SAVING ENERGY IN DRUG WAR

It's too bad President Bush didn't realize how much potential
Mexico's President Vicente Fox's derailed drug bill had for helping
our energy addiction.

The consequences of criminalizing human practices such as enjoying
mind-altering substances or trading sex for money require substantial
and growing expenditures - cops, lawyers, courts, prisons. This cure
is worse than the disease.

While the money spent doesn't always equate directly to the energy
that could be conserved, I'm willing to bet the energy used by the
criminal "justice" system is higher than anyone realizes and,
eventually, unaffordable.

We would also be wise to reconsider our energy-intensive approach to
both homeland security and military adventures abroad. Could we save
enough energy by not using our oil-based military might to reduce our
demand enough that we don't need to control Iraqi oil?

- - Muriel Strand

Sacramento