SOARES' DRUG COMMENTS DESERVE A FAIR HEARING

If Albany District Attorney David Soares is wrong about the local,
state and federal drug enforcement policies that he determines are
failures, then his irate critics should prove him wrong by letting
the public know of progress in the long-standing drug wars that are
harming our children and our lives.

Instead of shooting the messenger, Mr. Soares' vehement critics
should come forward with current results and future strategies for
further progress and better solutions to this difficult, worldwide
problem that has no quick fixes or easy answers.

The trouble is that most drug arrests involve low-level drug dealers,
street kids and mentally unstable people, who will eventually return
to the streets and continue their criminal, self-destructive behavior.

At the same time, we rarely hear about drug arrests among
professional and high-profile people from the upper economic and
social echelons. It's hard to believe that they all lead exemplary
lives, free of drug usage, and they never get caught if they are guilty.

One memorable example is the Albany surgeon who allegedly was caught
several years ago with cocaine in his vehicle and a drug dealer who
fled the scene when the police arrived, and was never apprehended or
identified. The charge against the surgeon was dropped, although he
took a leave of absence.

Pardon my cynicism, but I believe Mr. Soares needs to be applauded,
not castigated for his sincere comments that need to be addressed
fairly. But if his critics are correct, then let them back it up with
some hard facts. As the old saying goes, "Either put up or shut up."

Sylvia Honig

Nassau