Unfettered Letters

Buffer zones for felons

Why are residential safe havens and buffer zone restrictions applied only to registered child sex offenders? (7/6, A-1, “Felons dodge buffer zones”) Aren’t convicted murderers, rapists, burglars, armed robbers, domestic violence perpetrators and other violent people also a threat to society? What about convicted drunken drivers and drug dealers and manufacturers?

Child sex crimes are physically, emotionally and mentally damaging to victims and families, but are they any more so than those affected by murder, rape and vehicular homicide?

Why discriminate? Let’s have all those convicted of a violent crime register with law enforcement before they move into a neighborhood. Let’s keep all violent convicted felons out of our neighborhoods, not just convicted child sex offenders. I would like to know if there is a person convicted of vehicular homicide or aggravated domestic battery living next door to me. Same with aggravated battery and rape.

We need to know who among us has a propensity or proclivity for violence in our everyday existence. You make the wrong neighbor mad, and there could be tragic consequences.

John Boyer
Leavenworth

Parents, careful what you blog

While blogs and community forums are a great way to mingle and share ideas with others, they’re also a great way to attract the attention of some pretty bad people.

One example is the Mom2Mom setup on The Star’s Web site. While it is a great thing to be able to chat with other mothers about recent family happenings, users tend to leave behind little personal facts about their kids in some of their posts like the child’s name, age, appearance, school, siblings, friends and the like. Even though these bits of info are often spread out like breadcrumbs one has accidentally spilt while eating, it can be enough to lead predator your way. If someone really wants to hunt a child, they’ll find a way.

While no parent wants harm to come to their children, they may be the one throwing bones to the very people they fear without even knowing it. But it’s not just limited to one site or one post. Everything you place in a public forum is almost instantly accessible.

Vigilance is the simplest answer. Users should take the time to screen their posts for telling information.

Joyce Todorovich
Independence

Light sentences for rape

I am outraged! (6/30, Local, “Judge’s sentencing practices called into question; For a second time, probation is given in child sex crimes”). A 32-year-old man who rapes a 5-year-old so violently that “multiple doctors and surgery were required to reconstruct and repair the physical damage” doesn’t deserve to ever “see light at the end of the tunnel,” as Dowd said.

Any judge who goes easy on him needs to be looked at for clues as to why he not only feels this way but, even if he’s a saint and not a closet child-hater, why he would let such sympathy take the place of justice.

Shawnee County District Court Judge Matthew Dowd also gave probation to the 75-year-old guy who raped a 6-year-old and 7-year-old, because of the man’s age and lack of previous criminal record.

Anyone who rapes or condones it by giving light sentences for the rapes of children should be locked in a dark, dark place for the rest of their lives. Even if I believed in capital punishment, for people like these it would be a release they don’t deserve.

Judge Dowd was on the bench 31 years. I have to ask, given his record, why?

Maggie Wagner
Kansas City

DNA and fingerprints don’t lie

After more than 20 years, justice has finally been attained in the horrible Westport rapist case with the conviction of Shy Bland on 31 counts of rape, attempted rape, sodomy and robbery (6/20, A-1, “31 guilty verdicts in Westport Rapist case”). The prime evidence was Bland’s DNA that he left at 10 of the crime scenes, along with his fingerprint found at the home of one victim.

Incredibly, the defense lawyer representing Bland still claims that “he was never at” any of the crime scenes, in spite of his DNA and his fingerprint being there.

Well, I’m sorry, ma’am, but DNA and fingerprints do not lie. Violent criminals and those who protect them have been known to lie. But not DNA and fingerprints. So your client was there and is guilty.

But if you’re still sympathetic toward Mr. Bland, I’ll see if I can find a violin and play a sad song for you.

Terry E. Harms
Cole Camp, Mo.

No mistake: Iraq war is a crime

The debate over the Bush administration’s uses of prewar intelligence regarding Iraq (6/23, Opinion, “White House didn’t ‘lie’ before Iraq war”).html is a waste of time. The use of intelligence “stovepipes” to feed cherry-picked raw data from the Pentagon straight to Vice President Cheney’s office for use by the White House has been acknowledged by multiple credible sources, including supporters of the war.

