WAS POT ERADICATION FIRE WORTH IT?

I wonder what the North County Times was thinking when it decided to put on
Page 1 on Aug. 12 a story about pot eradication in the hills of North County
while The Pines fire, which was started by a National Guard helicopter on
just such a mission, was still burning, with 36 homes in smoldering ruins.

I wonder what the newly homeless property owners will think when they notice
that the pot eradication story is above the fold, while The Pines fire story
is at the bottom of the page.

I wonder whether these same property owners will have any recourse, or can
expect any compensation, from the National Guard.

I wonder when the National Guard, trying to put a positive spin on their
multimillion-dollar mistake, will call their pot eradication program a
success for this year. After all, with 62,000 acres free from the evil weed
for another year, couldn't you call that a success? And if it costs 30 or 40
families their homes, well, those folks should be happy knowing that their
teen-age kids won't be smoking pot in the shelter tonight.

Earl Walter Brown

Escondido