------------------------------------------------------------------- Man sentenced to 25 years for killing friend over marijuana stash (The Associated Press notes Cameron Blaine Perry of Wimer, Oregon, was given a mandatory minimum sentence Monday for murdering his childhood friend, Paul "Bern" Miller, for stealing his stash of marijuana. Perry's defense attorneys argued that Perry shot Miller in a rage because he suffered from a psychological condition known as intermittent explosive disorder. What do you think? Would Miller still be alive and Perry free if marijuana weren't illegal?) Associated Press found at: http://www.oregonlive.com/ feedback (letters to the editor): feedback@thewire.ap.org Man sentenced to 25 years for killing friend over marijuana stash The Associated Press 2/23/99 4:32 PM MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) -- Before her son's killer was sentenced to 25 years in prison, Cheryl Martin-Sund urged him to turn his life around, so her son's death will not have been in vain. "Our hearts go out to you," Martin-Sund told Cameron Blaine Perry in Jackson County Circuit Court on Monday. "I hope you'll use this as an opportunity to turn your life around. Don't let Bern's death not be anything. Make something of yourself." Perry, 25, was convicted of murdering his childhood friend, Paul "Bern" Miller, 21, over a stolen stash of marijuana. The prosecution argued that Perry suspected Miller had gone into Perry's bedroom and stolen a stash of marijuana. According to testimony, Perry and two others lured Miller to a remote logging road on Oct. 26, 1997, on a pretext of smoking marijuana. Perry then shot Miller several times in the head. The slaying rocked the rural community of Wimer, where Perry and Miller had known each other since childhood. Perry's defense attorneys argued that Perry shot Miller in a rage because he suffered from a psychological condition known as intermittent explosive disorder. "You made the choice to get a gun," Martin-Sund told Perry. "You made the choice to bet Bern. You made the choice to shoot Bern, not once but numerous times. You took away Bern's Choices." (c)1999 Oregon Live LLC Copyright 1999 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
------------------------------------------------------------------- Effort to pin tobacco ills on firms alights in Oregon (The Oregonian says a Multnomah County jury trial beginning this week will weigh a $110 million lawsuit against Philip Morris filed by the family of Jesse Williams, a former janitor the newspaper describes as "a retired Portland Public Schools employee" who smoked Marlboros for 40 years.) 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/ Monday February 22, 1999 Effort to pin tobacco ills on firms alights in Oregon * A $110 million suit against Philip Morris opens this week, and the case could be the next in a series of verdicts against cigarette-makers By Joe Rojas-Burke of The Oregonian staff Jesse Williams, a retired Portland Public Schools employee, was a loyal smoker of Marlboro cigarettes for more than 40 years until he died of lung cancer in 1997. His wife and children are claiming more than $110 million in damages from cigarette-maker Philip Morris Inc. in a lawsuit that goes to trial this week in Multnomah County Circuit Court. Coming in the immediate wake of a San Francisco jury's stunning award of $51.5 million to a former smoker with lung cancer, the Williams case is shaping up as another key battle in a campaign to make tobacco companies legally responsible for the health effects of their products. "If your case goes to a jury verdict and, particularly, if it awards punitive damages, it will turn a fluke into a trend -- that is something the industry would terribly want to avoid," said John Banzhaf, a law professor at George Washington University. Banzhaf runs a nonprofit legal advocacy group, Action on Smoking and Health. "What it would do is multiply by many times the number of people who would want to bring these suits and the number of lawyers who want to take them." Attorney Charles Tauman of Bennett, Hartman & Reynolds, one of three Portland firms representing the Williams family, declined to comment on the case other than to say the legal team is looking forward to the opportunity to present evidence against Philip Morris. The other firms are Swanson, Thomas & Coon and Gaylord & Eyerman. Jury selection begins today, and opening statements before Judge Anna Brown are scheduled to begin Wednesday. Jesse Williams was diagnosed with small-cell carcinoma of the lungs in October 1996 and died five months later at age 67. He left a wife, Mayola, and six adult children. Daughter Joann Williams-Branch, 43, is acting as the representative of the estate. The family maintains that Philip Morris exploited Jesse Williams' inability to stop smoking and deceived the public about the health dangers and addictive nature of cigarettes. Going back to the 1950s, tobacco companies have consistently beat back smokers' attempts to gain compensation for tobacco-related illnesses. That changed dramatically Feb. 10, when a jury in San Francisco slapped Philip Morris with punitive damages three times greater than that sought by the 52-year-old plaintiff, Patricia Henley, who has inoperable lung cancer. Legal analysts said the tobacco companies' agreement last year to pay a $206 billion settlement with 46 states for the cost of treating tobacco-related illnesses might have made the industry an easier target, if jurors view the settlement as an admission of guilt and an indicator of how much money the industry has to spare. Lawyers representing the Williams family in Portland are making a case with many parallels to Henley's. Both cases base product liability claims on the argument that Philip Morris distributed a defective product. Both cases argue that the company committed negligence by avoiding safety tests and manipulating cigarette ingredients to make them more habit-forming, as well as fraud by making misleading statements about safety and covering up research on the health effects of tobacco. A Philip Morris lawyer said the Henley verdict is unlikely to stand on appeal and, regardless, would have no bearing on the Williams case if jurors base their decision on the evidence. "Every case, by its definition, is different. Every case is unique," said Michael York of the Washington, D.C., law firm of Wehner & York. Also joining in the defense are lawyers from Lindsay, Hart, Neil & Weigler in Portland and from Shook, Hardy & Bacon, the Kansas City, Mo., firm that defended Philip Morris in the San Francisco case. "We're very comfortable with the defense, very comfortable with the evidence that will be put before the jury," York said. "Normally, these cases are decided in large part on how and whether the person who is suing was aware of the health risks and made a decision to smoke or not smoke, to quit or not quit." York said he doubts whether his opponents will be able to establish that Marlboro is dangerous as defined by product liability law in Oregon, given that the risks of cigarettes are so widely known. "That really is the challenge for plaintiffs -- to overcome the fact that essentially since time immemorial, people have recognized that there are risks associated with tobacco," he said. Oregon has a more difficult legal standard than California for holding companies liable for negligence. If a jury finds a