The latest anti-drug ad campaign is interesting. In it, various people are shown saying things like "I killed a judge" or "I blew up a building." These statements drive home the point that the sale and use of illegal drugs contribute to terrorist activities around the world. That this statement is true goes without saying. After all, who wants to help kill innocent people or bomb buildings, or even disrupt or topple a government? Well, we did

During the Ronald Reagan administration, our government armed the Contra "freedom fighters" (the administration's term) in a proxy war against the Sandinista government in Nicaragua. They couldn't do it legally; congress forbade any funding to the group. So a plan was devised: Cocaine was brought in on CIA cargo planes, the drugs were unloaded and weapons were loaded onboard for the flight to Central America.

The Contras killed farmers and priests, activists and peasants. They destroyed buildings and attempted to topple the Sandinista government. Did our government use drug money to fund a terrorist organization? It is a matter of public record. Remember Iran-Contra? Yes, it did. Yes, we did.

So in the interest of truth-telling and setting the record straight, I propose that several new lines be added to the above mentioned commercial: "I helped kill a farmer and his family," "I funded a proxy war," "I helped a sitting president break the law," and "I gave a rifle to a Contra."

Stephen Caldwell
Little Rock

LTE Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 4/7/2002