European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 6, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 the stars and stripes columns William Safire Reagan will Back Meese until after the juror p hike Tut years ago this month in my first and Lisi interview with Ronald Reagan. I asked the ran Iii Dale where he stood on the status of Jerusalem. Some Carter people were talking about the tin of Israel s capital a position Jesse Jackson holds to this Jay. Reagan s glance flicked to de Mccase the Only aide with him. Me Csc Almon imperceptibly Shook his head. Absolutely not Reagan said As if staling Prin Ciple. Jerusalem must never again be divided that was the a Csc role throughout he Reagan Era issues Man " keeper of the ideological flame. So Whai if his briefcase became an abyss so what if Kis less Govch mint is better federalism conflicted with his Fels list cd cry body intrusions on civil Liberty neither efficiency nor consistency was his Forte. A Fisk was and is the one who can be trusted. Keep that in mind when asking Why does t the president ease out his attorney general whose department is so obviously crippled by Chagrin every modern president seems in need the one. Eisenhower had Sherman Adams Kennedy had his brother Robert Ninon Hail John Mitchell. Carter had Bert Lance. Trusle a Ness is not always trustworthiness. For an intelligent Man Mccase is curiously numb to propriety. His defenders say that he was not Vena in is financial dealings just stupid thai he is being investigated exhaustively because of his hard line views and As a Way of weakening the president hat the Sug Gest inn of Slac is the product of his accusers who make fresh allegations after failing la prove their Case. That defense has some incr in in his dealings with e. Kohrt Wallach me Csc has acted More like a Jerk than a Crook the iraqi pipeline charge was thin Gruel for prosecution. But the question is rightly raised is in sufficient evidence for indictment to be our Standard for the nation s chief Law officer1, of course not Caesar s Wilt. Etc. That s Why the department of Justice switchboard answers ninth Street disillusionment de Mccase knows that he offers democrats a Campaign Issue Why does t he step Down answer to quit in the midst of a firestorm is to admin guilt and his self image is that of Taw enforcer not lawbreaker then Why you repeat does t the president allow the word to be passed for this political liability 10 move aside where ask the firestorm troopers is Nancy Reagan now that we need her the answer 10 that is More Complex 1 this ship of stale already in the ropes of the tugboats gains no Speed by jettisoning cargo. 2 the first Hatchet is immobilized after the exposure of her hand in the ouster of chief of staff Don Regan. J attic president s relationship with Mccase is on a level of political Mil George f. Will Macy reaffirmed recently thai outsiders find hard to comprehend. A Friend of 20 years is sentimental but not Cen trial less than two years Ngo As the arnts for hostages scandal began 1o loom it was de Mccase who went to the president and took charge. What he took charge of was protecting the president. Good citizens Cluck Cluck at that but the Leaden of the free world Seldom do. Throughout the preliminary inquiry reams of evidence were shredded. When a Csc s aides came across the diversion of funds to inc contras. The attorney general went to the Cia Dirac. Tor s Home off Vonhall Road and had a Long private talk. That must have been some saturday night. Dill Casey had entered the Reagan Circle in 1980 and pushed the inefficient Mccase aside in favor of James Baker now a Csc inc survivor was seeking to limit the damage to inc president caused by Casey Point Ceil or North efficiency. Logic suggests that the Central topic discussed that Rigel was the Contra diversion and How to keep its possible prior knowledge from the president if necessary retroactively. Under oath a Csc recollected Little of thai unforgettable Chat with the Cia chief. Interviewing John Point cider on monday nov 24 1986. Meuse did Mil ask the question surely Foremost in his mind did the pc Sidoni know of or have reason to sup Cal the unlawful diversion the president s lawyer did no want to know evidently i oin Deiter got the Point and ended the Buck with him put yourself in the president s shoes. A you going to throw your loyalist Mccase to the wolves to lighten your Load or to help inc Antsy George Bush avoid embarrassment not a Chance not this late in inc Day. You la Slick with him As he stuck with you until the juror