plaintiff more than 50 percent to blame for his or her injuries, the company is exempt from paying damages due to negligence. California law allows a jury to award damages even if it finds that the plaintiff is 99 percent at fault for an injury. But anti-tobacco advocates said the once-invincible argument of smoker responsibility has started to crumble as scientists learn more about the nature of addiction. And claims of negligence and fraud have been bolstered by the release of secret documents from the files of tobacco companies, including Philip Morris. In the Henley case, attorneys deluged the jury with more than 1,000 Philip Morris documents that came to light last year in a suit brought by the state of Minnesota. The documents discussed the company's effort to conduct biological research in Europe to keep from disclosing the results in the United States. The documents also quoted industry executives in explicit internal discussions about the addictiveness and cancer risks of smoking. Banzhaf said the Henley case has broken a logjam that the tobacco industry has fought long and hard to keep in place. "Once there is a breakthrough, then subsequent juries are much more likely to say, 'Gee, that seems reasonable,' " he said. "That's why the tobacco industry has been so unwilling to settle individual cases." You can reach Joe Rojas-Burke at 503-412-7073 or by e-mail at joerojas@news.oregonian.com
------------------------------------------------------------------- State hooch outlets battle wedge efforts (An editorial in the Columbian, in Vancouver, Washington, by D. Michael Heywood says Washington state's hard-liquor stores and workers fought progress, but consumers can now buy beer and wine in grocery stores, even after midnight and on Sunday. The latest effort to wedge open another crack in the state's control over alcohol is a bill pushed by Tennessee-based Brown-Forman, which wants to sell Lynchburg Lemonade, Downhome Punch and other premixed cocktails in grocery stores and convenience markets. The full and immediate privatization of the state's monopoly on hard liquor might make better sense than the long-drawn skirmish between the private sector and the official jug store. Unfortunately, that's not likely to happen.) The Columbian 701 W. Eighth St. Vancouver WA 98666 Tel. (360) 694-2312 Or (360) 699-6000, Ext. 1560, to leave a recorded opinion From Portland: (503) 224-0654 Fax: (360) 699-6033 E-mail: editors@columbian.com Web site: http://www.columbian.com/ Forum: http://www.webforums.com/forums/trace/host/msa70.html In Our View: Monday, Feb. 22, 1999 State hooch outlets battle wedge efforts Coming out of Prohibition, Washington joined other states in devising its own peculiar way of dispensing alcoholic beverages through official state outlets. For all of the 66 years since then, the makers and consumers of alcohol have poked and pried at the system without relent. Although the state's liquor control and distribution system fought back, consumers can now buy beer and wine in grocery stores, even after midnight and on Sunday. The latest effort to wedge open another crack in state control is a bill pushed by Tennessee-based Brown-Forman, which wants to sell Lynchburg Lemonade, Downhome Punch and other premixed cocktails in groceries and convenience stores. All have less alcohol in them than do wine coolers and some of the beer already sold in grocery stores. Nevertheless the bill is seen as a dire threat by defenders of the system. "Once you let the genie out of the bottle, you'll never get it back in," said Joe Daniels, who lobbies for the clerks who have dandy jobs in 300 official liquor stores across the state. The state Liquor Control Board estimates that passage of the bill would mean a case of the canned cocktails would generate as little as $4.66 in taxes. Sold from the official store and taxed as full-proof hooch, the case tax is $18.06. Few such cases are sold, however. Full and immediate privatization might make better sense than the long-drawn skirmish between the private sector and the official jug store. That's not likely to happen, however, in the face of the opposing coalition. That force includes the unionized liquor-store clerks, beer and wine wholesalers satisfied with the present arrangement, and anti-consumption advocates. The latest wedge probably won't remove any chips. Sen. Margarita Prentice, D-Seattle, chairwoman of the Commerce, Trade, Housing and Financial Institutions Committee, said she won't set a hearing on the bill because drinkers have enough choices already. The most troubling thing about the whole system may be that it lets legislators and bureaucrats decide just how many choices a consumer should have available. -- D. Michael Heywood, for the editorial board
------------------------------------------------------------------- Don't Gut Marijuana Law (A staff editorial in the Seattle Times says Washington state's new voter-approved medical marijuana law needs to be tweaked, not turned over. Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles' proposal is the more reasonable of two bills that would fine-tune I-692, while maintaining the law's spirit of compassionate public policy.) Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 05:21:50 -0800 From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) To: mapnews@mapinc.org Subject: MN: US WA: Don't Gut Marijuana Law Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/ Newshawk: Allison Bigelow (whc@cnw.com) Pubdate: Mon, 22 Feb 1999 Source: Seattle Times (WA) Copyright: 1999 The Seattle Times Company Contact: opinion@seatimes.com Website: http://www.seattletimes.com/ DON'T GUT MARIJUANA LAW THE question whether patients should be allowed to use medical marijuana without fear of criminal prosecution was settled last November when an overwhelming majority of voters approved Initiative 692. However, knotty questions of how to protect patients' rights and ensure consistent enforcement of the law remain. It's up to legislators to clarify the law this session without gutting the popular measure's primary intent. I-692 included a clear requirement that patients and their primary caregivers show "valid documentation for any law-enforcement official who questions the patient regarding his medical use of marijuana." Some medical-marijuana proponents view any attempt to standardize those documents - and spell out the details of when and how the papers are presented - as unacceptable government encroachment. But police need a reliable, uniform medical statement in hand to avoid second-guessing. Another provision in need of clarification is what constitutes a 60-day supply of marijuana, which I-692 states is the legal limit for patient possession. State Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-Seattle), a strong supporter of I-692, has proposed a bill allowing the state Department of Health to write rules that would address issues such as supply and documentation. A counterproposal in the Legislature goes too far in requiring doctors to notify the state every time they advise a patient to try marijuana as medicine. The law was intended to give doctors and patients the freedom to make private medical decisions with minimal government interference. It needs to be tweaked, not turned over. Kohl-Welles' proposal is the more reasonable plan to fine-tune I-692's provisions while maintaining the law's spirit of compassionate public policy.
