I think I too readily dismissed Arianna during the Governor recall campaign in California. I recently saw her confront CNN on choosing to give Coultier play time.

The only caveat I have with her editorial is that it not just the war on drugs, its the war on people of color. In Alameda county, for example, women of color are being aggressively prosecuted for "welfare fraud," when they unwittingly cash an overpayment made by bureaucratic mistakes--how does a family know that a food stamp check should be $225, not $275?

And, what about granting the vote to immigrants? From 1776 until 1926, non-citizen voting was widespread in the United States. During that time 22 states and federal territories allowed non-citizens to vote in local, state, and even federal elections. As the color of immigrants changed, so did their right to vote.