U.S. troops should fight in cities, not gulf
In my opinion, our troops again going to the Persian Gulf is truly outrageous.
We have our war raging right here in these United States of America -- the war on drugs. Our American troops should descend upon our city streets and protect our own citizens and children from drug lords, drug addicts, drive-by shootings and the other horrors that have taken over our streets.
Maybe with the presence of American troops, the drug dealers would be afraid instead of blatantly selling drugs during the day to our school children. The troops could then arrest these animals and lock them up as prisoners of war.
This would set our children and families free to play on the streets and playgrounds without the fear that now plagues the American family in our cities.
Also, it would be more cost effective for the taxpayers to have our troops fight this war instead of fighting wars for other countries.
I'm sorry, but if we would have finished what we started during Desert Storm, we would not be having these problems now.
Therese M. Nesbitt
Baltimore
'Boat people'
It was quite a jump in deduction for Frank A. DeFilippo to conclude (Other Voices, Oct. 13) that our collective quality of life would decline if the taxpayers were allowed to keep more of their earnings.
Mr. DeFilippo stated that many people from Maryland moved to Pennsylvania and have stayed there in spite of a tremendous tax burden of more different types of taxes.
He fails to illustrate by dollar amounts how much worse off these "Maryland boat people" are compared to the tax burden they left behind in Maryland. Facts would undermine his case that Maryland has lower taxes than Pennsylvania.
Mr. DeFilippo has adjudged that all Marylanders have a better quality of life because the state has somehow provided the museums that not everyone attends and the theaters and symphony halls that once again are enjoyed by a small minority of our state's citizens while being subsidized by all of us.
The state should not be in the business of providing live theater and symphonies for the well-to-do at the expense of the working man. Neither should the working man be entertained at the expense of the well-to-do. Motion picture theaters survive without government assistance and so should Mr. DeFilippo's symphony halls and live theaters.
My hope is that Ellen Sauerbrey makes good on her promise to lower the amount of money available to be spent by the Annapolis tax eaters. Maybe then we will see the Marylanders in Pennsylvania return to the Free State.
John Reagan
Baltimore
Out of control
Recently, I called the city's animal control office asking for the removal of a dead rabbit that had been scampering around the neighborhood since early spring but on this particular day had the misfortune of colliding with an automobile. The person answering the phone assured me that someone would be out "right away." As no one appeared, I called the following morning. Again came the response, "Someone will be out right away."
Apparently "right away" has different meanings for different people, because neither on that day nor the next did a representative from animal control put in an appearance. Finally, a neighbor mercifully disposed of the body. Need for privatization? Here is a prime example.
Abner Kaplan
Baltimore
Unfaithfulness: A capital crime?
The headline In the Oct. 18th paper says. 'Man gets 18-month term on work-reales program for killing unfaithful wife'.
If there were equally in the court, this precedent could lower the male population to an endangered species.
Upon reading this article I was shocked, disgusted and alarmed. Mr. Peacock received a ridiculous sentence, because according to Judge Robert E. Cahill "such a rage would be almost unmanageable - even without the alcohol.
In my opinion, a murder is a murder and I think that Judge Cahill should think about whether he made the right decision. Mr. Peacock murdered his wife and the act of murder should get a sentence of more than 18 months.
Women, for many decades have been abused by husbands and boyfriends and many have also been murdered during these abuses. For years women have been afraid to come forward with charges against the abuser because of retaliation from the buser if he was not convicted. Now that women are coming forward, Judge Cahill is now sending a message that it isn't that much of a crime to abuse a woman. Judge Cahill is living in the stone age. His decision is telling men that it is o.k. to abuse or kill a woman as long as you are angry enough. In my opinion the courts do not need someone like Judge Cahill sitting on the bench.
Olivia Morris
Baltimore
Keep score on judges' sentences
I was outraged with Michael James's article "Baltimore police seek man charged in 2 gunpoint rapes" (Oct. 13).
I was specifically offended at his over-emphasis of the fact that Brian A. Beard raped his victim at gunpoint while down-playing the responsibility our judicial system has for Beard's latest crime spree.
Why did The Baltimore Sun fail to name the responsible judge and print the responsible judge's photograph, who previously sentenced Beard to 18 months in jail for assault and then suspended all but 29 days of the sentence?
Why was there no mention by The Baltimore Sun of what the maximum possible sentence Beard could have received and did receive? I sincerely doubt I am the only person who subscribes to The Baltimore Sun that is wondering whether Beard might have committed his latest crime spree if he had received the maximum sentence.
Let me suggest that in the future, The Baltimore Sun should print a regular section focusing on our local justice system. This section would serve two functions, because it would focus our attention on the performance of public officials working in our justice system and educate the general public concerning the workings of our judicial system.
With that in mind, I propose that a section be printed containing the name, photographs and sentence/probation statistics of our public officials, like judges, probation officers and other judicial personnel, that continue to permit violent criminals to prey on our law-abiding citizens.
For example, I would like to know how many sentences the judge recently gave, what percentages involved the maximum sentence possible, how many were given probation, how many days of jail time were actually served, and since the last report what percentage of the people on probation by the judge have committed or have been accused of committing another crime.
Information like this would help keep the public informed on our justice system and help lift the cone of silence that currently protects our public officials in the justice system who empower criminals to prey on our law-abiding citizens.
While my heart bleeds for Beard's rape victims, my mind always returns to the fact that 80 percent of all violent crimes are committed by 20 percent of the criminal population.
What is even more shocking is the fact that the 20 percent of the criminal population which commits 80 percent of all violent crimes have more than one criminal conviction for a violent crime.
It appears to me that we can prevent 80 percent of all violent crimes if we just start locking up our repeat offenders.
The Sun can help with this problem by printing on a regular basis the name, photographs and statistical records of the public officials responsible for putting these violent criminals on our streets.
Thomas E. Maloney
Bel Air