------------------------------------------------------------------- Medical-Marijuana Forum Set (The Fresno Bee notes KFCF 88.1 and the Fresno Free College Foundation will present a public forum on "Medical Marijuana - The Real Story" 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Spectrum Gallery in Fresno.) Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 06:42:06 -0800 From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) To: mapnews@mapinc.org Subject: MN: US CA: Medical-Marijuana Forum Set 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: 22 Feb. 1999 Source: Fresno Bee, The (CA) Copyright: 1999 The Fresno Bee Contact: letters@fresnobee.com Website: http://www.fresnobee.com/ Fax: (209) 441-6499 Author: Michelle J. Hughes MEDICAL-MARIJUANA FORUM SET KFCF 88.1 and The Fresno Free College Foundation will present a public forum on "Medical Marijuana - The Real Story" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Spectrum Gallery, 1306 N. Wishon Ave., in the Tower District, Fresno. The forum will feature guest speakers: Jeff Jones, the executive director for the Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative; Dale Gieringer of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws; and Mike Alcalay, M.D., Pediatrician and Medical Director for the cooperative. Cost to attend is $5. Details: 233-2221.
------------------------------------------------------------------- Let Us Be Compassionate With Medical Marijuana (A staff editorial in the San Mateo County Times asks, why should the U.S. government continue stalling on medical marijuana, while allowing physicians to prescribe protease inhibitors and other AIDS medications before clinical trials are completed? The feds should extend the Food and Drug Administration's flexibility on emerging AIDS-related drugs for HIV and AIDS patients to marijuana without further delay. It's sensible to play safe and pursue additional research, but it could be years before it proves beyond doubt what the anecdotal evidence of terminally ill patients has already shown. They shouldn't be asked to wait, or, if they don't, to die as criminals.) Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 19:05:53 -0800 From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) To: mapnews@mapinc.org Subject: MN: US CA: Editorial: Let Us Be Compassionate With Medical Marijuana Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/ Newshawk: tjeffoc@sirius.com (Tom O'Connell) Pubdate: Mon, 22 Feb 1999 Source: San Mateo County Times (CA) Copyright: 1999 by MediaNews Group, Inc. and ANG Newspapers Contact: eangsmc@newschoice.com Website: http://www.newschoice.com/newspapers/alameda/smct/ LET US BE COMPASSIONATE WITH MEDICAL MARIJUANA IT just might be that we're approaching critical mass in allowing the use of medicinal marijuana without putting people in jail over it. Two years after California voters approved Proposition 215 to allow the use of marijuana as a medicine, much of the rest of the world seems to be getting the idea that marijuana may have medical value. The notable exception is the feds. It's about time they came on board - with recent studies and editorials in prestigious scientific journals that support the idea, with Britain and Israel who recently provisionally sanctioned the compassionate use of marijuana, and voters in five other states have passed ballot initiatives along the lines of Prop. 215. It was Gen. Barry McCaffrey, director of the Office for National Drug Control Policy, who barred the way by insisting on the strict application of federal law that left Prop. 215 in limbo. At the same time, McCaffrey commissioned the Institute of Medicine at the Na tional Academy of Sciences to conduct a full review of the science surrounding medical marijuana. That study is expected to be released next month and might lead to calls for further research. But why go on stalling medical marijuana, while allowing physicians to prescribe protease inhibitors and other AIDS medications before clinical trials are completed? Contradiction aside, the feds should extend the Food and Drug Administration's flexibility on emerging AIDS-related drugs for HIV and AIDS patients to marijuana without further delay. This will clear the way for thousands of Americans with a variety of conditions, including terminally ill patients and those with HIV or AIDS, to use marijuana for the relief it gives without the added anxiety of prosecution and exposure to contaminated products. In their wisdom, California voters decided that compassion as much as law should figure in medical treatment when they passed Prop. 215, exempting from criminal prosecution patients and defined care givers who possess or cultivate marijuana for medical treatment recommended by a physician. The concern, of course, is that if change occurs it should not present "an open door to recreational use," as state Attorney Gen. Bill Lockyer put it recently while discussing a task force he's organized to plug the gaps left by Prop. 215. There is such concern, no doubt, that Lockyer is sensible to acknowledge it. But that doesn't mean the feds should go on stubbornly insisting that medical marijuana should be held to a higher standard when more and more experts accept that it's not dangerous. It's sensible to play safe and pursue additional research, but it could be years before it proves beyond doubt what the anecdotal evidence of terminally ill patients has already shown. They shouldn't be asked to wait, or, if they don't, to die as criminals.
