IT'S ABOUT BLANKETY-BLANK TIME

R. W. Bradford's suggestion that Libertarians tackle drug legalization ("An
Opportunity for the Libertarian Party," December) as a wedge issue in the
upcoming presidential follies is a welcome approach. Largely because it is
about damn time.

This Drug War, fomented by the Demopublicans and the Republicrats, is
costing far more than money (although plenty of that for sure). We are
losing our constitution and the voters necessary to maintain that document.
The crimes of the drug war are costing many lives. Our police are now armed
and trained by the military, leaving us on the verge of becoming a police
state. The Mexican Border is the new Berlin Wall. Illegal drugs are
creating gargantuan, tax-free profits for the world's criminal lords. The
enforcers of the laws against drugs have become thugs.

There is no doubt in my mind that your quest is needed and that it may
succeed. And, like the slavery issue, unless dealt with it may rent the
fabric of our flag by creating a new civil war. Please continue on a course
that has great promise for our future.

Allan Erickson, Eugene, Ore.