From the Wall Street Journal this morning, the paper reports that President Obama’s new drug czar, Gil Kerlikowske, in his first interview since taking over the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said Wednesday that the “war on drugs” analogy was a barrier for dealing with drug issues in the U.S. “Regardless of how you try to explain to people it's a 'war on drugs' or a 'war on a product,' people see a war as a war on them," Kerlikowske said. “We're not at war with people in this country.” The WSJ writes that such words “signal that the Obama administration is set to follow a more moderate -- and likely more controversial -- stance on the nation's drug problems,” dealing with the matter as an issue of public health rather than criminal justice alone. The Obama administration has already called for an end to the disparity in how crimes involving crack cocaine and powder cocaine are dealt with, states the WSJ. And the power of federal authorities to raid medical-marijuana dispensaries in the 13 states where medical marijuana has been legalized has also been taken away. Mr. Kerlikowske, the former police chief of Seattle, said in the interview that he hasn't yet focused on U.S. policy toward fighting drug-related crime in other countries.
The New York Times has a top story on the capsizing of a boat filled with 27 mostly Haitian immigrants attempting to reach the United States. Nine of the 27 died in the accident as the U.S. Coast Guard brought the remaining individuals ashore. The boat apparently set sail from the Bahamas, a country many migrants use as a jumping off point to get to Florida. But details on their identities, time of departure or what led the boat to capsizing were not known Wednesday night. According Coast Guard officials, the rescue effort was among the largest in recent years, and, as the NYT notes, “the incident promises to renew debate over immigration policy for Haitians. Haiti, the poorest country in the hemisphere, is still struggling to get back on its feet after a series of powerful hurricanes killed an estimated 1,000 people last year and led to food shortages. In March, the Department of Homeland Security said it would continue deporting illegal Haitian immigrants, despite appeals by the Haitian government.
Inside the Miami Herald this morning, the AP reports on violence and drugs in Brazil. In Sao Paulo, favela residents rioted after the arrest of drug dealers in a shantytown Wednesday. Vehicles and trees were burned and police were struck with rocks, the AP writes. Raids in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro frequently set off gun battles between gangs and police. But, according to the report, life-disrupting violence in Sao Paulo is relatively rare. Initial reports say Sao Paulo's infamous First Capital Command gang was behind the violence. The gang controls most of the drug trade in Sao Paulo's slums and showed its power in 2006 by waging a month of violence that left 200 people dead.
Meanwhile, another report from Guatemala in the Washington Post where the paper reports more on the mysterious video tape charging President Alvaro Colom with carrying out the assassination of Guatemalan lawyer, Rodrigo Rosenberg. Colom and his supporters insist the tape is connected to their political enemies, including those involved in organized crime. “The video is totally false, my conscience is clear,” Colom said. “This government is not guilty of thuggery or assassination.” Colom has appealed to the United States for help, asking U.S. Ambassador Stephen G. McFarland to bring in the FBI to assist in the investigation of Rosenberg's slaying. Colom also asked a U.N. group, the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, to investigate. According to human rights activist Frank LaRue, “this is a crisis of the institutions of government, a crisis of democracy. This is the moment when the nation must recover or we will sink.”
And finally, from the LA Times a piece on immigration says “the federal government's E-Verify program, which seeks to reduce the hiring of illegal immigrants, is becoming increasingly popular, with 1,000 new businesses signing up each week despite concerns about its reliability.” In California, restaurants, hospitals and temporary employment agencies are among the employers most frequently using the system. Last week the Obama administration announced that it wanted Congress to allocate $12 million more to the program in the next fiscal year, while Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a congressional hearing that the program was “a cornerstone of workplace enforcement across the country.” E-Verify, run by the Department of Homeland Security, is a voluntary system that uses government databases to check the names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers of new hires to determine whether those individuals are eligible to work in the U.S.
In other news, the AP reports in the MH from Uruguay saying the Southern Cone country is moving to lift a ban on homosexuals joining the armed forces. Defense Minister Jose Bayardi recently signed a decree lifting the ban imposed by the 1973-85 military dictatorship. The decree now awaits the signature of President Tabaré Vázquez who is expected to approve the measure. Sexual orientation will no longer be considered a reason to prevent people entering the military if approved.
In the NYT, the AP also writes that Colombia's senate has delayed a vote on scheduling a referendum that might permit President Alvaro Uribe to seek a third term. The Senate put off consideration of the measure until May 19 for lack of quorum.
The WSJ writes on Brazil-China relations, reporting that Brazilian state oil giant, Petrobras, is expected to allow Chinese state-owned oil companies invest in more heavily its oil exploration and production projects. The deal would be part of $10 billion in Chinese financing for Petrobras and is expected to be announced next week when Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visits China. The WSJ also notes that, as part of the Brazil-China talks in February, Petrobras agreed to sell China Petrochemical Corp. (Sinopec) 60,000 to 100,000 barrels a day of heavy crude oil—approx. 5% of Petrobras' daily output.
And finally a very interesting opinion in the MH today. Reforma columnist Denise Dresser writes on Mexico in the aftermath of the swine flu crisis and amidst continual drug violence. Unlike many who have praised the handling of the outbreak by public health officials in Mexico, Dresser is more critical, arguing that in Mexico she is “far from democratic normalcy; far from a health system that inspires confidence; far from a government that builds trust; far from home and close to everything that imperils it.” She goes on to write the following: “In contrast with Mexico's authoritarian past, when an ''imperial presidency'' constituted a major obstacle to modernization, power has been dispersed. What the executive branch has relinquished, or been forced to give up, vested interests have seized. The problem is no longer too much power in the president's hands, but too much power in the hands of ''veto centers'' -- including public-sector unions -- that are blocking much-needed reforms, including in the health system.
Photo: Seattle Times
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