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High-Level Fallout over Reefer Madness-based Attack
Christian Science Monitor | July 30, 2004 | By Robert Marquand - Staff writer

US, China in tiff over Niagara incident
China's media are whipping up anger over the roughing up of a Chinese tourist by a US border guard last week.

BEIJING – A weird and unfortunate incident involving a US border guard who beat a female Chinese tourist at Niagara Falls last week is getting increasing play in China's state-run media as a high-emotions story, with the public receiving continual images of the woman's grotesquely wounded face in newspapers, on the Internet, and on TV talk shows.

[zombienote: It's not wierd. "Law Enforcement" is always doing something bad to people because of marijuana - it's thier job. It happens hundreds of thousands of times per year. From the lowliest local yocal to high-financed DEA stormtroops, it's a war, remember?]

For state media to feature so prominently a racially sensitive story, and to stoke the flames of considerable anger felt on the street here yesterday, suggests some cooling on the Chinese side of Sino-US relations, analysts say. After being phoned by Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, Secretary of State Colin Powell vowed to conduct a full investigation into the matter.

Zhao Yan, a Chinese businesswoman on holiday, was chased and grabbed late at night on July 21 near Niagara's famed Rainbow Bridge by a guard who thought she was part of a drug deal involving pounds of marijuana. After creating some suspicions by her movements, Ms. Zhao ran away just as authorities were doing a drug search. A customs agent, now charged with excessive force, grabbed Zhao, pepper-sprayed her, and roughed her up and badly bruised her face when she swung her arms at him in a struggle, according to US officials.

[zombienote: So, her behaviors were misinterpreted by a law officer who believes and acts as if marijuana is such a bad thing he is authorized to beat her down. Similarly, police in New Zealand think it is OK to poison pot smokers.

We see clearly how big and powerful and wide-ranging the impact of Reefer Madness is. Reefer madness makes it ok to beat, rob, ruin, poison, and kill people who even stand near marijuana, and I will bet you a whole box of donuts ol' Colin Powell will never find this connection.]


Now, shocking photos of Zhao with eyes swollen by the spray and panel talk shows featuring famous law professors on prime-time Chinese TV are playing here as part symbol, part stereotype of American aggressiveness. This comes after this spring's surfeit of images and other coverage here of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.

Moreover, the Zhao story seems to be featured by state media in China just as relations between the two powers are slightly less sunny and a bit more testy over the question of Taiwan, and with less than enthusiastic Chinese support for the US occupation of Iraq, analysts say.

In recent years, the kind of reporting the Chinese get on the US is often colored by the state of relations - tense or relaxed - between the two countries.

[zombienote: Translation - "in recent years" = Since Bush became President.]

The online version of People's Daily, an official mouthpiece of China, yesterday accused the US of having a double standard on human rights. The paper described the incident as an example of America's "hegemonic attitude and racial discrimination," and allowed a Zhao quote to the effect that "America is the most barbaric of all the countries I've visited." Combined with a similar comment about US weapons sales to Taiwan last week, it has not been since the EP-3 spy plane incident in 2001 that China state-run media has allowed common use of such language.

Whether by coincidence, a Chinese professional, Ms. Gao,one of several Beijing residents interviewed on the street here yesterday, professed great anger at the US, and also used the word "hegemonic" to describe US foreign policy.

"My impression of America is not worse because my impression has never been good. Americans are always like that," Gao said.

[zombienote: All Americans are not like Homeboy Security. The US Federal Government gives us ALL a bad name.]

Even little-known newspapers from small cities in China have allowed reporters to phone Zhao's lawyer in New York with questions. Zhao will reportedly ask for some $5 million in punitive damages.

Until yesterday, Chinese media had not mentioned that the incident took place in the dark, at 11:15 at night, and have only sparingly allowed details of the case to emerge. One story editorialized that the "guard's excuse is unfounded," referring to testimony that he used force only after Zhao resisted.

[zombienote: Unfounded? She was near mary-ju-wanna! She's lucky to be alive.]

Some media outlets yesterday did call for Chinese to keep their anger in check. The privately run "Beijing News" carried a commentary by a Beijing law student arguing that the US judicial system is set up to work on behalf of Zhao.

At a Beijing parking lot where several students under 20 were practicing hip-hop music, one young man who gave his name as Zhou said that he was very angry, that the incident reminded him of the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade in 1999, and that how the "responsible officer is treated by the courts in the US will be important to the Chinese people."

