I think the drug czar meant to say, "If we reduce the QUANTITY and raise the price," but if they are in the business of tampering with street drugs to reduce the quality, well then, I won't be surprised. It's the US Govt we're talking about.

In the late 1970's, a cocaine smuggler went to the Senate and told them that cocaine was the "latin american atom bomb". Any reaction besides ensuring that cocaine and the crack and meth addicts it spawned would flourish? Ask Ollie North and John Hull about the COSTA RICAN air strip whereby the drugs and weapons passed in the night...drugs back to the USA and weapons to LA Nicaragua...

Man, I gonna have to start steppin on it.

... Subs that are harder to find then ones build by other world superpowers in a fleet that is growing as the supply is needed. I could say I saw this comming, but what I really want to ask is why didn't the American government?

How long will it be now till the subs can defend themselves and how long till they get into other hands?

If the subs are a resut of the war on drugs that was started in the 80's what do we have to look forward to in the war on terror?

this shows how poor a job our government is doing in protecting our borders. might as well legalize it. how many billions of dollars have been wasted on this effort,

Just more proof that the drug war can't be won!

I actually saw one of these in Miami while sitting on my balcony one night.

The "War on Drugs" is an utter embarrassing failure that our wasteful government continues to dump money into. What they really need to do is legalize most, if not all, of these substances, then control and tax the he|| out of them. Use the money for education and social security funding. The current view on drugs is simply uneducated and wrong in every way. Illegal drugs are the single largest contributing factor to crime in this country. Legalize drugs, let the worthless addicts off themselves, let the social users have their fun, reduce crime dramatically, and reap the rewards from the tax money. It's really not that tough to figure out. Our government is such a joke sometimes.

First off, if subs (and planes) do not respond to international hailing frequencies in these waters, blow what ever it is to pieces. Second, why would we legalize cocaine when everybody has been after the tobacco companies for putting addicting nicotine in their cigarettes? Are you saying that cocaine is not addicting?

There is a very simple solution to this our current Attack Sub fleet which we use to chase the Soviet/Russia "Boomers" all over the world are a great weapon to use - any sub entering our territorial waters that would fail to answer a hail can be subject to immediate hostile fire. Foriegn Navies subs are easily identified by their noise signature; these home made subs can just as easily be identified. I'll bet if we sink a couple of them they might think twice about trying to use them; of course the tree huggers - Dems will be up in arms because we will have drugged the surronding aquatic life.

thats cool sub and good idea LOL

The war on drugs is waste of TRILLIONS of tax dollars and prison space. Furthermore, it isn't the right of the govt. to say what you can or can't put in your own body.

Great while we are looking for drug subs, and Soviet Sub can sneak in and attack us. Cocaine should not be legal, it is simply way to addictive. However, we could focus on cocaine, heroin and meth, if they stop wasting time and money on the way on marijuana. Tax the marijuana and use it to eradicate the hard drug dealers in the USA and build jails with it as well. Publicize special hard labor drug trafficking jails, with long sentences to discourage the casual dealers. You can't stop them all, but you can right size the war on drugs by focusing on the worse kinds.

"Legalize drugs, let the worthless addicts off themselves, let the social users have their fun, reduce crime dramatically, and reap the rewards from the tax money. It's really not that tough to figure out."
You fail to factor in the increase in health care from all of the new addicts.

Actual Gene you can sink as many as you want they will keep sending more because there is demand and lots of dollars to be had. You forgot the part of the speech where you tell every one that this administration knows what it is doing! Legalize it -tax it and get us out of our Debit.

If drugs were legalized, then they'd by worthless!

Thomas Lawhead,

What you likely saw in Miami was the Sea Dolphin II, a private pleasure sub owned and operated out of Fort Lauderdale. It's about 40 feet long, powered by twin diesel motors, and can carry 12 passengers.

Price is down because demand is down. It's not the hip drug it was in the '80's. And those for legalization, you're nuts. Overdosing on Cocaine is very real and deadly.

