Heroin: The Troubling Cash Crop of Afghanistan Listen

Poppy farmer in Afghanistan

Forums: Has the U.S. dropped the ball on the bin Laden tape?

U.S. Gov't Fact Sheet on Afghan Heroin production

Report: bin Laden has escaped to Pakistan

As the world looks forward to the rebuilding of Afghanistan and its economy, one troubling issue looms in the background: by far, the most important cash crop in Afghanistan is the poppy, used in the production of opium and heroin.

Could the goals of the war on drugs interfere with the war on terror? As part of the war on drugs, the United States had even given money to the Taliban to give peasants the incentive to change from poppy production to planting wheat or other crops. Can Afghanistan recover if the West requires that it ban the production of its most lucrative crop? Can anything take the place of the poppy for Afghan farmers?

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An agreement on easing immigration restrictions has never materialized between the U.S. and Mexico

Forums: Is the U.S. correct to crack down on all illegal immigrants, even those with no apparent terrorist link?

The Invisible Victims of September 11th Listen

Private charities and government agencies have rushed to the aid of the victims of the September 11th attacks. Both those who lost family members in the World Trade Center and those whose jobs have been eliminated due to the economic slowdown following the attack are eligible for various types of assistance. But journalist Ruben Martinez says one segment of the population is not getting the assistance they need: undocumented workers.

On Tuesday, 69 illegal immigrant workers at the Salt Lake City Airport were arrested as part of "Operation Safe Travel." Most of these were Mexican immigrants who officials are pretty sure would never take part in terrorism. But fears about homeland security are changing the way America views and treats illegal immigrants. While just a few months ago, President Bush was talking about granting broad amnesty to Mexican illegals, now the INS is cracking down on anyone in the U.S. illegally. This hour, the plight of illegal immigrants in post-Sept. 11th America.

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