CRITIC'S MESSAGE TO UN: BUY UP ALL THE POPPIES

The Canadian government's military presence in Afghanistan will only
cause more strife, controversial American scholar Noam Chomsky said
Thursday.

Instead, Chomsky suggests Canada and other countries seek non-violent
methods for Afghan rebuilding, such as encouraging the United Nations
to buy up poppies grown for opium.

"What Afghanistan needs is not more violence. It needs
reconstruction," said Chomsky after speaking on a panel at the
University of Windsor with his long-time writing partner Edward Herman.

"The presence of the troops is in fact increasing the level of the
violence."

Canadian troops will thus face more danger, he forecasted.

"Afghanistan is a huge exporter of opium," Chomsky said. "A lot of the
NATO forces, including the Canadian ones, are going to be there for
destruction of opium poppies and the military actions that go on with
extending that control."

Chomsky said one solution he favours was proposed by Law Enforcement
Against Prohibition, a group of criminal justice professionals who
feel the war on drugs has failed.

"They're calling for an end to prohibition," Chomsky said. "In
Afghanistan they have a proposal, and a simple one."

"The proposal is that the United Nations should buy up the poppy
production. Farmers would get their money. Warlords don't get the
payoffs. The Taliban doesn't get the payoffs. The level of violence is
reduced. The opium can in fact be stored and used for medicinal
purposes, or something else."

Chomsky was the keynote speaker at a three-day conference in Windsor
called 20 Years of Propaganda?

The contemporary look at the propaganda model created 20 years ago by
Chomsky and Herman in their influential book Manufacturing Consent
attracted about 300 scholars from around the world, including South
Africa, Japan, Pakistan and Iceland.

Signed Autographs

Chomsky -- something of a rock star with the left-leaning university
crowd, who lined up for autographs and pictures with their hero --
also spoke on a variety of foreign-affairs topics to a packed Chrysler
Theatre audience.

A main theme of his address explored how the margins of debate in
society, as dictated by the mainstream media, don't allow enough
discussion on certain pressing issues.

In particular, public discussion on American economic and military
foreign policy rarely questions the process, only its details.

"The United States owns the world," said the 78-year-old MIT professor
emeritus of linguistics, a prolific author best known for his
political activism. So there is little debating the American
justification for its war on terrorism. "If you don't accept that
assumption, you're not part of the civilized world."

Chomsky said if another nation invades a country, it's immediately
condemned. But not so with the U.S.

Chomsky basked in standing ovations at the university and the Chrysler
Theatre, where a post-speech question summed up the love-in:
"Professor Chomsky, have you ever considered running for president?"

If he ever controlled the White House, Chomsky said, his first act
would be to create a war crimes tribunal. But he quickly assured the
audience about his intentions to run for office: "Of course not."