MARIJUANA OPERATION WAS SERIOUS OVERKILL

A week or so ago our county judge, Mr. Hall, announced personnel layoffs
because of a money shortage in county funds. He did say things may improve
though before year's end.

Seventy-eight marijuana plants were pulled from two plots on Tuesday, July
26. If you read the whole article and not just the headlines, you were
either shocked or amused. Not the fact that 78 plants were confiscated but
what it took to complete this large eradication of this evil menace.

Now keep in mind there were 78 plants. There was 50 personnel from seven
law enforcement agencies (Baxter County Sheriff's officials; Mountain Home
Police; Arkansas State Police; Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (wonder
what part they played); Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Forest Service; Drug
Enforcement Agency and the 14th Judicial District Drug Task Force); four
helicopters, two from the National Guard, one from Baxter County Sheriff's
Department and one from Arkansas State Police. At one site they found all
of three plants, then later the "Biggie Hit" 75 plants in one spot.

This "official action" reminds me of an episode of the Andy Griffith show
when Barney Fife was after a "bank robber" that turned out to be a goat
that wandered into a warehouse.

We will never know how much taxpayer money was used for this action. It
would be too embarrassing if we were told that it probably cost hundreds of
dollars for each of the 78 plants. Also, not too long ago, the sheriff said
the high cost of fuel was putting a pinch in their funds. Four helicopters
and probably 30-plus other official vehicles scouring the whole county
would use a lot of fuel -- all for 78 plants. I think the action should
have been downplayed instead of front page news.

Our military are being killed almost daily in Iraq, and we have to look for
this news on pages 12A to 14A, the last pages. A theft of a lawn ornament
in a local yard will at least get page 3.

I want to know how much of my (and your) money was spent to pull up 78
marijuana plants, cruise the whole county plus flying over it also. Serious
overkill in my opinion.