The Hastert Files:
New Speaker Of the House Hailed As "Moderate" Is Extreme Prohibitionist -- 4
Articles
(Marijuananews
note: Events in Washington last week reminded me of Oscar Wilde’s description of a
fox hunt: "The unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable."
But if any more evidence was necessary to prove that an honest
discussion of marijuana prohibition is not even on the public agenda, and that a
prohibitionist can never be too extreme to be mainstream, the media’s description of
the presumed new Speaker of the House as a "moderate" should suffice.
The longer term problem, however, is the continued refusal of the media
even to use the words "marijuana prohibition" in their reporting.
Moreover, a consequence of this is their failure to recognize that a
program that nullifies elections and defies the will of the people while persecuting the
sick and dying is extremist by any standard of American history.)
See
The Good News and The Bad News Is That No One
Believes The News
Is The War On Marijuana Just A Ploy To Keep Everyone From Being Impeached?
The articles below
demonstrate how much of "drug warrior" Hastert really is. He is also on the
board of CADCA, the conduit for federal funding of local prohibitionist propaganda
organizations, and he has said that "winning the drug war" is one of his three
top priorities as Speaker.)
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ACLU SUES TO GUARD MARIJUANA MEASURE CONGRESS ORDERED D.C. VOTE VOIDED
October 31, 1998;
From the Washington Post http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/edit/letters/letterform.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
By Bill Miller Washington Post Staff Writer
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Saying that D.C. voters have a right to decide political issues, the American Civil
Liberties Union filed suit yesterday to prevent Congress from voiding the results of a
measure on Tuesday’s ballot that would make it legal for seriously ill people to use
marijuana for medical reasons. |
Activists had gathered enough signatures to put Initiative 59 on the ballot, contending
that marijuana can help alleviate the symptoms of illnesses such as AIDS, cancer and
glaucoma. |
Five other states will decide similar issues Tuesday. Only in the District did Congress
step in to the debate.
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Rep. Robert L. Barr Jr. (R-Ga.) sponsored an amendment to the D.C. appropriations bill
that prohibits the District from using money on an initiative that would "legalize or
otherwise reduce penalties" for users of marijuana. Barr’s amendment, passed
with the fiscal 1999 D.C. budget on Oct. 21, was targeted at Initiative 59.
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During deliberations in Congress, Rep. J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.)
expressed support for Barr’s amendment, saying the legislation ensured that the
District "should not and shall not make marijuana a legal substance." |
The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics had already prepared ballots and set up computers
to count Tuesday’s vote, so people still will be able to vote "yes" or
"no" for Initiative 59, officials said. The votes will be counted, but the
outcome cannot be officially certified. If the measure passed, it would not become law.
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The lawsuit, filed against the D.C. elections board, asks the court to order city
officials to certify results so that the measure can become law if it passes. The matter
was assigned to U.S. District Judge Richard Roberts. A hearing has not been set.
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"We are outraged that once again Congress has tried to exert its parochial interests
on the District of Columbia," said Mary Jane DeFrank, executive director of the ACLU
of the National Capital Area, which teamed with proponents of the initiative to file the
lawsuit. |
ACLU leaders said the action marked the first time that Congress had stepped in to block
results of a D.C. election, saying it was yet another blow to home rule. The lawsuit
contends that Congress has violated the constitutional rights of D.C. voters by imposing a
restriction based on a particular point of view. Had the District wanted to increase
penalties for marijuana, the lawsuit states, the congressional action would have no
impact. But because the initiative met with "disfavor" in Congress, the members
took action to block it, the suit states. |
"The Barr amendment prohibits any initiative that would reduce the penalties for
marijuana, but allows any initiative that would increase those penalties," said
Arthur Spitzer, the ACLU’s legal director. "That is like saying voters can vote
for Republicans but not for Democrats, or can vote to build nuclear power plants but not
to ban them." |
Initiative 59 would change D.C. law to legalize the possession, use, cultivation and
distribution of marijuana if recommended by a physician for serious illnesses. It also
would require the city to provide for the "safe and affordable" distribution of
marijuana to Medicaid patients and others whose doctors recommend it. Mayoral candidate
Anthony A. Williams (D) favors the measure, along with a majority of D.C. Council members,
including his opponent, Carol Schwartz (R-At Large). People suffering from AIDS-related
symptoms contend that marijuana combats nausea and enables them to eat better and take
medication.
