THE DRUG WAR

The police in Ranger show great resolve in their efforts to chase
methamphetamine kitchens down the highway to Eastland and Gordon. They
recently described a series of suspicious fires as retaliation for drug
busts.

It reminds me of what a Vietnam War veteran once told me: "We'd go out every
day and do battle. And we'd always win. And the next day, Charlie was back
like nothing ever happened."

The valiant efforts of police like those in Ranger keep the price of drugs
high, which is what keeps Charlie coming back.

It is difficult for most people to comprehend how cheap it is to make
stimulant drugs, and that the materials are available at many kinds of
stores in every town in America. Yanking ingredients from store shelves
would inconvenience everyone, but producers could easily switch to more
dangerous substitutes.

People are in the habit of blaming everything on drugs, including jobs lost
when factories close down. But as long as unemployed Americans have the
opportunity to buy something for a penny and sell it for a dollar, drug
arrests will continue to have the sole effect of creating another job
opening in the illegal drug business.

Trying to use law enforcement to protect people from drugs only makes the
problem worse. Only you can protect you from drugs.

Bob Ramsey, Irving