Priorities

FORCES contributor Pat Glass has written the Huntsville Times of Alabama in response to a recent editorial cartoon. To the Editors:

On Page A6 of today’s Huntsville Times is a wonderful cartoon, which simply puts the whole issue of smoking violations into perfect perspective. An over-burdened police officer is driving to a smoking violation complaint, while thinking to himself, "if only the anti-smoking lobby were as adamant about curbing gang violence…".

In my opinion, we are asking way too much of our police force, expecting them to rush out and ticket somebody for smoking. Why can’t we let them get on with the important issues which plague our cities?

Lest we forget, George Washington grew tobacco. Adolph Hitler banned it. We won the Second World War yet here we are with the exact same rules that the enemy implemented. Seems very unpatriotic to me.

Overturn the smoking ban ordinance, send the lobbyists flying, return property rights to property owners, and let the marketplace dictate what is economically feasible for each business. That’s the American way.

And most importantly, let our police force concentrate their efforts where they are really needed.

Sincerely,

Patricia A. Glass