[tpaine]

Cathryn Crawford; we blame the problem on the liberals.

I beg to differ. The min/mans for stiffer Fed crack laws for instance came from a broad chorus of everyone from the Judge Roy Bean types to uber-liberal black mayors rattled by the ensuant crime waves and accelerated inner city social crumbling.

The chorus of cries came because judges were reacting to the insanity of the 'war'.. They were in effect nullifying crazy 'laws', just like juries do..

Min/Mans have worked. Problem is: They are not fair, but then again neither is a fruitcake judge in SF giving a dealer a walk and some hardnose in Ohio giving the maximum for the same crime. That said, when drug dealers/smugglers of any size whether violent or first timers are frequently given sentences without parole that are twice what many murderers and rapists on state charges recieve...we have a problem....since 1987. I confess to not having the answer btw.

The 'answer' is obvious.. End the war and regulate drugs like booze..

[wardaddy]

Aside to maximum decriminalization of pot...which I have not smoked in two decades btw...neither do I drink hardly.

...I am not an end the drug war libertarian (u already knew that)

But, some sort of waiver or release clause for first time and peripheral offenders is surely justified.