Pubdate: Mon, 01 Oct 2001
Source: Rock River Times (IL)
Copyright: The Rock River Times 2001
Contact:  http://www.rockrivertimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/539
Author: Kirk Muse
Note: Title by MAP Editor

OPED WAS RIGHT ON THE MARK

Dear Editor:

M. L. Simon's OPED: "Supporting America's Enemies" was right on the mark. 
(9-19-01)

How much of the $43 million that we donated to the Taliban rulers of 
Afghanistan was used to fund the terrorists' activities against the United 
States? How much of what the United Nations estimates to be a $400 billion 
industry, the illegal drug trade, is used to fund terrorists' activities? 
$1 billion? $10 billion? We will never know for sure.

At the turn of the last century, Bayer heroin was sold in local pharmacies 
for about the same price as Bayer aspirin. If we re-legalized recreational 
drugs, drug lords would be out of business in a heartbeat. If we 
re-legalized recreational drugs, terrorists would lose a major source of 
their funding.

What message would the re-legalization of recreational drugs send to our 
children? That it is not the proper role of a free country's government to 
attempt to dictate to its citizens what they may or may not put into their 
own bodies.

Kirk Muse
Vancouver, Wash
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MAP posted-by: Beth