RHM enters “The Opium Den”
Well, not literally. But I will be appearing live tonight (April 30th, 2009) on former Libertarian Vice-Presidential Candidate and Drug Policy Activist Daniel Williams’ new internet talk show entitled “The Opium Den.”
I am not a drug policy activist and, quite frankly, don’t know that much about it. But I do believe in personal freedom and, as a result of years of study, know a heck of a lot about the growing connections between terrorism and organized crime or, more specifically, the global drug trade.
So, feel free to turn on, tune in (by going to TheOpiumDen at 9PM), and send in any comments or questions you may have via daniel@theopiumden.net
UPDATED 5/5/09: You can hear the interview right now here.
Click here to see a video excerpt of Randall H. Miller’s lecture on 21st Century Terrorism given in the Dominican Republic on 5/26/09.
Also, just so you don’t think I’m making this stuff up. Here are some of the sources from my research:
Byman, Daniel. Deadly Connections: States that Sponsor Terrorism. New York: Cambridge U P, 2005.
Comras, Victor. “Al Qaeda Finances and Funding to Affiliated Groups.” Strategic Insights (2005)
Cornell, Svante E., and Niklas L.P. Swanstrom. “The Eurasian Drug Trade: A Challenge to Regional Security.” Problems of Post-Communism 53.4 (2006): 10-28.
Cronin, Audry K. “Behind the Curve: Globalization and International Terrorism.” International Security 3 (2003): 30-58.
Curtis, Glen E., John N. Gibbs, and Ramon Miro. “Nations Hospitable to Organized Crime and Terrorism.” Trends in Organized Crime 8.1 (2004): 5-23.
Hamade, Samir N. Piracy and Terrorism in the Arab World. Kuwait City: Kuwait U, 2006.
Hoffman, Bruce. Inside Terrorism. 2nd ed. New york: Columbia U P, 2006.
Kushner, Harvey. Holy War On The Home Front. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 2004.
Naim, Moises. “The Five Wars of Globalization.” Foreign Policy Feb 2003: 29-37.
O’Neil, Bard E. From Revolution to Appocalypse: Insurgency and Terrorism. 2nd ed. Washington D.C.: Potomac Books Inc, 2005.
Ross, Daveed Gertenstein, and Kyle Dabruzzi. The Convergence of Crime and Terror: Law Enforcement Opportunities and Perils. New York, NY: Center For Policing Terrorism, 2007.
Sageman Marc. Understanding Terror Networks. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania P, 2004.
Shelley, Louise I., and John T. Picarelli. “Methods and Motives: Exploring Links Between Transnational Organized Crime and International terrorism.” Trends in Organized Crime 9.2 (2005): 52-67.
Stanislawski, Bartosz H. “Transnational Organized Crime, Terrorism, and WMD.” Nonstate Actors, Terrorism, and Weapons of Mass Destruction. Ed. . n.p.: Syracuse U, n.d. n. pag.
Wood, Randall. “South America’s Tri-borders Region.” SAIS Review XXV.1 (2005): 105-06.
Three other great sources for general terrorism news are:
CounterterrorismBlog.org (a collection of experts)
Straffor (Strategic Forcasting Inc., Fred Burton does some great work over there)
NEFA Foundation (Nine Eleven Finding Answers)
Daniel E. Williams’ promo for “The Opium Den”
Be sure to tune in. If not, all shows are archived on the site.
All comments and criticism are welcome.
To book me for a lecture or debate go here.
The Opium Den Broadcast by Daniel Williams – video powered by Metacafe
About the Author: Randall H. Miller is an American college educator/blogger. He is also a former U.S. Army officer (82nd Airborne) with a M.A. in Diplomacy (focusing on International Terrorism) and a B.A. in Criminal Justice. Use the form on the right to sign up and receive notifications of new content. The words and ideas expressed here are 100% his own and not those of his employers or affiliated organizations.
TO' | May 1, 2009 | Reply
Hiya Randall,
I’ll tune in. The longer I pactice medicine, the more convinced that many drugs should be decrimalized. Personal responsibility and personal beliefs, along with drug information like that provided already for prescription meds, should guide personal use decisions. Saludos a tu esposa. TO’
jps | May 2, 2009 | Reply
http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/johncoleman.asp
check out this article by the found of the Weather Channel on global warming
Frank the Tank | May 3, 2009 | Reply
Have you ever seen a methamphetamine or heroin addict? No amount of convincing will ever get me to agree that allowing the legal use of these drugs is a good thing. We cannot have moral relativism as a society. We have to draw the line on behavior somewhere. Americans have several legal vices, alcohol, tobacco, gambling and in a few places prostitution. An average person can have 2 or 3 beers and function normally, try smoking 3 rocks of crack and see what happens.
Frank the Tank | May 3, 2009 | Reply
@jps
Global Warming, the biggest hustle of the 21st Century.
David Cobb | May 5, 2009 | Reply
I’m a democrat, but I believe in personal responsibility. I feel you can own a gun, but if you kill someone with it you go to jail. Likewise, you can use drugs, but if you hurt someone under the influence, you go to jail. I don’t believe we have to “draw the line” with drug use, unless it’s forced on children or the unwilling.
David Cobb | May 5, 2009 | Reply
What will it take to convince you of global warming…when penguins catch on fire? You ignore empirical evidence in favor of the claptrap dished out by the likes of Rush Limbaugh.
Frank the Tank | May 5, 2009 | Reply
@David Cobb
The earth is cooling. Artic ice sheets have actually grown over the last few years.
Frank the Tank | May 5, 2009 | Reply
Here is a link to a news story out of Australia regarding global warming.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25401759-25717,00.html