-------------------------------------------------------------------

Survey respondents feel good about how Oregon is run (The Associated Press
says a telephone survey released today by the Oregon Progress Board and the
state Office of Economic Analysis found that 41 percent of respondents said
the state was doing a good job of "controlling drug use," an increase of
2 percent from a 1996 survey.)

Associated Press
found at:
http://www.oregonlive.com/
feedback (letters to the editor):
feedback@thewire.ap.org

Survey respondents feel good about how Oregon is run

The Associated Press
02/15/99 4:03 AM Eastern

SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- Most Oregonians feel good about how their state is run,
according to a phone survey released today by the Oregon Progress Board and
the state Office of Economic Analysis.

Seventy-six percent say the state does a good or somewhat good job providing
government services; two-thirds say the state is doing a good or somewhat
good job providing K-12 education; and 62 percent say the state is good or
somewhat good at managing growth and preventing sprawl.

"The fact that Oregonians feel pretty good about themselves and their
community was the most positive thing for me," said Jeff Tryens, executive
director of the Oregon Progress Board.

The biennial survey of 4,816 households, conducted last year, asked
residents to rate the state's performance in road and bridge maintenance,
education, crime and natural-resource management, among other things.

The results will help state agencies attack problems such as homelessness, a
lack of daycare and other needs.

But no survey would be complete without bad news: The median household
income of those surveyed rose to $37,208 last year from $32,698 in 1996, but
the percentage of families living below the federal poverty level remained
about the same as in 1990.

That's an ominous sign, said Chuck Sheketoff, executive director of the
Oregon Center for Public Policy, a think tank that focuses on poverty
issues. Because thousands more people have moved to Oregon in the past eight
years, the number of poor people has increased.

"Oregon is not winning the war on poverty. Not only have we not reduced the
rate, but we continue to have more people in poverty and all the attendant
social costs," he said.

"Oregon cannot afford to continue to fail to reduce our poverty rates. The
costs in schools, the cost in crime, the cost in child abuse and neglect are
tremendous," Sheketoff said.

Other interesting findings: Sixty percent said the state was doing a good or
somewhat good job of maintaining highways, roads and bridges, down from 67
percent who said the same thing in 1996.

Senate Transportation Committee chairwoman Marylin Shannon, R-Brooks, a
strident critic of the state Department of Transportation, said she didn't
need a survey to tell how people feel.

"I am more upset about the safety of our roads than any other Oregonian,"
she said late Friday. "The most deadly roads in Oregon should be made safer."

And despite talk by Rep. Kevin Mannix, R-Salem, House Judiciary Criminal Law
Committee chairman, of toughening sentences for repeat property crime
offenders, 65 percent of respondents said the state was doing a good job of
controlling crime, up 9 percentage points from 1996. Forty-one percent, an
increase of 2 percentage points from the 1996 survey, said the same thing
about controlling drug use.

Mannix credited the stricter sentencing guidelines for violent crimes
mandated by Measure 11, the referendum voters passed in 1994.

"What this says to me is we've done some good things, and people are
beginning to notice," he said. "It doesn't say we should let up."

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? We welcome your feedback.

(c)1999 Oregon Live LLC

Copyright 1999 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not
be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Good times are rolling, survey says (The Oregonian version)

The Oregonian
Contact: letters@news.oregonian.com
1320 SW Broadway
Portland, OR 97201
Fax: 503-294-4193
Website: http://www.oregonlive.com/
Forum: http://forums.oregonlive.com/

Good times are rolling, survey says

* About 90 percent of Oregonians have a good or somewhat good overall
feeling about their state, according to a biennial poll

Monday February 15, 1999

By LISA GRACE LEDNICER
of The Oregonian staff

SALEM -- We're all happy.

So says a phone survey released today by the Oregon Progress Board and the
state Office of Economic Analysis.

Almost nine of 10 Oregonians surveyed have a good or somewhat good overall
feeling about Oregon, the report said. The state is doing a good or somewhat
good job providing K-12 education (66 percent); managing growth and
preventing sprawl (62 percent); providing government services (76 percent);
and creating jobs (71 percent) and retaining jobs (78 percent).

