Don't blame David Hawn, the Modesto Police Department SWAT team
veteran. Don't blame Moises Sepulveda, father of the 11-year-old
victim. Don't blame the FBI team in charge of the operation. Don't
blam

Alberto Sepulveda's blood is on the hands of the voters. They have
elevated the war on drugs into their own bloody crusade! All elected
public servants, including judges, rightfully fear that any perceived
weakness on crime will result in their defeat at the polls.

We sit sleepy-eyed in our recliners, remotes in hand, watching as cops
break through doors with battering rams and guns drawn. We hardly seem
to notice or even care that our Constitution's Fourth Amendment
protection has been looted. The public officials that everyone wants
to blame are only carrying out our marching orders!

R. Eric Grose,
Modesto, Sept. 20