------------------------------------------------------------------- Snail's Pace On Prop. 215 (A staff editorial in the Orange County Register says California Attorney General Bill Lockyer ran as a supporter of Prop. 215 and has promised to reverse the foot-dragging policies of the previous attorney general. He has appointed a task force headed by Democratic state Sen. John Vasconcellos of San Jose to recommend implementation policies, but the task force has held only a preliminary general meeting. If new laws are to be passed this year, they must be introduced in the legislature by this Friday. It's long past time for the politicians to catch up with the people.) Date: Wed, 24 Feb 1999 06:17:28 -0800 From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) To: mapnews@mapinc.org Subject: MN: US CA: MMJ: Snail's Pace On Prop.215 Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/ Newshawk: John W. Black Pubdate: 22 Feb. 1999 Source: Orange County Register (CA) Copyright: 1999 The Orange County Register Contact: letters@link.freedom.com Website: http://www.ocregister.com/ Section: Metro,page 6 SNAIL'S PACE ON PROP.215 Will the state Legislature take any action this year to implement Proposition 215 (now Section 11362.5 of the state Health and Safety Code), the medical marijuana initiative passed by voters more than two years ago? You might think no problems would remain after all this time, but they do. The initiative laid out the outlines for a compassionate policy, but in the absence of guidelines and implementing legislation numerous patients with recommendations from their doctors are still unable to obtain medicine to which they have a legal right. Some-like Marvin Chavez in Orange County and Steve Kubby in Tahoe - are being arrested and taken to jail. Democratic Attorney General Bill Lockyer ran as a supporter of Prop. 215 and has promised to reverse the foot-dragging policies of the previous attorney general. He has appointed a task force headed by Democratic state Sen. John Vasconcellos of San Jose to recommend implementation policies, but the task force has held only a preliminary general meeting. If new laws are to be passed this year, they must be introduced in the legislature by this Friday. A couple that would be helpful have yet to find principal authors. Sen. Vasconcellos plans to introduce a bill that failed to win passage last year to have the state government sponsor a research project by the University of California on the medical efficacy of marijuana. His office thinks it has a better chance of passage this year. While more research is welcome, the potential danger is that the project will give foot-draggers an excuse to delay the implementation of the clearly expressed will of the people until the research project is completed - as long as three years. Sen. Vasconcellos will also introduce what Rand Martin, his chief of staff, described as a "slot bill," which would be available to incorporate the recommendations of Attorney General Lockyer's task force when they are finalized in a few months. Dennis Peron, the principal author of Prop. 215 and former proprietor of a cannabis "buyer's club" in San Francisco, has developed two bills and had them reviewed by the legislative counsel. One would simply change the current law against marijuana sales by adding four words: "except for medical purposes." This would accomplish what most voters thought they were doing when they voted for 215 - creating a "white market" for medical marijuana so patients who can't grow it themselves are not forced to rely on the black market, as is still the case now. Mr. Peron's other proposal would declare that it is the desire of California to follow the lead of the federal government on the "scheduling" of marijuana as a controlled substance. The feds now place marijuana on "Schedule I," reserved by law for uniquely dangerous drugs with no therapeutic value, but that could change in light of an Institute of Medicine report expected this month. If the federal government reschedules marijuana to make it legal for licensed physicians to prescribe it (as is the case with cocaine and morphine), California would have to take independent and time-consuming action to change state law unless a law like this is already in place. So far Mr. Peron has not found a principal sponsor for either proposal. Some legislator should do so this week so they will at least have a chance to be considered. Judging by our conversations with legislative aides in Sacramento last week, most professionals in Sacramento still view an association with the medical marijuana issue as slightly kooky. But voters in every state who have faced initiatives - and that's 20 percent of the population of the United States as of last November - have supported, by large margins, making marijuana available to patients whose doctors believe they could benefit from it. It's long past time for the politicians to catch up with the people.
------------------------------------------------------------------- Legislators Hold Back Bill On Medical Marijuana (The Honolulu Star-Bulletin notes the death of a bill before the Hawaii state legislature that would have allowed the medical use of marijuana. Sidney Hayakawa, the agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration office in Honolulu, said the Health Committee is doing the right thing in not moving the bill forward. He then contradicted himself, saying, "[W]e're law enforcement officials and it's our duty to enforce the law, not to make law or change law.") Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 06:42:11 -0800 From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) To: mapnews@mapinc.org Subject: MN: Legislators Hold Back Bill On Medical Marijuana Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/ Newshawk: pacal (pacal@lava.net) Pubdate: Mon, 22 Feb 99 Author: Craig Gima Source: Star-Bulletin LEGISLATORS HOLD BACK BILL ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA AIDS patient Alexander Martin did not really expect the state Legislature to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes. But he is hopeful the Legislature will make a statement that marijuana should be legalized for people like him who use it to help deal with disease and the side effects of medication. "I will use whatever I need to do to fight for my life, and I believe that's true for many other people," Martin said after the House Health Committee yesterday voted to hold a bill to legalize marijuana for medical purposes. Instead, committee Chairman Alex Santiago (D, Pupukea) asked the bill's author, Rep. David Tarnas (D, South Kohala), to write a resolution asking the federal government to allow doctors to prescribe marijuana. Santiago was concerned about a conflict between state and federal law if the state legalized medical marijuana while it is still illegal under federal law. "Passing laws is not the way to do it, not at this time anyway," Santiago said. Tarnas had hoped the bill would advance since California and Arizona have legalized medical marijuana. He believes it will take some time to educate people on the issue. "It will be back on the table again next year," he promised. Sidney Hayakawa, the agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration office in Honolulu, said the Health Committee is doing the right thing in not moving the bill forward. He said there is a protocol on the federal level that may eventually allow doctors to prescribe marijuana. "We spent hours and hours debating the issue," Hayakawa said. "From the law enforcement side, we're law enforcement officials and it's our duty to enforce the law, not to make law or change law." Martin hopes the resolution will pass. "I think it's a step in the right direction," he said. Martin also noted that "Hawaii has often led the nation in health issues."
