Going Postal August 19 2000

When politics replace principles
Only in an election year can political commentators twist themselves with greater facility than any sideshow contortionist. Luke Boggs slithers to the other side of the road by attacking the regressive nature of the Georgia Lottery (“Zell’s Legacy,” CL, Aug. 12). Interesting that a conservative voice would be against a form of taxation that involves personal choice instead of government force. Also interesting that a voice proclaiming wealth is achieved through wise financial decisions is suddenly gripped with the notion of the poor falling prey to some strange mind control forcing them to toss hard-earned dollars to lottery vendors. ?
?Of course, it all begins to make sense when this “conservative” voice is overwrought with the thought of Zell Miller chipping away at the Republican majority in the U.S. Senate. Contortions of conscience aren’t so difficult to understand when politics replaces principles.?
??-- James Williams, Decatur

In the zone
I am writing to relieve myself of the anger and rage, and other visceral reactions I had in response to Hollis Gillespie’s article “Slugs for Snitches,” CL, July 29). What a well-written, oh-so witty tale of privilege in the city, appealing to most middle class folks who believe the fallacy: “we can stop this using existing laws and systems, if only the cops (or schools, or whatever, enter your system here) did what it should!” A fallacy we’ve believed for the near 20 years of the drug war. Thing is, after 20 years of war, we continue to move crack houses out of one neighborhood into another and lock up any black person that stands within 50 yards of a school.?
?If the police are corrupt, maybe we should understand the burn-out associated with risking life and limb on a pathetic salary to perform “mission impossible.” It must feel like the twilight zone in Zone 3,4,5,6: “Hey, didn’t I just arrest the drug dealer on this block?” The cop can arrest people until forever, but there are always going to be 10 people in line waiting to play the drug-man. Playing basketball is equally or more effective than arresting people.?
?Oh wait, I forgot, the drug war is supposed to curb demand — not supply. Your local “crack whore,” a human being, someone’s daughter, is an addict, not an animal you poke fun at through your window and article, not a dog you kick to prison. Whatever it was that had that woman on her knees that morning was more powerful than anything I can personally imagine. Maybe that would take an artist to imagine, and someone in tune with others pain and suffering.?
?I appreciate the need to feel safe at home; to feel you have some control over the events in your neighborhood and community. But, the drug war makes this impossible. The drug economy is not something that you can stamp out — it exists beyond the individuals who participate in it right now ... if all those people left (or were arrested), others would fill their place like water to a void. It is simple supply/demand economics. Therefore, if we really care, we need to do more than blame the cops, do more than move the problem out of sight.?
?It’s time to move beyond politicians easy words of “tough on crime and drugs” and start to work, and yes it will require a huge amount of work, toward a compassionate solution. Perhaps the “crack whore” could use a hot meal and transportation to treatment or just a listening ear. She’s probably seen horrors that would make a war veteran feel happy to have his problems. Maybe we need to participate in government and call for treatment and new solutions. Maybe we should try starting a neighborhood co-op of some sort that would help people pay the bills. Maybe we need to create art that can convey the gerbil-wheel poor city drug life world we live in- because none of our congressmen have lived there and they can’t understand the problem enough to create a real solution.?
?All of us are victims of the drug war — we’ve been fooled into 20 years of war against our neighbors that is now so ingrained that even “artists” fail to have a creative response anymore — they just get on the phone with the cops. That is the most disturbing part to me. There is so much noise in the system that even those who consider themselves to be compassionate (I care for elderly dogs) and creative (I am an artist) fail to hear the human cry over the roar of the TV.?
?So, we can continue to spend our time on the phone with the cops while we watch people die, call the cops while our children are enslaved to a life no one would ever choose, or we can take a stand for righteousness and use our individual talents and gifts for change based on a compassion and love for all our neighbors.?
??-- Danni Lentine, MPH Atlanta