Kudos on a great column ("They're in possession of troubling intelligence,"
Brandon Loomis, Empire, Oct. 1). The federal government is indeed trading
in our God-given freedoms to obtain more "security."

As Benjamin Franklin pointed out, the society that does this loses both
freedom and security - and deserves neither one. The federal government's
senseless war on marijuana is just another example. If a responsible adult
chooses to use marijuana in a private home, the government should not
interfere. Arresting adults for marijuana use doesn't make our country
safer - after all, marijuana is, in many ways, safer than beer.

Here in Alaska, we have an opportunity to change an unjust law and regain a
basic freedom. Please join me in supporting Initiative 2, which will remove
criminal penalties for all people over the age of 21 who choose to use
marijuana in their own homes.

Kat DeBurgh

Anchorage