DrugSense FOCUS Alert #121 August 24. 1999 Bush's Problem Represents Opportunity for Reformers TO SUBSCRIBE, UNSUBSCRIBE, DONATE, VOLUNTEER TO HELP OR UPDATE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS PLEASE SEE THE INFORMATION AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS FOCUS ALERT *PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE* DrugSense FOCUS Alert #121 August 24. 1999 Bush's Problem Represents Opportunity for Reformers U.S. presidential candidate George W. Bush has been taking heat from the press in recent days over his refusal to flatly confirm or deny whether he has ever used illegal drugs. Whether individual reformers support Bush or another candidate in the presidential race, this issue offers a great opportunity for us to get our message out. With the Bush controversy, we can play both sides of the field. Reformers have a chance to promote drug law change regardless of how someone suggests Bush should respond. When someone says Bush should just admit the truth, we can agree and point out: 1. Bush's hypocrisy for supporting zero tolerance for everyone else even though it appears he was fortunate enough to avoid serious punishment. 2. The fact that drug use is overblown as a personal failing - here is this guy who allegedly did use illegal drugs, but not only is he a popular governor, he's running for president. When other people say Bush should refuse to elaborate, we can agree and say: 1. Drug use is a personal matter, while noting that it's a shame GWB doesn't hold that standard for everyone else. 2. The consequences for drug use allegations are too severe, and while taking a lot of heat from the press is hardly equal to having property confiscated, as a country we really need to analyze our priorities and criteria for judging other people. Whatever position someone takes, we can suggest they are correct and that they must agree drug policy reform is in order. On the other hand, the professional drug warriors (with the exception of Bush's presidential opponents) have been wise to stay fairly quiet on this issue, since the whole episode illustrates the complete moral and intellectual bankruptcy of American drug policy. The story has been covered everywhere, so we have a wide variety of targets. Please write a letter to your local newspaper or any of several newspapers across the nation to show that any way you slice the Bush-drug question, it's a wake-up call for drug policy reform. Thanks for your effort and support. WRITE A LETTER TODAY It's not what others do it's what YOU do * PLEASE SEND US A COPY OF YOUR LETTER OR TELL US WHAT YOU DID (Letter, Phone, fax etc.) Please post a copy your letter or report your action to the MAPTalk list if you are subscribed, or by E-mailing a copy directly to Your letter will then be forwarded to the list with so others can learn from your efforts and be motivated to follow suit This is VERY IMPORTANT as it is the only way we have of gauging our impact and effectiveness. CONTACT INFO We are doing this Focus Alert a bit differently. There are a wide assortment of articles on the Bush dilemma (57 at this writing).Pick any you like they have all been sorted for you at: http://www.mapinc.org/bush.htm Then write an LTE to that paper using the Email address provided on the article. Alternately since nearly every newspaper in the country has done at least one article on this topic you can look up your local or favorite papers Email address(es) at our media Email web page http://www.mapinc.org/resource/email.htm then send your letter to as many as you like. NOTE: If sending your LTE to multiple papers send a separate copy to each one. CC's or BCC's are not looked on with favor in the print media and you will lower your chances of publication significantly if you fail to follow this procedure. SAMPLE LETTER Due to the diverse ways to approach this topic we decided to leave this Focus Alert wide open without a sample LTE and let your imagination be your guide as to what you want to cover. Here we have posted some ideas (Duplicates of the ones above) When someone says Bush should just admit the truth, we can agree and point out: 1. Bush's hypocrisy for supporting zero tolerance for everyone else even though it appears he was fortunate enough to avoid serious punishment. 2. The fact that drug use is overblown as a personal failing - here is this guy who allegedly did use illegal drugs, but not only is he a popular governor, he's running for president. When other people say Bush should refuse to elaborate, we can agree and say: 1. Drug use is a personal matter, while noting that it's a shame GWB doesn't hold that standard for everyone else. 2. The consequences for drug use allegations are too severe, and while taking a lot of heat from the press is hardly equal to having property confiscated, as a country we really need to analyze our priorities and criteria for judging other people. Whatever position someone takes, we can suggest they are correct and that they must agree drug policy reform is in order. On the other hand, the professional drug warriors (with the exception of Bush's presidential opponents) have been wise to stay fairly quiet on this issue, since the whole episode illustrates the complete moral and intellectual bankruptcy of American drug policy. The story has been covered everywhere, so we have a wide variety of targets. Please write a letter to your local newspaper or any of several newspapers across the nation to show that any way you slice the Bush-drug question, it's a wake-up call for drug policy reform. IMPORTANT: Always include your address and telephone number ADDITIONAL INFO to help you in your letter writing efforts 3 Tips for Letter Writers http://www.mapinc.org/3tips.htm Letter Writers Style Guide http://www.mapinc.org/style.htm Prepared by Stephen Young - http://home.att.net/~theyoungfamily Focus Alert Specialist

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