High court failed this victim

This is in regard to the Supreme Court ruling on the death penalty for child rape. I’m not a scholar on the Constitution, but what about Article X, which states, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Does this not say the individual states have a “right” to vote in certain laws if a law is not already in place by the United States? The judges in effect again did not interpret law but imposed law on states that are contrary to their thinking.

Judge Kennedy stated it was a consensus by the American public that we did not want the death penalty in such a case. If there is ever a case that deserves the death penalty, it is the case of Patrick Kennedy.

According to the newspaper, this little girl was raped in her own bed, 8 years old; an assault so severe she needed surgery. Now tell me this little girl’s life has not been changed forever, her childhood taken away in one act of violence, her innocence forever gone, fear and night terrors probably with her for years, and maybe even her ability to have children taken away. She may never be able to even have a man touch her.

This man, Patrick Kennedy took her life, he may not have killed her physically, but he damaged her so severely she will never, ever, be the same. The court has failed this little girl.

Shirley J. Drum, Lebanon

It’s enough to make one mad

Every day I read the news and get so angry about some to the stories and letters. Today was one of those days.

First, there was an article from the AP about the hydrogen-fueled vehicles and a new station in Los Angeles. They mention how expensive gas is but nowhere is it said what it would cost per kilogram or the equivalent in gallons. Thanks for giving only part of the story.

Second, Mr. Brewington (Mailbag, June 28) complains about the high cost of fuel, and I wholeheartedly agree with him. I drive a diesel truck daily in my commute. The frustrating part is the blame is always put on Big Oil or the current administration. How about the environmental groups that fight every effort to drill in our own country or build new refineries? Maybe if we drill at home and process at home we will not be held up by OPEC and other Third World countries.

Third, I heartily agree with Jeani West. If the bicyclists want a dedicated path to commute between Corvallis and Albany, let them pay for it themselves. Maybe they could make it a toll path and pay both ways.

Also concerning bicyclists, they need to use the same rules on the road as cars. Stop at stop signs, ride on the correct (right) side of the road and maybe there would not be so many close calls. Many do not stop at stop signs. In my car I feel the same way; it is a waste of time and needs more effort to start up again.

Neal Sperling, Jefferson

About the story on the hydrogen station, the AP reporter who wrote it says it would not have made sense to quote a price because at this point the fuel is still priceless. It is being made available at no charge to experimental vehicles. The costs of the system are such that if a price of the fuel was calculated, it woud be astronomical.

Leave the turtle alone

I am writing in response to the 20-year-old snapping turtle in the Democrat-Herald.

They are calling snapping turtles an invasive species, which may be true.

I think that things change with time. How are we to say where God wanted the turtles to be?

Now the Department of Fish and Wildlife is discussing killing this turtle to dissect it to find out what it is eating. I think they should just leave the turtle alone.

Erin Moseley, Lebanon

Why some eat garbage

Yesterday as I sat comfortably inside a local McDonald’s restaurant eating my abundant supply of Chicken McNuggets, I couldn’t help but notice a homeless man who was walking toward a garbage can. As I watched the man dig through the garbage to retrieve food that others had thrown away, I thought to myself, “How can I sit here and enjoy this meal watching a fellow human being dig through a garbage can for his next meal?”

The answer: I can’t. None of us should. When we see something so wrong, so sad, we should, as Jesus would, respond with action. So many people “feel” compassion for those who are suffering, impoverished, disadvantaged, but that feeling doesn’t accomplish anything. The response to that feeling should accomplish, at the very least, an interaction with someone who is in need.

Some people may say, “There are plenty of sites in our community to get a meal.” True. However, for those who suffer from untreated psychiatric disorders, the very thought of going someplace where there is a large group of people to get a meal is overwhelming.

Considering their options, the garbage can is more appealing. Perhaps this is a difficult thing for us as individuals, as a community, as a nation to comprehend. Really, why would someone choose eating from a garbage can rather than go to a local soup kitchen? Too lazy? No. Too stubborn? No. Too Ignorant? No. Too paranoid or fearful? Probably.

According to a summary by the Treatment Advocacy Center, 8 percent of our nation’s homeless and untreated mentally ill population use garbage cans as their primary food source. The next time you see someone digging through the garbage for a meal, please let your compassion result in action.

We are a blessed, caring and compassionate community who have a responsiblity to those who cannot care for themselves. To learn more about homelessness and the tragic effect of non-treatment for those with psychiatric disorders, visit www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/generalresources/fact11.htm.

Barbara Thayer, Albany

What about this smoke?

Recently our magnificent governor pressured the EPA and the grass seed farmers to hold off field burning until after the Olympic Trials in metropolitan Eugene (where most of the whiners live). Anybody that has been in this area for any amount of time can count on one hand the number of times that grass seed harvest begins before the Fourth of July, the burning sometime after that. This was a wonderful coup by the seed farmers, because they are well aware of these facts; kudos to you all!

So, why doesn’t our governor do something about all the smoke blowing in from the California wildfires? The whiners are complaining! Unfortunately, or fortunately, whatever the case may be, he always seems most brilliant when he zips his lip.

Along that line, I hope that the whiners will feel most welcome to move to some other more satisfying place to their tastes. We natives will not miss your self-serving complaining one iota. Feel free to leave at any time. Also, many kudos to Larry Crompton.

Dalton Cooley, Albany