The House of Representatives recently voted overwhelmingly to reform
our nation's civil asset forfeiture laws by a margin of 375-48. If
common sense prevails, the Senate will do the same, and our
constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizure
will be partially restored.

Many law-abiding citizens have had their rights violated, the family
dog shot, and their homes and property confiscated by Drug Enforcement
Administration agents who are more interested in seizing property than
protecting the public. Oftentimes the victims of these un-American
raids were never charged with a crime but lost their property anyway.
The corruption stemming from these bad laws trickled down from the
highest levels of government to local law enforcement, prosecutors,
judges and mercenary snitches.

If the people cared about freedom as much as they give lip service to
it, these laws would never have been drafted. The fact that they have
been in force for so long speaks ill for this generation of
mollycoddled Americans.

T.A. Ballard, Cleburne