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News (Media Awareness Project) - US AL: Myers Seeking Role As State's Top Prosecutor
Title:US AL: Myers Seeking Role As State's Top Prosecutor
Published On:2002-10-14
Source:Daily Mountain Eagle (Jasper, AL)
Fetched On:2008-01-21 22:30:39
MYERS SEEKING ROLE AS STATE'S TOP PROSECUTOR

Wilson Myers, a Libertarian candidate for Attorney General, never actually
planned to run a statewide campaign for the state's top prosecutor position
on a shoe-string budget. That was until the events of the past summer.

"I had agreed to be a paper candidate, where my name would be listed on the
ballot as the Libertarian nominee for Attorney General," said Myers, a
defense attorney in south Alabama. "I changed my mind when it was announced
that the state justice system would be shutdown due to lack of funds, and
at the same time the Attorney General was appearing before the U.S. Supreme
Court arguing that it was OK to keep an inmate tied to a hitching post for
several hours a day."

Since that time, Myers has attempted to launch a campaign with little to no
funds and has spent as much time as possible away from his defense practice
to address issues he feels are important to the state's future.

Myers admits that the battle has been one of the uphill nature, and he
actually does not give himself much of a chance to win.

"I would say my chances are slim to none. I haven't received any PAC money
and I haven't been strong-arming my friends to contribute to the campaign,
because I want them to be friends long after the campaign is over," Myers
said. "I'm basically trying to continue to make a living, travel around the
state and overcome the obstacles."

Outside the financial obstacle, Myers said he must also battle the
unfamiliarity of the Libertarian Party. Myers said he was a member of the
Republican Party until 1995, when he chose to join the Libertarians.

His primary goal of the campaign is to bring forth issues he believes are a
concern to all residents of the state.

Chief among those issues is prison reform and Myers believes the issue
should be addressed in ways other than increasing taxes and building more
prisons.

"Our prisons have basically become human warehouses, and building more
warehouses is not the answer," Myers said. "Violent criminals belong in
prison, but we have too many non-violent and victimless crime inmates in
our prison system who could be put to work under proper guidance and repay
their debt to society.

"Most of these non-violent inmates don't need prison; they need treatment
and rehabilitation," he added. "We need to break the cycle and set up a
statewide drug court, get treatment for those who need it and put them to
work instead of in prison."

Myers indicated that he also opposed the death penalty, and if elected he
would uphold the state law while trying to bring change to the system.

"As attorney general, you are sworn to uphold the law and as long as it is
on the books I would enforce it, but I am opposed to the death penalty
because I believe we have outgrown it. It is entirely too expensive and it
doesn't serve as a deterrent," Myers said. "I would declare an immediate
two-year moratorium on the death penalty to give legislators an opportunity
to research alternative options."

Myers supports enhancements in the juvenile justice system, believing that
crime can best be stopped through strong K-12 programs.

In other areas, Myers indicated that he supported a citizens' rewrite of
the state constitution, because "the one we have now is ridiculous;" a
decrease of 25 percent in the attorney general's office staff; as well as
an enhanced effort toward investigating corruption in state government.
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