DRUG SUMMIT

Regarding ``Drug Summit Sensitive Topic For Bush'' (Metro, May 1):

He cries as much for his dilemma as he does his daughter.

Truth be told, the drug-warrior police, politicians, officials, media
and civilians (secretly) don't list victory as an objective in their
expensive and oppressive trillion-dollar war. When they do spout their
``zero tolerance/ total victory'' rhetoric, how many of your readers
actually believe them? How many actually believe that this year's
multibillion-dollar drug war budget will be the one that will achieve
total victory after decades of billion-dollar budgets have totally
failed?

Just remember that the drug czars' and warriors' jobs depend on the
perpetual prosecution of, but never a victory in, the drug war. Also,
remember that the politicians depend on the drug war and its rhetoric
to scare up votes - by scaring voters. The politicians also rely on
the drug war to sustain their constituent industries and institutions
that depend on the economics of prohibition in order to make generous
profits and campaign contributions that keep the drug warrior
politicians in power and, therefore, keep themselves in business.

MYRON VON HOLLINGSWORTH
Ft Worth, TX