Pubdate: Fri, 26 Jul 2002 Source: Arkansas Times (AR) Copyright: 2002 Arkansas Times Inc. Contact: http://www.arktimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/583 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?194 (Hutchinson, Asa) SINS OF T. AND A. We'll believe we've seen about everything when we see a Hutchinson in uniform. Both Senator Tim and former Congressman Asa diligently avoided military service while others were suiting up for their country. (Asa is now a fierce drug warrior, albeit in mufti, as head of the federal Drug Enforcement Agency. It is more fun fighting drugs than human enemies, who are bad to fight back.) The closest the brothers have come to national defense happened up in Northeast Arkansas the other day, when one of Tim's agents slapped a Hutchinson campaign sticker on a National Guard armored vehicle that she and the sticker then rode in a Fourth of July parade. God Bless America, and Tim Hutchinson's re-election campaign. It was a fairly disgraceful example of perverted patriotism, and the National Guard issued a warning that it must not be repeated. In America, the military is required to stay out of partisan politics. That's one of the things we celebrate on July 4. Neither Hutchinson nor his campaign staff has apologized for the affront. A spokesman, Anthony Hulen, offered a whine instead: "No one can dare suggest that we are trying to take advantage of our men and women in uniform for political gain." No one could suggest otherwise. Pray that Tim's resourcefulness doesn't inspire Asa to use National Guard tanks to crush ailing marijuana users. He's already sicced DEA foot soldiers on these unfortunates, even in states where voters have legalized the use of medicinal marijuana. The will of the people is no concern of the Hutchinsons', as they showed when they tried to depose an elected president. On his last trip to Little Rock, a feverish Asa warned physicians not to be "intimidated" by cancer sufferers into prescribing illegal pain- relieving drugs. Intimidation is what Asa and his drug police do. Cancer victims plead, and suffer. Evidently, Christian compassion is not taught at Bob Jones U., the Hutchinsons' alma mater. Nor Principles of Democracy, or American History, either. For right-wing politics and religious bigotry, you couldn't find a better place. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth