984-esque to anyone else?

read the full text of the original article below:

YouTube used for 'war on drugs'

By Nick Miles BBC News, Washington

Some teenagers were sceptical about the government's tactics

Since the 11 September 2001 attacks on America, the US government's "war on drugs" has been rather overshadowed by its "war on terror".

Now the White House is using one of the internet's fastest growing websites to spread its anti-drugs message.

The site, YouTube, allows people to put video material on the web that can then be watched by anyone with access to a computer and some simple software.

The site shows more than 100 million videos a day.

It is particularly popular amongst teenagers and there is an anti-establishment feel to many of the videos posted on it.

When, for example, you type in the key word "marijuana", hundreds of clips come up advocating its use.

The government's anti-drugs messages are now competing for attention alongside them.

The theme of many of them is how teenagers can avoid caving in to peer pressure.

Sharp and witty

One shows a guard dog at a lumber yard chasing a teenage boy. A voiceover from the boy tells us that his friends persuaded him to smoke a joint and then try to outrun the dog.

"I'm am idiot. I'm doing stupid things, and that ain't me," he says.

Another shows a group of teenage boys lounging on a couch after having smoked marijuana. One of their friends abstains, and tells the audience all the things that he could be doing whilst his friends lounge around in a drug-induced haze.

The videos are sharp and witty and they have all previously been aired on television stations in America.

"This has already been worth it because we are making people feel more connected to the government and this has not cost us a cent, it has been a good policy," says Raphael Lemaitre from the White House Drugs Office.

"We want people to take this issue seriously and get the right facts about illegal drug use."

Over the last 20 years government figures show a 30% reduction in the number of people regularly using illegal drugs - that is more than 7m fewer users.

But teenage drug use has not fallen as rapidly.

In the computer room at a youth club in Silver Springs near Washington, there is a degree of scepticism about the government campaign on YouTube.

"When people see that these videos are from the government they'll probably just back-click out of them," 14-year-old Axel Kabundji tells me.

"People will say: 'What's the government ever done for me? Forget it'."

'Counter-productive'

Fifteen-year-old Gabriel Sanchez was slightly more positive. "Maybe someone might stumble across one of these messages and get something out of it," he tells me.

It is hardly a ringing endorsement and that comes as no surprise to Michael Cornfield, professor of political management at George Washington University.

"All the research suggests that the more anti-drugs ads you show teenagers, the more likely they are to actually take them. When the government says something is bad, it's seen as cool," he says.

Mr Cornfield, who has studied how the internet is used for influencing social trends for more than a decade, believes that there could be a more effective anti-drugs strategy.

"The government should start recruiting young people to use MySpace, the social networking website," he says.

"To spread the anti-drugs message, peer pressure is always more effective than suggestions from the government."

Snookered in Virginny

Oh Virginians, it's time to admit it. You guys are screwed. Your options for U.S. Senate are between a racist sexist douchebag and a racist sexist doofus. George Allen is now infamous for repeatedly displaying his bigotry as prominently as the Confederate flag he once hung in his home and wore as a pin in a highschool year book photo (why don't you just throw a pointy white hood on before your interviews and avoid the probing questions). Jim Webb is only slightly less of a disaster calling Affirmative Action "state sponsored racism" and calling for women to stay out of the military. The latter statement he has since retracted.

George Allen the next Martha? We could only be so lucky!

George Allen on Decorating:

Confederate Flags make lovely wall hangings. They also cover up the safe where I keep my Klan gear.
I recently saw both contenduhhhs interviewed on NBC's Meet the Press. Tim Russert asked Sen. Allen about an AP article documenting his decision to display the confederate flag in his home and office as well as a noose in his office. Allen dodged the noose question and explained that the Confederate flag stands for southern pride and history giving the tired equivocation every bigoted racist sputters out when confronted with their decision to swaddle themselves in it: it's about the history and culture of the south. He claimed that later in life he learned the lesson that the confederate flag represents oppression for blacks. How did he discern this complex and sensitive lesson, you ask? Why from his experience with football. Football, he explained, is a meritocracy where race doesn't matter. Recent accounts from his football buddies contradict these claims.

Rope can add a delightful whimsy to any room. Just create a small slipknot on one end and it will dangle gently from any houseplant.
Russert, of course, did not the push the noose question. Here's how the Richmond Times Dispatch originally reported it in 2000:

U.S. Senate candidate George Allen wears his conservative heart on the sleeve of his cowboy shirt and makes no bones about his commitment to law and order. Visitors to his old law office near downtown Charlottesville used to see a grim and graphic reminder of his view of criminals.

