Letters to the Editor

Failed drug war

As an advocate of legalizing drugs for adults and letting the states control their production and distribution, the Oct. 3 letter to the editor would have made me laugh if it were not so sad.

The writer cited several scary-sounding statistics to support the view that legalizing drugs is a terrible idea, but he cited no sources. However, the statistics quoted are so ludicrous that they sounded as though they came from the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy.

That office's statistics contain so many half-truths, doctored numbers and outright falsehoods that two Appalachian State University professors wrote a book on the subject: "Lies, Damned Lies, and Drug War Statistics: A Critical Analysis of Claims Made by the Office of National Drug Policy." The State University of New York Press published it a few months ago.

In fact, the so-called "War on Drugs" has failed miserably. The proof is that, although we spend tens of billions of dollars every year to stop the flow of drugs to willing customers, everyone who wants drugs has easy access to them. For the same reasons, drug prohibition has failed as badly as alcohol prohibition failed.

That's because drug abuse, like alcohol abuse, is a medical problem. It is not a law-enforcement problem. Programs based on treatment, rehabilitation and education have been proven to work far better than programs based on prohibition, and they cost a fraction as much to administer.

All drug law reformers are saying is this: Why don't we try new tactics that have been proven to work and quit hoping the same old programs, which have never worked, will somehow start producing new results?

SKIP JOHNSON

Vice President off South Carolinians for Drug Law Reform

72 Meeting St.

Bus unlikely target

A recent news clip reported a simulated terrorist "targeting" of a CARTA bus. But since terrorists strike populated places, it is highly unlikely they would choose a CARTA bus.

SHELBY BATES

3428 Little Ranch Road

Ladson

Immigrant tragedy

In response to North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey's recent commentary regarding illegal immigrants: I could not disagree more.

He states illegals are targets for crime because they cannot "properly deposit their money" into banks due to their illegal status and that "whether the victim (of a crime) was an illegal immigrant or not, the statistics will show that the crime occurred in North Charleston."

With all due respect, statistics are not the major concern. The survival of our country as we know and love it should be the primary concern. This is not a federal problem or a local problem. This is an American problem. This is every American's problem.

Every day, I become more and more a foreigner in my own land. Illegals are negatively impacting all of us on social, economic, educational and cultural levels. Churches, law enforcement, public officials, employers and private American citizens that employ or cater to illegals are accelerating the downfall of our country.

America is not just a job site. It is not just an "idea" that does not belong to any one particular group of people, as Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., would have us believe. America belongs to Americans. It is our home. It makes no more sense to aid and abet these law breakers coming into our country any more than it would make sense to allow them to pitch a tent in your back yard.

If you are not outraged by what you see happening, then you are part of the problem. If you are outraged, I would like to suggest visiting NumbersUSA.com, outragedpatriots.com and americanshavehadenough.com to help fight this tragedy.

MICHELE BEASLEY

5552 Gallatin Lane

North Charleston

GOP losing hope

Democrats should be happy that there is a lull in the violence in Iraq. This will give Republicans new hope to hold on to their pro-war positions and invigorate the mouthpieces of the Republican Party like Rush Limbaugh. What it does is cement their positions and get them even closer to the elections and beyond the point where they can change their minds.

I have no doubt that the minute we start to reduce troops, or about four or five months before the election, the violence will flare up. The Republican Party is in the process of giving up the only hope it has for the White House and/or Congress. It's their own suicide decision. Unfortunately, many American soldiers will lose their lives as a result.

ANDY JOHNSON

651 Serotina Court

Mount Pleasant

Veto proof

This administration and Congress continue to spend billions upon billions of dollars quarterly in Iraq, the appropriation of which is guaranteed not to be vetoed.

But our president vetoes without hesitation additional funding for our children. What has become of this great nation?

JAMES RICE

109 S. Gateshead Crossing

Goose Creek

No dialogue

The Rev. Benjamin Smith's letter to the editor speaks volumes about the mindset of the national Episcopal Church, of which I have been a member for 68 years.

I am sure the Rev. Bill Atwood's decision [to be consecrated as a suffragan bishop of Kenya] was based on spiritual convictions and on poor decisions in the national church.

Interestingly, a directive from the Anglican communion challenges the Episcopal Church to address its poor decisions with a deadline and the church's response was to suggest a dialogue.

In one of my prayer groups, we discussed the fable of the senior guy whose decision in life is either buy a sports car or have an affair. He couldn't afford the sports car, so the alternative was his choice. When he advised his wife of many years that he had a new female friend, who was young, smart, and pretty and that he was spending quality time with her, the wife's reaction was: "Are you crazy?" His response was: "We need dialogue." She gave him a well-deserved boot.

The only dialogue that will work will come when we all spend more time on our knees praying, fasting and listening for instructions from the Holy Spirit.

JACK CRANWELL

745 Gin House Court

Disturbing actions

I find Gov. Mark Sanford's recent actions regarding workers' compensation reform disturbing. An attempt to ram Executive Order 2007-16 through after having failed to achieve his goal through the legislative process seems underhanded. Isn't that the way politicians in Third World countries force their will on the people?

Certainly in this country, we hold those elected to public service to a higher standard. Those standards are guaranteed to us by law.

A governor, as a member of the executive branch, does not possess lawmaking power. Thus, the governor's attempt to create legislation is unconstitutional. In South Carolina we learned these points in a basic middle school civics course. We also learned that the balance of power is in place to protect the people from dictatorial oppression.

If the governor is as concerned about soaring insurance premiums as he professes, then why not audit the S.C. Department of Insurance? I cannot imagine that such a blatantly logical first step occurred to me and not to the governor.

We must ask who benefits from such total disregard of the guarantees of the Bill of Rights. Certainly only minimal thought is required to connect the dots that point directly to those who run the insurance industry.

I imagine the governor is quite deeply invested in the course he has chosen, but I would ask him to review the oath he took when he promised to serve all South Carolinians.

CAROL M. YOUNG

958 Crown Court

Mount Pleasant

Pumpkin thief

To the person who stole the pumpkin from my front porch:

Beware! You created your own bad luck when you took it.

Happy Halloween.

DEE BAKER

32 Menotti St.