"The fact that Oregonians feel pretty good about themselves and their
community was the most positive thing for me," said Jeff Tryens, executive
director of the Oregon Progress Board. "I also think Oregonians have
accepted the fact that the recession of the '80s is over. Folks may be less
unhappy with government than they were in the early '90s, when people were
feeling more pinched."

The biennial survey of 4,816 households, done last year, asked residents to
rate the state's performance in -- among other things -- road and bridge
maintenance, education, crime and natural-resource management. The results
will help state agencies attack problems such as homelessness, a lack of day
care and other needs.

But no survey would be complete without bad news: The median household
income of those surveyed rose to $37,208 last year from $32,698 in 1996, but
those living below the federal poverty level remained about the same as in 1990.

That's an ominous sign for Chuck Sheketoff, executive director of the Oregon
Center for Public Policy, a think tank that focuses on poverty issues.
Because thousands more people have moved to Oregon in the past eight years,
the number of poor people has increased.

"Oregon is not winning the war on poverty. Not only have we not reduced the
rate, but we continue to have more people in poverty and all the attendant
social costs," he said.

Respondents' positive views of K-12 education grew from 59 percent in 1994
to 66 percent in 1998. But it still scored near the flunking quartile --
ranked 10th of the 13 areas questioned, topping only crime, drug use, and
road and bridge maintenance.

The survey about how Oregonians feel discovered that most of them aren't
natives: Slightly more than half of all residents were born outside Oregon
(and these newcomers are better educated -- 44 percent bring at least a
bachelor's degree). One-third of recent migrants moved from California, but
the trend isn't expected to continue, Tryens said, because that state's
economy is improving. Or, as he put it, "the Stanford grads are staying
home." Other interesting findings: Sixty percent said the state was doing a
good or somewhat good job of maintaining highways, roads and bridges, down
from 67 percent who said the same thing in 1996.

That's not news to Senate Transportation Committee chairwoman Marylin
Shannon, R-Brooks, a strident critic of the state Department of
Transportation who said she didn't need any survey to tell how her people
feel. "I am more upset about the safety of our roads than any other
Oregonian," she said Friday. "The most deadly roads in Oregon should be made
safer."

And despite talk by Rep. Kevin Mannix, R-Salem, House Judiciary Criminal Law
Committee chairman, of toughening sentences for repeat property crime
offenders, 65 percent said the state was doing a good job of controlling
crime, up 9 percentage points from 1996. Forty-one percent, an increase of 2
percentage points, said the same thing about controlling drug use.

Mannix credited the stricter sentencing guidelines for violent crimes
mandated by Measure 11, the referendum voters passed in 1994.

"What this says to me is we've done some good things, and people are
beginning to notice," he said. "It doesn't say we should let up."

You can reach Lisa Grace Lednicer at 503-221-8234 or by e-mail at
lisalednicer@news.oregonian.com.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Ex-Candidate Defends Drug Use (The San Jose Mercury News says Steve Kubby,
the medical-marijuana patient/activist and 1998 Libertarian candidate for
California governor who was recently busted on cultivation-related charges,
together with his wife, Michele, told a Libertarian state convention in San
Jose Sunday that "There were no sales." Kubby turned over most of his time
Sunday to his wife, who talked with emotion about what their family has been
through. "We have no business anymore," she said of their online magazine.
"They have taken our computer, our printer, our digital scanner. They took
all our plants, all our lights. They've destroyed our business and our
life.")

Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1999 04:59:09 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US CA: Ex-Candidate Defends Drug Use
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Marcus/Mermelstein Family (mmfamily@ix.netcom.com)
Pubdate: Mon, 15 Feb 1999
Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Copyright: 1999 Mercury Center
Contact: letters@sjmercury.com
Website: http://www.sjmercury.com/
Author: BECKY BARTINDALE, Mercury News Staff Writer

EX-CANDIDATE DEFENDS DRUG USE

Arrest: Kubby says marijuana was used only for medicinal purposes.

Locked arm-in-arm, Steve and Michelle Kubby told an appreciative Sunday
evening crowd in San Jose about how their surveillance and arrest for
growing medicinal marijuana in their basement has changed their lives.

