Drunken driving article timely, deathly serious

The Sun's article, "Traffic deaths tied to alcohol increase in Md." (Dec. 19), was very timely as the holiday season gets into full swing, a time when drunken driving can be especially prevalent. And the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) is concerned about the increasing number of highway deaths, particularly those associated with alcohol.

Last summer, in partnership with local and state law enforcement, SHA launched Checkpoint Strikeforce to conduct nearly 150 sobriety checkpoints across the state through January. This increased enforcement effort has coupled with public service announcements, billboards and educational outreach.

With the change in Maryland's blood alcohol limit for driving to .08 percent, which went into effect in Oct. 2001, along with the law prohibiting any open container of alcohol in a moving vehicle and more stringent punishment for repeat offenders, we hope to see a marked decrease in alcohol-related crashes and fatalities. But there is more to be done, and even one death is too many.

We thank The Sun for helping raise awareness and we encourage people to designate a sober driver, call a cab or friend and never get behind the wheel after drinking.

The life you save may be that of a friend, a neighbor, a family member - or even your own.

Parker F. Williams

Baltimore

The writer is administrator of the State Highway Administration.

State's woes are no joking matter

Gov. Parris N. Glendening said, after the most recent state Board of Public Works meeting, that he wouldn't miss the next and last meeting in January because, "It's fun. No one should charge admission unless I get a percentage" ("Schaefer, Glendening heighten long feud," Dec. 19).

This is not a joking matter.

And Mr. Glendening should be ashamed of himself. His total lack of remorse for leaving the state in such financial chaos is eclipsed only by his arrogance.

Lydia L. Kelly

Baltimore

Venezuelans protest to protect freedom

Michael McCarthy's column, "Venezuela on the verge" (Opinion

Commentary, Dec. 17), implies that Venezuelans are rioting to "overthrow" their legally elected president. However, the writer fails to mention that President Hugo Chavez was only democratically elected after he failed to become president in 1993 through a military coup.

Also, Mr. Chavez is a military man not a politician; therefore, he does not know how to build consensus and has been unable to negotiate an agreement to the current crisis.

Mr. Chavez is trying to curtail the freedom of speech in Venezuela by terrorizing his opponents.

The people will protest this oppression by using civil disobedience until Mr. Chavez calls for a binding referendum or resigns.

For Venezuelans, it is not a question of "fervor for regime change," as Mr. McCarthy writes. It is a question of freedom.

T. Ramos

Baltimore

Liberals divide country by race

The statements by University of Maryland, Baltimore County President Freeman A. Hrabowski III that "black kids ... are always going to be disadvantaged" were very disappointing, particularly since they were spoken by a prominent black scholar ("A dream unfulfilled," Dec. 22).

It seems that it is now the conservatives who advocate a color-blind society in which the individual is to be treated equally under the law, and individual achievement should be the basis of success. It is apparently the liberal position that blacks can only succeed through government interventionist programs such as preferences and set-asides.

Incredible progress has been made in race relations, and I had hoped we were progressing toward the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s inspired vision. But apparently, the liberal vision of dividing the country by race and pitting groups against one another for partisan advantage will continue well into the future.

Mark Campbell

Millersville

Family, friends are first line of defense

As a dedicated, underpaid, overworked Baltimore public school teacher and a father, I have one question for the family, friends and neighbors of Ciara Jobes about her brutal torture and killing: Where were you during the months before her murder when she seems to have disappeared from view ("Why did Ciara Jobes die," letters, Dec. 21)?

Some people need to be reminded that a child's first and foremost line of support and protection is his or her family.

Sam Shields

Baltimore

Poor administrators put kids in peril

Why did Ciara Jobes die (letters, Dec. 21)? One reason is several governmental agencies dropped the ball. But that should come as no surprise. Many government agencies at the city, county and state level are being administered by people who are not trained in administration.

Political appointees and personnel who have risen through the ranks are often not equipped to handle the complex organizational structures they are in charge of. The result is poor management and serious system failures.

We will continue to see cases such as that of Ciara Jobes until we put fully qualified administrators in charge of administration.

Kenneth E. Iman

Baltimore

What will it take to protect kids?

How many more children must die before action is taken ("A horror in the city," editorial, Dec. 14)?

How many children will be abused? How many will be starved? How many will be beaten to death before somebody, anybody does something?

When this sort of abuse happens to one child, it is one child too many.

Marge Griffith

Pasadena

Electoral dispute is still burning

In response to the writer "outraged" because the Republicans allegedly subverted the 2000 election in Florida ("GOP subverted electoral process," Dec. 10), I'd note that the U.S. Supreme Court did not settle the electoral dispute in Florida. It did find, however, that the recount imposed by the Florida Supreme Court violated the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.

At that point, Al Gore conceded.

The Republicans did oppose certain recounts requested by the Democrats, because those recounts would have violated election laws enacted by the Florida Legislature.

In seeking these selective recounts not prescribed by Florida law, it was in reality the Democrats, who showed disregard for the democratic process and tried to subvert it.

Michael Ries

Ellicott City