POLICE STATE IS NOT AN AMERICAN DREAM

To the editor:

Gov. Jim Gilmore has announceed his new "get touch on drugs" platform
for the state.

He claims the national drug policy is a failure (a statement with
which I agree) and plans to turn the situation around in Virgina by
increasing penalties. How original.

Isn't that the strategy our federal government has been using for the
past 30 years? I'm curious why the governor believes his ideas for
increased penalties will have better results than the federal
government's ideas.

In the 1980's we were promised a Drug Free America by
1995.

So, it's almost five years past the deadline and what do we have? A
federal drug budget of $18 billion to intercept 10 percent of all
illegal drugs, overcrowded prisons filled with mostly non-violent drug
users, civil liberties being erroded at an unbelievable rate, and
federal troops being used as law enforcement.

Politicans keep telling us that by tightening penlalties "just a
little bit more," we can achieve this drug-free eutopia.

When are we just going to all scream, "stop"?

Why are we letting politicians tell us what we want?

I know what I want, and a police state is not it.

Until we begin raising our voices, this war against Americans citizens
will continue

CHRIS KNESTRICK
graduate student