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Editor: 

Warnings of the FBI to be on increased alert for terrorism are effectively subverted and attenuated by the federal fifth column actions by the Justice Department’s DEA. (Or is it the other way around?)  

Right wing Republican Enronites exploit the threat of foreign terror to attack civil and state’s rights. Since 9-11 we have seen an increase in domestic federal attacks against California and Oregon. The fuzzy connection of drugs with terrorism is true – but the result of prohibitory laws that set up the illicit markets.  

Undermining governance and mutual trust, the assaults against the Harm Reduction Center in San Francisco no doubt pandered to their covens. A slap in the face to uppity Terence Hallinan, San Francisco District Attorney, and the City and County of sanctuary and gays. Twelve hours before DEA chief Asa Hutchinson’s speech at the Commonwealth Club.  

Marking his turf, he cited the official extraordinary unpopular delusions and madness of Congress and the Supreme Court as the justification for his agency assaults. This toxic federal hegemony is promoted by the Bush II, Ashcroft, Hutchinson, Walters evil axes. This subverts and blunt readiness and alert by divisive persecution. 

A pathetic national version of the bible thumpers holding forth on Sproul Plaza at UC Berkeley to show bravery as they sermonized in the belly of the beast. Asa showed that he could be just as nasty and meanspirited to stick it to those San Francisco, California godless deviants. On the backs of the medical marijuana patients and the California voters. 

The divisive creation of enmity and distrust by Californians of good will, wanting to do the right thing to implement and comply with will of the people expressed through their enacting the Compassionate Use Act of 1996. This is subversion and giving comfort to enemies of democracy.  

The myopic and simplistic notion promoted by the attempts to link terrorism with illicit drugs is merely efforts to seek a moral high ground and justification for a failed policy of prohibition. All perpetrated by a leadership dazed and confused- unable to conceptualize long term strategies to combat foreign terrorism. The refuge of scoundrels is seeing a mass clustering: Patriotism. Anyone conspicuously proclaiming it should undergo additional scrutiny for misdeeds. 

These elements of toxic federalism will do more to hinder the national effort to defend against terrorism. They will not deflect from the developing Enron scandals except to expose the harm that has been done to California and Oregon. 

Tod H. Mikuriya, M.D. 

Berkeley