Dangling from a ficus tree in the corner was a noose, a reminder that the Republican politician saw some justification in frontier justice.

And here's how Allen's own campaign manager described it in a Washington Post story during the campaign:

Christopher J. LaCivita, Allen's campaign manager, said the noose was one item in a collection of cowboy memorabilia that Allen displayed in his Charlottesville law office in the early 1990s.

Far from being a racially charged symbol, the noose was an emblem of Allen's tough stance on law-and-order issues, LaCivita said.

George Allen on Etiquette and Social Graces:

When introducing a new guest, make him or her feel at home by using racial slurs from wherever you suspect they are really from

Yes, this is in reference to Allen's word vomit when he called attention to Webb's campaign volunteer, S.R. Sidarth, by saying "Let's give a welcome to macaca here. Let's give him a welcome to America and the real world of Virginia." In the Meet the Press interview Allen claimed that he MADE UP THE WORD. What a scholar!

Ahh, I am sure you have seen it already but it's worth another gander:

The best advice I can give Virginians....move.

The United States of Amnesia

Once again the fateful day is upon us which rendered even the most prone to pablum and chattery newscasters slackjawed and speechless. The event that brought the U.S. to its knees and the world to our feet offering condolences and aide. The event which quickly morphed a dumbfounded cowboy into a gun slinging John Wayne hellbent on spreading democracy at the barrel of a gun left us ruthless, self-righteous and worst of all, wishing we were Canadian. The events of 9/11 are indisputably tragic whether they were spawned by extremism, capitalism or both.

U.S. reaction to the events, however, turned the truly tragic hours of one fateful day into a tragedy of epic proportions spanning 5 years with generations of the devastated to come as a result of American intervention, occupation, and jingoism. Iran, Palestine, Israel, the whole of the middle east held candlelight vigils, issued statements condemning the acts of 9/11 and stood in solidarity with us. We responded by looping images, not of the worldwide sympathy but of a tiny minority who are purported to have celebrated in the streets. The veracity of these claims is still in question.

We have created the term Islamo-fascism to make clear our disdain for a religion which has nothing to do with fascism. Those who have chosen to bastardize their religion and manifest their anger and hatred through acts of terrorism should be reviled and stopped. Our reaction has only exacerbated anti-American sentiment, much of which is increasingly warranted by our actions. The invasion of Iraq has succeeded in murdering anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians. This information is largely unknown due to military and government inefficiency and cavalier attitudes such as that of retired General Tommy Franks, U.S. Central Command who stated "We don't do body counts."

A Guardian article in 2004 reported "Christian nations' forcible occupation of Iraq, a historically important land of Islam, has more than offset any calming effect of the US military withdrawal from Saudi Ara bia," the IISS said. It added: "With Osama bin Laden's public encouragement, up to 1,000 foreign jihadists have infiltrated Iraq." Noam Chomsky stated in a Democracy Now! interview on October 7, 2003, "The result of the war, as far as we know, verified that near-universal prediction of intelligence agencies and analysts. It's been pointed out since, that, to quote a few, that the Iraq war was a huge setback for the war on terror, led to a sharp spike in recruitment for Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups, and in fact Iraq itself was turned into a haven for terrorists for the first time. It wasn't before, but now it is."

Congratulations Mr. President, you have proved us all wrong. There is in fact a connection between Al-Qaeda and Iraq. It did not exist prior to 9/11, nor on 9/11, nor immediately after 9/11 but with our dilligent effort to create a link between the terrorist cells responsible for 9/11 we succeeded in creating an Al-Qaeda in Iraq which continues to thrive due to our irrepressible efforts to shove "democracy" down the throats of the "uncivilized nations." Oh, and it might have something to do with our brazen flouting of the Geneva Conventions and some other human rights stuff or something....whatever.