Ironically, the Libertarian candidate in last year's governor's race may end
up attracting more attention for his arrest in Olympic Valley last month
than he did during his campaign.

The Kubbys, who publish an online magazine, were among a handful of
prominent speakers over four days at the Libertarian Party's 1999 state
convention, which ends today at the San Jose Doubletree Hotel. They were
greeted Sunday night with a standing ovation, then hushed the crowd with
details of being charged with cultivating marijuana, conspiracy and
possession with intent to sell.

"There were no sales," Kubby said; the 256 marijuana plants that were seized
were for their own use.

``There was no way economically we could stop growing his medicine,''
Michelle Kubby said.

The Kubbys had more marijuana ``than necessitated by a medical condition,''
Placer County prosecutor Christoper Cattran has been quoted as saying.

Now the Kubbys' supporters are talking about mounting a recall against
Placer County District Attorney Bradford Fenocchio, who is prosecuting the
couple. ``We are looking into all our legal options,'' Priscilla Falconi,
the Placer County Libertarian Party chairwoman, said after the Kubbys spoke
Sunday.

Both Kubbys use medicinal marijuana; they call it their ``medicine.''

Michelle Kubby said she uses it as an anti-spasmodic for irritable bowel
syndrome. Steve Kubby has a rare form of adrenal cancer. The marijuana helps
control his blood pressure, helping protect against stroke and aneurysms,
his wife said.

Steve Kubby helped qualify Proposition 215 for the ballot, and in 1996
California voters approved the measure allowing distribution of marijuana to
seriously ill patients. But the Clinton administration, and the state under
former Attorney General Dan Lungren, claimed the proposition conflicts with
federal drug laws.

Kubby turned over most of his time Sunday to his wife, who talked with
emotion about what their family has been through. She began her tale with
the Jan. 19 raid on the couple's rented home in Olympic Valley.

Authorities began their investigation after receiving an anonymous letter
last fall saying Kubby was growing thousands of plants and selling marijuana
to finance his campaign. It culminated in the search of their home.

``We have no business anymore,'' Michelle Kubby said of their online
magazine. They have taken our computer, our printer, our digital scanner.
They took all our plants, all our (plant growing) lights. They've taken a
lot from us. . . .They've destroyed our business and our life.''

Michelle Kubby said she'd had a miscarriage in September, ``perhaps because
of the terror and stress from surveillance.''

Steve Kubby said he was tipped to the investigation almost immediately and
would leave notes to investigators in the family trash, which was being
searched.

``Whoever wrote that letter put us and the Libertarian Party on the map,''
Kubby said.

Michelle Kubby said she believes that the person who wrote the letter ``was
close to us,'' and thus sees it as a ``betrayal.''

The worst part of their ordeal, she said, was time in the Auburn jail, where
she could hear her husband vomiting but she was not allowed to see him.
``This medicine (marijuana) is what keeps him alive,'' she said. Without it,
she said, ``they almost killed him.''

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Kubbys Reassure Libertarians (The Sacramento Bee version)

Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1999 20:00:15 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US CA: Kubbys Reassure Libertarians
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com (Frank S. World)
Pubdate: Mon, 15 Feb 1999
Source: Sacramento Bee (CA)
Copyright: 1999 The Sacramento Bee
Contact: opinion@sacbee.com
Address: P.O.Box 15779, Sacramento, CA 95852
Feedback: http://www.sacbee.com/about_us/sacbeemail.html
Website: http://www.sacbee.com/
Forum: http://www.sacbee.com/voices/voices_forum.html
Note: Headline by editor

KUBBYS REASSURE LIBERTARIANS

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Steve and Michelle Kubby reassured
Libertarians Sunday night that they grew marijuana solely for their
own use and had no intent to sell it.

Steve Kubby was the party's candidate in last year's governor's race.
He and his wife were arrested last month at their Olympic Valley home
where authorities seized 256 pot plants.

They were charged with cultivating marijuana, conspiracy and
possession with intent to sell.