More to the point, the United States did not go to war for the reasons stated publicly, as a close examination of policy-planning documents authored by the intellectual architects of the war shows. Economic and geopolitical rationales for military action predominated.

The Iraq war is not a “mistake.” It is a crime, in the proper sense of that term; a war of aggression as defined by the Nuremberg tribunal. Hundreds of thousands have perished due to the realization of the ideals of the same geopolitical doodlers who now wish to engage Iran.

Alan Kent
Kansas City

Big game for copper thieves

On the front page of the Local section of The Star, (6/24) is a photo of a huge, football-shaped addition going up at the Truman Sports Complex. And it is to be covered with copper.

With all the copper thefts in Kansas City, I hope the sports complex has plenty of security for that thing.

Mary Dannaldson
North Kansas City

Phill Kline and Kelsey Smith case

I understand Phill Kline was close to being sanctioned by the judge in the Kelsey Smith trial for not turning over evidence to the defense (6/18, Local, “Defense pursues evidence in Kelsey Smith murder; No sanction imposed for delay, but Phill Kline’s pace frustrates judge, Edwin Hall’s attorneys”).

If Kline causes this indictment to be thrown out on a technicality such as this, he needs to be indicted himself. Kelsey and her parents deserve justice, and if Hall murdered Kelsey he should pay the most severe punishment there is and not get off on a technicality.

I am outraged by Kline’s behavior and also by his intent to run for another term after he told the Republican Party he would not seek another term.

Paul Morrison was ostracized for having an affair (a personal issue) but Kline seems to think he is above the law (his abortion crusade, the firing of some very good and experienced employees in the district attorney’s office).

Bring back Paul Morrison. He was a great prosecutor with a winning track record.

Donna Langford
Edgerton, Kan.

Rape trial

If a woman who was sexually assaulted is not allowed to describe what happened to her as “rape,” why is someone like Ramone Ward (Voices, 6/16) allowed to call his child support obligation “rape?”

Also, I wonder how Mr. Ward’s children would feel if they knew he considered his financial obligation to them “rape.”

Next time, I hope he’ll wear a condom.

Elaine Hines
Kansas City, Kan.

Prohibiting the word ‘rape’

So our court is prohibiting the word “rape” during prosecution (6/8, A-1, “A crime becomes nameless at trial; Those who defend the accused say only a jury should determine whether the act was truly rape”). It is, in the court’s mind, prejudicial. If so, it stands to reason that there are many such words that are likewise. Never use the word “murder” during proceedings. Or “burglar.” Or “robber.” And we must remember to omit “embezzler.” Might we politely refrain from words like “drug dealer” and “pimp.”

While explaining the actions of the accused, don’t make it personal but just tell the actual events. For instance, when describing injuries, one might say, “I felt a foreign object crashing into my chest. Later the doctor told me it was a bullet, but only after surgery and the anesthesia had worn off.”

We must be courteous, after all, and treat the accused with civility. Isn’t that what criminals deserve? At least it appears that way in our idiotic justice system.

Frank Statesel
Overland Park

Here’s what I believe is going to happen with the testimony terminology in rape cases. Prosecutors will instruct their witnesses to say, “I woke up (or whatever circumstances preceded the assault) and his (body part) was in my (orifice) without my permission.”

If the judges insist on graphic descriptions, give ’em graphic.

Cynthia Heller
Kansas City

Shameful treatment of Marines

I was pleased to read the letter from Elisabeth Jackson (6/4) about the shameful treatment of the Marines Special Operations group in Afghanistan (5/24, A-6, “Charges rejected against two Marines”). My husband and I have followed the case for more than a year and ask, “Where is the outrage?”

It’s inconceivable that Lt. Gen. Kearney and Army Col. Nicholson would take the word of the Afghans against the sworn testimony of the Marines, apologize, and pay reparations to the families of “deceased civilians.”

It’s war, Gen. Kearney, and the last I heard, it’s permissible to shoot back when shot at.

