Texas Congressman Ron Paul has long lobbied against government restrictions on the drug use of American citizens, but in the past the outspoken presidential hopeful has linked the US with narcotics closer than one might imagine.

As early as 1988, Paul was preaching of a relationship between the Central Intelligence Agency and Contras in Nicaragua amid the Iran-Contra scandal that plagued the Reagan administration. That relationship, said Paul, was one built with an intricate drug trade.

According to the GOP frontrunner in the race to the White House, the CIA imported cocaine from the Contras into America and then supplied domestic drug dealers with their loot, a transaction that allowed the Agency to operate its illegal trade with its Latin American neighbors that would have been otherwise impossible to fund with legitimate money.

Instead, said Paul, the CIA used dirty money made by the Agency’s drug deals to help afford the cost of arming the Contras against Sandinistas.

Speaking at a gathering of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, a NORML, Paul told an audience along the campaign trail back during his bid for the presidency in 1988 that the CIA was involved in dealing coke.

Drug trafficking is “a gold mine for people who want to raise money in the underground government in order to finance projects that they can’t get legitimately. It is very clear that the CIA has been very much involved with drug dealings,” Paul said in the address. “The CIA was very much involved in the Iran-Contra scandals. I’m not making up the stories; we saw it on television. They were hauling down weapons and drugs back. And the CIA and government officials were closing their eyes, fighting a war that was technically illegal.”

Danilo Blandón, a former cocaine trafficker pegged by the US government, testified in 1981 that in regards to his own operation, “whatever we were running in LA the profit was going to the Contra revolution.” Blandón, from Nicaragua, added that he was outfitted with supplies by the CIA and sold cocaine cheaply to California dealers in order to turn a profit around for the government.

Rumors of the connection have circulated since the Iran-Contra affair though and have gone largely unreported. Paul, however, is no stranger to calling out corrupt government whenever he can. In televised debates of would-be Republican contenders for the GOP nomination this year, Paul has repeatedly gone after Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama for involving America in foreign wars for interests not vested in the American public .In the case of the War on Terror, Paul recently remarked that the Bush administration was full of glee after the September 11 terrorist attacks as it had finally allowed the government a reason to invade.

Joint Program with KPSP Local 2 provides much-needed funds and promotion to Coachella Valley charities

The honor is given to a pre-selected 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, determined by the KPSP Local 2 Advisory Board, which includes community members and board members of the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation. In addition to the funds, each charity is given valuable exposure through story coverage and promotions on all of KPSP Local 2’s media platforms, including the station’s “Eye on the Desert” program and www.kpsplocal2.com.

“The program is intended to reach as many charities as possible throughout our area, and provide not only money, but recognition and awareness as well,” said Ron Auen, President and Chief Executive Officer of the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation. “By showcasing these deserving nonprofits, it is our hope that others will give what time and money they can, because every contribution helps.”

Since its inception, the Coachella Valley Spotlight has been awarded to a diverse portfolio of charitable organizations. The grants have benefitted children, seniors, military troops, the homeless, and many other social service needs of our area. Each year, an open call for applicants goes out to charitable organizations that serve Coachella Valley residents. For 2012 more than 100 organizations applied; the first honoree of the year will be announced in January on KPSP Local 2.

“We are very proud of what the Coachella Valley Spotlight has done in our community in the last three years,” said Don Perry, Vice President and General Manager of KPSP Local 2. “Our late owner, Jackie Lee Houston, set a benchmark of giving for this valley. We believe the Coachella Valley Spotlight, a partnership between KPSP Local 2 and the Berger Foundation, lives up to her expectations to benefit organizations impacting the lives of people in our area.”

Stories featuring past recipients can be seen in the “Coachella Valley Spotlight” section of www.kpsplocal2.com. For more information about the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation visit www.hnberger.org.

As the definitive book on Desert Hot Springs history from early days to recent political events, the Vortex Made Me Do It provides an insider’s look at the city’s leading founding and political figures. In Part 1 of an interview on KNews Lee Rayburn Show, Bill Effinger examines city politics including the

President of Integrated Wealth Management Jim Casey received the 339th Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars on Dec. 10th at 100 south Palm Canyon Drive. Bill Alexander, President of the Palm Springs Walk of Stars unveiled the star with Jim Casey and his life partner Jason Altieri looking on.

Jim Casey is a film Producer, Philanthropist, Board Member on several local businesses and is an Executive Committee member on many charities in the Valley.

His friends and business partners took turns telling of all Jim’s accomplishments at this ceremony. He was given a replica  plaque of his star for his home. There were proclamations by local government officials. He was given a Star Pin to wear on this lapel.

Guest speakers included David Brinkman, Harold Matzner, Barebara Keller, Kim Waltrip, Kathleen Bennett plus others.

Jim Casey addressed the crowd with an emotional speech.

All photos by Pat Krause.

A judge in Arizona has decided to make a Mexican American history program taught in the Tucson Unified School District just that: history. According to Judge Lewis D Kowal, the program is in violation of state law.

The legislation in question went on the books a year ago and says that Arizona schools can’t offer studies designed for students of any particular ethnic group, a move that US Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) called at its passing a “dangerous precedent.”

“This legislation against diversity might be focused on Tucson,” Grijalva told the Huffington Post earlier this year, “but it has significant ramifications across the country.”

The ban specifically prohibits classes which are aimed at ethnic groups or promotes “resentment toward a race or class of people.” In June of this year, John Huppenthal, the state superintendent of public instruction, deemed the Tucson district to be in violation by offering a Mexican American studies program. Six months later, students and instructors are now being forced by state mandate to end the academic agenda, essentially outlawing the truth from being taught in public schools.

“I made a decision based on the totality of the information and facts gathered during my investigation — a decision that I felt was best for all students in the Tucson Unified School District,” Huppenthal says to the Los Angeles Times over his so-called victory with this week’s ruling. “The judge’s decision confirms that it was the right decision.”

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