"There was no way economically we could stop growing his medicine,"
Mrs. Kubby told the crowd at the Libertarian Party's state convention,
which ended Monday in San Jose.

The worst part of their ordeal , she said, was time in the Auburn jail
where she could hear her husband vomiting but was not allowed to see
him.

"This medicine (marijuana) is what keeps him alive," she said. Without
it, "they almost killed him."

Kubby has a rare form of adrenal cancer. The marijuana helps control
his blood pressure, helping protect against stroke, Mrs. Kubby said.
She uses pot as an anti-spasmodic for irritable bowel syndrome.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Bay Area briefs (The Sacramento Bee version)

Date: Mon, 15 Feb 1999 23:39:06 -0600
From: "Frank S. World" 
Organization: Rx Cannabis Now!
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/7417/
To: editor (editor@mapinc.org), DPFCA (dpfca@drugsense.org)
Subject: DPFCA: US CA SACBEE: Bay Area briefs Kubby Article
Sender: owner-dpfca@drugsense.org
Reply-To: "Frank S. World" (compassion23@geocities.com)
Organization: DrugSense http://www.drugsense.org/dpfca/
Source: Sacramento Bee
Contact: opinion@sacbee.com
Website: http://www.sacbee.com/
Pubdate: 2/15/99

From Bay Area briefs:

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Steve and Michelle Kubby reassured Libertarians
Sunday night that they grew marijuana solely for their own use and had no
intent to sell it.

Steve Kubby was the party's candidate in last year's governor's race. He and
his wife were arrested last month at their Olympic Valley home where
authorities seized 256 pot plants.

They were charged with cultivating marijuana, conspiracy and possession with
intent to sell.

"There was no way economically we could stop growing his medicine," Mrs.
Kubby told the crowd at the Libertarian Party's state convention, which
ended Monday in San Jose.

The worst part of their ordeal , she said, was time in the Auburn jail where
she could hear her husband vomiting but was not allowed to see him.

"This medicine (marijuana) is what keeps him alive," she said. Without it,
"they almost killed him."

Kubby has a rare form of adrenal cancer. The marijuana helps control his
blood pressure, helping protect against stroke, Mrs. Kubby said. She uses
pot as an anti-spasmodic for irritable bowel syndrome.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Reform Rockefeller Drug Laws (A staff editorial in the Daily Gazette,
in New York, also endorses Judge Kaye's call for reforming the state's
Rockefeller-era mandatory-minimum sentencing guidelines for drug offenders.)

Date: Mon, 15 Feb 1999 06:22:07 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US NY: Editorial: Reform Rockefeller Drug Laws
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Walter F. Wouk
Pubdate: Mon, 15 Feb 1999
Source: Daily Gazette (NY)
Copyright: 1999 - The Gazette Newspapers
Contact: gazette@dailygazette.com
Website: http://www.dailygazette.com/
FAX 518-395-3072

REFORM ROCKEFELLER DRUG LAWS

Finally, a prominent state official has come out and said what most New York
politicians apparently think but are afraid to say: The 1973 Rockefeller
drug laws are bad policy and need to be changed. It helps further that the
official has the stature of Chief Judge Judith Kaye.

New York's prison population exploded, from about 12,000 to nearly 70,000,
during the Cuomo years. Much of that was due to the big increase in violent
crime in the 1970s and '80s, which was often related in some way to drugs.
It was also due to the mandatory, longer sentences that were a response to
that increase. Since then the level of violent crime, especially murder, has
dropped significantly in most of the state, especially in New York City -
and although analyzing crime trends is always tricky, the number of violent
criminals behind bars likely has something to do with that drop.

However, thanks to the Rockefeller drug laws, there are also thousands of
people behind bars who are not violent and don't need to be there, or at
least for so long. Under the most stringent of the laws, a person can be
sentenced to a minimum of 15 years to life for sale of more than two ounces
of a narcotic or possession of more than four ounces. Kaye wants the
Appellate Division to review those cases and reduce the minimum to five
years for some nonviolent offenders, to prevent a "miscarriage of justice."