Apparently, Army Gen. Kearney was more interested in defending his turf than in having the Marines’ help to get the job done. Thanks to his approach, a highly trained, dedicated unit was brought back to the States to face trial. I shudder to think of the financial and emotional cost to the Marines involved, to say nothing of the waste of time, talent, and taxpayers’ money.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has a new “get tough” policy. I hope Gen. Kearney’s actions are brought to his attention.

Helen Zuber
Raytown

Caregivers for elderly need help

The recent coverage of the death of Glenda Stevens, allegedly by her daughter, left me outraged and sad (6/4, Local, “Charge: Victim, 72, died of abuse; Glenda Grimes is charged in the death of her mother”).

Today, I would so welcome the job for the chance to spend time with my mom. I had her during her last six years, as her quality of life diminished. Caring for an elderly parent is demanding physically and emotionally. It results in sleep deprivation, loss of resources and loss of normalcy in life.

It has been said that Grimes did these horrible, inhumane things to her mother because she was not good to her as a child. No mother is perfect, including myself. However, no human being deserved this abuse and neglect.

State and community services are available to assist anyone in this position, including adult day care and respite care in skilled nursing facilities. Other services are provided by various religious agencies.

I had the best friends ever who brought meals, great love and laughter. They let me know I was not alone. Please help anyone on this journey, as it is difficult. We must never allow this to happen again.

Debi Dreiling
Kansas City

Death penalty would deter rape

Jim Svetlecic (5/20, Letters) argues against executing all criminals, including rapists. I was raped as a teenager and was too ashamed to report it or even tell my parents. I never reported the rape because in my youth, the victim was always made out to be the criminal.

It bothers me to this day that I kept silent. There isn’t a crime more vile then sexual assault. It demeans the victim and takes years of therapy to get through it.

It is not a crime that deserves a slap on the wrist or a few years in prison with possibility of parole. It deserves to be considered as heinous as murder because it kills a person’s spirit.

Studies show that rapists often were raped or abused themselves. We know what breeds these low, vile people — male or female — but we have no concrete way of successfully treating them so that they don’t offend again.

Would Svetlecic feel the same way regarding executions for rape if it were his son or daughter who was violently victimized by a rapist?

If execution for rape were on the table, then there would be far less of it happening in this country.

Mae Brown
Spring Hill

Pushing underage girls into sex

While reading the sentence “Texas child-welfare authorities argued that all the children should be removed from the ranch because the sect pushes underage girls into marriage and sex and encourages boys to become future perpetrators” (5/20, A-2, “Hearings begin on 460 children”), I couldn’t help but think about how our entertainment culture (which is outside of this sect) pushes and encourages the very same thing, except that it is outside of marriage.

Just take out the words “into marriage” from the article and you have pretty much what we see on TV shows, in commercials and in the movies every day of the year.

Judith Murray
Centerview, Mo.

Educating prisoners

As an educator and taxpayer, I was pleased and gratified to read Steve Penn’s excellent article about the successful education program at Lansing prison (5/22, Local, “Society owes a debt to prison’s staff”).

I hope he will do a follow-up on programs to help the prisoners find good-paying jobs once they are released. From all reports employers refuse to hire them — or even consider them, regardless of their offense or how well qualified they might be — once they check the box on their application form that says they have been in prison.

Jeanette B. Welch
Warrensburg, Mo.

Ban intoxicated bus riders

Recently I was catching one of the buses from the Plaza to an appointment, when an unruly and belligerent passenger refused to leave the bus and walked over to a fellow passenger (a senior citizen) and started yelling, cussing, calling her names and threatening to hit her. The driver told him that the police were on their way. They hadn’t even been called upon.

What the driver should have done was call her supervisor, then the police. The passenger appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.

A week before that I was on a different bus when a teenager boarded who reeked of marijuana. The smell was so overwhelming that a group of us quickly departed.

To protect the public, bus drivers should refuse service to passengers who have been drinking or using drugs.

