From: KJPHELAN@SUNRISE.ACS.SYR.EDU Date: 25 Feb 92 19:44:00 GMT Newsgroups: alt.drugs Subject: Candidates Views on Drug Legalization The following is from the AP NewsWire service 2/25/92 Reprinted without permissions START ------------------------------------------------------------------------ NEWS 2/25/92 PAGE 1 OF 6 The Issue: Candidates' Views On Drug Decriminalization --- Here are the views of the major presidential candidates on the question: ''Should drug abuse be decriminalized so that government can put more emphasis on education and treatment and less on law enforcement?'' DEMOCRATS - Jerry Brown: ''While I do not support decriminalization of drugs, I believe the government should put more emphasis on education and treatment. The reason the drug war is failing is because of the impoverishment of the people, so we should concentrate on bettering the economic conditions and education of our citizens.'' - Bill Clinton: ''I oppose drug decriminalization and believe we need to take tougher steps in the war on drugs to decrease both supply and demand. In particular, I support drug treatment on demand, so that people with drug problems can get the help they need." - Tom Harkin: ''No. I think thatlegalizing drugs is like surrendering, and I'm not about to surrender when my kids are at stake. Legalization will not solve the problems caused by drug abuse - it will lead to more drug abuse ... Legalization won't help addicts because it will take away an incentive to get help. We don't need to surrender in the drug war. We need a commander-in -chief who will fight for American kids.'' - Bob Kerrey: ''No. We do, however,need to focus more resources on drug education and treatment to end the demand for illicit drugs. I am the only candidate with a plan to provide drug treatment to all Americans. ... I will also see that all American children receive quality drug education. And I will reorient federal priorities to more effectively support local law enforcement so that they can adapt their deployment, prevention and community relations activities to the realities of confronting problems." - Paul Tsongas: ''No. Drugs are ravaging the lives of too many people for them to be decriminalized. I believe the government must step up its enforcement at the borders, but also offer treatment on demand and education for drug addicts.'' REPUBLICANS - George Bush: Does not support decriminalization of drugs. - Patrick Buchanan: ''No.'' - David Duke: ''No.'' ____________________________________________________________________________ END ****************************** Article Separation ***************************** From: stevec@orodruin.tivoli.com (Steve the not-so-foolhardy) Date: 5 Mar 92 05:23:46 GMT Newsgroups: talk.politics.drugs Subject: Tsongas and the Drug War I picked this up on a local politics news group. I think that it bears repeating to the wide world. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~From: tcm@tcm.austin.ibm.com (Tom McDonald) ~Newsgroups: austin.politics ~Subject: Re: Texans for Tsongas Information ~Date: 4 Mar 92 18:37:56 GMT Distribution: austin Organization: IBM, Austin In article <16940@awdprime.UUCP> sanders@sanders.austin.ibm.com (Tony Sanders) writes: >tcm@tcm.austin.ibm.com (Tom McDonald) writes: >> Looking for more information about the Democratic candidates for >> President? >I read somewhere that Tsongas was quoted as stating that the death penalty >should be reserved for drug dealers. Can anyone confirm or deny this quote? > >-- sanders Reprinted without permission from _A Call to Economic Arms: Forging a New American Mandate_ by Paul E. Tsongas: Capital Crimes Against Society Crime in America today falls into two categories in my mind. The first is the level of crime inherent in any society. There will always be a criminal element and there will always be crimes of passion. The second is crime that is drug-related. And this is not a level of criminal activity that should be acceptable. It is a threat to our very being. This threat does not result from guns or bombs or knives. This threat results from commerce. It is entrepreneurial. Yet it kills. It kills in massive numbers. Some of the people it kills die. Others live but in a larger sense they die as well. This is not your every day one-on-one street crime. Or your crime of passion. This is a methodical, planned, knowing slaughter of the many in pursuit of money. Massive amounts of money. And this slaughter is today the greatest threat to our domestic common security. It is the threat of big-time drug dealing. How can we tolerate this dissipation of our collective strength? Drugs are overwhelming us. No society ravaged by drugs is going to compete with anybody. Yet those who engage in and profit from this trade are considered lesser criminals by the criminal code. I kill one person in a fit of passion and I am a murderer. I kill thousands of people by methodical drug trafficking and I am not a murderer. By what standard of logic? By what definition of true threat? Who truly kills the drug user found in an alley with a needle in his arm? Who truly kills the store owner murdered by a drug user in search of quick money for a drug purchase? Who truly kills the intravenous drug user who contracts AIDS? Who truly kills the victim of an automobile crash caused by drug use? Who truly kills the newborn cocaine dependent baby? The major drug trafficker does. Yet in states that impose the penalty he is immune. I repeat. By what definition of real threat? By what recognition of actual damage to our societal core? If the death penalty is society's way of identifying the greatest threat, it must look past the one-on-one crime of passion or criminal intent. It must concentrate on those who would destroy all of us. It must focus on the trafficker and, once and for all, declare a war on drugs that is a war on drugs. Billions upon billions for defense against fading foreign threats embodied by the Soviets and only hesitance in addressing the true angels of death within our borders. Unless drug dealing is significantly reduced, we will never be a viable nation. We will never compete. We will be dragged down by our fellow citizens lost in the demonic caverns of drug dependence. ---- End of quoted passage ---- This clearly states Tsongas's position and reasoning on the death penalty for drug traffickers. Of course, I encourage everyone to look at the candidate's positions on all of the issues, not just the ones that fit into a sound bite. The Austin office of Texans for Tsongas will be happy to mail you his book and position papers. Call them at 472-7404. Or stop by at 707 Rio Grande. Tom McDonald tcm@netmail.austin.ibm.com 838-3065 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- This posting contains facts and my opinions, not IBM's. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- steve -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | steve cochran | stevec@orodruin.tivoli.com | | tivoli systems | (512) 794-9071 | | 6034 west courtyard drive | (512) 794-0623 fax | | suite 210 | | | austin, tx 78730 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------