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- LETTERS, Page 6THE LONELY WAR
-
-
- Vicious drug dealers who invade our neighborhoods are finally
- getting some real attention from those who suffer in their midst
- (NATION, Sept. 11). I am angered by the sight of pushers hanging
- out on the sidewalks. They conduct a repulsive business that sells
- death. This war will have to be fought street by street.
-
- James S. Brewer
- Elizabeth, N.J.
-
- As we try to win the battle of drugs on the supply side, how
- can we attack the problem of demand, which arises from the age-old
- weakness of unwillingness to accept the pain of life? Humans have
- always sought palliatives of one kind or another, but right now the
- American psyche seems especially vulnerable. Could it be that the
- long-term thrust of our effort should be focused on something as
- fundamental as character building?
-
- Marion T. Byrne
- Liverpool, N.Y.
-
- The drug war will be won or lost, as it always has been, in
- the family. Rantine McKesson, with her slogan, THE SUCCESS OF OUR
- COMMUNITY DEPENDS ON ME, puts the responsibility where it can work.
- Mothers and fathers who personally care for their children and
- their communities can be the most effective weapon in controlling
- substance abuse. When it acts as an extension of family will and
- love, government can win. If it must act alone, government is
- helpless.
-
- George E. Deering
- Worcester, Mass.
-
- I find it disturbing that major national newsmagazines show
- pictures of African Americans, who represent only 12% of the U.S.
- population, to illustrate drug problems in America. How is it that
- we appear to be totally responsible for drug abuse? Who owns the
- banks and other financial institutions that allow the dealers to
- launder their money?
-
- Glenn C. Adams
- Anderson, Ind.
-
- I am a graduate student from Colombia who believes it will be
- very difficult for the Colombian government, even with U.S.
- funding, to beat the wealthy drug thugs. We have already sacrificed
- many innocent people, and in the end the cartels will probably be
- stronger than before. The time has come to start thinking seriously
- about legalizing drugs.
-
- Manuel Duran-Lubinus
- Charleston, S.C.