This is BALONEY. If you want to fix a problem, you have to deal with the cause. The cause of the drug problem is that DEMAND from drug users is fuelling the supply, therefore if you remove the demand, then nobody will bother supplying a nonexistent market. Make it completely unpalatable for drug users to take cocaine, heroin and all the other illegal drugs, the operative word being ILLEGAL. The police should have the power to test every person they suspect of illegal drug use and if they return a positive result, they should be arrested, charged with a crime and then tossed into a holding pen for at least one month and go cold turkey in very uncomfortable circumstances. Those that are caught selling drugs, well, throw the book at them. 20 years in jail minimum would be good. Make it so horrendous to have anything to do with drugs, that those Colombians would have no market to sell their filth to and they would eventually be driven out of business by sheer lack of demand. Legalising drug use is the stupid way. Severe deterrence is the ONLY way.

I'm in my early 50's and have NEVER known a time when any (so-called)
'illegal drug' was even remotely difficult to obtain! Like any item in demand in this 'Ferengi_family_values' society, the ONLY qestions are economic:
How much?
How Often?
Where/to whom does 'it' get dropped off to??, etc!
The U.S. government does an equally wonderful 'National Security' job, protecting U.S. citizens, (& jobs!), from 'illegal economic' &/or,
'patholgic' refugees! We should be thankfuul these 'cocaine subs' aren't
'Trident-Equipped F.B.M.S.'s!

We've spent 30 years and $500 BILLION on our absurd "war on drugs." What do we have to show for it? Absolutely nothing. It's a war that simply cannot be won. Our jails are full and drugs are just as plentiful today as they were in 1970. It's long past time for us to decriminalize drugs and spend the money we waste on prohibition on treatment and education. The government's own think-tank experts (Rand) have told them this is the most effective approach.

While we are fighting the war on drugs we should also stamp out the evils of strong drink.
Well we already tried that and it did not work out.
The government is not the ansewr to most troubles in society.
The goverment will become the problem when it is given to much leash.
Like the previous poster said, drugs should be available to those who are of legal age.
Then let nature take it course.

Private submarines are the big thing among the elite rich.
for a mere 80 million, you can have a 200+ submarine yacht capable of atlantic crossings, much of it underwater. THis is probably chump change to the cartels.

What they need to do is make dealing drugs a death offense (public hanging)with swift trials and swift retribution. As one who was involved in the drug culture years ago, I've seen how drugs, including pot, destroy lives. When all drug dealers, including the young punk, liberal High School and college students, face a rope instead of some comfortable prison, that will curtail availability of drugs.

Of course theres drug runs, they are going on all around us. Yet the government is doing nothing to stop it.

Drugs do not destroy lives. They are only inanimate chemical compounds. In truth, people destroy themselves using these mere chemicals (themselves as inert as so much salt and water). It is their own damn fault for poisoning themselves.

Very well, let the stupid weaklings kill themselves off. Good riddance. It improves the breed. Anti-drug enforcement interferes with natural selection. Any proper Darwinist knows that.

Drug use should therefore be encouraged, to promote evolution!

Yes, you're so right Dave: we need to hang everyone who takes/wants drugs.
Freedom is a curse on us all. We are all sinners at our core and we must be punished.
Life is not about pleasure, it is about paying taxes and tithes to the morally superior and fulfilling whatever purpose/plan they lay out for us.
Just one question, why waste the time and money to hang them when we can just let those who want drugs have them and the can kill themselves (since those of who know the drug culture know that these addicts are rotten to the core)?

What we need to do is:
1. Execute drug dealers caught selling drugs and drug smugglers caught in the act, and those convicted by trial. They are murderers and enemies of our nation.
2. Make seized drugs poisonous by injecting some additive. Then immediately sink drug-smuggling vessels by explosion with the poisoned drugs aboard.
3. Seize and utterly destroy the property of convicted drug dealers.
Availability would probably cease rather quickly!

RMS: Yes you are right they should execute all those murdering doctors, pharmacists and anyone connected to the pharmeceutical companies!

for those who want to legalize drugs.
your right ends where my bumper begins!
Alcohol is legal, and look how many
alcholics we have!

CURE WHAT AILS AMERICA: End the "war on drugs",legalize drugs, empty the prisons to make room for politicians, the real crooks.

The war on poverty and education have been utter failures too, we should also abandon those also. What a waste of hundreds of trillions of dollars.

Is there a war on drugs! or just a war on drug dealers? Its everyone outside of the United States trying to sell illegal drugs while the U.S. legalize its drugs and sell to other countries, the residents of the U.S. demand quality .

