Kirk Muse (in his April 28 letter, “License illegal drugs,”) wants us to believe that all of today’s drug problems stem from a 1914 law making certain psychoactive and addictive drugs illegal. So? What’s the point? As society changes, so do laws.

Mind-altering and addictive drugs are a huge problem, not because they are illegal but because many are dangerous and users create enormous social problems.

The United States has only about 5 percent of the world’s population but our citizens consume more than 60 percent of the world’s supply of illicit drugs. Most of the people in our prisons today committed crimes while under the influence of drugs, and most of these crimes were crimes of violence.

Muse insists that we are filling our prisons with individuals whose only crime was drug use. This is blatantly untrue. There are many, many non-violent crimes for which individuals end up incarcerated … think “Martha Stewart,” for starters.

Few drug users seek treatment unless it is court-mandated, and repeated failure is the norm. A high percentage of users are unemployed or underemployed but their medical needs are far in excess of the non-drug-using public, which ends up paying the tab. Reduction, not legalization, is the answer.

Sandra S. Bennett
La Center

War on drugs is futile

Second-degree robbery is considered non-violent because no weapons are involved and no injuries are incurred. Second-degree assault can be an offense ranging from a monumental barroom brawl to a simple shoving of someone out of the way. If we hadn’t taken the discretion away from our judges by tying their hands in “3-strikes-you’re-out” cases, they would/could know who is deserving of spending their life in prison and who is not. Of the 280 now incarcerated under “3-strikes,” about 200 were convicted of low-level crimes, such as second-degree robbery and second-degree assault, that do not merit life imprisonment.

Our prisons are bursting at the seams with these people, mentally ill people, and those convicted of drug crimes. Our futile 40-year  “war on drugs” has filled our prisons and made a lot of shady people very rich. As with alcohol prohibition that was repealed because of the crime and corruption it caused, our drug prohibition should go the same way due to the crime and corruption that it is causing. That would be the way to get rid of the drug dealers, drug lords, and drug cartels.

Michaela Mosteller
Cathlamet

Rev. Wright is wrong

The drama being stirred by Pastor Jeremiah Wright goes way beyond reasonable. Perhaps he senses that the victim status that has worked so well for him up to this point might be in jeopardy if Barack Obama wins the presidency.

Has anyone asked the question about Pastor Wright’s past sermons regarding Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, or Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas? I wonder what his recorded comments were regarding these three accomplished, bright and smart African Americans?

It has always appeared to me that these three rose through hard work to their positions of global prominence and influence. They have been peacefully accepted with no protestations from white rural America (the America that I know) for the brilliant and hardworking individuals that they are.

If Obama wins the White House, perhaps it’s Reverend Wright’s position that the straw man that white bigotry has become will be seen for what it is. It wouldn’t surprise me if what the good reverend fears most is that the after-election polls will show that Obama won because of his intellect, his poise, his character.

Wayne Mayo
St. Helens, Ore.

I-5 Bridge not just ‘ours’

In his May 6 letter, “Still waiting for obvious,” Richard Willerton suggests a solution for our I-5 bridge crossing congestion, saying those who sleep in Washington and work in Oregon move to Oregon, and vice versa.

There is information not always considered when we think of “our” bridge. This is not only a bridge from Vancouver to Portland, but a bridge on an Interstate highway. I found it interesting that last winter, when I-5 was shut down in Centralia due to flooding, traffic was very light here on our bridge. We must start thinking of this problem as not a local issue, but a national issue. A lot of the traffic isn’t our own. We take pride in being Americans. Let’s also take pride in being part of solving a national problem.

Kay Ellison
Vancouver

Tighter gun laws needed

As a mother, it breaks my heart to know there are other mothers who have lost a child to gun violence and were forced to celebrate Mother’s Day without that child. 

It’s far too easy for dangerous people to obtain guns in America; the consequences are devastating. 

The Brady Law has stopped at least 1.5 million dangerous people from purchasing firearms. But the Brady background check applies only to sales by licensed gun dealers, not to sales by unlicensed sellers who sell their guns at gun shows to convicted felons, domestic violence abusers and those who are mentally ill — no questions asked. This makes no sense.   

What makes sense? No background check. No gun. No excuses. 

Legislation has been introduced in Congress to close this loophole. Call Congress today; help prevent future victims of gun violence, and keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people. 

It’s the right thing to do for America’s mothers.

Heidi Yewman
Vancouver

Weigh candidates’ careers

Greg Flakus, author of the May 6 letter, “Business knowledge is key,” has studied the backgrounds of candidates for Clark County commissioner. His point was that two of the major candidates have worked most of their careers in government positions with a fire district and the City of Vancouver. His major concern is to be sure that the candidates truly understand the challenges that small business faces on all fronts.

I say his views are incredibly important, and thank him for writing his letter to The Columbian. Civil service experience only is a poor background in making decisions affecting small business in this county.

Norm Johnson
Vancouver

Casino would bring jobs

“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn” appears to be the attitude of  county commissioners in relation to the Cowlitz casino resort project.

More and more Clark County citizens are without jobs. Yet the commissioners spend our tax monies trying to stop the casino. It is estimated that 3,000 casino jobs and 2,000 to 3,000 construction jobs will be created. The simple fact is that these jobs will be needed. We don’t need more headlines in The Columbian reporting layoffs. The citizens need jobs. Let’s move forward.

Martyn Butler
Vancouver

We can grow our own food

OK, it’s time to get real. The price of gasoline and diesel have gone up lately and will not come back down. 2.3 billion Chinese and Indians are experiencing expanding economies and they want to drive just as much as we do. The price of food is going up as well, partly because 2.3 billion Chinese and Indians want to eat as well as we do.

Clinton, Obama, and McCain may say that they have a plan to make this mess go away, but they don’t.

If we wish to pay less for fuel or other energy, we can only do so by using less. With food we are luckier. If we wish to pay less for food, we can turn to our own backyards and grow some of our food. We can buy locally. Unfortunately for many Americans, Twinkies and Big Macs don’t grow on trees, but we may relearn how to eat a tomato, a carrot, or a green bean. We should walk more, take the bus more, and reexamine the concept of victory gardens. It might do us some good in other ways, too.

Glenn Durden
Vancouver