Pubdate: Thu, 01 Oct 2009 Source: Toccoa Record, The (GA) Copyright: 2009 The Toccoa Record Contact: http://www.thetoccoarecord.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5073 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n896/a06.html Author: R.S. Chambers DRUGS ARE THE NO. 1 TRADE In response to Frank Whittle's letter in the 9/24/09 edition, are you serious? Are you on medication? This guy goes off on a tirade about something he obviously has no idea about! Man, drugs are the No. 1 trade and recreation here in Toccoa, whether you want to believe it or not. How can you not know about the problem of drugs in Toccoa? Did you reside in Never-Never Land when the news came on and when the papers came out? People, this is the exact reason drugs flourish in our community. All the "non-believers" who refuses to see the truth and bury their heads in the sand! Even first graders know drugs are going on! The only way, drugs are going to go away is for the community to gather together, walk the streets, if necessary, and sic the police on drug dealers. Families must turn in users and the usually in effective state court must refuse the stupid Nolo plea for drug cases. The letter reminds me of years ago when many people in Toccoa, primarily the city government denounced and refused to acknowledge the existence of homelessness in our community. Today, there is a fair amount, numbering into the hundreds of homeless here. Later, the same issue arose about prostitution. "No such thing here in Toccoa" was the thought. Today, several arrests for prostitution later and more than a dozen "pros" known to the police later, what do they have to say? All one has to do is look to the police blotter in The Record to see all the druggies arrested. That, my friends, is the stark reality of today's society! We all wish that we lived in a utopia where everything is perfect. No drugs, no alcohol, no "pros'", everyone has a job and everyone gets along. However, we can't turn a blind eye to what's going on around us. We must not only acknowledge the problems but also must strive to correct the problem, whatever means necessary. That includes those who reside in an idyllic paradise where nothing wrong ever happens, where those residents sip kool-aid and wear rose color shades. You folks need to grab a cup of coffee, wake up, throw those shades away and come back to the real world. While its grim and gritty, it's the only one we have and there's no escaping reality. R.S. Chambers Martin - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake