O'CONNOR'S MESSAGE HIT HOME

The passing of the great actor Carroll O'Connor reminds us all of how the
character he so brilliantly created, Archie Bunker, changed the course of
race and social relations in our country forever.

But I'll never forget the role he played here in Massachusetts last fall to
defeat Ballot Question 8, which would have made it easier to sell dangerous
drugs in our state. Even though he was in the hospital, he got on the
phone, did radio interviews, and called into talk shows to press for a "No"
vote on Question 8. Especially touching were his stories about the son he
tragically lost to drugs. His message really struck home.

The billionaires who put the question on the ballot spent more than $2
million on misleading political ads to fool voters into supporting it. But
with Carroll O'Connor on our side, and our tiny $35,000 political war
chest, we beat them.

We'll all miss Carroll O'Connor, and we'll never forget what he did while
he was sick to make our state a better place to live and raise children.

Ralph Martin II District Attorney of Suffolk County
Boston