Joining in the lawsuit: Wayne Turner, who led the initiative campaign; the "Yes on
59" association; and activists including Jim Graham, a D.C. Council candidate and
executive director of the Whitman-Walker Clinic, the city’s largest provider of
AIDS-related medical services. Turner urged supporters and opponents to vote on Tuesday,
vowing to make the results count. Copyright: 1998 The Washington Post
Company |
August 25, 1998
From the Washington Times
letter@twtmail.com
http://www.washtimes.com/
By Rep. Dan Burton, and Rep. J. Dennis Hastert
UNFULFILLED DRUGWAR PROMISES
Deception has become an art form for the Clinton administration, and it appears its State
Department has been taking copious notes. It is clear to Congress that Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright’ s agency cannot keep its word. Time and time again, both written
and oral agreements with Congress have been tossed aside with reckless abandon. Just as
the credibility of President Clinton has come into question numerous times over his tenure
in office, the credibility of Foggy Bottom has been completely lost. This has become Mrs.
Albright’ s scarlet letter, threatening to taint her legacy as secretary of state.
Currently, the State Department is charged with addressing the source- country eradication
and counter-narcotics efforts. Colombia is the key source nation for both the cocaine and
heroin we see flooding American streets and schoolyards. Heroin use has become an epidemic
in almost every town, big or small, in our country. It is cheaper, purer, and easier to
get than ever before. There have been 35 teen- age heroin overdose deaths in the Orlando,
Fla., area alone in the last two years.
The State Department is failing in this area. Worse than the failure is the lack of
will to even consider the problem and possible solutions. It is time for Congress to
restructure the War on Drugs and shift some responsibility from the incompetent State
Department to other agencies, as proposed in H.R. 4300, The Western Hemisphere Drug
Elimination Act. The Republican Congress has outlined an initial strategy to stop heroin
at the source, before it reaches American shores. The bottom line is, the State Department
has no plan, and has spent countless hours attempting to evade the will and direction of
Congress instead of actually implementing policies, producing nothing but hollow promises.
The results of the continual empty rhetoric are staggering. Twenty thousand Americans die
from drugs and drug-related violence each year. More than 4,000 of our allies in the
Colombian National Police (CNP) have died fighting our War on Drugs. Many died waiting on
the delivery of equipment promised by the Clinton State Department, the lack of which has
also resulted in a 50 percent reduction in opium eradication missions by the CNP. The only
reason any equipment has been delivered is due to congressional pressure. It apparently
has not been enough. Consider the following:
In September 1996, the State Department, in a letter to Congress, promised delivery of 12
upgraded Vietnam-era Huey helicopters. It is now August 1998, and not one of these
helicopters has been delivered. Earlier this year, State again promised the delivery of
the same helicopters, starting in October. Congress has since learned delivery will now be
delayed again, until 1999 at the earliest.
Congress was able to direct an aircraft seized from drug smugglers to the State Department
for use in counter-narcotics operations in Colombia. It took more than three years to
complete the deal, and State knew the reason Congress intervened was to bolster the CNP
air wing, yet State sent the aircraft to Guatemala for its maiden deployment. Congress,
attempting to increase CNP counter-narcotics operations, appropriated $36 million for
three Black Hawk utility helicopters. State disagreed with Congress, and produced a
reprogramming request to use the money elsewhere. Congress placed a hold on that request.
State then negotiated a compromise, which included sending six lesser helicopters to
Colombia. However, State did not have access to the helicopters it promised to deliver,
creating the impression that State may have intentionally misled Members of Congress.
Eerily similar to 1996, State has told Congress it will deliver similar helicopters from
the commercial market by October. We’ll believe it when the helicopters are on the
tarmac in Bogota.
A recent remark by a high-ranking political appointee underscores the lack of respect that
the unchecked rampant bureaucracy at the State Department has shown Congress, "It was
only a Sense of Congress Resolution, it doesn’t mean anything," referring to a
unanimous resolution supporting the delivery of three Black Hawk utility helicopters to
the CNP for counter-narcotics missions. Despite a congressional inquiry, Mrs. Albright did
nothing to reel in this renegade appointee.
It is easy to see why Congress, and the American people take anything that comes from the
Clinton administration with a grain of salt. It is impossible to determine if what is said
is actually the truth. Recent history has shown the Clinton State Department has a severe
credibility problem. Secretary Albright should reign-in those responsible, because - even
in Washington - you are only as good as your word.
