New Prohibition not working any better than old one
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Re: “D.C. undercover sting nets $1M in drugs, scores of guns,” Dec. 16
Every day police departments come out with huge headline drug busts, glorifying their so-called success and misguiding citizens into feeling a false sense of security. In reality, our country has a serious problem that can’t be solved by undercover operations.
Does an increase in organized crime, corrupt law enforcement, economic downfall, deaths, prison populations, and more dangerous substances sound familiar? It doesn’t take much to see the similarities between the consequences of alcohol prohibition and the current drug prohibition.
If we really want to control where drugs are, who they’re going to, what they cost, and when people are getting them, prohibition is the most hands-off, careless, and ineffective way of doing so.
It’s time we legalize and regulate drugs so that law enforcement can focus on more serious crimes and people with drug abuse problems can find the help they need from a doctor, not a cellmate.
Irina Alexander
President, University of Maryland Students for Sensible Drug Policy
Council redefines marriage with stroke of a pen
Re: “D.C. Council gives final approval to legalize gay marriage,” Dec. 15
Silly me. What I once thought was a sign of my native city’s moral decline has now become a “civil rights issue.” What I believed to me an attempt by the city council to redefine marriage has suddenly become “marriage equality.”
Just think. With the stroke of a pen, the District Council has swept away all of the negative spiritual, physical and emotional consequences of homosexual behavior. Now two men of the same gender can serve openly in the D.C. National Guard as a “married couple.” Adoption agencies will have to place minor children with cohabiting homosexuals. Churches must now refrain from describing legally sanctioned homosexuality as a sin.
It’s all so wonderful! I can hardly wait to show my appreciation to the mayor and the council at the next election.
Eric DeVant Sims
Washington Reader request: Better Kakuro puzzles
My wife and I love Kakuro puzzles, which Dell has published for years as “Cross Sums”. But you must be buying computer-generated versions that have multiple solutions and are virtually impossible to solve. No sensible person would bother with puzzles that insult your readers or demonstrate incompetence at purchasing quality puzzles.
Ideally, these puzzles require only logic, like Sudoku puzzles. But the last solvable Kakuro puzzle that I attempted required an extravagant technique plus lots of trial and error. Every solution I’ve looked at (7 plus) shows a section that could be solved multiple ways, making the puzzles invalid.
Please fix this.
Doug Hardt
Arlington
