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Also this issue: Training Days The Enemy Is Us Ed Schwartz:
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May 14-20, 2003
mailbag
The governor's ignoring a call for a death penalty moratorium by the state Supreme Court ['A Fight To The Death,' Daryl Gale, News, May 1, 2003] is an outrage! He obviously has a vested interest in this legal killing; why is he so impatient to kill?
I oppose the death penalty, not only because of the gross possibilities of killing innocent people (in some cases, completely innocent, of any previous, or current, crime or misdemeanor), but also because of humanitarian issues -- issues involving not only the convicted, but also the families of victims. Killing the killers does not solve anything, for anybody. While some might feel, or believe that they will feel, a degree of satisfaction when the murderer of a family member or loved one has been eliminated, these same people would, I believe, feel as much, perhaps more, satisfaction if the circumstances of their loss were acknowledged by society in any manner.
There are other ways besides killing and/or punishing in which to acknowledge and attempt to compensate for loss due to crime (or due to anything else). These include monetary compensation, counseling funded by the state (with money currently spent on execution expenses), public media statements, and even, for some people, opportunities to confront, in therapeutic settings, the convicted criminal. I have read of cases where such confrontation has led to very positive gains, of a nature too subtle to describe here but which involve closure and new ways of being human.
As a poet and writer, I see the subtleties involved. These subtleties have, throughout history, been beautifully described in literature and in the theater, not only in obvious movies like Dead Man Walking but in the many films with execution scenes. No one who is at all sensitive likes the death penalty and it is completely unnecessary. Let's get rid of it and move on to bigger and better things.
Marion D. Cohen, Ph.D.
Philadelphia
As you know, the residents of the First District have not had a choice in City Council for eight years [Political Notebook, Mary F. Patel, May 1,2003]. I'm sure all of you have either met or heard of Vern Anastasio, who would be our choice in this primary election.
The State Supreme Court ruled last Thursday 4-3 against Anastasio being on the May 20 ballot because of a simple mistake on a financial form. I attended a community meeting a couple of weeks ago where Anastasio actually showed us a copy of the form that was filled out incorrectly. He wasn't hiding income. He wasn't misrepresenting himself. The information they were looking for was actually already on the top part of the form!
If you think this is democracy, you're wrong. This is dirty politics. Our choice was stolen. And this election will be stolen if we don't do something about it! If you're as outraged as I am, on May 20, write in Vern Anastasio for City Council in the First District. If you need assistance, your polling place can provide it.
Darlene Bendetti
Philadelphia
If you spent any time rowing [Bloat On The Water, Cityspace, Harris Steinberg, April 17, 2003] instead of playing with yourself, you'd easily see what a truly beautiful
boathouse it really is.
Bobby Artist
Via e-mail
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