Well, "Gene", it appears you're another Republican who obviously doesn't have a clue about....drugs or Democrats; you're just worried that your own supply will be cut off. But, hey, one of your "noisemakers", Rush "the Druggie" Limbaugh, finds it perfectly normal to use Oxycontin.

But as usual, drugs, like everything else, will find it's way to the streets no matter what is being done to prevent them. You can't treat the addict by throwing him "under" the jail, which, after all, is a Republican mentality; unless of course, you have money and are well-connected, just so you can "pretend" to dry out!

I am an x-coasty. I served in the United States Coast Guard. And I will tell you with complete confidence that the majority of illegal narcotics that comes into the United States comes in by vessels with Diplomatic Immunity. While I served in the Coast Guard there were vessels that Coast Guard Intelligence understood drugs were on board but we were not allowed to board it. This was not an isolated case. This situation was very often. There were cases where a person would actually have warrants out for their arrest and yet we could not touch them, I referring to someone who was only 19 years old and was no diplomat. If a journalist wants a good story that would shock people, contact X-coast guard vets that served in the 7th district. That would be florida.

Sounds like a great reason to give alarge defense contractor a 5 billion dollar contract to come up with a way to detect and stop the subs.
But after 9 years and after running 12 billion dollars over cost estimates, then they'll can come and say that it can't be done.
But everyone gets paid while the drugs keep on coming. Didn't they put up some kind of stupid blimps along the border in texas with a similar hair-brained idea?
Know what? Drugs have been part of the American Culture for 100 years..and no matter what you say or do, they will continue to be. At best you'll stop 1% while 99% gets through..and at what cost?
And just look at Rush...nobody smuggled in his drugs of choice..they were made right here in the good ol' US of A at Eli Lilly.

the only thing i'd want everyone that has no self-control and is doing any of that stuff is it funds "organized crime and terrorists"..not exactly legal..not exactly religious and not exactly safe!
if you want our dollar to be a dollar again and relieve the coast guard and other services to do others services, don't buy imported drugs!

self-respect and self-control equal a will of your own !! remember me..every time i try to help you with some positive reinforcement, i get censored or threatened! don't you ruin your lives ever again! and don't fund terrorism or organized crime!! we need to let our government know that if they didn't put so many NO's out there, it might tone down the challenging of all the "vices" we find for ourselves! no one wants to be told what to do with their lives, but if we say we're telling you what needs to be done, would it help? be on the lookout for scams and out and out temptations. they'll stop at your colleges and your schools and your friendly neighborhood pubs..respect yourself enough to say no and say it that way: i respect myself and save your money along with your lives. the people watching our waters put theirs on the line every day and they aren't even in iraq. how many wars can we settle by not doing those stupid things to ourselves that we become slaves of? save your money and save a life- reality or realistic? you count!

Wait a minute! Every year for the last 30 years the American drug czars have been proclaiming that "we're winning the war on drugs!" Since our government never lies, illegal drugs should be as difficult to get today as cheap health insurance. What happened?

GWB himself used cocaine quite extensively and "says" that he 'quit'. . . does it make any of you WONDER WHO could be letting in all the drug runners. As for Rush. . . just LISTEN to him and YOU WILL KNOW that he is a druggie. He is OUT OF TOUCH WITH REALITY. As for GWB. . . have any of you ever noticed that he can't string a few words together to make a simple sentence??????

Doggone!! Tom G. darn near got it right. Only thing is, even though you legalize and let supply and demand regulate pricing, you do NOT "tax the hell out of it." If you do, the same people will still be selling it by undercutting the TOTAL price (with tax) of the product. Tax amounts would hasve to be constantly monitored and modified to keep legal prices lower then those of the smugglers. How do you think Al Capone went from small time warf rat to big time Gangsta?

Why can the war on drugs not be won? It is because the U.S. Government is making a fortune thus giving them an unlimited source of income to oppress the American people. From R.I.C.O. and asset forfeiture laws that allow, nay encourage prosecutors and U.S. Attorneys to finance themselves like Mexican bandits. As long as the U.S. Government can keep the balance of the right amount of drugs entering the U.S., they will always have a continous pool of funds. The U.S. has the largest prison population in the world, our drug war has been an unmitigated and incredibly expensive social disaster.

