Many people recognize the Internet is a repository of information and a means of quickly gaining immense wealth. Unfortunately, some of those people are extortionists, terrorists and drug-dealers preying on na•ve web surfers. Consider www.theantidrug.org. But before we tell that story, a warning: Don't let your kids near that site.
During the Super Bowl in January 2002, millions of TV viewers were witnesses to some excellent public service announcement-style commercials sponsored by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. The Office of National Drug Control Policy commissioned the Super Bowl commercials to use their ÒTruth - The Anti-DrugÓ slogan with taxpayer dollars. The commercials were the first honest look at how the illegal drug trade is a large source of income for terrorist organizations around the world. The commercials were not cheap to air during the Super Bowl, but undoubtedly reached a much larger audience than if aired during some teen soap opera on the WB Network or on CNN prime time.
The best of the commercials was the ÒAK-47Ó ad that can be seen at www.theantidrug.com in case you missed the Super Bowl. Of course, the Òlegalize itÓ crowd immediately voiced their displeasure for the commercials. To the vocal minority of pot smoking anarchist-Libertarians and Hollywood habitual drug users (except for ÒBlowÓ director Ted Demme who was strangely silent on the subject), the commercials explaining how terrorism is funded by illegal drug sales was a waste of taxpayer dollars.
Yeah, thatÕs a pretty weak criticism ø especially for the Libertarians. Anyone with any sense has to admit if you are a member of the legalize drugs crowd, itÕs pretty hard to trumpet your Òthe drug war is doing more harm than goodÓ party line in the face of facts documenting the increasing reliance of Islamic terrorist groups on illegal drug funds for their source of income. What kind of moral high ground can you take on the subject of legalizing heroin when New York City, Washington, DC and the Pennsylvanian countrysideÕs scars are still so visible to Americans, especially when we know that the Taliban/Al Qaeda were the controllers and primary beneficiaries of AfghanistanÕs opium production? If you want to continue to push your sick message of Òdrugs donÕt hurt anybody,Ó youÕve got to be sneakier about it.
One sneaky way is taking to the World Wide Web in an attempt to trick people (mostly children) into reading some pro-drug Òeducational material.Ó As previously mentioned, the Office of National Drug Control Policy runs the site www.theantidrug.com, but most users of the Internet recognize the Ò.comÓ extension as a commercial business web site. Most non-profit organizations are given the Ò.orgÓ and the Office of National Drug Control Policy wonÕt be confused with Wal-Mart. What if you or your kids wanted to look up some anti-drug sites on the Internet? What most ÔNet savvy people do is put in some keywords to look up in a search engine like Yahoo. Words like: Òantidrug, anti-drug, anti drug, theantidrug, the anti-drug, the antidrug, the anti drug, no drugs, how do I teach my kid about drugs, learn about drugs, just say no, marijuana, advice, love, trust, honest, communication, truth, education, drug awareness, teenager, drug use, drug, pot, crack, inhalants, peer pressure, beer, alcohol, tobacco, cigarettes, listen, behavior, grandparents, teachers, coaches, volunteer, ecstasy, X, XTC, cocaine, heroinÓ would be excellent choices. Invariably, you would come up with a lot of sites and one would be Òtheantidrug.orgÓ because the antidrug.org owners used ALL of those words to describe their website to the major search engines like Yahoo.
Guess what happens if you click on theantidrug.org site? YouÕll get Òa site created to battle myths and government propagandaÓ who believes the Òscare tactics, exaggeration and lies are counterproductive methods of dealing with potential drug abuse.Ó YouÕll finally see the truth about how anti-drug laws are the real cause for all of the crime associated with drug abuse. Theantidrug.org is the site that lets Americans know that their Constitutional freedoms have been eroding since LSD was made illegal in a scholarly piece by John Perry Barlow called ÒLSD and Liberty.Ó Theantidrug.org and Barlow posits that ÒLSD is not illegal because it endangers your sanity. LSD is illegal because it endangers Control. Worse, it makes authority seem funny. But laugh at authority in America and you will know risk. LSD is illegal primarily because it threatens the dominant American culture, the culture of Control.Ó I could go on with more insanity from theantidrug.org, but you get the picture.
In an attempt to cover themselves, the owners of theantidrug.org have placed a disclaimer stating that their site is ÒsatiricalÓ but also announce that theantidrug.org name Òis on sale for a *very* special price to public relations firms hired by the US government. E-mail for more info. Don't miss out on this incredible offer - available for a limited time only!Ó A-ha! A shakedown! Some cyber-extortion! Now the truth comes out.
The World Tribune.com did some checking into the owners of the Òtheantidrug.orgÓ domain and have learned that from May 2000-May 2001 the site was registered by Dulles, VA-based Internet name registration company VeriSign to Bobby Subiakto in Indonesia. When Mr. SubiaktoÕs lease on the site expired in May 2001, theantidrug.org domain name was purchased by VeriSignÕs competitor, Register.com. In August 2001, Register.com sold the name to:
Yori Yanover
13221 N. 51st
Seattle, WA 98290
Phone: 206-952-3150
Email: theantidrug@hotmail.com
World Tribune.com attempted to contact the owner of Òtheantidrug.orgÓ via phone, but the telephone number is a fake and noticed that the address is possibly phony - located a hundred yards west of SeattleÕs Woodland Park. After some investigation, we found that the name ÒYori YanoverÓ is well-known to many Internet users because the name belongs to a New York City-based journalist who authored the essay ÒToday I Saw Evil With My Own EyesÓ on September 11th and is the editor of a website focusing on Jewish issues. World Tribune.com contacted the real Yori Yanover by phone in New York City last Tuesday who explained that he had no connections with or knowledge of Òtheantidrug.org.Ó
If you havenÕt already figured it out, theantidrug.orgÕs owners are attempting to make easy money off of the taxpayers of the United States by throwing a pro-drug abuse website on a domain that would normally be used by government anti-drug organizations and offering to sell the domain to the government for an outrageous profit. The antidrug.org is extortion, it is illegal under the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act and it is as evil as terrorism or drug trafficking.
If you are a taxpaying citizen of the United States, voice your concern to Register.com by calling their toll-free customer service line (800) 899-9724. Tell them that you donÕt want to pay an extortionist for theantidrug.org with your tax money and let them know that have registered the domain name to someone using a false identity. If youÕd rather send Register.com an email with your opinion on theantidrug.org extortion scandal, do so at support@register.com and reference ticket number: 1279444703.
Or you can just do nothing, wait until the US Government pays tens of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of your tax dollars to some pro-drug dealing extortionist for making a stupid website that tricks your kids into thinking that drugs are merely the catalyst for mind-expansion. ItÕs your choiceÉ
Want to defend these cybersquatters with some laughable ÒI love antidrug.org because I love free speech and libertyÓ garbage? Send me email.
<>
