[WAR] Duterte backs down "war on drugs" as "UN Special Rapporteur" Agnes Callamard surprise visits

Sat May 6 03:39:49 PDT 2017

Probably shoulda CCed the list.

Our middle "Western" ground of "The War on Drugs" is an absolute,
utter failure, if your intention is to reduce drug use and remove the
incentives from the drug market.

If your intention is to maximise profits, and create as many problems
in society as possible so that people stay focused on shit, and don't
have time nor energy to unite behind real problems, like almost
completely undemocractic governments, extensive corporate violations
of our humans rights, and the private banks, then The War on Drugs is
the greatest invention since sliced bread.

>From this narrow perspective, almost ANYthing is better than the War
On Drugs - whether the extreme of Duterte, or the liberal "sanity" as
some view it of treating adults as adults, rather than treating all
of society as children, and allowing individual humans to do as they
choose, with regards to their own bodies (more below).

Of course I do not condone extra judicial killing but as I mentioned
below, the illegality of something rarely stopped those in power from
abusing their ability to do illegal things.

I don't expect nuance from TLA shills, but I'm greatful for the
nuance and insight from others on the list.

Regards,
Zenaan

----- Forwarded message from 'Zenaan Harkness' <zen at freedbms.net> -----
From: 'Zenaan Harkness' <zen at freedbms.net>
To: Jim <jim.sovereign at optusnet.com.au>
Date: Sat, 6 May 2017 20:32:25 +1000
Subject: Re: [WAR] Duterte backs down "war on drugs" as "UN Special Rapporteur" Agnes Callamard surprise visits

On Sat, May 06, 2017 at 06:57:12PM +1000, Jim wrote:
> Zen,
> 
> Do you consider Duterte to be a good and honourable president
> because I view him as an egotistical, self-righteous mass murderer
> with warped moral values. He ignores his own country's constitution
> and legal due process because it interferes with his murderous
> crusade against drug addicts and dealers.

We don't know what he has faced, nor why he has made the decisions/
followed the pathway he has chosen.

It's very easy from our Western Ivory Castles ("main stream media and
"democracy is king" programming), to think that others are simply
wrong, immoral or even evil.

Perhaps Duterte is an evil man.

But I don't know whether he is or not. I won't say he is evil at this
point.

Although I am not a drug taker except for a cider at Christmas time,
I believe that any "war on drugs" is merely a pretext for state
control of what should be individual decisions - my body is mine, and
it is my right to choose what I put in it.

So, on principle, I think any "war on drugs" is against human rights.
But I would balance that with some serious education too...

Duterte? I hope he writes a book before he dies, to tell his side of
his story, as I am very interested in it. If he is "evil like we
imagine Adolf Hitler" was evil, then any book would be nothing but a
whitewash. But we in the West very much think (and communicate) in
dichotomies - black and white, good vs evil.

What I do wonder is why Duterte has such stratospheric popularity in
his own country.

If he has handled "the drug problem", perhaps this has something to
do with it. I think liberalisation/ individual personal autonomy is
the preferred route to "solving the drug problem", and that's about
as much as I can say, as I do not know any significant facts around
Duterte except for the headlines.

Fundamentally, any extra-judicial killing process is highly
problematic - but that never stopped the Rothschilds or Hillary
Clinton now did it?

Also, glorifying extra-judicial killing would be highly problematic -
we should certainly not do that.

But Duterte? I think there's a lot more to the story that we get to
hear. Perhaps. Hopefully one day we learn more of his story.

> I hope Duterte is eventually prosecuted and imprisoned for his
> appalling crimes and human rights violations. Drug dealers deserve
> to be punished with long prison sentences instead of summary
> executions, and how can he justify murdering drug addicts who need
> help with their addiction and associated mental health issues?

The Western approach, at least as we see it in Australia, is really
messed up - just enough punishment to cause untold follow-on crime,
mostly theft to fund addiction, with punishments which, evidently, do
not stop people from becoming addicts, or from using at parties and
dying from overdoses (so many teenage lives cut short), or clogging
the courts, consuming incredible amounts of public resources ... the
list of problems does not end.

So, our "war on drugs" in Australia is absolutely, damned appalling!

Frankly, I am utterly convicted of the opinion that the 'war on
drugs' fuels the black market, maximises profits, disenchants the
youth (late teens - we don't treat them like adults capable of making
their own decisions, and neither do we treat adults like adults) and
keeps the bulk of society focused on "the drug problem" without
realising that most of that problem is created by the very rules of
the game ... arbitrary rules which try to treat adults like children,
and thus create a society of many fucked up humans.

WE are doing something wrong, here in Australia.

By keeping us all focused on problems which are totally artificial,
which don't have the energy or collective resources to unify behind
REAL problems, like road tolls, our right to travel, and the banks.

Get rid of the war on drugs, make all drugs purchasable through
prescription for almost cost price from pharmacies, and addicts then
have absolutely no need to go theiving, cars or houses or corner
stores. But the problem is wanted, so The War On Drugs is maintained.

> I wonder if Duterte would have any member of his family killed if
> they were drug addicts or drug dealers? I doubt it.

We don't know Jim, we don't know. We don't know Duterte, and we don't
know the facts of his life - only the headlines.

Regards,
Zen

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Zenaan Harkness [mailto:zen at freedbms.net] 
> Sent: Saturday, May 06, 2017 12:34 PM
> To: CypherPunks
> Subject: [WAR] Duterte backs down "war on drugs" as "UN Special Rapporteur" Agnes Callamard surprise visits
> 
> Well, actually, we're getting to know Duterte, and we know he doesn't back down against something he believes in.  In fact, he's the kind of guy who, when ambushed by a fancy French word like "rapporteur", doubles down instead.
> 
> And despite what we might believe about his policies, he enjoys stratospheric popularity numbers the likes of which even Putin could be envious of if Putin were the envious type, which of course he's not :)
> 
> Now try saying this fancy French word "rapporteur" in a truly French accent and tell me you don't want to smack yourself in the face for sounding so pompous . . that word alone inspires me to high-five Duterte for his doubling down.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ** Duterte to drug dealers: ‘I will kill you. I will really kill you’
> http://theduran.com/duterte-to-drug-dealers-i-will-kill-you-i-will-really-kill-you/
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> duterte fist
> 
> The remarks came as a UN envoy known for her opposition to Duterte's policies paid a surprise visit to the country.
> 

----- End forwarded message -----