LIMBAUGH AVOIDS PENALTY

Robert R. Larimer Jr.'s May 11 letter, "Preferential treatment,"
might lead one to believe, because of his acerbic tone, that he is a
member of the "School of Limbaugh." His derisive, mocking letter
contains nothing more than anti-liberal Rushisms. While the Patrick
Kennedy case does indeed show the very real existence of preferential
treatment, I would remind Larimer that Limbaugh also received his
fair share of preferential treatment.

One of the great tragedies of our war on (some) drugs is the war on
patients seeking treatment for severe pain, which apparently was the
motivating factor for Limbaugh. Study the case of Richard Paey of
Florida. Unlike Limbaugh, Paey is not a celebrity. He is a patient
whose excruciating pain is exacerbated by his also having multiple
sclerosis and being confined to a wheelchair. Paey received 25 years
in prison for his conviction of doctor-shopping charges.

Now in prison in Florida, Paey receives more pain medication from his
jailers than he was able to procure on his own. Limbaugh basically
remains free to build upon his fortune.

The greatest tragedy here is that the dispiriting approach of
snideness used by Larimer only promotes a deepening of the
philosophical division in this country which truly needs healing, not widening.

Allan Erickson

Eugene, Ore.