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And so goes the war on drugs, regardless of who gets hurt...

by Blake Cook Nov 12, 2003 5:40PM PST

In Goose Creek, SC, students were handcuffed and forced at gun-point to the ground during a guerilla style raid determined to discover drugs at a local high-school. The whole incident was caught on tape and televised nationally, clearly showing the violent assault against mainly black students of this predominantly middle class high school campus...

Although several of the students were thrown to the ground against their will at gun-point, No Drugs were discovered or recovered inside or outside of the complex. No apologies were ever provided to the assaulted students. Unfortunately, one student was suspended for 3 days because he jumped at the bark of a drug dog...

Are we still living in a "Free" and "Democratic" society? Does "innocent" until proven guilty mean anything in the US anymore???

Full Story: South Carolina Community Split Over Raid

Discussion is locked

121 - 150 of 157 Posts
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Re: jonah is exercising his right not to answer
by jonah jones Nov 14, 2003 4:09PM PST

to paraphrase Jack Nicolson "you ain't man enough for the truth"

but........as you seem to grant it some importance, i'll tell you straight out "it's none of your ******* business!!!"

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Re:Probably 25% of the kids in my high school were smoking pot in the early 70's and there certainly was less violence then than now
by Dave Konkel [Moderator] Nov 14, 2003 2:47AM PST

Hi, Jonah.

>>there was also less chance of being offered speed/crack/ecstasy etc etc....<<
I'm not so sure -- there was a lot of coke, hash, and LSD (aka "acid") around in the 60's...
-- Dave K.
Speakeasy Moderator
click here to email semods4@yahoo.com

The opinions expressed above are my own,
and do not necessarily reflect those of CNET!

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Reconsidering Another Misguided Policy...
by Blake Cook Nov 13, 2003 2:27PM PST
Probably 25% of the kids in my high school were smoking pot in the early 70's and there certainly was less violence then than now. Cops weren't doing sweeps thru the schools either. - James Denison

Even though I'm sure that there was 60-70% of the student population regularly getting high from my High School, the cops didn't see any reason to do guerilla style sweeps at the time. There was also a high use of more potent drugs as well. But there didn't seem to be many violent crimes in my school. It seems as if most of these "drug abusers" turned out pretty good in their adult lives. I think the alcoholics turned out with considerably more problems...

Based on my experience, the war on drugs seems to create more victims than it prevents. This is another misguided policy that needs to be reconsidered...
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I recall in the late 70s...
by Keith Marcotte Nov 13, 2003 7:44PM PST

that there were several "bomb scares" in my high school that required evacuation of the school while the lockers were searched. That happened once or twice a year but only one person was ever charged with a bomb threat. All the others seemed to result in possession charges. But that was 25 years ago and things have changed - you didn't worry about weapons then.

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NT - This stunt is going to cost them a few buck.
by Dan McC Nov 12, 2003 11:22PM PST

.

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And every other war we wage lately. !! (NT)
by Mary Kay Nov 13, 2003 12:16AM PST

.

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Ok, Kids!
by Dan McC Nov 13, 2003 12:40AM PST

As soon as you get off your knees, get your cuffs cut off, get the circulation back in your hands, and regain your composure after being threatened with loaded guns, let's all join in a rousing singing of 'God Bless America'!

What do you say, kids? Let's go! ! !

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I was appalled when I first saw this on TV
by Rosalie Nov 13, 2003 1:02AM PST

.
The cops are lucky a kid didn't get shot.
.

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Re:I was appalled when I first saw this on TV
by Mary Kay Nov 13, 2003 1:28AM PST

I too was appalled. never wanted to see this im my beloved USA. Time to take a serious reevaluation/ or we are headed right back into the '60's

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With this administratrion...
by Charlie Thunell PL&T Nov 13, 2003 4:27AM PST

we ARE heading back to the sixties and may as well be there socially! But don't be surprised, notice that there are people in this thread that actually think they did the right thing and that symapthize with the gangst... sorry Law Enforcement.

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Re:With this administratrion...
by Dan McC Nov 13, 2003 4:42AM PST

Not gangsters. Gangsters do things for profit, a motive as old as time. It makes them fairly reliable and predictable. These police and officials are doing this just because they can and the mood was on them. They're bullies and are as reliable as the 13 year old boys pushing around the little kids in the playground.

I hate bullies.

Dan

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I agree but.... And just a little simple question for y'all!
by Charlie Thunell PL&T Nov 13, 2003 5:59AM PST

when the gangsters are frustrated their methods are not far away from the Police's apparently!

But you are right, the police is supposed to DEFEND us not to attack us... That is the police of the people, huh? BS!!!

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NT - No question for y'all! LOL! Sorry!
by Charlie Thunell PL&T Nov 13, 2003 6:51AM PST

`?

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Re:I agree but.... And just a little simple question for y'all!
by Dave Konkel [Moderator] Nov 13, 2003 12:28PM PST

Hi, Charlie.

Apparently you weren't around for the "police riot" (that was the term used in the official investigatory commission report) at the 1968 Chicago Convention, when "the whole word was watching." If you were, this sort of behavior, even in the face of cameras, wouldn't surprise you so much.
-- Dave K.
Speakeasy Moderator
click here to email semods4@yahoo.com

The opinions expressed above are my own,
and do not necessarily reflect those of CNET!