Diane Aliason
Kansas City

Policy on human trafficking

In response to “Help stop human trafficking” (5/13, Letters)http://www.kansascity.com/309/story/616975-p2.html by Daniel Schneider of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Sure, we all want to prevent trafficking of women and children, but let’s look closer at U.S. policy.

For years, the U.S. government has withheld aid money to some sovereign countries until they denounce or outlaw prostitution. Meanwhile, it remains legal in Nevada. Now, worldwide, we have vast legal inconsistencies in prostitution law, which thereby creates the criminal incentive to traffic.

In 2000, special interest groups estimated to Congress that 50,000 people were trafficked into the U.S. each year. In November 2007, The Washington Post presented State Department reports that only 1,100 trafficking victims have been found to date. Considering nearly 400,000 estimated victims in seven years, these estimates are less than 1 percent accurate.

Mr. Schneider should consider the local massage parlor operators arrested in May 2007 who are still incarcerated without bond awaiting trial. Neither force nor restraint nor children were involved in this case.

Many of Schneider’s Washington colleagues have been involved in illegal prostitution scandals. They are not in jail — and many still hold public office.

Ken Lewis
Prairie Village

Crime and trash in east KC

If Mayor Funkhouser wants to spur investment in east Kansas City, here are a couple of top priorities to address:

Crime: Drugs, prostitution, burglary, and armed robbery are out of control in east Kansas City. In 23 years of investing in single-family homes on the east side, crime is the worst I’ve ever seen.

One of my best tenants, a couple buying a house on contract from our company, came into my office recently and said that the husband was robbed at gunpoint and had his car stolen in broad daylight while working on the car in his driveway. They are planning to move out of Kansas City.

If we continue to lose our best families, there won’t be any KC left.

Trash: Tons and tons of it on the streets, curbs, sidewalks and vacant lots. Who wants to live in a trash dump?

What are we to do? The good people are moving out, and that leaves us with the drug dealers, prostitutes and other criminals.

Stephen Summers
President, Glennco Inc.
Independence

Help stop human trafficking

A recent article on human trafficking (4/25, Local, “Public safety: Guilty plea in sex-trafficking case”) drew attention to a pervasive problem hidden in communities across the country.

The question that occurs to every person of conscience after reading of human trafficking is, naturally, “What can I do?” One answer is simply, “Keep your eyes open.”

Victims of trafficking are often encountered by the public in the course of daily business. Signs of a victim of trafficking include someone who does not speak English, lacks a passport, is fearful or depressed and shows evidence of abuse, such as bruises.

If someone suspects a case of trafficking, they may call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, established by the Bush Administration, toll-free at 1-888-373-7888. Once a victim is identified, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services helps provide food, access to shelter, legal assistance, job training and health care.

By working together to fight this injustice, Americans can help eradicate the scourge of modern-day slavery.

Daniel Schneider
Acting Assistant Secretary for Children and Families,
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Washington, D.C.

Execution for child rape

The current decision of the Louisiana legislature to allow for the execution of those convicted of child rape (5/7, Opinion, “Pro-con: Should the death penalty be expanded to include persons who rape children?”) could set a precedent that could be problematic as states such as Missouri consider similar measures.

What would be the treatment afforded to those convicted of incest? Is the crime any less damaging if the perpetrator is one’s own parent? If not, could this then lead to children offering testimony against their own parents, with the possible result being the state-sanctioned execution of their parents?

I have no answers, only questions — but questions well worth consideration.

Jeremy Deeken
Kansas City

Laws don’t stop criminals

As much as I sympathize with Kathy Cagg and the families of the victims of the Ward Parkway shootings, I couldn’t help but notice some inaccurate statements in Cagg’s As I See It column (4/29, Opinion, “This ‘freedom’ has a heavy cost”).

In carrying out his vicious act, David Logsdon did not take advantage of numerous freedoms, as Kathy Cagg writes. Instead, David Logsdon broke numerous laws, such as carrying a concealed weapon without a permit and purchasing ammunition with a stolen credit card. Last I checked, these sorts of acts are not freedoms. They are criminal violations — violations that someone intent on killing other human beings isn’t likely to concern himself with.