subsides and the special prosecutors go Home. Then maybe this summer de can do the right thing by inc party. He void lira my Gwok Miami operation sends message of drug users. ,. Itu it inc Rall of Dollar Miami Light from passing traffic shimmers off a yellow Satin los Angeles in Kors warm up suit on yonder Street Corner. The wearer of that conspicuous garment is an undercover police officer and before the night ends he and More than so colleagues on the Street narcotics detail will have sent 8 people to jail the Cal by sending a message to the Community buying drugs is risky business. The officers contesting the sidewalk Ai on intersection in inc rough Liberty City neighbourhood Are dressed in denims fatigues and other forms of Slect Connor casual. The Only constant is running shots which is Fine there will be some runners tonight drag buyers who Boll. Tonight s Wak on the wild Sulc is an exercise in fighting drugs on the demand Side. Attempts to destroy drugs in source countries or interdict them in Roule to this country arc insufficient. When a Rich country has a Mulli billion Dollar de Mand for a product produced by peas ants in poor countries the Supply will pour Forth. There Are not enough . Soldiers to Seal . Borders. Interdiction has been both a resounding Success and demonstrable failure quantities seized have increased dramatically pc the Price of cocaine has fallen. So Miami s police department has taken to the streets to target buyers. At 5 30 p.m., officers establish a com Mand Post in a Dusty school Yard with facilities for fingerprinting and buses business will be brisk to cart customers to jail. Other officers Are away arresting the dealers at the intersection that the police will Lake Over for tonight s sting. A week ago 250 arrests were made a few blocks away but that was a fonday payday and tonight a thursday will be relatively slow. Rel Alively. There will be 68 arrests. Tonight s is the 66th Sung. The first 65 resulted in 4.3s8 arrests. The important number is inc Small one 40, Only 40 customers have been caught twice. Stings arc repeated until a neigh boyhood s drug traffic dries up and the traffic is not just displaced to other neighbourhoods Many customers arc being scared straight however conversations with arrested customers compel a dispiriting conclusion about the limits of deterrence. De Terrence depends on a degree of rational ily. But some customers have minds hopelessly clouded by addiction and others Are virtually immune to society s information systems including the Media that publicize these slings. Watching the Comer at dusk from a second Story window an of incr sees a Man take just two Steps from a car and concludes he s a buyer you can Tell from the Way he walks that he has Tunnel another customer walks right past a news photographer a White Man in a Black neighbourhood to make a Pur Chase. Stings conducted in places like Coco nut Grove target Yuppie customers who Wear khakis and topside is when they go in search of weekend party supplies. But places like Liberty City arc where sales arc most blatant. As a tall thin Man with a scraggly Beard wander by. An officer murmurs Rock the Man s weight loss and glittering eyes like a cats Are signs of addiction. Rock monsters steal All Day and seek Rock co Caine by night. Real addicts Are conspicuous by the absence of chains or other Gold jewel by. It has All been sold. But Many of inc customers at this Corner Luigi put Are Dif Ferent. They Are. So far occasional users but still dangerous to the Community As Well As themselves. When a Community comes to have a critical mass of even recreational users the Pool f dollars Calls into existence a merchandising operation for a mass Market. Only one person arrested this night seemed High at the time. He said he had used powder regular cocaine three hours earlier. He had the slurred speech and a unless of a Man frying his brain in increasingly frequent chemical bunts vet he said something also said by Many others i won t use crack anyone can afford crack. A dime size Rock costs $ 10, but information prob ably word of Mouth is getting around about its de ranging Powers. Even this evidence that people Are learning has a disheartening Side. Repeatedly one heard arrested customers saying they used Only regular cocaine because it Don i kill As that is powerful testimony to crack s reputation but also to the awful fascinating fatalism of people who caught in the fun Louir of poverty calibrate the Pace at which they shall ingest slow motion death. Tomorrow the to Junta of a drug arrest
