Grassroots and Gorton

Victory Against the War on Drugs
by Fred Miller, contributor

"If there's flies in your house, you buy a flyswatter. The flies multiply and your room starts to smell. You buy more flyswatters, but the flies and the smell get even worse. Should you buy more flyswatters and room deodorizer, or empty out last month's garbage?"

The policy analyst who used that simile to explain the war on drugs was a Seattle police officer. He was talking about the domestic war on drugs, but he might have been discussing the international side of our war on drugs as well.

This year, the US more than doubled military aid to Colombia, already the third largest recipient of US military aid. Both 1998 and 1999 also saw massive increases in military aid. During that time cocaine and heroin production has increased greatly. The administration evidently thinks this year's $1.3 billion aid package will do the trick-the fleet of helicopters it buys will finally be "enough flyswatters." Increasingly, Congress is skeptical. Here's why.

Last winter, Peace Action and Seattle Colombia Committee (SCC) began campaigning against the aid. Their tactics were not dramatic; they circulated petitions, got people writing to Congress, and met with aides to Patty Murray, Slade Gorton, Jim McDermott and Jay Inslee. As Peace Action's representative, I spoke of the plan's obvious shortcomings: there was no definition of victory, no plan to achieve it, no exit strategy and no reliable allies. Since I also work with street youth, I spoke of the lack of services available to people trying to kick their drug habit. SCC members detailed the human cost of "Plan Colombia": human rights advocates call Colombia's army the hemisphere's biggest violator of human rights. Worse, Colombia's military works hand in glove with paramilitary death squads. Together they account for 80 percent of Colombia's 3000 annual homicides.

Our lobbying succeeded beyond our expectations. Both Senators Murray and Gorton sit on the Senate Appropriations Committee. By the time Plan Colombia got to them, House Republicans had added $400 million to Clinton's request for $1.3 billion. The arms lobby was jubilant.

Sen. Tim Leahy, the lead opponent of military aid, was outnumbered and not hopeful until Sen. Slade Gorton offered an amendment to cut the aid by 90 percent. "There has been no consideration of the consequences, cost, and length of involvement," Gorton said, "This bill says let's get into war now and justify it later." The amendment lost, 11-15, but the point was made. The final Senate compromise was a 40 percent reduction. In conference, both sides returned to the $1.3 billion originally requested, a 25 percent reduction from the House authorization. Several human rights requirements were attached as well.