Pubdate: Sun, 06 Nov 2005
Source: Sheboygan Press (WI)
Contact: http://www.sheboygan-press.com/contact/forms/editor_letter.shtml
Copyright: 2005 Sheboygan Press
Website: http://www.sheboygan-press.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3993
Author: Ryan Leonhard

FIND BETTER WAYS TO CARRY ON FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS

Are you tired of watching your tax dollars shuffled around while only
endlessly skirting a problem that never goes away?

I am under the impression that our fine city has left us with no money
and has left the individuals of Neighbors Against Drugs to pick up
where the police budget fell short.

I hope these people are more concerned about the people they are
fighting against, rather than the image of our city.

Drug dealers do not enjoy having senior citizens snooping in their
business, and certainly do not like being chased away to another city.
Drug users will always go to places with less competition. We will
just spread them out to other areas that are not prepared to fix the
problem.

I am afraid Neighbors Against Drugs may become Neighbors Entering
Really Dangerous Situations. Are you fully prepared to fight a war
when all you have is your local police department's phone number? The
police are better equipped to handle these problems. It worries me to
see well-intentioned people put their lives on the line for something
the majority will take no responsibility for.

I only hope for a better life for all human beings who make up our
giant worldwide community, as I grow very tired of war and terrorism,
both stealing the future we all work, wish and pray for.

How wise can it be to punish drug offenders by placing them in a
prison where disease thrives, and then place corrected diseased
individuals back into society untreated, with more problems than
before corrections, such as hepatitis, AIDS, rape and addiction?

If we cannot keep drugs out of prisons, we cannot keep them out of
schools. This is the policy we use to spend $20,000 of taxpayer money
to correct the drug offender in a diseased cage. Imagine the effect we
would have if we still used this method of prohibition on alcohol
consumers. Why can we not treat the addiction, disease or problem in
better ways, and funnel all of the spoils of this war into our society
and children for health and mental and educational services that are
already lacking and only add more fuel to a war with no end?

Sooner or later there will not be any more money to waste and time
left to fight. We must look for a better way and stop the great
indignity of drugs and war placed on our police, neighbors and children.

Police and government do not have the answers and solutions, and it is
time for all of us citizens of our world community to take
responsibility, and to think about our people instead of the image of
our little city where we do business and live.

Ryan Leonhard

Sheboygan
- ---
MAP posted-by: Richard Lake