The border guard, Robert Rhodes, has been charged with civil rights violations, and could face up to 10 years in prison.

One leading Chinese businesswoman who has lived in the US argues that "cultural differences" may have led to the beating.

"In the US, if you get out of a car when the police stop you, there may be trouble," says Li Yifei, the chief representative of Viacom China in Beijing. "In China if you don't get out of the car, the police will think you are impolite. These kinds of differences sometimes matter."

Original Article


[zombienote: This beating is totally based on marijuana hate speech - reefer madness ideology. It's official policy. Mary-ju-wanna is SO bad, any violence is excused.

What about all the poor people here - or the wealthy people, for that matter - who have been simply and plainly killed for marijuana by the police? Or those poor folks poisoned by New Zealand cops? Where is the outrage?

Why do the police never get so much as a slap on the wrist, but this heroic Homeland Security Guard, who selflessly beats and pepper sprays an unarmed Chinese woman (how big can she be?) who was simply near the Weed of Mass Destruction, gets fallout? Is it simply because she is from China that she is getting such attention? He needs to point fingers up the chain of command.

There was an incident recently - cant find the link - where a Canadian couple was attacked by NYPD for suspicion of mary-ju-wanna touching, and savagely beaten, but nobody asked Colin Powell to intervene.

This whole incident is caused by and exacerbated by the US Federal Government's (losing) War against Cannabis and their unrelenting marijuana hate speech campaign.]

__________________
Alien Space Signal

There's no money for your issue so long as we're squandering $50 billion a year on the DrugWar. Ben Masel

Fear became the ultimate tool of this government - V.

 

Jose Melendez

All Americans are not like Homeboy Security. The US Federal Government gives us ALL a bad name.

I agree: Prohibition policies have made us look bad internationally, and the actions of this one rogue officer are representative of only a very small, but not insignificant minority.

We need our officials to fight real crime, which is why I've been offering drug warriors amnesty, as part of the Drug War Crimes Act.

The concept that drug war is illegal gets lots of eye rolling from folks on both sides of the law, and notably, law enforcement officials are very careful not to address the substance of my arguments that they are violating the Constitutional Article III, Section 3 definition of treason (war waged on Americans and providing aid and comfort to the enemy by increasing the street value of inferior, more dangerous products)

They very consistently dismiss out of hand the idea that prohibitionist policies are unlawful restraints of trade, as both interstate and foreign commerce are restricted, again artificially increasing the cost to consumers of inferior products, and effectively creating monopolies (How many companies make Marinol? Why are raw, living and generic cannabinoid products disallowed? How is it legal that coca leaves are allowed by the D.E.A. to be imported by one Stepan Natural Products Company in Maywood, N.J.?)

Tellingly, to this very day, no LEO or judge I've communicated with is willing to address the substance of those arguments.

Our current laws increase per capita homicide rates, proliferation and availability of illicit substances on our streets and to our children, and result in police corruption. While it is true that such corruption represents a small proportion of enforcement professionals, in my opinion this can only be true because there are so many (hundreds of thousands of 'LEO's in good standing') gainfully employed in that industry.

In fact, these well paid, insured and pensioned "professionals" actively turn a blind eye to crimes against citizens, indeed against humanity.

Drug War IS Crime. That said, I understood that China's policies on cannabis were tougher than ours. Perhaps this incident will result in a much needed global debate on these arbitrary and capricious rules, long proven to be counterproductive, unfair and unjust.

- jm

- - -

from: http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artma...cle_4921.shtml

President George W. Bush is taking powerful anti-depressant drugs to control his erratic behavior, depression and paranoia, Capitol Hill Blue has learned.

The prescription drugs, administered by Col. Richard J. Tubb, the White House physician, can impair the President’s mental faculties and decrease both his physical capabilities and his ability to respond to a crisis, administration aides admit privately.

“It’s a double-edged sword,” says one aide. “We can’t have him flying off the handle at the slightest provocation but we also need a President who is alert mentally.”

Tubb prescribed the anti-depressants after a clearly-upset Bush stormed off stage on July 8, refusing to answer reporters' questions about his relationship with indicted Enron executive Kenneth J. Lay.

“Keep those mother****ers away from me,” he screamed at an aide backstage. “If you can’t, I’ll find someone who can.”

iGame3D

Pictures of the innocent victim of America's drug war Wait this is news right? I can post a pic?

