Thank You Winnemucca

I wrote a letter to the editor of the local newspaper announcing an informational picket at the courthouse, and the letter was printed the day of the protest. My wife, Carolyn, and I marched with identical signs saying, "TWO MILLION IS TOO MANY!" Some cars stopped and wanted to know "Two million what"? I'm happy we had flyers to give them.

The public support was stronger than I anticipated, with many drivers honking horns and showing thumbs up. Several pedestrians offered encouragement including an attorney, one of our local public defenders, who carried a sign for a few minutes. A reporter from the newspaper interviewed me, took pictures, and said I made a good case for ending the drug war, but no story has been printed yet.

A deputy district attorney emerged from the courthouse to discuss 'the prisoner issue' for about a half hour, but we agreed to disagree when he posited that, maybe, it was good for a country to have a lot of prisoners. That observation sounded a lot like something Joseph Stalin might have said.

I believe there is a large body of opinion in the general population in favor of ending the drug war, but most are afraid to say it out loud. All it takes is one person standing up and saying it, and they are suddenly agreeing. Yep, the 'emperor wears no clothes'.

Somebody's got to lead the charge, Don Rogers