Dean Becker Nominated For Brecher Award

Eric Sterling, president of Common Sense for Drug Policy, (www.csdp.org) has nominated Dean Becker, (and in essence, the Drug Truth Network) for the Brecher Award, to be presented this November in Long Beach, by the Drug Policy Alliance. http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/11_10_03dpa.cfm Likely as not, this award will go to some mainstream columnist (usually does) who had a good day, but myself and Dean would thank you all most sincerely for any assistance you may give him in towards overcoming the typical "status quo" nomination. This would be important because if he recieves this honor it would serve to further legitimize his (and ours) efforts, and his reporting of the "unvarnished truth about the drug war". Therefore, I encourage you all to recognize this journalist and his colleagues. I know how hard we works and the risks he takes to produce these programs. This nomination is in support of his reporting and that of 9 regular Drug Truth Network reporters to include Doug McVay with the "Drug War Facts", Nora Callahan and her look at the prison industrial complex, Cliff Thornton and his perspective on the drug war, Phil Smith with the "Corrupt Cop Story", Winston Francis and "The Official Government Truth", Howard Wooldridge's reports on his horseback ride across America proclaiming the need to "Legalize all Drugs", Glenn Greenway with the "Poppygate Reports", Loretta Nall and her digs at the drug war and Steve Nolin with "Drug War History". Each week, Drug Truth Network produces seven, 3-minute news feeds, the "4:20 Drug War NEWS", (for daily distribution), and two, 1/2 hour programs: "Cultural Baggage", the "club house" of drug reform, and "Century of Lies" which usually takes a more sober, somber look at the policy of drug prohibition itself. With 42 broadcast stations in the US and Canada, with a string of stations set to come online soon in New Zealand, the Drug Truth Network dares to present the "unvarnished truth" that major media has stepped over, crossed out and ruefully has participated in stifling for decades on end. If you would like to lend your support to their nomination for the Brecher award, I urge you to take a moment to craft a simple email and send it to the attention of Robin Beck, rbeck@drugpolicy.org Thanks for your help. Dean Becker can be reached at 281-752-9198 (Eric Sterling's Nomination letter is displayed below.) Eric Sterling's Nomination: Dean Becker wears well two important journalistic hats. (a) He is the producer and host of Drug Truth, the syndicated radio program that broadcasts interviews of drug policy reformers analyzing the issues of the day on over 30 radio stations nationwide. The quality of his work is attested to by the fact that his syndication steadily grows. No station that has taken his program has ever dropped it. (b) Moderator, since 2001, of The New York Times drug policy forum. The forum has hosted almost 14,000 posts. In addition, Dean has sponsored live web interviews with almost all of America's leading drug policy reformers, such as Ethan Nadelmann, on the website of The New York Times, and many individuals currently in the news, such as asylum seek Renee Boje. http://www.nytimes.com/ref/readersopinions/drugforum-transcripts.html Dean has made a sustained challenge to the propaganda of the war on drugs by putting the comments of America's drug policy reformers on the website of The New York Times. I think that honoring movement journalists would be a valuable step for us. Eric ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Join me at the 2005 International Drug Policy Reform Conference: Reason, Compassion, and Justice Nov. 9 - 12, 2005, Long Beach, CA Click http://www.drugpolicy.org/events/dpa2005/ for more information and to register! Co-sponsored by The Criminal Justice Policy Foundation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Eric E. Sterling, President The Criminal Justice Policy Foundation esterling@cjpf.org www.cjpf.org 8730 Georgia Avenue, Suite 400 Silver Spring, MD 20910 Tel. 301-589-6020