The emotional reasoning behind calling for more restrictions on gun freedoms in the wake of shootings such as the one at Ward Parkway is understandable, but it couldn’t be more futile in the fight against gun violence.

Criminals are criminals because they break laws, not because they take advantage of freedoms.

Michael Keizer
Independence

Stop the violence

I write this letter with a broken heart. A few weeks ago, a young man lost his life over a vehicle and a set of wheels (3/27, Local, “Errand put man in path of killer; Graduate student and investment company worker had stopped to clean out his vehicle and stranger fired on him”). This young man had worked hard to achieve his goals.

This violence must stop now. Are you doing your part? Are you willing to stand up and speak up when you see problems in front of you? Now is the time to do just that. We must make people accountable for their actions.

Don’t sit back and ignore what is happening to your world. Speak up for a better tomorrow.

Don Beashore
Kansas City, Kan.

Victims of Crime Act funding

This year domestic and sexual violence agencies across Kansas are facing federal budget cuts that will devastate core services in our community. Kansas will experience an almost $1 million reduction in federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding that provides emergency shelter, hotline, advocacy, and counseling for victims throughout the state.

The Kansas House Appropriations Committee is proposing a $500,000 budget item in the Omnibus Appropriations Budget to help stop the loss of the most critical services. If this budget item is not accepted, agencies will have no choice but to cut services. Although the proposal doesn’t cover the entire loss to Kansas, it will make sure victims can still access shelter and emergency services.

We particularly thank local representatives Tom Burroughs, Bill Feuerborn, Kay Wolf, and Kevin Yoder for their leadership in protecting victims in our communities.

Sharon I. Katz
Executive director, SAFEHOME, Inc.
Palle M. Rilinger
Executive director, MOCSA
LaDora Lattimore
Executive director, Joyce H. Williams Center

Gun ownership

In response to Mary Sanchez’s column (4/22, Opinion, “Easy access to guns, but no respect for life”), William Shapiro (4/26, Letters) suggests taking away guns as a way to reduce the “carnage.” That is perhaps one of the least thought out, most impractical ideas I’ve heard. Remember how well Prohibition went over? You turn a nation into criminals automatically. Not wise.

Many people, including me, are legal firearm owners (many of us veterans) and cause no problem to society. As an Iraq war veteran I have stood up and fought for what I believed in before. What makes you think I won’t do it again?

Kyle Schweiger
Olathe

Do proponents of gun ownership really feel they are protected simply by owning a gun? It seems to me that to be really protected one would need to have the gun accessible at all times.

Maybe we’ll eventually have to return to the Wild West and carry guns in holsters. It could make for a booming gun holster business. They could be designed for men and women and come in various colors and designs. They would have to be worn at all times in all places.

Then it would come down to who is the quickest on the draw.

Mary Lou Akright
Leawood

Sex-trafficking case

Johnson County is in the process of trying a Chinese national accused of enticing and coercing women to travel to her business to perform sexual services for men for money. (4/25, Local, “Guilty plea in sex-trafficking case”).

She has admitted to the charges. She could face up to 20 years in prison. But by agreeing to cooperate with prosecutors, the estimate is she will face a whole eight months.

What a nice legal system we have. Don’t get stopped for a traffic ticket.

Frank Thompson
De Soto

Identifying victims of ID theft

In The Star’s article “Know where your ID is now?” (A-1, 4/24), Judy Ancel, director of UMKC’s Institute for Labor Studies, stated how it was wrong to compare immigrant workers who assume someone’s identity to persons who fraudulently take our credit cards. Bull-hockey!

Stealing is stealing, whether it’s an identity or an automobile. Sure the immigrant’s family will suffer, but what about Amanda Bien, the ID theft victim in this article? Does not her suffering count? After all, she has done nothing wrong.

What about the local, county and state governments that suffer financially to deal with this mess? Some of that is my money. When will the federal government do what is right and not what is politically correct?

Their excuse is the same one we are getting for the price of gas or the price of rice: “supply and demand.” We’ve got too may illegals and not enough money, manpower or straight-thinking politicians to do anything about it.

