LIFE IN JAIL FOR DEALERS

How many more children will have to die as innocent bystanders at the hands
of these drug-dealing gangs over their turf wars? When will our legislators
have enough guts to pass tough laws to put these people away, not for a
year, not for five years, but for life. If our legislators had the guts to
pass a law that made dealing hard drugs an offense punishable by life
imprisonment, there would be a lot less people selling drugs. Life is a
long time.

When are the people going to demand that our legislators do something? Look
at the people at the Robert Taylor homes. They can't even get their mail or
take a walk because of gangs. Now is the time for our legislators to do
something about drugs. This should take priority over everything else. And
I don't believe we should discriminate. The same punishment should be meted
out whether you're caught selling heroin, white powder cocaine, crack
cocaine or any other hard drug, including the so-called date rape drug.

Are you aware that Arabian countries hand drug dealers on the spot. No
jury, no trial. Yet they export hard drugs to our country. They see drug
users in our country as a valuable commodity. Now, isn't that ironic? And
to all you drug users who think you are not hurting anyone with your social
drugs, think again, the next time you take a "sniff." That drug was
provided to you through a jealously guarded gang turf, one that is guarded
by sometimes taking other gang members' lives or sometimes by taking an
innocent life - like recently, where they took the life of that 13-year-old
girl.

Robert Wheat, Westchester