FLAT DADDY John Chuckman I thought I knew every twist of American popular culture, but apparently not. It is an inventive society, and war is a creative force that brings new impulses. There's a program in the state of Maine, supported by the fun-loving, public-relations folks of the local National Guard, called Flat Daddy, unlike anything I've heard of before. On first hearing the name, I thought the program must involve a roving jazz band, perhaps one from New Orleans, but a moment's reflection reminded me that George Bush had assisted in removing New Orleans from atlases of the United States, Jehovah taking care of the buildings and Bush taking care of the people. Readers, I am sure, have seen street hawkers in large American cities who have life-size cardboard cut-outs of celebrities and offer to take your picture standing as though you were with someone famous. I suspect this provided the creative spark for Flat Daddy. Flat Daddy involves taking a picture of one of "the boyz" over in Iraq, enlarging it to life-size, and mounting it on cardboard. When a family back home goes to a pizzeria or bowling alley, perhaps even to a revival meeting, they simply drag along Flat Daddy and position him (the pronoun it is not used) in a prominent place among the smiling faces. More photos are taken and sent back to Iraq and perhaps to Aunt Helen in the old folks' home. The miracle is that everyone feels part of the family despite the awkward inconvenience of war. There were a few points left unclear by the undoubtedly fresh-faced officer enthusing over the program on the radio. Does Flat Daddy have to pay admission at the movies? Is he included in the minimum per-head table charge at restaurants? Probably not, but when America goes to war, the nation's two strongest impulses tend to become a little confused, preening patriotic feathers and making a quick buck. You might expect an idea like Flat Daddy to have come from Texas or the Midwest, places where beehive hair-dos and prayer in the locker room before football games are still in vogue. But, no, it came from Maine, which despite its reputation for sensible, traditional values, is where, several years ago, I observed a donut shop's gigantic, ugly over-head sign, normally given over to two-for-one breakfast specials, challenging passing cars to "HONK FOR THE TROOPS!" At the same donut shop, there was a huge display of flags in the parking lot you might have assumed were part of the patriotic outburst, but then you noticed an attendant approaching car windows with one fist full of flags and the other grasping a huge wad of dollar bills. It reminded me of the man selling balloons on a stick at the circus decades ago. Here was a celebration of invasion as only America can do it. What about others at the casino or sports bar who have their views blocked by Flat Daddy? The program is new, and this potential kink may not have been worked out yet, but I can't see it becoming a problem. Quibbling about something like a life-size cardboard cut-out of a smiling soldier in uniform slapped down in front of you anywhere in America could well be hazardous for your health. You might wonder why there isn't also a Flat Mommy or Flat Sissy program, and I wondered about this myself, but many parts of America have not got past the idea that it's "the boyz" who go abroad. Never mind that White House crap about women in Iraq. In much of the U.S., the standard for female etiquette was set when Eisenhower was president. I discovered on the Internet that people in Iraq know this program, perhaps learning about it from the drawling chit-chat between laughter and machine-gun bursts at American check points. Iraqis apparently have started their own version, necessarily rather low-tech in view of the lack of electricity and running water in so many places. After allowing the sun to bake them for a reasonable time, the bodies of Iraqi men crushed by American tanks or flattened by 500-pound bombs are gently peeled from the pavement. They are lovingly brought to what remains of the family home and propped against a wall in the basement bomb shelter, an important family-gathering place in George Bush's Iraq.

Government Sponsored Anti-Drug Ads Deemed Failure by Congressional Auditors

On Friday, August 25^th the Associated Press reported that according to congressional auditors, “The government's anti-drug ad campaign has not been proven to deter children from using drugs, and lawmakers should consider reducing funding for the $1.2 billion program, congressional auditors said Friday.” This is news came as a surprise to the government’s Office of National Drug Control Policy and Drug Czar, John Walters, who took issue with the auditors’ study. Walters said establishing a direct relationship between advertising exposure and outcomes is virtually impossible.

This alleged lack of accountability of the advertising campaign is disturbing in light of the requested $120 million dollar increase in funding President Bush has requested for the coming year. The government has already spent about $1.2 billion since 1998 on scores of television, print and radio ads designed to discourage drug use among youth. Presumably, government officials believe the ads to be beneficial despite findings by the independent evaluating company Westat Inc. to the contrary. Westat found the ads had no "significant favorable effects" in deterring children from trying marijuana or in getting them to stop. Rather, it found that more 12 1/2- to 13-year-olds and girls were trying the drug after seeing the ads, the Goverment Accountability Office said.

Walters said of the study, "We have dealt with criticism of the campaign from adversaries, including those who advocate the legalization of drugs, and we have periodically needed to place these findings in context, especially because all major youth surveys report declining teen drug use." Westat Inc. and the GAO can hardly be labeled adversarial or bent on a legalization agenda, but is there any truth to Walters’ claim that all major youth surveys report declining teen drug use? Jack Cole, Executive Director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, claims to have heard this song and dance before and is convinced Walters is out of tune.

