American Morning
Drug legalization: "A great idea whose time has not come"
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By Robert M. Stutman
Special to CNN
Editor's note: Robert M. Stutman is a former Special Agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Principal of The Stutman Group.
Gee, things aren't going great in the war on drugs: violence in Mexico; more and more kids using dangerous drugs at an early age; kids overdosing all over the country from drugs like heroin and OxyContin. If you like this and want a lot more, let's give any drug to any person at any age who wants to use it and see where that gets us.
Our present system is not perfect and needs a lot of fixing, but blowing up the system and giving up completely would be like a contractor who has to demolish a building and instead of using dynamite to take down the building, uses a nuclear device to take down the city. Granted the system is not perfect, but fortunately, even most religions don't demand perfection, they demand of you to try your best. Surrendering is not trying our best!
Counterpoint – Commentary: Legalize drugs
Three shots fired, all fatal
Yesterday, Navy SEALs fired three shots and took out the three pirates holding an American shipping captain hostage. The Commander of the 5th Fleet, Vice Admiral William Gortney, spoke to CNN's John Roberts on Monday.
John Roberts: Can you walk us through what happened yesterday?
Vice Adm. William Gortney: It was an ongoing hostage negotiation attempt to keep the event at as low a level of violence as possible so that we could ensure the safe return of the captain. The activity had got to the point where the lifeboat was out of fuel. One of their pirates had left the life boat, needed medical attention and jumped on to one of our rigid, inflatable boats, so they were down to one.
They're tired. The sea state was picking up. They'd agreed for us to tow them into some little better waters as the ship was bouncing around. It was very tense. The on-scene commander could see that the three remaining pirates were very, very intense. One of them held his AK-47 in the back of the captain. We were always concerned about the imminent danger to the captain.
And because of the tensions and the imminent danger, at one point... they exposed themselves where there was an opportunity, and because of imminent danger to the captain, the on-scene commander saw that one of the pirates still held that AK-47, was very, very concerned for the captain's life and he ordered the shots to be taken. Three shots were fired and all were fatal. And it was a phenomenal shot, 75 feet away, the small boat was moving up and down a couple two to three feet and it was at night. Just remarkable marksmanship.
Heroin cheaper than six-pack of beer
By Ronni Berke and Carol Costello
Massapequa, New York (CNN) - Doreen and Victor Ciappa thought they got a second chance when their 18-year-old daughter, Natalie, survived a heroin overdose last May.
Her mother recalled how, after the overdose, Natalie promised to stop using, insisting she didn't need rehab.
"She said 'oh no, I'm not going. I'll get myself off it,'" Doreen said.
Doreen Ciappa says she had no idea the packets she found among Natalie's belongings after her first overdose were actually heroin. "I had spent hours on the internet trying to figure out what they were."
During the year before the overdose, Natalie had changed. The straight-A student, cheerleader and accomplished singer had lost weight and began seeing less and less of her old friends. She was spending a lot of time alone in her room, writing songs and poetry. She started hanging out with a new boyfriend. Soon, she was missing curfew and fighting frequently with her parents. Despite their suspicions, the Ciappas say it never occurred to them Natalie was using heroin.
Within weeks of the first overdose, she went out to a party and never came home. Natalie had overdosed again, this time fatally.
Fast Forward
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The stories that will be making news later today:
At 10am ET President Obama and the First Family play host to some 30-thousand people for the traditional White House Easter egg roll on the south lawn.
A town full of Bernie Madoff victims is getting its day in court. Fairfield, Connecticut claims it lost tens of millions of dollars in employee pensions in his 65 billion dollar ponzi scheme. A judge will decide whether to lift the freeze on assets of investors who allegedly served as "feeder funds" for the scam.
At 1pm ET a life-line from the tax man. IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman delivers a speech at the National Press Club highlighting the agency's new plan to help taxpayers in financial distress. It allows IRS employees to adjust or defer tax payments for people having trouble paying their taxes.
At 11:35am ET President Obama and Vice President Biden will speak at a Transportation Department event highlighting road and infrastructure projects funded by stimulus money. The focus is a 68-million-dollar project in economically-depressed Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Investigators in New Hampshire are sifting through the ashes and trying to determine what sparked a massive fire that burned through dozens of summer cottages at a christian center. High winds fanned the fire, which broke out yesterday. No one was injured.
Tonight the New York Mets christen their brand-new ballpark Citi Field. The Mets will host the San Diego Padres in the first-ever regular season game at Citi Field. The bailed-out financial giant Citigroup paid 400-million dollars for the naming rights, which, as you might imagine has created some controversy.
What's on Tap – Monday April 13th, 2009
Here are the big stories we're following for you today.
- He’s being described as the “good shepherd” this morning. Captain Richard Phillips' is now safe. Three of his pirate captors are now dead. Another is U.S. custody after the Navy Seals pulled off a pinpoint and flawless rescue operation on the high seas. Maritime experts are saying this should be a wakeup call to the growing piracy problem. Right now 200 people are still being held hostage in Somalia and their captors aren’t in sharpshooters’ crosshairs.
- We're getting lots of comments on our viewer hotline about the dramatic rescue and how to stop the rampant piracy off Somalia’s coast. We want to hear from you on this story and whatever else is on your mind. Call us at 877-MY-AM-FIX and you could be on the air today.
- This morning we begin a special series called Drug Nation. It’s a serious look at drug addiction in this country and how it’s affecting every community, from inner cities to the tranquil suburbs. We're also searching for solutions. Today: Heroin and its grip on kids in this country. A bag of this poison can be cheaper than a six-pack of beer – and some children thinks it's safer.
- And - breathe easy, America. You finally have a new first pup. The campaign promise fulfilled. The Obamas are getting a Portuguese water dog. What are the Obama girls calling it?
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