"What they need to do is make dealing drugs a death offense (public hanging)with swift trials and swift retribution. As one who was involved in the drug culture years ago, I've seen how drugs, including pot, destroy lives..."
You, sir, are a hypocrite.
Good Day.

When young, I was told drugs are bad and not to take any if someone offered them to me. Then I saw a big neon sign at a strip mall: "DRUG STORE".

I pointed it out to my parents and questioned why they would allow that if drugs were bad. I was told "Because those drugs are ok, they're used as medicine."
And how many "legal" drugs have been pulled off the market because of the harm they caused? Thalodomine (caused birth defects, and others. Big Pharmaceutical may very well cause more problems with illegal drugs saturating the population. Just something to think about....

We need to just start shooting the drug smugglers in the head and leave their bodies on the beach. If we know these boats are being built in the jungle then we should know where and then we should hit it with a stealth bomber. Stop messing around. Deal drugs to a child and you die. Execution in front of all the students at your old high school. (Same with rapist and child molesters.)

This thing looks like it runs just below the surface where there is enough water turbulence to cover it sound at low speeds. I would look at it as more of a surface skimmer then a true submarine.

artist0122 | Dec 26, 2007 12:29:52 PM posted that (“GWB himself used cocaine quite extensively and "says" that he 'quit'. “) No one has ever shown any proof of this lie. NO ONE!!! The democrats offered huge rewards to anyone that could produce any proof of this LIE. There was NO ONE except one ex-con that was proven beyond doubt to be a liar. And artist0122 post (:As for Rush. . . just LISTEN to him and YOU WILL KNOW that he is a druggie.”) He was addicted to a prescription drug that his doctor proscribed to him for pain. He has admitted it and persecuted (not prosecuted) for it by a DEMOCRAT DA in Florida that could prove NOTHING! His problem is he has lost most of his hearing and has to use an implant and someone transcribing on the computer screen for him to do his job as a radio commentator and entertainer.

So artist0122, if you don’t know what you are talking about, just don’t say anything. The story is about a sub that the smugglers are using to bring in this poison. That, and what do you think should be done, is what the comments should be on .

The price is going up because the drug dealers are scared. Scared that we are sealing off our border with a fense. Keep building boys!

Everyone must be responsible for themselves. If I eat too much fat I will get clogged arteries and die early. If I take drugs I will die early. Individual selection. I can’t (and shouldn’t) be responsible for anyone else but me. If I do stupid things I will die early. If you do stupid thing you will die early. There are our choices. Legalize and tax drugs. Let natural selection take place. Stupid people need to die before they can reproduce, it is the only way our species can grow. Problem solved. Besides we have too many people on the planet today any way. We are in danger of running out of food to feed everyone anyway – and we want to convert to bio fuel!!! Don’t even get started on that!!
For those of you who disagree with me – since when did you take charge of my life? I don’t care what you do as long as it does not affect me. Who decided you should be deciding what values I should have. This is much the same thinking the Crusaders had when they decided to slaughter the “non believing” Muslims. That was wrong then and you telling me or anyone what they should do is also wrong. You have no right to decide what is good for me as long as what I do does not affect anyone else. I don’t smoke or take drugs, I eat healthy and work hard and I have no sympathy for those who do not but I respect their decision to live their own life (or death).
Stop trying to convert others to do what you want to do. Keep out of other peoples lives.
Kalo

It is amazing that some of you would prefer a society that shoots people in the head summarily to one where some people have drug problems!

There is only one way to push this situation to a stasis, or equalibrium - make it all readily available to adults and let nature take its course. There will be a bubble of overuse (the opposite of severe repression) and then it will taper to a manageable level. The important change is about who is in control - right now the wrong people are controlling the system.

Additionally, if we push drug smugglers to produce subs, it is just a matter of time before they will also be used for terrorist acts, just because they have been made available. Make it legal and put the dealers out of a job soon!

The drug dealers are not scared because they love giving the US Intelligence competition for their money.
Sealing borders and seizing subs will neither stop the drug trafficking. Take a good look at the subs as they have a Stealth configuration without the Stealth paint configuration.

