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From: deb5@ellis.uchicago.edu (Daniel von Brighoff)
Subject: Re: Drug Tsar - was Re: Media Mongols?
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Date: Sat, 16 Sep 1995 02:49:45 GMT
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In article <43cq79$f95@mets.tci.east-lansing.mi.us>,
Mark Anthony Beadles  <beadles@techsmith.com> wrote:
>The drug czar (as we often spell it here) is the semi-official 
>title given to the U.S. government official who leads the 
>effort to stop illegal drug use and trafficking.  This effort 
>is often referred to as 'The War On Drugs'.  Hence, the Drug 
>Czar leads the troops in the War On Drugs. The term 'War on 
>Drugs' arose first, I believe.  
>
>The title 'Czar' may refer to that official's absolute 
>authority in that arena, especially because absolute authority 
>is rare in our government.

Also, there's an ad hoc (and slightly sarcastic) connotation to "czar".
To give another example, my undergraduate dormitory, like many at
American colleges, had a duly constituted "House Government" with
elected "chairs" and "represenatives" charged with various duties (an 
"Activities Chair," an "Interhourse Council Rep", etc.).  Attached to
this were a "Pool Czar" and a "Computer Czar," responsible for maintaining
the billiards room and the computer room, respectively.  Their positions
differed from the others in that they were:
1) Appointed directly by the president
2) Answerable only to him (and not, for example, to the Activities Chair)
3) Not mentioned in the constitution
4) More specific in scope than the other positions
5) Discontinued as soon as the President thought these areas no longer
required special attention

All qualities, I understand, shared with the US Drug Czar and the AIDS Czar.

(My apologies for posting an a.u.e post to sci.lang.)

-- 
	 Daniel "Da" von Brighoff    /\          Dilettanten
	(deb5@midway.uchicago.edu)  /__\         erhebt Euch
				   /____\      gegen die Kunst!
