A FREE OR DRUG-FREE COUNTRY?

"There is no justification for my misdeeds, either on or off duty. I can
only say that I succumbed to the seductress of power."

These are not the words of former Sheriff Peter Pinckney, but of Rafael
Perez, a Los Angeles police officer, testifying on the day of his
sentencing. According to ReconsiDer Quarterly, what happened in Cayuga
County is not an isolated incident in the "War on Drugs." Not since alcohol
prohibition have so many excellent law-enforcement professionals been
corrupted by access to easy money.

I have empathy for Mr. Pinckney and his plight. I have made many mistakes
in my life. Sometimes it seems as though life is a series of errors and
corrections. I'm glad he has a great deal of public support.

I hate to see first-time offenders of victimless crimes receive prison
sentences. Some may argue the victims in this case are the taxpayers. If
misuse of public funds is a crime, many government officials have cause for
concern. Probation, restitution and community service might be appropriate
sentences for the crimes committed. I understand we may need assistance in
keeping the parks clean this year.

I'm sure the embarrassment he has caused himself and his family may be
punishment enough, not to mention still-unresolved civil suits.

In researching the "War on Drugs," I discovered a theory suggesting that if
drugs were regulated and controlled, as are tobacco and alcohol, the profit
incentive would disappear. Without the ability to "get rich quick," the
"gangster" element and its related violence would greatly diminish. Another
fact that I was shocked to learn was how the CIA used illegal drug trading
to finance operations in Central America and to pay for the weapons they
provided in the Soviet- Afghanistan conflict. Another astounding revelation
was the role played by paper, logging, oil, automobile and pharmaceutical
lobbies in the passage of hemp-prohibition laws.

The thing I found most insidious was that certain individuals have used
this "war" to carry out a racial agenda in which suspects are profiled and
an unequal number of ethnic minorities are imprisoned and denied the right
to vote.

After speaking to a group of Wells College students, I asked them how
effective they thought the "War on Drugs" had been. The consensus was that
it had been a total failure. One student said something that still haunts me.

"It depends on what you want; a free country or a drug-free country."