THE VOTES OF PRISONERS

To the editor:

After reading Larry A. Stevens' letter to the editor in the November
16 issue, I could no longer sit by while people constantly
misinterpret a voting right.

Felony offenders only lose their right to vote while they are
incarcerated. Upon release, they are eligible to vote -- providing
they register. I urge all Xs who thought they lost that right to
register immediately.

We know better than anyone how unbalanced the scales of justice are.
A law-abiding citizen can be sentenced to years in prison for refusing
to testify against friends or relatives who the government determines
to be criminals, while a child molester my never see the inside of a
prison. The laws will not be changed if we do not make our voices
heard by voting.

By the way, the "War on Drugs" belongs to the Reagan/Bush camp, not to
Al Gore. The federal agencies simply do not want to give up the power
they have grown to relish.

Janelle Clemens,
Springfield