Noriega and Drug Smuggling

The continuing front-page coverage of Jose Blandon’s testimony blasting Panama’s “strongman” Noriega is good news. After all, what good citizen is not in favor of getting rid of drug traffickers? But taken in the perspective of events of the last year or so, your good citizen readers have cause to stop and wonder.

I wonder, where were the front-page stories about our own government’s active participation in drug smuggling when the Christic Institute’s suit was brought in the Miami District Federal Court, charging many present and former federal officials with corrupt activities including drug trafficking?

I wonder, where were the front-page stories when the congressional committees went out of their way to avoid this topic, and other corrupt practices, in order to protect the President during their long, yet toothless, hearings? Indeed, those hearings and the media reports on them were more notable for what was not heard and not reported than for what was.

I wonder, where is our unfettered, free press? I wonder, perhaps this is just an attempt to frame poor Noriega. I wonder, who has the most to gain from this attack on Noriega at this time? I wonder, should I believe what I read on the front page? I wonder.

LOUIS C. ADAMO

Del Mar