------------------------------------------------------------------- Shaking This Habit Will Be Tough (A staff editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says Governor Tommy Thompson's vow to build no more prisons flies in the face of the fact that Wisconsin has the nation's fastest-growing inmate rolls. The governor's budget calls for spending by the Department of Corrections to jump $228 million during the next two years. Drunks not uncommonly vow that their present binge is their last. How much credence should go to Thompson's vow that the present prison-building binge is the state's last depends on how much support Thompson can muster from other politicians.) Date: Mon, 22 Feb 1999 04:11:55 -0800 From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) To: mapnews@mapinc.org Subject: MN: US WI: Editorial: Shaking This Habit Will Be Tough 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: 22 Feb 1999 Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI) Copyright: 1999, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact: jsedit@onwis.com Fax: 414-224-8280 Website: http://www.jsonline.com/ Forum: http://www.jsonline.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimate.cgi Fax: (414) 224-8280 SHAKING THIS HABIT WILL BE TOUGH No more prisons, declares Gov. Tommy Thompson. And it is an admirable vow. But to shake its addiction to prison construction, the state needs the full, 12-step program, not just a vow. Above all, the state needs courage and foresight on the part of politicians -- qualities in too short a supply to date when it has come to prisons. With the nation's fastest-growing inmate rolls, Wisconsin is hooked bad on prison building. The habit's expense is what's getting to the governor. His budget calls for spending by the Department of Corrections to jump by $228 million during the next two years. Drunks not uncommonly vow that their present alcoholic binge is their last, a promise that gets little credence. How much credence should go to Thompson's vow that the present prison-building binge is the state's last? Don't get us wrong. We are by no means impugning the governor's motives. His vow, we know, is sincere. In fact, it is courageous. But it'll take a concerted effort by many players to keep that vow. For one thing, as Thompson himself noted in last week's conversation with the Journal Sentinel Editorial Board, lawmakers must go along. The ranks of prisoners mushroomed mainly because of the legislative penchant for stiffening the criminal code. To be seen as tough on crime is a surefire way to win votes; opponents of a stiffer penalty risk being portrayed as soft on crime -- a surefire way to lose votes. To put some discipline into the process, lawmakers ought to adopt a procedure whereby any proposed changes in the criminal code carry a prison-impact statement. If the number of inmates is expected to rise, the legislation should authorize funds to pay for the increase. Putting a price tag on a bill to harden a criminal penalty should prove sobering. Another crucial player, as the governor also noted, is a state task force that's taking a look at criminal penalties, in light of the truth-in-sentencing law enacted last session. The task force must aim at setting penalties at a level the state can realistically support. Then the Legislature must enact the committee's recommendations. A third set of players who must keep their heads is local politicians, including Mayor John Norquist. Thompson is wisely recommending strategies to cut down on repeat offenders, including the construction of two 150-bed workhouses, from which prisoners near the end of their term would report to real jobs with real pay, part of which would go back to the state for room and board. One of those workhouses should be in or near the city of Milwaukee, whence many inmates hail. But Norquist has in the past passionately opposed some correctional facilities within the city's borders. Set up properly, however, a workhouse should enhance the city by cutting down on crime. In all, kicking the prison-building habit will require unusual foresight and courage among many players.
------------------------------------------------------------------- Drunken Drivers' Cars To Be Seized At Arrests (A New York Times article in the San Jose Mercury News says New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani announced Saturday that police would begin Monday seizing the cars of everyone arrested for drunken driving. City officials described the new municipal policy against drunken driving as the toughest in the nation.) Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 06:41:57 -0800 From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) To: mapnews@mapinc.org Subject: MN: US NY: Drunken Drivers' Cars To Be Seized At Arrests 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, 22 Feb 1999 Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA) Copyright: 1999 Mercury Center Contact: letters@sjmercury.com Website: http://www.sjmercury.com/ Author: PAUL ZIELBAUER New York Times DRUNKEN DRIVERS' CARS TO BE SEIZED AT ARRESTS NEW YORK -- In what city officials described as the toughest municipal policy against drunken driving in the nation, the New York City Police Department will begin seizing cars from people arrested on charges of drunken driving, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani announced Saturday. The plan, which is to take effect at 12:01 a.m. Monday, will allow a police officer to seize a suspect's car where it is stopped, regardless of the driver's circumstances. ``This will be a very, very useful way to reduce even more the number of traffic fatalities in the city,'' Giuliani said at a news conference at police headquarters in lower Manhattan. City officials first floated the seizure plan about a month ago. Since then, Giuliani said, he had Michael Hess, the city's corporation counsel, study the legal ramifications to make sure that the plan would survive what the mayor said were almost inevitable court challenges from civil liberties groups. Legal experts said the initiative raised constitutional issues but could act as a deterrent. Draconian but effective? ``If you can put the driver in jail for being drunk while driving, it seems to me there's no greater deprivation in taking the instrumentality of that crime from him,'' said Richard Uviller, a professor of criminal law at Columbia University Law School. ``It's a Draconian measure, there's no question about it. But if people know they could lose their cars if they drink too much, they may not drive them, and that could be very effective.'' Laws in 22 states, including California, authorize municipal officials to confiscate the cars of drunken drivers, but virtually all those laws involve repeat offenders, officials with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have said. New York law allows the seizure of vehicles owned by drivers who repeatedly drive while intoxicated, but that law has rarely been enforced. In taking the initiative, New York City is expanding a city forfeiture law that municipalities use to cut down on drug trafficking and prostitution. Court challenges The leaders of civil liberties groups bristled Saturday at Giuliani's plan and promised to seek constitutional challenges to it in court. Last year, the New York City police made 6,368 arrests for driving while intoxicated, in which a driver's blood alcohol level is 0.10 percent or higher. (The level is 0.08 percent in California.) In New York, drivers can also be stopped for driving while impaired, in which the threshold for blood alcohol is 0.06 percent to 0.09 percent. But the new seizure policy will only affect driving while intoxicated, said Police Commissioner Howard Safir. The mayor's plan was enthusiastically endorsed by a representative of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, a national organization that has long advocated harsher penalties for drunken drivers. ``Drunk driving is a violent crime, and the weapon of choice is a vehicle. Does MADD have any sympathy for the drunk drivers who may lose their expensive cars? Absolutely not,'' said Maureen Fisher-Riccardella, president of the New York state chapter of the organization, who stood beside Giuliani during the news conference.