Higher Self

Does anyone remember the Colin Powell interview where Powell states, 'Doesn't everyone use Ambien?'. Did anyone read the label about side-effects? Apparantly the whole White House Staff are using this sleep aid according to Powell...

Jose, you've got some valid points, good luck with your campaign.

Nuts, nuts, nuts...

Cassius

I don't know.

It says she "created suspicion because of her movements" BEFORE she ran away.

Then she runs away just as the search is commenced.

Then she struggles with the person trying to stop her.

If I was a cop in that situation, I'd probably think she was involved and resisting arrest as well.

It's sad what happened, and perhaps the customs agent used a little more force than necessary against a businesswoman. However (1) he didn't know she was a simple businesswoman and not involved in the crime, (2) it was a public place and an ensuing chase or fight could have endangered other innocent bystanders.

The force used was a little more than necessary but I don't think it was excessive. I think it was prudent to immobilize her in that situation since other people might be in danger, and although I have sympathy for what happened, really she shouldn't have ran away with such poor timing, then struggled against the man trying to stop her (are customs agents in uniform?). And who knows what she did to "create suspicion with her movements" before she even ran away.

__________________

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HappyMan

Is the Chinese state media broadcasting the fact that the customs agent is charged and facing prision time? Or does that go against what the communist police state wants the chinese people to believe?


What this article should teach people about the terrible reality of China.

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JTP

What, you must be kidding! China has a wonderful view on marijuana use.

From this site: http://www.dpf.org/global/drugpolicyby/asia/china/

"The government's official response to drug use is zero tolerance and in the year 2002 over 60 people were executed for drug crimes. Possession cases receive no less than 7 years imprisonment. As the seriousness of China's drug problems continues to grow the government has come to accept certain harm reducing policies. Illicit drug users are now referred to as 'illegal patients' rather than 'illegal persons' and according to Chinese law drug users must be rehabilitated. "

Froma this site: http://www.aic.gov.au/conferences/oc...l/xiancui.html

Correction Strategy for Drug Offences
The correction strategy mainly consists of two aspects. The first aspect is to educate and reform through labour drug users who have been convicted of criminal offences. This group of convicted felons include those who are sentenced to a death penalty but with a suspension of execution for two years; those for life long imprisonment; and those of fixed-term imprisonment serving their sentences in prisons. The second aspect is to rehabilitate non- criminal drug users. That is, drug addicts who have not been convicted of a criminal offence but who nonetheless require treatment in education and rehabilitation through labour units or in special drug houses.

The Decision on Anti-Drugs passed by the National People's Congress stipulates that, those who have been addicted to use or injection of drugs must be compelled to give up abusing, and provided with sufficient treatments and education. Those who had given up abusing but taken it again later on can be sent to the education and rehabilitation through labour units, as a way of forcing them to deal with their drug addiction. The time limitation for this coercive type of strategy for drug abuse is 3 months to 6 months.

Up to the end of 1994, the registered addicts were 0.38 million all over the country. There were 251 drug houses, in which about 50,000 addicts were compelled to give up drug abuse. There were 75 drug houses run by the judicial organs, in which up to 30,000 addicts were treated by the end of 1994 6.

Penalties for Drug Criminals

The maximum penalty
fixed term imprisonment for 15 years
life long imprisonment
Death; in addition, the confiscation of property

The minimum penalty
Fixed term imprisonment not more than 2 years
Criminal detention
Control; in addition to a fine of a specified amount.

All in all, I would rather get busted in the US than in China...

Cassius

I might be confused JTP, but, umm....

what does China's drug policy have to do with the topic of this thread?

i'm lost

JTP

Your probably right. It looked for a little while like some where suggesting that the lady in question got treated worse than you or I would have gotten treated in China. <shrug>

Hiz Highness

. . . but then you came down and realized no one said anything like that. Gotta' love Friday's.

Hey, we're living under the gun of the man here in America, and they're definitely living under the gun of the man in China. I almost had to chuckle when I read:

China is going to lecture us about Hegemony? I dare say that China has little room to talk on that front. We all know how racially diverse China is.

Either way the story remains the same almost everywhere around the globe; the man hates marijuana, and he will brutalize you and throw you in prison if he catches you with it.

That's why we all need throw our middle fingers up at the man and tell him to move the h*ll off of our backs. Whether your Chinese, American, or New Zealander it's time to stand up.

-HH