Cole points to “Monitoring the Future 2002,” the largest government funded study ever done on the behaviors, attitudes, and values of American secondary school students, college students, and young adults, and says “Walters has claimed that this survey confirms that our drug-prevention efforts are working but what did the report really say? The study asserted that over a ten-year period, between 1991 and 2002, marijuana use among students in all school grades across the United States increased. How much did it increase?—30 percent for twelfth graders; 65 percent for tenth graders; and for eighth graders, an 88 percent increase! How can John Walters say this study shows our drug prevention efforts are working? Could the drug-warriors possibly be lying to us?”

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, or LEAP, aims to combat drug war propaganda, namely that which maintains a steady flow from the ONDCP and Drug Enforcement Agency. Theirs is the voice of drug warriors who fought on the front lines of the drug war and concluded that their efforts were in vain. They claim that it is not a case of giving up, but rather of starting anew, with an attainable goal, instead of trudging ahead, ignorant to the evidence that the drug war is an immutable failure.

Check out LEAP's DVD for more information this groundbreaking organization.

Crocodile Hunter Killed by Stingray Stinger to the Heart

Steve Irwin felled by a stingray? This is a guy who wrestled with crocodiles. Think about that, he wrestled with crocodiles. Crocodiles kill hundreds of people a year; only 17 worldwide fatalities have taken place as a result of stingrays in the past 10 years. Then again, perhaps I am being too quick to judge. I mean just because he risked his own life and quite possibly his infant's tickling crocs for the camera doesn't mean that he is invincible or should have gone down in some herculean feat of mythological proportions. When you think about it, this is really just a run-of-the-mill mundane headline not unlike Pelican Decapitates Elderly Woman or 30 Piranhas Devour a Baby. You see stuff like this everyday.

According to wikipedia.org, the events were caught on camera and the footage is now in the possession of Queensland Police. Steve Irwin was in the area filming his own documentary, to be called The Ocean's Deadliest, but weather had stalled filming. Irwin decided to take the opportunity to film some shallow water shots for a segment in the television program his daughter Bindi was hosting, when, according to his friend and colleague John Stainton, he swam too close to one of the animals. "He came on top of the stingray and the stingray's barb went up and into his chest and put a hole into his heart," said Stainton, who was on board Irwin's boat at the time.

This footage is going to be on youtube before you know it.

Mission on Mission Hill
Yesterday I went on a run around Mission Hill, not because I wanted to go running in particular but more so because I was curious about the mounds of 3-legged tables, strewn about half used notebooks, art students' failed attempts at artwork and other random discarded waiting-to-be-treasures. I didn't find anything particularly tangible yesterday but I did discover a delightful Church Sign which will, with any luck, become a timeless adage: "Men try to fix problems with duct tape, God fixes them with nails."

A Mayor Who's Salty and Saucy!

Mayor Rocky of Salt Lake City has been making cameos on all the major news outlets lately thanks to his decision to protest the visit of one G Dubya Bush. Mayor Rocky vehemently opposes the American occupation of Iraq, the current administration's equivocation about and tacit approval of torture and the lies the lies the lies!!!! He really sticks it to the Fox "News" network during his interview despite repeated attempts to talk over him and change the subject.

I had the opportunity to meet the mayor at a Drug Policy Alliance conference in California earlier this year. I was a fan of him then for his anti-drug war stance. Recent developments demonstrate just how salty and saucy he really is. His favorite retort is quoting Teddy Roosevelt when defending his opposition to the president and current administration,

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else."

If we can't have revolution, let's have Mayor Rocky in '08!

I have recently become mildly obsessed with watching and re-watching this youtube masterpiece. Revisionist history has clearly become an art form.

Accident on Storrow Drive...anyone have details?

This morning on Storrow Drive I passed what appeared to be an awful accident in the tunnel that shuttles commuters to 93. Ever since the big dig tunnel collapse over a month ago I've felt a bit uneasy on my daily commute. To my knowledge subsequent investigations into the collapse found that whatever unstable epoxy was used in that tunnel has been used in tunnels all over boston to secure ceiling panels and exhaust fans weighting in excess of 1 ton.

The only visible evidence of the accident this morning from outside of the tunnel were the multitudes of emergency vehicles screaming down Storrow and one of the large green metal highway signs swinging off its hinge in the entrance to the tunnel. Either something in the tunnel (or falling from the tunnel) caused the accident, which I imagine in turn caused the highway sign to unhinge or the impact resulting from the accident caused it. Emergency personnel were handing down stretchers from the bridge above the tunnel to personnel standing at the entryway to the tunnel.

I haven't been able to find any information by radio or on the internet about this morning's incident.