Rep. Dan Burton, Indiana Republican, is chairman of the Government Reform and Oversight
Committee, and is a senior member of the International Relations Committee.
Rep. J. Dennis Hastert, Illinois Republican, is
chairman of the Government Reform’s National Security Subcommittee, chairman of the
Speaker’s Task Force for a Drug Free America, and is chief deputy whip.
Copyright 1998 News World Communications, Inc.
March 29. 1998
From the Chicago Tribune
tribletter@aol.com
http://www.chicago.tribune.com/
By Mike Dorning
Note: This is one item from a weekly column called "D.C. Journal" in
which the honest and innovative work of federal
legislators from Illinois are highlighted.
WAR PLANS
House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) announced last week that he wants to "win"
the war on drugs within three years.
Just how to do that is a challenge left to U.S. Rep. Dennis Hastert
(R-Ill.) who will head a Republican task force on the issue.
The ambitious but surely popular task has been enthusiastically embraced by Hastert, who
has long made increased interdiction of narcotics a focus of his legislative efforts.
Hastert of Yorkville said to look for a rollout of anti-drug legislation, a shift in
federal spending to place a higher priority on the drug war and more congressional
pressure for results from Clinton administration.
Among the ideas under consideration is a triple row of fences along the Mexican border to
reduce smuggling, a measure that the U.S. neighbor is sure to view as an insult.
"I’m sorry," he said, "There are good relations with Mexico. But there
are 14,000 to 15,000 people dying in emergency rooms every year. We need to do
something."
Other ideas under consideration include "drug-free loans"
legislation that would ban federally subsidized loans to twice-convicted drug offenders.
A "drug-free athletics" bill would ban from play professional athletes convicted
of a drug offense unless they "at least identify the dealer who sold them the
drugs," Hastert said.
And, of course, "drug-free Congress" legislation is planned. It would subject
congressional representatives and their employees to random drug tests.
From the Chicago Tribune
tribletter@aol.com
http://www.chicago.tribune.com/
April 26, 1998
By Mike Dorning
Reprint from a weekly column called "D.C. Journal" in which
the honest and innovative work of federal legislators from Illinois
are highlighted.
HASTERT CARRIES GOP FLAG IN WAR ON DRUGS
WASHINGTON - The handiwork of suburban GOP Rep. Dennis Hastert
will be on display this week as the Republican Party begins unveiling a series of
anti-drug measures.
The headlines probably will be grabbed by show "drug-free"
initiatives, like "drug-free Congress" legislation, requiring random drug tests
of elected representatives and their staffs.
But the broader plan will reflect the priorities of Hastert, a
less-than-flamboyant lawmaker who has focused on drug issues for years and was chosen by
Republican leaders to coordinate the campaign.
Look for Hastert’s influence particularly in a stepped-up emphasis
on drug interdiction and border controls.
The GOP plan will call for the hiring of thousands of additional border guards and a major
commitment to deploy technologically advanced equipment that can "sweep" luggage
for traces of illegal drugs, a congressional staff member said.
Hastert also has been musing about triple-fencing parts of the Mexican border, sure to be
diplomatically troublesome but politically popular.
The Republican plan would view drug education and prevention programs more skeptically,
putting them under close scrutiny to show a tight focus on anti-drug messages or
measurable results in lowering narcotics use.
Drug abuse awareness programs, including the politically popular DARE (Drug Abuse
Resistance Education), have come in for criticism for ranging too far from their purpose
in places.
How the program will fare is open to question, with Republican
leaders recently signaling they will use a hard stand on drugs to fend off criticism they
are too soft on cigarette-makers.
Intertwining the plan with the politically charged tobacco settlement can cause only
trouble during an election year. But Hastert, a committed partisan,
argues, "There is a real nexus with tobacco. I think we’ll get it all
passed."
INOCULATION: Hastert also inserted himself into the last-minute
behind-the-scenes struggle within the Clinton administration last weekend over federal
funding of needle exchange programs for drug addicts to prevent the spread of AIDS.
Tipped by staffers of drug czar Barry McCaffrey, who strongly
opposes federal funding for such programs, Hastert warned President
Clinton off in a meeting the two had during the "Summit of the Americas" in
Chile which Hastert was attending as the lead congressional delegate on drug policy.
The lawmakers office also pre-empted a planned administration announcement Monday with
press releases whipping up opposition to needle exchanges. The administration, in a last
minute flip-flop, came out against funding Monday.
"I think I got his attention," Hastert
said.
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