but we can continue to fight together. I look forward to reading your book soon, Don Henry.  As a recovering addict I have witnessed criminal minded people involved in drug trafficking, but I have also known a large number of people just like Elaine Bartlett. As you stated she "worked off the books". Hell, been there, done that! It's called surviving the dam system. The government's system kicks you down and penalizes you for getting off your butt and trying to pull your family ahead financially. If public housing would have known about Elaine's hairdressing, she would've ended up homeless, not qualifying for public housing. She was just trying to survive and pull ahead, not an act that should cost a person fifteen+ years of their life and destroy a family. Such a large majority of people in the U.S have no awareness, nor could they comprehend even if they were aware,   that this level of self survival exists in millions of families-from large cities to small rural towns. My experience has proven to me that there is NO government war on drugs (or poverty).
The more of us that die or can be locked up and forgotten as waste products of society, the better off the govt. feels it is. This is especially true of minorities. I have never doubted Gary Webb, may he rest in peace now. His tragic death was what it took to reawaken my desire to fight for others, not just focus on my own recovery. Let me take this chance to express my gratitude for your insight to take this struggle beyond just a personal level.  Too many lives have been destroyed by our governments actions (i.e. putting crack on the streets) and their laws (mandatory sentencing). These things are just the tip of the iceberg, but we can keep chipping away a piece at a time.