PROSECUTOR TO GO EASY ON METH DEALERS?

Reading the front page of the April 7 Telegraph Herald, one would wonder if
Dubuque County Attorney Fred McCaw was just re-elected to prosecute
criminals or to want them free to victimize the citizens of Dubuque County.

I was always under the assumption that his job was to protect the
law-abiding citizens. Despite Gov. Tom Vilsack being a Democrat, he actually
wants to keep Iowa citizens safe. The governor has proven this by signing a
bill into law on April 6, that would help accomplish that. But Mr. McCaw has
promised that he would not use that law in punishing drug dealers: "I
promise no one would be sentenced to life." He would rather see our kids be
hunted down by drug dealers.

The only good point that Mr. McCaw makes is that methamphetamine dealers
should not be punished any more severely than heroin or LSD dealers. He's
right. These dealers also should be sentenced to life in prison at hard labor.

We all have heard politicians refer to it being a war on drugs. Let's start
fighting it like it really is a war. Any drug dealer should be punished
severely; any user punished the same way. The only way to combat this
problem is to make it very undesirable to be caught using or dealing, no
ifs, no buts, just the simple fact: You use or deal, you pay the price.

Lee Robinson
2535 Central Ave.