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I was around, but not here and at that time the Vietnam war was a priority in Sweden...
by Charlie Thunell PL&T Nov 13, 2003 5:03PM PST

`?

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NT - I would prefer "This Land is Your Land" by W. Guthrie...
by Charlie Thunell PL&T Nov 13, 2003 4:22AM PST

`

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NT - Or Bruce Cockburn's "People see through you".
by Dan McC Nov 13, 2003 4:38AM PST

.

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Outrageous actions! This War on Drugs as it currently is run must be stopped.
by James Denison Nov 13, 2003 1:06PM PST

As I've stated before, I think the greatest threat to our freedom is this War on Drugs. It is being used as the club on our heads to increase seizures and forfeitures of people's property and money. It is being used as the excuse to violate people's right to privacy and expectation of reasonable force, not excessive overpowering terrorizing force. Having grown up in Texas and Florida I know that the majority of those who used illegal drugs never committed crimes of robbery or violence. Yet drugs are used as the excuse to assume one's character is corrupt, while at the same time some of the very ones involved in that War on Drugs are strung out on legally prescribed relaxants so they can deal with the stress of the job and the stress they place others under while executing their ill concieved "War".

Since the War on Drugs began we've seen a multifold increase in prison inmates, funding for drug police, for extra judges, increased costs of courts, increased economic hardship upon the relatives of those hauled into the courts, the injustice of it all is staggering. All of it is based upon a presumption that all persons using an illegal drug or substance is a criminal rather than someone exercising a choice in what they place within their body.

I firmly believe the War on Drugs has no goal other than the eventual empowerment of police state powers to be used against the democracy of the people and as a means to deprive numerous of their rights to vote and thereby overcome this madness.

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The Right To Vote...
by Blake Cook Nov 13, 2003 1:20PM PST
I firmly believe the War on Drugs has no goal other than the eventual empowerment of police state powers to be used against the democracy of the people and as a means to deprive numerous of their rights to vote and thereby overcome this madness. - James Denison

I agree with everything you said here James. Here in Florida and many other states, anyone convicted of any drug crime, regardless of how minor, is deprived of their right to vote forever. In both the 2000 and 2002 elections, Jeb Bush used a list of so-called former convicts to prevent them from voting. Unfortunately, it has been discovered that a great many of the names on Jeb's list had never been convicted of any crimes. The same could occur in the future in a Democratically controlled state as well. There are no safe-guards to prevent abuse from anyone that feels that they can benefit from the action...
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Strange....
by Keith Marcotte Nov 13, 2003 1:23PM PST

Here in Canada, our courts overturned restrictions on convicts voting so now everyone can vote.

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Reversing The Trend...
by Blake Cook Nov 13, 2003 1:50PM PST
Here in Canada, our courts overturned restrictions on convicts voting so now everyone can vote. - Keith Marcotte

It seems that the trend is just the opposite here in the US. As Canada becomes more tolerant and inclusive of its citizens, the US continues to become more Conservative and restrictive. Congressional leaders are using every tool at their disposal to block people who generally oppose them from voting or to make their vote insignificant. Some of these tools include redistricting and conviction blacklists. I fear it's going to get much worse long before people begin to wake up and begin fighting to reverse the trend...
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NT- Hurray! May it happen here soon too!
by James Denison Nov 13, 2003 3:12PM PST

.

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( NT) It depends a whole lot on the voters...
by Charlie Thunell PL&T Nov 13, 2003 5:15PM PST

`?

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It wasn't the voters...
by Keith Marcotte Nov 13, 2003 8:00PM PST

that decided the issue, it was the courts. Previously, voting rights were suspended for prisoners in jail - voting rights were returned upon release. Until overturned by the courts, politicians and and voters thought it was reasonable that prisoners lost certain rights while in jail.

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Good! I like that! It's the right direction to go.
by Charlie Thunell PL&T Nov 13, 2003 8:21PM PST

But while we have this christian/conservative fundementalist administration, we can basically forget about any improvement in human rights!

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I would prefer that elected politicians make the laws...
by Keith Marcotte Nov 13, 2003 8:29PM PST

but it seems to be easier to have politicians make the popular decision and then have the courts overrule them with the correct decision.

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In Sweden....
by Charlie Thunell PL&T Nov 13, 2003 5:14PM PST

that is not strange at all! Convicts have been allowed to vote for a very long time!

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Re:The Right To Vote...
by James Denison Nov 13, 2003 3:11PM PST

My belief is and always has been that every citizen should have their right to vote respected, even if they are sitting in jail, or a paroled felon. To not have that be the law of our land is to run the risk that one day any targeted group can slowly be disenfranchised of their rights through a concerted action to create laws targeted at them that they are bound to break in order they may be charged and convicted and then permanently deprived of the vote. If they are a citizen, and they are not dead, they should have a right to vote.

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Re:Re:The Right To Vote...
by T Lee Nov 13, 2003 3:22PM PST

James,

If that were the case, do you think John Hinkley Jr. would vote for GW in '04? LOL

I understand he is "out" now.

Tim

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GW?
by James Denison Nov 13, 2003 3:26PM PST

I wouldn't be surprised at all if John Hinckley voted for George Washington.

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