------------------------------------------------------------------- Drug Abuse (A letter to the editor of the Cavalier Daily at the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, counters a recent editorial and column supporting the section in the Drug-Free Student Loan Amendment that takes away student loans from anyone caught possessing marijuana.) Date: Fri, 5 Mar 1999 13:44:58 -0800 From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) To: mapnews@mapinc.org Subject: MN: US VA: PUB LTE: Drug Abuse 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, 22 Feb 1999 Contact: cavdaily@cavalierdaily.com FAX: (804) 924-7290 Mail: Basement, Newcomb Hall, Charlottesville, VA 22904 Website: http://www.cavalierdaily.com/ DRUG ABUSE This past week, The Cavalier Daily has run an editorial and a column supporting the Drug-Free Student Loan Amendment. This law takes away student loans from any student who has been caught with any amount of drugs. Marijuana is more widely used than all of the other illegal drugs combined. Therefore, this law will mostly pick on the people who smoke marijuana. This is extremely unfair for several reasons. First, marijuana has been repeatedly shown to be less dangerous than alcohol and tobacco. Credible journals such as The Lancet, Great Britain's leading health publication, and Scientific American have affirmed this. The biggest danger in smoking marijuana is to damage the lungs, which has no effect on a student's ability to learn. The amendment also discriminates against low-income students. Rich students can smoke marijuana without the danger of losing their funding for a college education. Students that depend on financial aid are therefore held to a higher standard. The argument has been made that if students receiving financial aid purchase drugs, then in effect the government paid for these drugs. This is ridiculous because then by the same logic the government also pays for their pizza or CDs or concert tickets, and also beer and cigarettes. Erin Perucci wrote that "The federal government shouldn't spend its money on those who think nothing of breaking the law." She obviously lacks an understanding of the law because people convicted of rape and murder are still eligible for financial aid. Apparently Uncle Sam would rather see murderers in college than someone who smokes a bowl now and then. It's also extremely hypocritical that many people who criticize marijuana smokers are the same people who drink to excess on a regular basis. The financial aid program was started so that less fortunate students could attend. Smoking marijuana is a personal decision that does not adversely affect a student's education. Therefore whether or not someone has been convicted of possessing marijuana should be irrelevant to whether they receive financial aid. Shannon Mier CLAS II
------------------------------------------------------------------- Foolish Rule (Another letter to the editor of the Cavalier Daily also protests its recent column endorsing the provision in the Higher Education Act that bans student loans for anyone caught possessing marijuana. "The absurdity of the proposal baffles the mind! It is the logic of a political class hell-bent on punishment no matter the cost to society . . . . What any rational society should engage itself in is the education of criminals, not the criminalization of students.") Date: Fri, 5 Mar 1999 13:44:59 -0800 From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) To: mapnews@mapinc.org Subject: MN: US VA: PUB LTE: Foolish Rule 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, 22 Feb 1999 Contact: cavdaily@cavalierdaily.com FAX: (804) 924-7290 Mail: Basement, Newcomb Hall; Charlottesville, VA 22904 Website: http://www.cavalierdaily.com/ FOOLISH RULE I am writing this letter in response to Erin Perucci's column "Drug Use Doesn't Deserve Aid," (Feb. 18). Ms. Perucci's unfortunate piece, I'm afraid, is fairly representative of one of the most alarming aspects of contemporary American culture and policy in its attitude toward drug use and punishment. There is little doubt, as anti-drug activists literally point out, that drug abuse is among the most self-destructive behaviors in which individuals can and do engage. Unfortunately, the response most commonly favored by politicians and moralists, namely, the drug war, has proven to be one of the most self-destructive activities in which the polity has itself engaged. I shan't expound in any depth upon the legions of non-violent offenders who crowd our prisons and bestow upon the United States the dubious honor of boasting one of the largest prison populations (per capita) of any industrialized nation. Instead allow me to focus on the absurd "logic" of the Higher Education Act's denial of financial aid to students convicted of drug possession. Never mind that this is a provision that, because of its very nature, can only apply to middle- and lower-income students who need financial aid to continue their education. Never mind that the supposed dangers of college drug use didn't seem to impede Bill Clinton from becoming president, nor Newt Gingrich from attaining the speakership of the House of Representatives (the latter dismissed the significance of his drug use in this fashion: "all it means is that I was alive and in college in the '60s.") Forget all that. Consider merely the following: What the anti-drug zealots have instituted with this law is a system whereby individuals of little economic means who already engage in a form of petty criminality are denied the opportunity of securing for themselves the benefits of a decent education that might help them to become productive members of society that is every day more dependent on skilled labor for its economic well-being. The absurdity of the proposal baffles the mind! It is the logic of a political class hell-bent on punishment no matter the cost to society; damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead! What any rational society should engage itself in is the education of criminals, not the criminalization of students. "If a student loses financial aid and must leave school, the government and the school should provide rehabilitation and make sure that the student can get on track," writes Perucci. It's a nice thought, but where's the program? It's nowhere, because in a political culture like ours, so furiously committed to flushing our children down the toilet like just so many fine bags of Jamaican grass, any response to a problem that does not entail a hearty dose of punishment is mere "midnight basketball" and thus, despicable. David Flores GSAS
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Unfair Clause (A third letter to the editor of the Cavalier Daily also rebuts
its editorial and column supporting the Higher Education Act's ban on loans
to pot smokers. "Why does the government insist on making the consequences of
drug laws more damaging than the consequences of drug use?")
