Dialogue

DRUG MONEY

America should give up it’s ‘drug war’ racket regarding people caught with small amounts of drugs. This war is nothing more than what NBC Nightly News would refer to as ‘The Fleecing of America’.

Give a small fine to people caught with small amounts of drugs, unless they are caught selling it. If a person is determined to get high, they will, even resorting to inhaling gasoline fumes. Bathtub gin was popular during Prohibition. Bust the people selling dope, and leave the rest alone.

But, the dope ‘war’ is too big a ‘cash cow’ for government to drop, even partially. It keeps the bills of a superfluous amount of judges, lawyers, cops, jailers, etc. paid. Here in Texas, counties get X amount of dollars daily from the state for every person incarcerated in their jails. As a result, prisons here and in most of the rest of the country have to release killer drunk drivers, rapists, batterers, etc. earlier than is morally responsible to make room for casual drug users. The real criminals usually resume their lives of crime upon release.

The American taxpayer pays the price for the superfluous law enforcers needed to fight this hypocritical ‘war’. We often have to pay for the children on welfare of the people caught with small amounts of drugs. We pay again financially, and in more painful ways when the real criminals are let loose back into society. But hey, our government has always been run by lawyers who only tell us the things they want us to hear.

Carl Fox Hurst

P.S. I don’t use illicit drugs.

AND NOT TO MENTION JOHN NEGROPONTE

Talk about arrogance! The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations voted to give the United States the boot from the United Nations Human Rights Commission. Doesn’t that body know God appointed the United States to sit on the UNHRC forever? Surely, those who voted by a democratic secret ballot have forgotten that the United States of America is THE MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE!

Actually all of the arrogance belongs with the United States House of Representatives. That branch of Congress voted 252-165 to withhold $244 million from what the United States owes in dues to the United Nations–some $582 million. hose are the people who really do believe that the U.S.A. is indeed THE MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE with an appointment by God to sit on the UNHRC forever.

Much of the media has presented this event as the United States being replaced by notorious human rights violators such as Sudan and Pakistan. While it is true that Sudan and Pakistan are members of the UNHRC, the United States was actually replaced by Sweden. Members of the UNHRC are elected by region. The region to which the United States belongs voted for four candidates to fill three slots in the commission. The vote was France with 52 votes out of a possible 54, Austria 41, Sweden 32 and the U.S. with 29.

Surely, Sweden has an exemplary human rights record that is equal to if not superior to America’s. After all, that country does not have capital punishment. In America the innocent are sometimes executed.

Let us hope the Senate does not react to America’s absence from the UNCHR as the House has. Surely, America does not wish to be viewed by the world as a spoiled crybaby who is shedding tears because it does not receive obeisance as THE MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE.

Rev. Tom Hutt (Ret.) Menasha, WI