As for Ms. Ancel, I can only hope her identity is never stolen. It may cause a conflict of interest to fight for her rights as an American citizen or cause some anguish in an illegal’s household.

Kris Kozak
Leavenworth

Inmates doing Bard time

I was amazed to learn that while I pay $3.50 a gallon for gasoline, inmates at the Lansing Correctional Institute are being trained in classic Shakespeare (4/20, A+E, “Drama of hard time; Inmates in the mental health unit like Heidi Stubblefield’s classes”).

Could drama instructor Heidi Stubblefield guard these inmates while they pick up litter on K-7? I am supposed to be impressed that she has to “hold her own” with a group of male inmates who have been without female attention a while.

Ah, to be or not to be ... serious. What in the world are these directors thinking? Miss Stubblefield is allowed to present herself to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.

Get me a tax break on gas and put the inmates on litter patrol.

Mark Brauninger
Kansas City

Editor’s note: Arts in Prison has a $230,000 budget for the current fiscal year; $8,088 of it came from the Kansas Arts Commission.

T-Bones and Michael Vick

Mike Hendricks writes that he is bothered by the T-Bones’ plans to bring in Michael Vick for an animal shelter fund raiser (4/18, Local, “T-Bones humor is truly minor league”). Well so am I, but for completely different reasons.

Hendricks is concerned that we might rub Vick’s nose in the mess he made: a football star who ruined his life. I should hope we would. I should hope anybody in attendance stops only one step short of stoning him to death. To show that man (and I use the word loosely) the light of day for any reason is too good for him.

While it is ostensibly for a good cause (not for T-Bone publicity, I wonder?), there are certainly many positive theme nights they could come up with to raise funds for local animal shelters. What Vick did is despicable beyond imagination, and if the T-Bones go through with this, so are they. Rest assured they never see another dime of mine. I encourage others to permanently stay away, too.

By the way, I’m not even a pet owner.

Ken Harbeck
Overland Park

My wife and I are avid baseball fans. We attend 15 to 20 Royals games a year and travel each summer to a couple of out-of-town major league ballparks in our quest to visit all 30 of them. Several friends have tried to get us to go to a T-Bones game, but we never have. After reading about their promotions, we never will.

The promotion poking fun at Michael Vick’s arrival at federal prison is embarrassingly juvenile, tasteless and insensitive. I worked in a maximum security prison for a year and can tell you that there is nothing remotely funny about prison. Making light of someone else’s miseries, even when self-inflicted like Mr. Vick’s, is the sign of an insecure, petty and unimaginative individual.

Surely the T-Bones can find a better way to raise money for animal shelters. After reading Mike Hendricks’ column in The Star, it appears that this is only one of countless ridiculously tasteless promotions the T-Bones have put on.

I go to baseball games to watch baseball. Goofy promotions won’t get me to the ballpark.

Kerry Strayer
Kansas City

Editor's note: The T-Bones say they have dropped plans to mention Michael Vick in the promotion, which will focus on animal safety and adoption.

Stolen copper and plant security

Citizen Dave Fusselman was correct to be suspicious of large amounts of apparently new copper pieces being offered to him for purchase which turned out to be stolen from the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence (4/17, A-1, “Stolen ‘bullet cups’ sold to wrong guy”).I commend his initiative in reporting his suspicions to authorities, which resulted in the arrest of two thieves who worked at the plant. I am curious about the security at the plant.

Did no one notice that eight tons (that’s a bunch) of the copper was missing? Are there any controls on inventory of materials?

How did the two men get eight tons of copper out of the plant?

Can ammunition be easily taken from the plant by workers? These are questions that should be addressed by the plant’s management and also by the customer, the Department of Defense.

Also, who stands the loss of the copper — the contractor operating the plant or the U.S. taxpayer?

Shirley Hurst
Knob Noster

DNA cleared man’s name

Why did it take ten months to get the DNA results to clear 19-year-old Deangilo Minor from charges of rape and attempted rape (4/18, A-1, “Man says he didn’t do it - so does DNA”)?

