DRUGS ARE THE NO. 1 TRADE

In response to Frank Whittle's letter in the 9/24/09 edition, are you
serious? Are you on medication?

This guy goes off on a tirade about something he obviously has no idea
about! Man, drugs are the No. 1 trade and recreation here in Toccoa,
whether you want to believe it or not.

How can you not know about the problem of drugs in Toccoa? Did you
reside in Never-Never Land when the news came on and when the papers
came out?

People, this is the exact reason drugs flourish in our community. All
the "non-believers" who refuses to see the truth and bury their heads
in the sand!

Even first graders know drugs are going on! The only way, drugs are
going to go away is for the community to gather together, walk the
streets, if necessary, and sic the police on drug dealers.

Families must turn in users and the usually in effective state court
must refuse the stupid Nolo plea for drug cases.

The letter reminds me of years ago when many people in Toccoa,
primarily the city government denounced and refused to acknowledge the
existence of homelessness in our community. Today, there is a fair
amount, numbering into the hundreds of homeless here.

Later, the same issue arose about prostitution. "No such thing here in
Toccoa" was the thought. Today, several arrests for prostitution later
and more than a dozen "pros" known to the police later, what do they
have to say?

All one has to do is look to the police blotter in The Record to see
all the druggies arrested.

That, my friends, is the stark reality of today's society! We all wish
that we lived in a utopia where everything is perfect. No drugs, no
alcohol, no "pros'", everyone has a job and everyone gets along.

However, we can't turn a blind eye to what's going on around us. We
must not only acknowledge the problems but also must strive to correct
the problem, whatever means necessary. That includes those who reside
in an idyllic paradise where nothing wrong ever happens, where those
residents sip kool-aid and wear rose color shades.

You folks need to grab a cup of coffee, wake up, throw those shades
away and come back to the real world. While its grim and gritty, it's
the only one we have and there's no escaping reality.

R.S. Chambers

Martin