‘One Strike’ Eviction From Public Housing

As sadly ridiculous as our Supreme Court was in supporting the “one strike” eviction ruling (“‘One Strike’ Eviction Policy Affirmed,” March 27), surely it should be consistent in its folly and include alcohol abuse, if not usage itself, in the list of substances and paraphernalia whose mere possession by even a visitor to a publicly owned residence is cause for eviction. (It’s unbelievable, isn’t it?)

Applying eviction from public housing because a child, visitor or owner on or off the premises abused alcohol, a higher standard than mere possession, would of course mean that President Bush would be evicted from the White House for his daughters’ actions. Great sections of military dormitories and base housing would be vacated (unless military drinking has changed radically since my days in the Army) and many members of Congress would lose their publicly owned office space.

A marijuana cigarette or a few bottles of beer? We all know the major difference is that one is illegal and the other isn’t. Either will do the job on your brain and get you out there.

Our senators and representatives need to act now to redress this amazingly unfair policy. Chief Justice William Rehnquist and the court justices saw nothing in the U.S. Constitution that would prevent this policy, but I suppose that’s understandable, since they’ve let the DEA seize and sell property of suspected drug dealers and users prior to a trial of the accused.

Proof of intent, knowledge or participation in a criminal activity, the presumption of innocence until proven guilty--all that is what I thought were constitutional matters we all should expect the Supreme Court to honor. This is all very sad.

Mark Davidson

Costa Mesa

*

The Supreme Court ... not! The Supreme Court’s recent tenant eviction ruling confirms and affirms the sad fact that the court is out of touch, out to lunch and outdated. The court should be abolished and dismantled--it’s become a politicized dinosaur that is an embarrassment to the great citizens of this country and to the great history of the court itself.

The justices are a joke that is not funny.

Ted Neff

Los Angeles