It should be pointed out, though, that not all nonviolent felonies are what
they appear; some are pleaded down from violent felonies. In fact, this is
the main argument used by defenders of the Rockefeller drug laws: that most
of those imprisoned as a result of these statutes are in fact violent
criminals.

But according to new statistics from the Department of Criminal Justice
Services and the Department of Correctional Services,80 percent of the
people sentenced for drug offenses in 1997 had never been convicted of a
violent felony, and 47 percent had never even been arrested for one. The
statistics also show that many of those sentenced to prison for drug crimes
were first-time offenders. Half had never been convicted of a drug felony,
and one-third had never been arrested for one.

The truth is, the majority of drug offenders are addicts selling small
quantities to support their habit, or "mules" carrying narcotics for someone
else. And as former Sen. John Dunne, who was one of the sponsors of the
Rockefeller drug laws and now favors their repeal, says, "for every dealer
who is swept off the street, there are three or four volunteers waiting to
take their place."

The dealers are usually second offenders, and usually get 4=BD-to-9 years.
Kaye's proposal to give trial-court judges more discretion in sentencing,
including diversion of appropriate candidates to drug treatment, seems a
better way of handling them.

Gov. George Pataki, who himself has expressed an interest in easing the
Rockefeller drug laws in the past, sounded receptive to the Kaye initiative,
calling it a "thoughtful, intelligent proposal" that deserves further
review. He should do more than review it, he should endorse it. If he did,
he'd probably find that most lawmakers and most New Yorkers are now prepared
to support him.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Group Attempts Overturn Of Financial Aid Drug Act (The Cavalier Daily at the
University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, describes the Drug Reform
Coordination Network's effort to organize college students nationwide to
overturn the Higher Education Act's ban on aid to students convicted of
possessing a supposedly controlled substance, including marijuana. U.S.
Representative Mark Souder, R-Ind., introduced the provision last spring and
it was signed into law Oct. 7.)

Date: Fri, 5 Mar 1999 13:09:27 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US: Group Attempts Overturn Of Financial Aid Drug Act
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: rlake@mapinc.org
Source: The Cavalier Daily (University of Virginia)
Copyright: 1999 The Cavalier Daily, Inc.
Pubdate: Mon, 15 Feb 1999
Contact: cavdaily@cavalierdaily.com
FAX: (804) 924-7290
Mail: Basement, Newcomb Hall; Charlottesville, VA 22904
Website: http://www.cavalierdaily.com/
Author: Daniel Rubin, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Also: Information on DRCNet's HEA reform campaign is at http://www.u-net.org/

GROUP ATTEMPTS OVERTURN OF FINANCIAL AID DRUG ACT

Say no to drugs, or the government may take your financial aid away because
of a law the Drug Reform Coordination Network is now working to overturn.

A provision in the Higher Education Act, signed into law Oct. 7, will
terminate eligibility for federal financial aid for at least one year if a
student is convicted of possession or sale of a controlled substance.

In response, the DRCNet has begun a campaign spreading awareness of the law
among college students in hopes of overturning it.

Still, awareness of this provision at the University is low.

"A lot of people don't know the law is out there and it's going to be in
effect soon," DRCNet University Coordinator Kris Lotlikar said.

DRCNet - a group of 6,000 activists that pushes for "drug policy reform,"
has criticized the provision because of a racial and economic bias,
Associate Director Adam J. Smith said.

"The reality is that what it's going to do is discriminate" against blacks
and lower income students, Smith said.

However, the provision will not affect student financial aid until the next
academic year, he said.

Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., introduced the provision last spring.

Smith said Souder was trying to send a message to his white constituency,
providing a "get tough non-solution."

"It only affects you if you're poor or earn middle income," he said.

Angela Flood, Souder's deputy chief of staff, said that the provision
intends no racial bias.

The nation's taxpayers should not be supporting students who are being
convicted on drug charges, Flood said.

"There has to be some accountability," she said.

But Smith contends the law hurts people who are trying to rebuild their
life and go to college after a previous drug conviction.

He cited statistics stating that blacks comprise 12 percent of the nation's
population, 13 percent of the nation's drug users and 55 percent of all
drug convictions.

