CONNECTING THE DOTS

After 9/11, the American people were told that intelligence agencies had
failed to "connect the dots."

Acknowledging that I'm not a particularly intelligent agent, when I spotted
these two dots I decided to have a crack at connecting them.

* Dot 1: Bloomberg News, Feb.4. On Afghani opium production: 2001 - 185
tons; 2002 - 3,400 tons. An 18-fold increase under U.S. occupation.

* Dot 2: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Feb. 9. On local heroin prices: 2000 -
$24 per unit; 2002 - $3 per unit.

One-eighth the price of two years ago, less than the price of a Happy Meal.

If you connect Dot 1 to Dot 2 , the line looks something like this:

The Bush administration has, at the very least, significantly increased
global heroin output.

The Bush administration has, at the very most, been using chemical weapons
on its own people.

This exercise in applied dot-connecting is called "PoppyGate."

We need congressional hearings immediately.

GLENN GREENWAY