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 1999 13:45:00 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US VA: PUB LTE: Unfair Clause
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, 22 Feb 1999
Contact: cavdaily@cavalierdaily.com
FAX: (804) 924-7290
Mail: Basement, Newcomb Hall; Charlottesville, VA 22904
Website: http://www.cavalierdaily.com/
UNFAIR CLAUSE
I am writing to express my disgust and disappointment in the ignorant and
self-righteous way that The Cavalier Daily pledged its support to the
Higher Education Act's provision to bar federal student aid to students
convicted of non-violent drug offenses.
The argument made in the Feb. 16 lead editorial that "if the government
funds a drug user's education, the government is in effect subsidizing the
drug use," is hypocritical, based on flawed logic and shows a complete lack
of understanding behind the ban.
If the government funds a student's education, and that student spends his
personal income on alcohol, then the government is in effect subsidizing
that student's drinking. Before you hide behind the shield of the law,
arguing that alcohol is legal whereas drugs are not, remind yourself that
the majority of U.Va.'s student body, at any time, is under 21 years of
age. If "it is only fair that those who have stayed clean are awarded with
aid over those who have not," let's yank the financial aid from any U.Va.
student who has been convicted of an alcohol offense. Because after all,
like Erin Perucci states in her column ("Drug Use Doesn't Deserve Aid,"
Feb. 18, The Cavalier Daily), "a primary stipulation for receiving federal
financial aid should be following the laws of the same government that
provides for their education." Meanwhile, those convicted of rape, assault,
or other violent crimes are not automatically disqualified from student aid.
Also, the idea that this legislation will act as a deterrent is laughable.
Smoking a joint on a Saturday night will not have much of a negative impact
on a student's life. Losing a scholarship or grant will. Why does the
government insist on making the consequences of drug laws more damaging
than the consequences of drug use?
The lead editorial also falls into the trap of equating drug use to drug
abuse. While advocating, "responsible drinking," those who have never taken
drugs fail to realize that "responsible drug use" does exist. If I choose
to smoke a joint on a Saturday night, how am I being more irresponsible
than if I relaxed with a few beers? Most drug users do not have drug
problems, just like most drinkers are not alcoholics.
Jay Fenster
SCC IV
------------------------------------------------------------------- Shipley Signals Tougher Anti-Drugs Stance (The Dominion, in New Zealand, says that rather than listen to the recommendations from a New Zealand parliamentary committee, Prime Minister Jenny Shipley plans to pursue tougher policies after discussing Australia's drug problems with its prohibitionist prime minister, John Howard.) Date: Wed, 24 Feb 1999 06:18:00 -0800 From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) To: mapnews@mapinc.org Subject: MN: New Zealand: Shipley Signals Tougher Anti-Drugs Stance Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/ Newshawk: David Hadorn (hadorn@dnai.com) Pubdate: Mon, 22 Feb 1999 Source: Dominion, The (New Zealand) Contact: letters@dominion.co.nz Website: http://www.inl.co.nz/wnl/dominion/index.html SHIPLEY SIGNALS TOUGHER ANTI-DRUGS STANCE Prime Minister Jenny Shipley has signalled a tougher anti-drugs regime after discussing Australia's drug problems with its prime minister, John Howard. Mr Howard spent the weekend in discussions with Mrs Shipley at Millbrook resort, near Queenstown. The Australian Government is putting A$87 million (NZ$103 million) into strengthening border control, treatment and education programmes as Australia experiences a surge in hard-drug exports. During a walkabout with Mr Howard in Queenstown, Mrs Shipley said she did not need persuading that the problem was serious. "I am not one who favours decriminalisation or going soft on this issue," she said. "I can't for the life of me see that by being permissive you actually assist anyone." Mrs Shipley confirmed that the Government was looking at border control, treatment and education programmes and there would be close contact with Australian authorities. Government sources said it was likely there would be extra resources put into the anti-drugs campaign, though it would not be on the same scale as Australia. Meanwhile, cheeky TSS Earnslaw stoker Caley Hall gave Queenstown's friendly reputation a boost when he locked Mrs Shipley in a bear hug and kissed her on the cheek. Somewhat taken-aback Mrs Shipley laughed and said: "You're a rascal." However, Mr Hall simply took that as his cue to kiss her again. The encounter was a light-hearted highlight of the prime ministerial walkabout in Queenstown and Arrowtown. Mrs Shipley was joined on the stroll by her husband, Burton, Mr Howard and his wife, Janette. Still clutching his coal shovel, the stoker leapt off the boat to shake Mrs Shipley's hand as the party swept by. Not content with that, Mr Hall threw his arm around her neck and kissed the chuckling PM. Afterwards he said the kiss had been nice. "It was good to meet the boss. I think she's doing a pretty good job," Mr Hall said. Mrs Shipley and Mr Howard arrived in Wellington late yesterday. Today Mr Howard is to meet the Cabinet, have lunch in the Beehive and hold a joint press conference with Mrs Shipley before leaving for Australia.