"No other class of offense impacts financial aid," Smith said.

He also noted convicted stalkers and rapists are still eligible for aid.

Flood said the law is not retroactive, and prior convictions do not affect
aid.

"This applies only if you are convicted while receiving aid," she said.

Working primarily over the Internet, DRCNet is coordinating student efforts
to overturn the provision.

Souder was "counting on the fact that college students wouldn't do
anything. We've seen a pretty good response," Smith said.

DRCNet support has grown to include students at close to 100 colleges,
Smith said.

DRCNet's push to overturn the law will be an uphill battle on the financial
front as well.

"We're running out of money," Lotlikar said.

But Lotlikar remains optimistic about the future of the campaign.

"We have a pretty good membership and we've gotten a lot of donations.
We'll figure out a way around it," he said.

Despite opposition to the provision, Flood does not think it will be
overturned in the near future.

"I think they have a very tough case," she said.

African-American Affairs Dean M. Rick Turner and William W. Harmon, Vice
President of Student Affairs declined to comment due to lack of familiarity
with the law.

Black Student Alliance Chairman Damon Aulston, and Ishmail Conway,
African-American affairs assistant dean, declined to comment due to
unfamiliarity with the law.

University Judiciary Committee Chairwoman Amanda Morrow, Dean of Students
Robert T. Canaveri, and Asst. Dean of Students Aaron Laushway also declined
to comment due to unfamiliarity with the law.

Financial Aid Director Yvonne Hubbard could not be reached for comment.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Mexico Greets Clinton Like An Old Friend (The News & Observer, in North
Carolina, says President Clinton basked in a warm reception Sunday in Merida,
Mexico, the tropical capital of the Yucatan, on arriving for talks with
Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo. The affectionate welcome came even though
the leaders are expected to address such thorny issues as drug policy and
immigration during the one-day visit.)

Date: Wed, 17 Feb 1999 03:57:10 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Mexico: Mexico Greets Clinton Like An Old Friend
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: General Pulaski
Pubdate: Mon, 15 Feb 1999
Source: News & Observer (NC)
Copyright: 1999 The News and Observer Publishing Company
Contact: forum@nando.com
Website: http://www.news-observer.com/

MEXICO GREETS CLINTON LIKE AN OLD FRIEND

MERIDA, Mexico - With a new lease on his political life, President
Clinton basked in a warm reception Sunday in the tropical capital of
the Yucatan, where even raucous pre-Lenten Carnival celebrations were
quieted in honor of his arrival.

The president was greeted with a bear hug by Mexican President Ernesto
Zedillo at an airport festooned with Mexican and U.S. flags and a
giant "Bienvenidos a Mexico" sign. A military honor guard saluted the
Clintons, and four children presented bouquets of flowers.

Pictures of the two presidents were plastered throughout Merida, a
pretty city known for its crumbling, pastel mansions.

The two leaders and their wives later went to a private dinner.

The affectionate welcome came even though the leaders are expected to
address such thorny issues as drug policy and immigration during the
one-day visit. While Clinton did not come bearing huge gifts, the
two men are expected to sign one agreement liberalizing air travel
and another providing $4 billion in credit for Mexican importers of
U.S. products over two years. Mexico has emerged as the No. 2
importer of U.S. goods even as trade to much of the world has
stagnated because of the global economic crisis.

The trip was the president's first excursion out of the White House
since Friday, when he was acquitted by the Senate of charges relating
to his relationship with Monica Lewinsky.

It was immediately clear that the president's trial has cost him
little, if any, popularity south of the border. From senior Cabinet
officials to the man in the street, Mexicans were jubilant about the
visit of a leader who has supported them and their economy even when
it was difficult for him politically.

"President Clinton is a friend of Mexico, a personal friend of
President Zedillo, and we give him a warm welcome," said Foreign
Minister Rosario Green.

The president of Mexico's Senate said that Clinton's acquittal was
"favorable." "We're really pleased it turned out this way," said Maria
de los Angeles Moreno.

