To The Editor: Last Sunday I read an article in the Journal Newspaper in regards to the Border Patrol handing out $71,000 to various law enforcement agencies throughout St. Lawrence County. I do not know how the Border Patrol received the power to deem who reaps the rewards from drug bust money. I'm concerned this money belongs to the tax payers and we should decide where this money is divided. We pay the salaries of all law enforcement officers and we provide the money for their budgets. If they continue to receive these monetary gifts then our Legislatures should deduct these gifts from their yearly fiscal budgets and redirect this money towards other budgets. [continues 210 words]
To The Editor: Further to Larry Seguin's "Tour Prisons" letter to the editor in the March 14 edition of the Advanced News, I agree with the context of his letter. We need our legislators to examine all avenues when it comes to the spending of taxpayer's dollars. If New York State's prison population is dropping and if the State is willing to cut correction officers than why not use these prisons to house jail inmates and save the taxpayer's millions instead of spending millions and in turn keeping the officers employed here in Ogdensburg. The prisons in Ogdensburg are brand new and I see no reason why we can't use these prisons as our next jail. [continues 137 words]
To The Editor: I am disappointed in the actions of our Sheriff Department with the most recent marijuana bust which was supposedly worth millions of dollars. It is bad enough our legislators have to make difficult decisions daily in order to keep our county running. They like many other people are influenced by the local media events and happenings. That whole hemp seizure was nothing more than propaganda to try to deter the outcome of budget cuts to their department. If there were 70,000-80,000 real marijuana plants, I doubt these agencies would burn the evidence without first attempting an investigation. Local agencies arrest people on a pot pipe alone, yet they allow a bust of this magnitude to go overlooked. Let's call a spade a spade, this crop was hemp. [continues 145 words]
Dear Editor; Some people tend to criticize other people in this area simply because they stand up for what they strongly believe in. Where would our country be today if we had not stood up for our freedoms. The war on drugs is not right, it is a prejudice against Blacks and Hispanics. It has caused an increase in the AIDS virus through shared needles and, contracting AIDS from prisons and returning it back to neighborhoods. Also, it has cost the taxpayers billions of dollars and yet there is still no significant reduction in drug use. This money could be better spent improving schools, increasing the number of rehabilitation centers, or creating more grants to upgrade low income housing. [continues 315 words]
To The Editor; I have a hard time understanding the true meaning of this drug war against the people. How can President Clinton pardon his own brother Roger Clinton from a convicted felony drug charge. Yet, he will send 1.3 billion of our tax paying dollars to eradicate the coca leaf from Columbia as a civil war is slowly developing. I find it sends a mixed message and its hypocritical. There are a lot of people out there who feel this drug war is a failure. Just to name a few; Governor Gary Johnson (R) New Mexico, Ethan Nadelman, Director of the Lindesmith Institute, and Dr. Gene Tenelli, Addiction Psychiatrist, SUNY. [continues 105 words]
I have a hard time understanding the true meaning of this drug war against the people. How can President Clinton pardon his own brother Roger Clinton from a convicted felony drug charge. Yet, he will send 1.3 billion of our tax paying dollars to eradicate the coca leaf from Columbia as a civil war is slowly developing. I find it sends a mixed message and its hypocritical. There are a lot of people out there who feel this drug war is a failure. Just to name a few; Governor Gary Johnson (R) New Mexico, Ethan Nadelman, Director of the Lindesmith Institute, and Dr. Gene Tenelli, Addiction Psychiatrist, SUNY. [continues 105 words]
Attorney Charles Gardner was right when he stated, in short, that the drug war is a failure. How much longer can the State and Federal Government ignore the destruction of our society by the war on drugs. Many of us fail to realize the impact that prisons can have on the families of these non violent drug offenders. Those brave individuals who speak out against the drug war do it because they believe our Government has created an unjust war against its' own people. It is time to change the harsh Rockefeller Drug Laws, and send first time non violent drug offender currently in prison home to their families. And most of all, we should listen to Mr. Garnder's plea and seek a sane and sensible solution to the War on Drugs. Joanne Monnet, Ogdensburg. N.Y [end]
Dear Editor; Mr. Robert Merkin’s 04/23/00 letter to the editor is about as accurate as it gets. It is time we take a serious look at the current prison expansion and what we are really gaining. I have also read the 04/10/00 Newsday article “The Town that loved Prisons pays a very stiff Price”, and I am inclined to believe it as my family is from the Malone area and they claim that prosperity there really hasn’t increased that much since the addition of three prisons, actually Malone has recently lost three businesses Ponderosa, IGA, and Agway. [continues 140 words]
To The Editor: I realize the current drug war is a controversy not only in this county but throughout the whole nation. There is a reason for these feelings; primarily because people just don't know if it's right anymore. I know we have been waging this war against the people for over 30 years. For some of us it's been our entire lives. I don't think the government has all the answers to this problem. There are certain facts our government can't refute. [continues 358 words]
