THOSE OF THE FAR-LEFT SPECTRUM WOULD CHOOSE TO CUT AND RUN

The article by George W. Iliff on the Commentary Page Aug. 12 about
marijuana use caused me to have a really upset stomach.

His opinion brings out the true differences between the far-left
politics of those now leading the Democratic Party and those of
Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman. He writes about the poor
innocents who are caught with small amounts of marijuana used for fun
and relaxation who are being arrested and sometimes jailed unjustly.

I, an admitted dinosaur, whose politics are of the moderate
Republicanism of Eisenhower, Nixon and the more conservative Reagan
might even agree that arrests for small amounts of marijuana for
personal use is a waste of time and money.

Iliff then writes that many noted people are "dismayed" over our
government's War on Drugs. He writes that our anti-drug policy is
causing problems with many South American, Central American and
Caribbean countries where farming marijuana and other types of
vegetations that are then processed into cocaine and heroin is
ongoing. Our country is the biggest importer of these internationally
illegal products and it makes no sense to give up the interdiction of
large quantities of these drugs.

Somewhere in time an ancient human learned how to make beer, and wine,
and schnapps. A glass of wine or beer with food makes the food more
enjoyable. There are too many people who abuse alcohol, for certain,
but having a couple of cold ones at the bowling alley is legal and
smoking a couple of joints at a party is not. A couple of pina colada
cocktails is just not in the same category as smoking pot or crack or
shooting up "horse."

Finally, Iliff writes that the Netherlands has legalized drugs and has
no drug problems. I wonder if he has ever been to Amsterdam where
drugs and prostitution are legal and people leave nothing in their
parked cars and even leave the glove compartments open to show there
is nothing to steal.

My wife and I parked our rental car on the street not far from the
small hotel that was recommended in a travel book. The hotel front
door was always kept locked because of repeated robberies. In the
short walk from our car to the hotel we passed houses on both sides of
the street where naked women beckoned to us to enjoy their company.

The lovely parks were littered with stoned young people, mostly passed
out, laying everywhere.

The most vivid recollection of our stay there was the sight of a
nicely dressed young woman sprawled in a half sitting position in the
very large, very busy railway station. A marijuana cigarette was still
in her hand as she lay there with hundreds of people passing by her.
Her urine was flowing from her body and puddling up a few feet away.
The Netherlands has no drug problems. Oh, yeah.

I certainly do not have any solution to our drug problems but the cut
and run solution of Iliff are the solutions of the far-left political
spectrum. If you can't beat 'em, give up.

I might add that I am "dismayed" by opinions of Iliff and other "great
thinkers" like him.

Fred Russo,

Port St. Lucie