EASLEY RESPONDS

To the Editor,

This is in response to Krista Hopkins' libelous comments in her letter to
the editor of The Flume on September 15, 2006, regarding my judgment and my
campaign.

Selling drugs to children is an example of the real crimes I will pursue.
There is no "war on nicotine" or "war on beer," yet selling those to minors
also falls under endangerment, contributing, etc. These are important laws.
I will enforce all drug laws equally.

Furthermore, if a hypothetical 10-year-old is buying drugs, CPS should
investigate why the parents are not supervising, protecting, disciplining;
in other words, raising their child!

I do care about the safety of our children. Selling drugs to minors is
illegal. My concern about safety also includes the drug peddlers from
Merck, Pfizer, etc.

Second, when kids start doing drugs, and many will, they will be supporting
the black market, paying many times the cost, with no controls for safety.
Third, a large number of kids are now in foster homes because their parents
are doing time for drug offenses. Foster children are much more likely to
be abused than kids living with their natural parents.

I would like to see all kids drug free. However, that is not going to
happen. Therefore, we should treat substance abuse as a health issue rather
than a criminal issue. Whereas drugs "may" ruin a kid's life, many of the
prison stories about gangs, rapes, drugs, murders, etc. "do" ruin the lives
of our youth. Is jail a better answer than love for someone with an addiction?

Let's not make the campaign only about the drug war. There are dozens of
freedoms currently under attack, and the time to defend these freedoms is
short.

Roger Easley, Hartsel