DUH, SCOTT!

As Christopher Cox's Libertarian opponent in the 47th Congressional
District, I have to say that R. Scott Moxley's observations are hardly
surprising ("Clintonesque Cox," Sept. 29). Moxley alleges that Cox released
his report on U.S.-Russian policy to make Al Gore look bad and thereby help
the George W. Bush campaign. Well, duh! It's an election year, and that's
how the game is played. Of greater concern is Cox's continuing aggressive
support for the failed war on drugs. Just this week, he posted a statement
on the Internet that includes the following remarks: "Our goal should be not
simply to decertify Mexico as a partner in the war on drugs but in fact to
fully certify them, to bring them to the point where they are in compliance
and to bring the United States' efforts up to par, where we will not have to
admit honestly to ourselves that drug use among adults has gone up every
year in this country since 1992, the first sustained increase since the
1970s; where we will have to no longer admit to ourselves that marijuana use
among teens is doubling."

Oddly enough, the DEA and other drug-war hawks claim that drug use is
declining, thanks to their heavy-handed efforts. So either they're giving us
a load of horse manure or Cox is. But what the hell: this kind of rhetoric
plays well with the neofascists who are willing to waste billions of
dollars, imprison millions of people, destroy the Bill of Rights, and get
the U.S. involved in a war with Colombia. And Christopher Cox wants their
support.

R. Scott Moxley responds: How odd. Libertarians usually don't shrug and say
"duh" when an ambitious congressman wastes tens of thousands of taxpayer
dollars on a worthless and blatantly partisan government "report," election
year or not.