WE CAN WIN

Re: "Sorry, this may be a war we can't win" (Other Opinions, Oct. 8):

As an anthropologist and pragmatic realist, I have to differ from the
opinion offered by Norah Vincent.

The two situations (the drug war and the war on terrorism) are not the
same. The war on drugs is not winnable, because there are, at last count,
over 100 million Americans who have used or are now using illegal drugs.
The government has made sure that there is only one voice heard in this
situation: that of the fanatical anti-legalization crowd.

Those in favor of legalization are ostracized, silenced, harassed and fired
through the unconstitutional use of drug testing. Most Americans using
drugs are afraid to voice their opinion.

On the other hand, almost every American as well as almost every person on
this planet supports the war against terrorism. We all believe that the war
is just and shall be won.

Sure, there will remain a few people to wage this idiocy, but they will be
a much smaller group and easier to get to than they are now.

And they will lack the enormous amounts of money that had been available to
those in groups like al-Qaida. No sane person will want to support these
fanatics in the future.

Carl Welch

Slidell