THE DRUG WAR FOLLIES: COCAINE. MURDER AND THE CIA IN LATIN AMERICA SAN DIEGO LECTURE BY MIKE RUPPERT AND CELE CASTILLO A standing room only crowd of more than two hundred people turned out for the Cele Castillo/Mike ruppert speaking date on Tuesday at San Diego State University's Casa Real. The event was successful beyond all expectations with the crowd showing an intense interest in the CIA-Drug connection. Organizer David Carruthers, a professor of political science at SDSU said "This is one of the largest events we've had at this school in years. This is traditionally a very apathetic campus, so I am impressed at the turnout." Another activist, Jesus Nieto, a professor of Education at SDSU as well as a MECHA coordinator said "I've put on shows like this in the past, and I have to say that I am impressed. When is the next one?" Other activists from diverse groups such as Greenpeace, Hemp legalization advocates and Chiapas solidartity groups stepped forward to offer support and a kind word to organizers. Castillo began with riveting tales of CIA drug deals and money laundering through the now notorious CIA/NSC controlled Illopongo Airport in El Salvador. He detailed his experiences when raiding the home of Walter Grasheim only to find new military munitions and other incriminating evidence along with his U.S. embassy I.D., passports, and vehicle license plates. Castillo related his feelings of dismay and sadness as a patriotic American, who had sworn to serve his country, only to discover that "We were sleeping with the cartels". It was heart breaking to hear Castillo speak of his father, himself a decorated world war two veteran who had been shot six times in the Phillipines, tell Castillo that it "was his duty to go to Vietnam and serve his country." In Vietnam, Castillo one day found his best friend dead with a syringe of heroin stuck in his arm and he then vowed to become a federal narcotics agent upon his return to the U.S. Castillo was awarded the bronze star without even knowing that someone had recommended him for the award. His voice cracked with emotion as he described how the things that made him the most proud in life "were my bronze star and my children. In 1994, I went to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC and I renounced my bronze star. I left it attached to my last pair of boots which i had worn in the jungles of Vietnam and later, South and central America. I pinned the star to my boots with a letter to president Clinton renouncing the award in protest of the atrocities committed by my government." Mike Ruppert gave clear, concise evidence linking the drug trade to corruption of political campaigns and the major investment banks as well as Wall Street. His Presentation, complemented with video, slides and charts painted a disturbing image of government malfeasance and involvement of corporate america in drug money laundering. Ruppert spoke of his background as a promising career as a Los Angeles Police Detective specializing in narcotics when he accidently discovered his Fiancee dealing arms and drugs as part of a CIA operation. An honors graduate of UCLA, Mike Ruppert was valedictorian of his class for three times at the LAPD academy. He came from a family which was employed by U.S. intelligence agencies and he himself was asked to join the CIA twice in his career. Both men sacrificed careers and even personal safety in order to bring forth tales of corruption and in the case of Castillo, murder, torture, and U.S. sponsored death squads. The timing of this speaking date probably could not have come at a better time. With the passage of proposition 36 here in California, the votors have shown that the tide has turned against harsh treatment for drug offenders. The public is starting to awaken to the fact that the drug war is a failure and that other methods need to be undertaken. The event was held after appearances by Ruppert and Castillo on KFMB radio and The Fox network affiliate channel 6 covered the event for its local news. Many in the crowd stayed for an hour after the event to meet the speakers and for a question and answering session. The event was attended by many members of the local community as well as university students who expressed their concerns over CIA involvement in drug trafficking. 11-29-2000 _____________________________________________________________________________________ Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com -------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~> <FONT COLOR="#000099">eGroups eLerts It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free! </FONT><A HREF="http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/0/_/475667/_/975553767/"><B>Click Here!</B></A> ---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
