Media Statement For immediate release Thursday, 19 February, 2004

Alexander: To 'P' or not to 'P'... that is not the question.

"When will this Government start putting its teeth into our ballooning methamphetamine problem instead of throwing its dentures at it," United Future's Marc Alexander said today.

"We need to get real about the threat to our kids from drugs such as P and stop the limp wristed approach.

"Why aren't the police properly resourced with manpower and legislation that works, such as that proposed by United Future and already battle-tested successfully in Western Australia?" the party's law and order spokesman said.

"Now we have the Customs service being shoved to the forefront of our war against drugs as precursor substances make their way to our shores. We had 440 interceptions last year for which we can be grateful, but how many more are getting through?'

"We have to take the profit out of the pockets of these drug vultures and the only way to do that is make them account for their assets ...or else we take it off them!"

"Just how many of our kids are going to have to get hooked, crazed and killed before we put pragmatism and the public interest ahead of drug dealer's rights?" he asked

Ends.

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>