Should we not ask ourselves who is really pushing the drug into the United States????

What about the Florida based Gulfstream II jet aircraft # N987SA with 3.8 tons of cocaine which crashed in Mexico and the seized DC-9 N900SA aircraft carrying 5.5 tons of cocaine also in Mexico and originated in Venezuela?
And the 33 tons seized in containers and off-loaded from the "ESMERALDA" also in Mexico. It looks like..........that
“The Federal Government is almost Totally Corrupt… and Puts Up a Façade of Enforcing the Law” but Money is POWER and that is what the US Government is looking for, TOTAL POWER CONTROL.

What a shame!!!!!!!!!!!

Is it just me, or does this picture bear a striking resemblance to the old "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" ride at Disney World, you know, the Disney version of Capt. Nemo's Nautilus?
Funny, when Disney closed that ride, I joked that somebody might buy the old mini-sub chassiss just as collectibles. I never imagined that anyone would ever construct something that actually resembled it. As a probable under-surface skimmer, the form does somewhat suit the function.

when Coca Cola took Coca out of the soda the competition soared and the street sales of cocaine went up. In Peru any one can enjoy a cup of coca tea. It's relaxing and boosts the human body for travel to the higher elevations so one won't die from elevation exposure. Before 1936 cocaine was not illegal and was not a problem like alcohol. You could buy Heroine in the drug stores for cold and flu relief but the common public knew better than to take to much of it. Now all of this stuff is illegal and the black market exists because of it meanwhile jails and prisons are full of addicts and our governments solution is to build more jails and prisons. I believe that the people who support street drugs by legislature against it need to be the ones in prison.

quote: The police should have the power to test every person they suspect of illegal drug use and if they return a positive result, they should be arrested.

---

Just remember that the next time you eat a bagel with seeds on it... you will test positive. those tests are only about 90% reliable, so what happens to the other 10% ??

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You people amaze me. no wonder we have fascist Bush in office. I suppose you will elect Stalin next. Stalin had the right idea, but he was much too lenient, he only killed about 30 million people.

----

yes, drugs destroy lives. but guess what? so does going to jail.

it's a disease, treat it as such.

-------

The government keeps trying to get rid of drug dealers because they don't like the competition.

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

Orwell was on the right track, but he badly underestimated the level of technology that we have developed. 1984 should be required reading.

what did we learn from prohibition? if we hadn´t tried that we wouldn´t still be dealing with orginized crime in this country.it might be worth a try to legalize and tax weed and see if that would drive down demand for harded drugs.

ppls legalize drugs.....pot ok i realy dont have a problem with it

others.....there some of the worst things in the world and did anyone ever think about the fact that all these things have one thing in comon

we never had such prevalent drug use until after the early60s so please lets see it was there but not as big of a problem THINK PPLS the thing that is doing this is us ourselves ITS weakness

it's a disease, treat it as such.

my mother died from drinking herself to death because she was weak loved her but she was its not a disease its weakness live for the moment do what feels good please ppls that teach that crap overdose and kill yourselves so my money will stop going to treat a bunch of crack heads

I have the perfect solution. Take some of the money we spend on illegal drugs, buy a deserted island some where in the middle of the ocean take the rest of the money buy the drugs from the trafficking countrys
put the drugs on the islands that we purchase fill up all the cruise ships with druggies that want to waste their ivies
away put them on the islands along with
some druggie rock and roll bands and and let them party till they all die. This would clean out all the jails get rid of the drug users,dealers,criminals. But the gov. state or federal want do because their is to much money involved, thats why the put you in jail for DUI for drinking a beer. Money, money, money they don't give a damn if you die in a wreck for not having a seat belt on or if you die as a result of DUI, I bet if the truth was known senile women or men probably cause more people to die than alcohol or falling asleep at the wheel.
but they cant do that because there is no money in it
Bonez

those of you who think cocaine has declined in popularity are crazy. it is as big now as it has ever been. The fact of the matter is that Canada is getting the cheaper cocaine nowadays because of the currency conversion. Ottawa, in the last 3 years, has become the epicenter of cocaine distribution for Canada, and most of The Eastern US. That is why prices are going up, and quality is going down. Drugs need to be legalized as a means to divert the money that is being dumped into both the war and addictions. Legal or not people are going to do drugs. And just like abortion, it is not the government's place to tell us what we can and can't do with our bodies so long as we are not harming other individuals.