In a few short weeks it is possible to get DNA results for paternity, yet this kid, by The Star’s account, a nice, responsible young man, sits in jail for months and months.

He loses his apartment. His mother has to borrow money for his defense and their lives are completely disrupted.

While I can understand that the police had to arrest Deangilo given the eyewitness accusation, there is no excuse for a ten-month wait for DNA results.

Shame on those investigators and prosecutors. I’ll bet that if one of their children was accused, the results would be obtained within weeks.

I don’t know the Minor family, but the delay they experienced scares me for all the families in our communities who could have a child wrongly accused.

Jennifer Randle
Overland Park

Virginia Tech shootings

On the anniversary of the 33 murders at Virginia Tech, the Off the Easel cartoon on the opinion page shows a teacher hiding behind a desk while someone shoots up the classroom (Opinion, 4/16).

While the cartoon was tacky and in poor taste, it did make me wonder about the difference between a violent and suicidal lunatic and a suicidal terrorist. There is none.

Since these psychopaths seem to be killing people at a regular intervals, perhaps America should look at the Israeli model of handling this sort of thing — arming selected teachers and staff.

How many would have survived had a mature, trained, adult in one of the Virginia Tech class rooms been armed and able to defend themselves and others?

The naive regulatory mistake of not allowing a trained concealed carry permit holder to carry into a college class room cost 33 lives. As I understand it Virginia Tech just settled with the families of the dead and injured for $11 million.

We need to develop an attitude of personal self defense in this country. I’m reminded of the old saying, “When seconds count the police are minutes away.”

Bruce Luedeman
Independence

Death penalty

Is it OK for criminals to utilize cruel and unusual punishment to their victims (4/15, “Case draws states’ scrutiny”)?

When the justice system tries for a capitol conviction for rape and molestation crimes, people whine about how it violates the criminals’ right to the Eighth Amendment. People get so caught up in protecting the criminals’ rights that they totally disregard the victims’ rights.

Victims cannot say, “No Mr./Ms Perpetrator, do not rape me because that violates my right to the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.”

So why should we give these monsters any rights when they take it upon themselves to take the rights of their victims away?

Our justice system is just too lax on these horrible crimes. If there were harsher punishments, criminals would think twice before committing crimes.

These are the truly dangerous individuals, who need to be dealt with more directly.

Support capitol punishment and get these monsters off the streets. And bring closure to all the victims and families affected by horrible crimes like rape and molestation.

Jewel Webster
De Soto

Story on teenage mother

My heart broke when I read the article about young Dorothy Wade, a 15 year old with an 11-month old son (4/12, “Poverty, parenthood threaten to turn students into statistics”).

And it was not only because of her present situation. The reporter wrote that the baby’s father is an illegal Mexican who “flirted” with Dorothy and fled, where “the last Dorothy heard, he had been shot in Mexico. She suspects it’s a lie to shield a deadbeat dad.”

What’s wrong with this picture?

This guy is not hiding to avoid child support payments. Do the math. Dorothy must have been 13 when the man “flirted” with her and she became pregnant. He’s afraid of being arrested for sex with a minor, a child.

It’s no different if it’s forced in the temple of a cult or when a man takes advantage of a love-starved, poverty-stricken girl. It’s child abuse and must not be overlooked.

My sincere admiration to the staff at DeLaSalle Education Center for providing care and hope to some of Kansas City’s kids in need.

Valerie Loth
Olathe

Closing Gitmo

Regarding “Ex-diplomats call for closing Gitmo” (3/28, A-14): Henry Kissinger, James Baker, Warren Christopher, Madeleine Albright and Colin Powell act like they don’t realize we are still at war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Releasing prisoners to the battlefield would endanger troops. My two Marine sons could be at risk from this policy.

They say the next president should “move quickly to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay Cuba.” How could a president do this to our troops? Baker said Guantanamo “gives us a very, very bad name.” America’s attackers on 9/11 should have a bad name. America should “talk to its enemies.” Who will be the first to talk to bin Laden?

The story states Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain have called for Guantanamo to be closed. It did not point out why they would release fighters from prison to return to the fight.