The Carnival festivities were shut down early by police who were
concerned about security relating to the U.S. president's visit.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

15 Feb 1999 Survey of German Language Newspapers (Translations of three items
include - an article titled "Contribution to ending the War on Drugs," in
Nordkurier Online, which says Martina Bunge, the Schwerin social affairs
minister, voiced the opinion that decriminalizing drugs could help end the
war on drugs, as well as strike a "blow for freedom." A Berliner Zeitung
article looks at the projected crackdown making it illegal to drive with a
blood alcohol level of more than 0.5 per cent. And the visit to Mexico of our
American friend, Bill Clinton, is covered by Die Welt.)

Newshawk: See Below
Source: Survey of German Language Press
Pubdate: Mon, 15 Feb 1999
Courtesy: Harald Lerch (HaL@main-rheiner.de)
Translator: Pat Dolan

SURVEY OF GERMAN LANGUAGE NEWSPAPERS

***

'Contribution to ending the War on Drugs'

Under the headline, 'Contribution to ending the War on Drugs', the
'Nordkurier Online' (http://www.nordkurier.de) reports Martina Bunge,
Schwerin social affairs minister, as voicing the opinion that legalizing
drugs could be a contribution to ending the war on drugs. Such a 'blow for
freedom' would not mean, however, that drugs could be sold in the supermarket
stores. The regulated distribution of hard and soft drugs could dry up the
market for the illegal commerce in drugs. Nevertheless, she is aware that it
will be difficult to find a 'royal road' out of the spiral of addiction with
its attendant criminality. The socialist party minister expressly welcomed
the countrywide trial of so-called fixing rooms. Copyright Nordkurier-Online
1998-2000

***

The Berliner Zeitung (http://www.berlinonline.de) is one of a dozen
newspapers reporting on the projected change in the law to make it illegal to
drive with a blood alcohol level of greater than 0.5 per cent. The current
level is 0.8 per cent. Several report on the weekend crackdown on drunk
driving in 9 provinces. In Berlin, for instance, 8,000 drivers were checked
at 85 control points and 61 arrests made. The drop in the 1998 number of
alcohol related accidents is attributed to similar police crackdowns. More
are planned. (DPA wire)

***

'Amigo' Clinton begins a conflict-free Mexico visit

Die Welt (http://www.welt.de) reports on Clinton's visit to Mexico under the
headline: "'Amigo' Clinton begins a conflict-free Mexico visit - both
countries profit from good relations". Author Hero Buss sees Clinton as
supporting an 'inter-american integration'. The congress, meanwhile, which
'amigo Clinton' wishes to control, is opposed to such a move. And despite the
fact that around 350 tons of cocaine are still smuggled annually across the
3200 kilometer border from Mexico, no one doubts that the certification is a
sure thing. Since the Nafta free trade agreement of 1994, the two economies
are so closely bound that the saying is, "When Wall St. sneezes, Mexico gets
the 'flu." The annual income from the 17 million Mexican guest laborers is
the second richest source of hard currency (5 million dollars) after oil
exports (6.5 million). No one wishes to do anything disturb such mutually
beneficial arrangements.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Egypt Judge Jailed For Cocaine Possession (Reuters says Edmond Hefzi,
an Egyptian judge, has been sentenced to three years in prison with hard
labour for 70 grams.)

Date: Wed, 17 Feb 1999 19:18:11 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Egypt: WIRE: Egypt Judge Jailed For Cocaine Possession
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: General Pulaski
Pubdate: Mon, 15 Feb 1999
Source: Reuters
Copyright: 1999 Reuters Limited.

EGYPT JUDGE JAILED FOR COCAINE POSSESSION

CAIRO, Feb 15 (Reuters) - An Egyptian judge has been sentenced to
three years in prison with hard labour for possessing 70 grams (2-1/2
ounces) of cocaine, court sources said on Monday.

The sources said the drug had been found when police raided the house
of Edmond Hefzi, in his 40s, in connection with a bribery case. He
was also fined 50,000 pounds ($14,700).

Hefzi is still on trial in the bribery case and the sources said he
could be jailed for up to seven years if convicted.

The drug verdict, handed down on Sunday, can only be annulled by the
Court of Cassation, the sources said.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

[End]