STOP JOHN WALTERS FROM BECOMING 'DRUG CZAR'

His Drug Policies Are Out of Step With America



ACTIONS TO TAKE



-- If your Senators are on the Senate Judiciary Committee (see below),

call their offices and tell them to VOTE AGAINST JOHN WALTERS AS

DRUG CZAR. JOHN WALTERS IS TOO EXTREME. Please keep your calls short

so that others can get through. Every phone call counts and we need

to put pressure on Committee members right away.

PLEASE CALL NOW, as the vote could be scheduled any day.

-- Forward this e-mail to as many friends, family members, and co-workers

as possible. Ask them to read it and take action.



BACKGROUND:



President Bush has nominated a Bill Bennett protege, John Walters, to

be our nation's next drug czar. Walters is an ardent drug warrior who

supports harsh sentences for non-violent drug offenders, opposes the

medical use of marijuana, opposes meaningful drug treatment programs, and

denies that racial disparities exist in the criminal justice system.

The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on his nomination his nomination

within a few days. We need you to call your Senators on the Judiciary

Committee and tell them to vote against Walters. Every call makes a

difference, make your voice heard!!!



WHY WALTERS SHOULD NOT BE DRUG CZAR



-- He opposes reforming mandatory minimums and eliminating the

crack/powder cocaine sentencing disparity.

-- Even former drug czar Barry McCaffrey has expressed concern about

Walters' priorities being heavily skewed against treatment and

prevention, saying that Walters is "focused too much on interdiction"

and "needs to educate himself on prevention and treatment."

-- Walters has not expressed support for reexamining racial disparities in

the criminal justice system. He has very recently dismissed concerns

about the fairness of the system almost out of hand. In his words,

"What really drives the battle against law enforcement and punishment,

however, is not a commitment to treatment, but the widely held view

that (1) we are imprisoning too many people for merely possessing

illegal drugs, (2) drug and other criminal sentences are too long and

harsh, and (3) the criminal justice system is unjustly punishing

SOME BRIEF TALKING POINTS

-- A majority of Congressional Black Caucus

Members have declared Walters, "unfit for a

position that requires sensitivity to racial

fairness."

-- The President of the Betty Ford Center has

warned, "Mrs. Ford and I are convinced that

Mr. Walters may not have the confidence in the

treatment and prevention strategies that we

believe are necessary for the creation and

implementation of a balanced and thoughtful

approach to U.S. drug policy."

-- National Education Association, National

Urban League, other groups say, "Mr. Walters

has advocated for policies that would result

in locking up more African American youth."

-- Organizations opposing the confirmation of John

Walters, include AIDS Action, Latino Voters

League, National Black Police Association,

National Women's Health Network, Pesticide

Action Network, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, and

Witness for Peace.



----------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday, October 30, 2001 -- A San Francisco Chronicle editorial

_______________________

"A throwback drug czar"

THE SENATE must soon decide whether U.S. policies on fighting

drug abuse will return to the failed, lock-'em-up focus of previous

years or continue their current trend toward emphasizing treatment

and education.

In the next few days, the Judiciary Committee is expected to vote

whether to confirm John Walters, President Bush's nominee as director

of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

It is the last Cabinet position to come before Congress, but the vote

has been delayed in part by controversy over Walters' hard-line views.

The decision is expected to be close and will likely be decided by

four swing votes: Democrats Dianne Feinstein of California, Charles

Schumer of New York and Russell Feingold of Wisconsin, plus Republican

Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania.

These senators have reason to consider voting for Walters, mainly to

continue the post-September 11 congressional show of unity behind the

president. The position of drug czar is a crucial one, directing the

federal government's billion in anti-drug programs and serving as a

moral leader in the just-say-no campaign focused on America's youth.

But the need to rally around the flag and fill an important job do

not compensate for Walters' many failings:

He wants to escalate U.S. military involvement in the Latin American

drug war at the expense of funding for domestic drug treatment and

education (which have repeatedly proved to be the most cost-effective

way of reducing drug use).

He opposes reform of racially imbalanced sentencing guidelines, such

as those that are 100 times stiffer for crack than for powder cocaine.

He says he will use federal authority to punish doctors in states

such as California who prescribe medical marijuana.

In a Judiciary Committee hearing earlier this month, Walters

underwent a typical "confirmation conversion," trying to curry favor

with his critics by recanting or downplaying some of his extreme

views. His track record is too long and too distasteful to be cleaned

up that easily, however.

Confirmation of Walters would reverse the nation's trend toward

giving priority to drug treatment and education programs. These new

policies, which California boosted last year with approval of

Proposition 36, are the most effective, economical and humane ways of

fighting the scourge of drug abuse.

The Senate should reject Walters as drug czar.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright 2001 SF Chronicle

----------------------------------------------------------------------

SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE



Alabama: Jeff Sessions (R) - tel: 202-224-4124

Arizona: Jon Kyl (R) - tel: 202-224-4521

California: Dianne Feinstein (D) - tel: 202-224-3841

Delaware: Joseph Biden (D) - tel: 202-224-5042

Kansas: Sam Brownback - tel: 202-224-6521

Kentucky: Mitch McConnell - tel: 202-224-2541

Illinois: Richard Durbin - tel: 202-224-2152

Iowa: Charles Grassley (R) - tel: 202-224-3744

Massachusetts: Edward Kennedy (D) - tel: 202-224-4543

New York: Charles Schumer (D) - tel: 202-224-6542

North Carolina: John Edwards - tel: 202-224-3154

Ohio: Mike DeWine (R) - tel: 202-224-2315

Pennsylvania: Arlen Specter (R) - tel: 202-224-4254

South Carolina: Strom Thurmond (R) - tel: 202-224-4944

Utah: Orrin Hatch (R) - tel: 202-224-5251

Vermont: Patrick Leahy (D), Chairman - tel: 202-224-4242

Washington: Maria Cantwell - tel: 202-224-3441

Wisconsin: Herb Kohl (D) - tel: 202-224-5653

Wisconsin: Russell Feingold (D) - tel: 202-224-5323

We vote - they don't listen.

Our states make laws - they don't listen.

We protest - they don't listen.

Our government has become a Demockery - and our people won't listen.