Pubdate: Mon, 16 Sep 2002 Source: Press, The (OH) Copyright: 2002 The Press, Metro Press Contact: http://www.presspublications.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2511 Author: Vincent Yancey PRISON & TREATMENT To the editor: Prison instead of treatment. I'm still stunned that a fellow Democrat has publicly advocated prison instead of treatment, and has asked voters to literally vote themselves into prison. The Democratic Party has traditionally championed the causes of poor people and it's the poor who fill our prisons. Why would voters choose prison instead of treatment? Children and adults can go to prison for smoking pot. You can lose your children, your job and your home for using pot. But not cops' kids or judges' kids. Children and adults are maimed and raped in prisons. It just happened in Lucas County. Come out into the real world, Chris. Listen to children crying for their parents and parents crying for their children. Listen to 10-year-olds crying in prison for simply punching an older brother. You think it won't work in Ohio? It costs too much money? America is spending hundreds of billions of dollars on an evil war against its own citizens. I hope the voters will give it a try. All my life, I have advocated against all drugs. I've never even used tea or coffee. But most voters are not perfect like you and I, Chris. Vote for help, not for torture. Vincent Yancey, Curtice - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D