Letters
Letters to the editor
Highlands Today
Published: January 12, 2013
Gun educationPublished: January 12, 2013
In the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre, Florida's Legislature should send a message to Governor Scott that it does not want to appeal the court's ruling that the "Pediatrician Gag Law" is unconstitutional. The NRA-backed Florida-only law prohibits pediatricians from inquiring about guns in toddlers' homes subject to draconian penalties.
How appropriate if our own state Sen. Denise Grimsley and Rep. Cary Pigman took the initiative in this matter. As emergency room personnel, they best understand the reason doctors advise new parents about gun safety and could educate their colleagues anecdotally.
John Dyce
Lorida
Crystal ball
This is in reference to Mr. Burbick's letter of Jan. 8. Mr. Burbick and I must have been in different history classes. Hitler did not take the guns from the German people; the Allies did that after WWI.
Russians were just serfs living in rural areas and possessed few weapons. There were very few weapons in Cuba until the U.S. started arming the rebels and Batiste (We were covering all bases.). And the whole country is waiting on a solution to the mental stability of a gun owner. I think you're going to need a crystal ball for this.
Noah Stump
Lake Placid
Red-light cameras
The installation of red-light cameras at highway intersections would be more acceptable if the charade of justifying them by touting their safety benefits was credible. Stop the hypocrisy; it's the money — just another way to suck the money out of the pockets of the hapless public. If the authorities truly believe their main justification is traffic safety, then they should in good conscience either refuse their share or rebate it to the victim (fat chance).
The fines are reported to be $128 to $178. This is a low-wage county. It represents more than half of a minimum wage workers' total weekly wages before deductions, and we have plenty of minimum wage workers. How can that be justified? In addition, these cameras project an image of a hostile environment in the cities where they are installed. Keep red-light cameras out of Highlands County.
Jack Culkin
Lake Placid
Blame game
I did not want to write this, but I feel I need to. The shooting in Newtown was horrific, and people blame the NRA. Why not put the blame where it belongs — a failed parent? Why would anyone fill a house with firearms with a person with mental problems living there? Also, in the shooting in Webster, N.Y., who put a convicted murderer back on the streets? Our legal system.
The NRA came up with an immediate solution to protect our schools, while our incompetent politicians talk about more laws and gun control. Baloney. The bad people will get the guns. It is up to us to stop it by observing and reporting people acting suspiciously. People like the Newtown shooter should have been placed in a facility long before the shooting. The Webster shooter should have stayed in prison for his first murder.
John Russo
Lake Placid