Some Thoughts on Heroin and Afghanistan

Afghanistan as a whole supplies 92% of the world’s opiates. The Head of the Taliban’s Supreme Council, Mullah Mohammed Omar, declared it “un-Islamic” to process heroin in July 2001 and production for that year fell by 91%. Two months later, the 9/11 attacks happened in the United States and were immediately blamed on Al Qaeda operating out of Afghanistan. The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001. NATO forces, lead by the U.S.A., removed the Taliban’s control of Afghanistan. Since then, opium production in Afghanistan has reached all-time historical highs. Recent estimates by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimate that 52% of the nation’s GDP, amounting to $2.7 billion annually, is generated by the drug trade and some 3.3 million Afghans are involved in producing opium. There are currently around 437,000 troops making up the NATO / Afghan / USA non-NATO force in Afghanistan. As the CIA has a history of dealing with drug traffickers (i.e. the Contras), we have to wonder what’s going on in Afghanistan. How is the product leaving the country when it has 430,000 foreign troops spread out all over it? One argument is that opium is such a huge part of the Afghan economy, that NATO troops can’t destroy it without creating huge financial burdens on the farmers. Yet the $2.5 Billion that opium production provides the Afghan economy each year is a pittance compared to the cost of the war, which is already well over $369 Billion for the USA alone. Another $2.5 Billion to destroy 90% of the world’s opium seems like a easy decision. Why hasn’t it been made yet? Is it possible that the NATO forces are supporting the world’s heroin trade?

References:

World Bank website – Afghanistan Opium Report

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime website – World Drug Report

Wikipedia “War In Afghanistan”

Nautilus Institute: Opium And Heroin Production

Wikipedia: “Mohammed Omar”

Wikipedia: “US involvement in Contras”

Cost Of War

Bias in Assange News Coverage

How many news orgs, in their coverage of the rape allegations against Wikileaks’ founder Julian Assange, mention the whole story, i.e that both the Prosecution and the Defense claims that the sex was consensual but then “condom mishaps” occurred (as explained in this Wired article)? I think this little fact is very important to how people read the story – but how many news orgs are bothering to include it? And how many reference the fact that Assange’s lawyers they have been asking for, but haven’t received, details of the claims?

Let’s see.

News.com.au – no mention.

Press TV – no mention.

NY Daily News – condom mishap mentioned.

CNN – no mention.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation – no mention.

The Telegraph – no mention.

LA Times – no mention.

Bloomberg – no mention.

Wall Street Journal – no mention.

Sydney Morning Herald – no mention.

No Illusions 16 – More Dangerous Than Crack

Links for this week’s live show:

Report: Alcohol more dangerous that heroin, cocaine, crystal meth, ecstasy, tobacco

California’s Prop 19

Randy Quaid’s Press Conference

Gang Stalking World

Boat People” aka REFUGEES – a problem or an opportunity?

Man Arrested in Brisbane for Wearing a T-shit that said “Jesus Is A Cunt

Yemen “Bomb Scare” – a CIA False Flag Operation?

My new LOTU podcast – the religion for atheists.

Don’t miss future shows – every Tuesday night, 8pm QLD time on uStream.

This podcast is sponsored by Suave Outdoor Living, contact them for Brisbane Decking.

http://www.ustream.tv/flash/video/10592978?v3=1