Marijane Green
Kansas City, Kan.

Protection for transgendered

Why are those who have chosen to change their gender granted the same protective rights accorded to race and gender (4/3, Local, “Transgender bias ban near approval”)?

Though I feel only compassion for those who feel at odds with their gender, I fail to see KC City Council’s logic in grouping them with those who are, say, born black or female.

Race and gender are innate and immutable. On the other hand, gender reassignment is a choice, and a disorienting one for all involved. Not only does the operation involve physical mutilation and massive amounts of opposite-gender hormones, the conflict of feeling trapped by one’s biological gender is often not resolved by the reassignment.

And yet it creates massive amounts of conflict for those around him or her who must adjust to the new gender.

In not thinking through all the issues at hand, the City Council ascribes a special legal status to those who do not warrant them.

Andrew Comiskey
Kansas City

Sex-offender registry

John Olsen (3/29, Letters) thinks that if someone committed a sex crime before 1995 and hasn’t been caught or convicted since, then he or she has been rehabilitated. He thinks the Missouri legislature is wasting time and our money trying to put these people back on the sex offender registry.

If he thinks they’ve been rehabilitated or cured, would he let one of these people baby-sit his children? I wouldn’t! Some sex offenders can’t be cured. Until society can know for certain which offenders can and have been cured, put them all back on the registry.

Lynn Alsup
Lee’s Summit

Where were police?

On the night of March 31-April 1, three autos were vandalized within a two-block area on my street. The victims called the police and reported and requested police assistance. The police department refused to send anyone to investigate or even complete a report.

What kind of message does this send to tax-paying citizens, who expect the police to be there in time of need? What kind of message does this send to the thugs who commit these crimes, knowing that the police department will not follow up or even attempt to investigate?

We are tax-paying citizens, and we expect more. Maybe less time should be spent trapping speeders and setting up roadblocks on the weekends and more attention given to real crimes and damage to personal property.

Thomas D. Killam
Kansas City

Sex-offender list

John Olsen (3/29, Letters) accuses the Missouri legislature of wasting time and money on “nutty” ideas by proposing a constitutional amendment to restore names of sex offenders who committed crimes before January 1995. Even if the legislature’s only motive were an election-year stunt, I would still support the proposed amendment.

According to Mr. Olsen’s logic, any person who committed any sex crime against any child before 1995 is now trustworthy until he or she strikes again — and until the state can prove it beyond a reasonable doubt.

Some, of course, have been rehabilitated. But not all. Others have been suspects and benefited when the evidence against them was legally insufficient. It sounds like Mr. Olsen wants to keep these perpetrators under the radar screen as long as possible.

Local communities have a right to know in order to assess community risk. As a parent and guardian, I have a right to know so I can make informed decisions. Sex offenders made their choice. If the measure is on November’s ballot, I will make my choice: to protect children, not a convicted felon’s privacy.

Clyde Waltermate
Raytown

Sex-offender list

The Missouri legislature is once again wasting its time and our money with nutty ideas (3/26, Local, “Sex-offender issue closer to ballot”).

The Missouri Senate is proposing a constitutional amendment that would restore the names of sex offenders who have not committed crimes since January 1995 to the sex-offender list. What’s the point in that?

These folks have, by definition, rehabilitated. They paid for their crimes and haven’t repeated them. The system worked. Now the legislature wants to tag them forever.

That could be counterproductive. Adding them to the sex-offender list subjects them to public harassment, which devalues their rehabilitation. That makes them more likely to relapse.

Do these folks think at all, or are they only interested in appearing to be “tough on sex offenders” at election time?

John A. Olsen
Belton

Invitation for criminals?

I don’t want to throw cold water on such a magnificent plan proposed by the World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour (3/24, FYI, “Lights Out, Everyone”). But turning off lights for an hour around the world is nothing short of an open invitation for thieves, burglars, and others up to no good, to ply their trade in utter darkness.

If the plan is implemented, cities should publish comparative crime statistics for the hour without lights. It sounds to me like “an accident looking for a place to happen.”

Steve Katz
Leawood