Cocaine prices are up, because the dollar is low - simple economics.

Supply and demand. Get a hold of either either end of the economic see-saw and you control the problem.

To kill the drug business, all you have to do is give the real addicts a simple prescription for their drug of choice. They are the ones that support the cartel and make drugs immediately profitable.

Imagine if all the addicts got their drugs legally for $7 a pound, no waiting. They certainly wouldn't do much more than consume the drugs, and without this dedicated sales force the dope dealers would soon find themselves out of business. Especially if you maintained the police pressure on illegal dealing.

It's going to take a very conservative president to reverse course and get us out of the War On Everything mode.

Remember, only Nixon could go to China.

Drug use and consequent addiction is just one salient aliment in our alienated secular-informed society. This new "evolving" godless experimental social paradigm taught in our 'modern' public schools- has supplanted the traditional male authority preserved in the natural society of the intact[undivorced] family.
Thus the many natural-father-less kids have been taught to expect self-indulgence as their fulfillment--they have not known a natural authority that would compel them to a productively authentic life.
The maternal instinct(please don't beat the misbehaving child)is perniciously indulgent and strongly pervasive in the broken family. Instead of training the child in classic social mores(too strict) let the child be free and flower as it sees fit-- Dr. Spock babies.
Welcome to the modern "maternal" society...vote for Hillary ('It takes a Village') to seal the deal.

BTW MY mother and father raised five kids and loved us and KICKED ASS. None of us became drug or alcohol addicts. We were loyal to one another, and passed on knowledge and tradion. We got great educations, professional success and personal fulfillment in our spouses and progeny. And so our circle will be unbroken.

GWB was a big time cocaine user--it was well known in the air national guard in which he served. Well, not really served, because he was AWOL and refused a mandatory physical/drug test.

I do not understand how the Government can justify removing the Bible & Commandments from public places, even at the local level where it has no jurisdiction according the the Xth Amendment, and then simultaneously abrogate individual liberties to proscribe ethnobotanicals -- thus making these substances available only through Crime Syndicates?

Can somebody explain the rationality in this duplicity? Fomerly Government fostered Religion, yet did not create a State-financed church; and individual liberties remained for the individual to make his own decisions on what he would believe and what he would privately buy or grow. What kind of reversal of Governmental authority are Americans swallowing -- a reversal so alien to the Founding Era of America's history?!

What we need to do is:
1. Execute drug dealers caught selling drugs and drug smugglers caught in the act, and those convicted by trial. They are murderers and enemies of our nation.
2. Make seized drugs poisonous by injecting some additive. Then immediately sink drug-smuggling vessels by explosion with the poisoned drugs aboard.
3. Seize and utterly destroy the property of convicted drug dealers.
Availability would probably cease rather quickly!

SO I can make my own then? And your still ok with booze right?
And is it ok then to use pharmaceuticals? what about people who drick to much robitussin on purpose and get a buzz? Death death death?
Are you very young? Or an adult and that stupid.

There is a very simple explanation as to why drugs remain illegal in this country. PROFIT GREED CORRUPTION. Tomorrow if legalized, the dealers, suppliers, CORRUPT POLITICIANS, would all BE OUT OF BUSINESS!!! However don't hold your breath. As long as drugs are illegal, they remain profitable. Very simple equation.

In response to Ben,

I agree with legalization of "harmless" drugs such as marijuana. The effects of cannabis are minor compared to a completely inebriated human being with car keys in hand. In fact I agree that crime would plummet and tax dollars earned (not to mention prison dollars spent incarcerating weed dealers. Please.). You can't, however, legalize narcotics that have the potential to kill. Pretty soon we would be submerged with wide eyed crack fiends acting irrational in public venues and young kids dying of respiratory depression.

This drug war is just one big issue with the world and the U.S. isnt going to stop it for a long time. Its too muh of a big step to take, Yes we can get the little amounts of the substance but well never get the loads of kilos and pounds even tons of marijuana, thats something that we have to just give time for. Cocaine is too much of a common drug to just be able to stop it.
They stopped about 180000 pounds of pure cocaine!!!!