Pubdate: Sat, 23 Jun 2001
Source: Oklahoman, The (OK)
Copyright: 2001 The Oklahoma Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.oklahoman.com/?ed-writeus
Website: http://www.oklahoman.com/
Forum: http://www.oklahoman.com/forums/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/318
Author:  Harry D. Fisher
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?170 (Downey, Robert Jr.)
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1083/a01.html

DRUG WAR IS ODIOUS, TYRANNICAL

TO THE EDITOR:

Tom Hedrick of the Partnership for a Drug Free America ("Point of 
View," June 17) wrote, "Take Darryl Strawberry and Robert Downey Jr. 
The former baseball All-Star and the Oscar-nominated actor both are 
in drug treatment programs, their careers and lives forever damaged." 
And why is that? Because they were caught by the enforcers of the 
drug war. Downey was caught alone in a motel room, hardly endangering 
anybody. Strawberry never hurt anyone either. But in spite of that, 
they're fair game for anybody with a anti-drug ax to grind.

It's no longer necessary to commit a real crime to be treated like a 
criminal. All you need is to disobey the enforcers of the malevolent 
and odious war on drugs, so that individuals like Hedrick can live 
out their fantasies of purity, not their own, but ours.

Remember how we used to laugh at the stories of the Soviet repression 
when they'd put people in "mental hospitals" for "re-education"? 
Laugh now, I dare you.

Harry D. Fisher, Woodland Hills, Calif.
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