------------------------------------------------------------------- Drugs Trade 'The Third Largest Economy' (According to the Independent, in Britain, the Financial Action Task Force of the Group of Seven leading industrial nations has estimated that at least $120 billion from the illegal-drugs trade are laundered through the world's financial system a year, making it the third biggest economy in the world today. In fact, according to more alarmist estimates of its value, it could even be starting to catch up with the United States as the leading player in the world economy. In Russia, the illegal economy created by prohibition has filled the vacuum created by the transition from Communism, and its dominance now prevents the emergence of normal economic institutions.) Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 04:28:38 -0800 From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) To: mapnews@mapinc.org Subject: MN: UK: Drugs Trade 'The Third Largest Economy' Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/ Newshawk: Martin Cooke (mjc1947@cyberclub.iol.ie) Pubdate: 22 February 1999 Source: Independent, The (UK) Copyright: Independent Newspapers (UK) Ltd. Contact: letters@independent.co.uk Website: http://www.independent.co.uk/ Author: Diane Coyle, Economics Editor DRUGS TRADE 'THE THIRD LARGEST ECONOMY' The DRUGS business is the third biggest economy in the world today. In fact, according to more alarmist estimates of its value, it could even be starting to catch up with the United States as the leading player in the world economy. Like any other business, organised crime has gone global, and the drugs trade is its most profitable sector. Of necessity, the figures are mainly guesswork, but the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) of the Group of Seven leading industrial nations (G7) has estimated that at least $120bn (UKP73bn) from the drugs trade are laundered through the world's financial system a year. This extremely conservative estimate amounts to about the same as the total amount of funds invested legally in the emerging market economies last year. The comparison gives some idea of the potential that drugs money - much of it flowing through London, the biggest foreign-exchange trading centre in the world - has to disrupt the financial markets. After all, 1998 was scarcely a calm year in the markets. The G7, whose finance ministers met in Bonn at the weekend, set up the FATF to combat money laundering, bribery and other financial aspects of organised crime. Its existence is a tacit admission that these powerful countries need to engage in combat with their illegal counterparts. For the possibility of financial turbulence is actually the least of the G7's worries. The growth of the illegal drugs trade has led to a mounting bill for the medical, social and policing costs. In the US, the annual social cost is estimated to be about $67bn a year, according to the 1998 National Drug Strategy. More than one-third of the country's new cases of HIV are linked to the injection of drugs. In the United Kingdom, the direct cost of dealing with serious drug abusers is estimated at well over UKP4bn a year. The Office for National Statistics puts the size of the drugs economy in the UK at up to 1.2 per cent of official gross domestic product. While it is impossible to compile comprehensive statistics - estimates of the annual value of the worldwide trade in illegal drugs range between $1,500bn to $5,000bn - the direct costs alone are clearly sizeable. But the negative economic impact goes beyond the direct costs of patching up the damage caused by drugs. It even goes beyond the indirect costs crime imposes by disrupting the efficient functioning of the economy, making the costs of crime-prevention a kind of tax. Illegal drugs, like legal alcohol, also devalue the quality of the workforce. The policing of the problem diverts resources that could be put to other uses. However, perhaps the most serious impact of the problem, as far as economists are concerned, is the way that illegal drugs degrade the institutions of politics and society. Take a recent example. One of the serious issues facing the G7 this weekend was the slump in Japan, where the economy is contracting for the second year running, and has not really grown at all for most of the decade. At the heart of the country's economic crisis is a near-bankrupt banking system, saddled with trillions of yen in debts that will never be repaid. The defaults were triggered in 1995 by the collapse of local savings banks that had been forced to accept bad loans by the local yakuza, the Japanese mafia. Drugs form Latin America's most successful export business, and provide its biggest cash crop. The region is peculiarly vulnerable to capital flight in part because its most dynamic entrepreneurs, the drugs barons, shift funds abroad. In Colombia, the Medellin cartel once even proposed to pay off the country's foreign debt in cash in return for legitimacy - a deal halted by the US. Similarly, experts such as Manuel Castells, an eminent sociologist at Berkeley, in California, argue that Russia's economy is doomed to perpetual chaos because of the activities of organised crime. The government is unable to collect tax, but the mafias can. The drug-financed illegal economy has filled the vacuum created by the transition from Communism, and its dominance now prevents the emergence of normal economic institutions. The FATF has reported that money laundering takes place not just through offshore financial centres, but also through high-street lawyers and accountants, banks and bureaux de change. The drugs business is eating away at the economy from within, for market economies are defined by their institutions. Predominant among these is the rule of law in upholding property rights. The illegal drugs trade has grown to a scale that is undermining this basic framework. It is threatening the ability of the world's biggest economies to continue prospering.
------------------------------------------------------------------- Riots In Mauritius After Reggae Singer Dies In Jail (Reuters says about 2,000 protesters clashed with police after Joseph Reginald Topize, or Kaya, a local reggae singer, died in jail Sunday, three days after his arrest for smoking marijuana at a rally to decriminalise the herb in the Indian Ocean nation.) Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 06:42:18 -0800 From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) To: mapnews@mapinc.org Subject: MN: Mauritius: Riots In Mauritius After Reggae Singer Dies In Jail 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, 22 Feb 1999 Source: Reuters Copyright: 1999 Reuters Limited. Author: Clifford Vellien RIOTS IN MAURITIUS AFTER REGGAE SINGER DIES IN JAIL PORT LOUIS, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Around 2,000 protesters in Mauritius clashed with police after a local reggae singer arrested for smoking marijuana died in police custody, reports said on Monday. Joseph Reginald Topize -- or Kaya -- died in jail on Sunday three days after his arrest for smoking marijuana at a rally to decriminalise the drug in the Indian Ocean nation. Hundreds of Kaya's fans armed with sticks and stones went on the rampage when they heard of his death, ransacking three police stations in poor parts of the island, according to the private L'Express newspaper. Fans and supporters of the small Republican Movement party, which organised last Tuesday's rally, smashed two police cars and clashed with police, who used tear gas. Around 1,500 also blocked the main highway linking the capital with the north of the island. The road remained blocked on Monday morning around the slum area of Roche- Bois with protesters facing armed police. L'Express reported that police doctor Baboo Harish Surnam, who conducted Kaya's autopsy, said the 39-year-old rastafarian singer died of a fractured skull. Police denied this and promised a second autopsy. Supporters of Kaya, who mixed reggae and local sega music, claimed he was a victim of police brutality. "Each time there is a death in prison, it's always someone from the Creole community," Georges Christophe, leader of an Afro-Creole organisation, told Reuters. "Enough is enough." Creoles, the mixed blood descendants of former slaves, account for up to 30 percent of the population of the island and are seen as an under-privileged community. -------------------------------------------------------------------
[End]
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