Pubdate: Sun, 10 Jun 2007 Source: Province, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2007 The Province Contact: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n694/a02.html Author: Alan Randell PERSECUTING THOSE ON MARGINS In response to The Province calling Kelowna's drug dealers "parasites," if those who sell certain drugs to willing buyers are so labelled, should not the makers and distributors of alcoholic beverages be similarly named? In fact, is not the entire capitalistic system nothing but people feeding off each other? There is no more reason today to punish drug users and sellers than there was in the past to hang witches, lynch blacks or gas Jews. As long as loathsome tabloids such as The Province continue to extort the villagers to take up their pitchforks and march down to the town square demanding more jail time for those on the margins of society, innocent drug users and their suppliers will continue to be persecuted. Alan Randell, Victoria - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake