Tim McVeigh should not be executed

5/19/2001

There are two reasons why Timothy McVeigh should not be executed. The first is axiomatic; it should never be questioned. The second is more practical.

First, no government should have the power to take a human life except when the life of another is in clear and present danger. For example, if someone were in the act of committing a murder, then law enforcement would be able to use deadly force. Of course, the person being assaulted would also have the right to defend his or her life by any means necessary.

This should be a rule for one simple reason. The government exists to provide services that we deem necessary and which the free market is unable, or unwilling, to provide. It also has a limited role in protecting us from foreign dangers, but in this respect the government only serves as an organizer of defense. It should never have the power to compel anyone to defend himself, his neighbors, or his state. The government should never have the power to kill nor should it be able to compel me to kill for it.

The second reason that Timothy McVeigh should not be executed is because he will forever be a martyr to the cause of those who see the federal government as too intrusive. By murdering him the federal government will simply lend credence to the arguments of those unstable minds duped by anti-government propaganda. It would be better for McVeigh to rot in jail and have no contact with the outside world. In this way he will fade from the collective memory and his martyrdom will be denied him.

JEFF IRVIN

Glenwood Avenue

In response to the letter, “Teachers driven by paycheck, not students,” I would like to congratulate Toledo Public Schools on a successful negotiation. My wife teaches in TPS and doesn't work a part-time job. To make this claim is insulting. She puts in many hours at home and during the summer, with homework, preparation for class, and attending workshops for professional development. She received a master's degree in reading to help her teach first graders. She wouldn't change places with a factory worker at $9 an hour. She loves teaching children and went to school for seven years to obtain both her degrees to do the job she loves.

If all the benefits and money are so wonderful, then why is there such a shortage of teachers, especially in urban school districts? If you follow the latest economic news, by the way, many factories are laying their workers off. Doesn't this mean more people would like to work in a factory than work in a classroom? If you want top quality educators and demand they be properly educated, they must be compensated as such to attract them away from other professions. TPS has moved in that direction.

MIKE CZERNIAKOWSKI

Sylvania

Telling teenagers that smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol are harmful to their health is not enough. They need to find out the facts by doing some community service.

Amish youth and all young people should volunteer at soup kitchens to discover the harmful effects alcohol has had on so many individuals and families.

High school and college-age students should volunteer in hospitals and talk to the patients in the pulmonary ward about how addictive smoking caused emphysema and other killer diseases.

JOHN CONWAY

Shady Grove

I would like to make a suggestion to the person who wrote that his radio is unplugged and gathering dust due to the lack of quality programming. Plug in that radio and move that selector to 1230 WCWA. You won't find any trash on that station, just lovely music and kind people. WCWA has to be the best-kept secret in town.

Like the writer, I was disgusted with the radio programming on the local stations. WSPD lost its class years ago. The only quality programming they have is Denny McKeown's gardening show and Gary Sullivan who gives excellent advice on home remodeling problems on Saturday mornings. I do catch about 30 minutes of what in my opinion is the Rush “Dimbulb” program each day just to keep informed of what is being fed to the listeners, and a bit of Michael Reagan's program to hear what others are thinking.

Dust that radio off, plug it in, and enjoy WCWA. I promise you won't regret it.

CAROL AUSTIN

Sylvania

It is regrettable that the northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan region has become a microcosm of corporate takeover by health-care “systems.”

Recent ProMedica acquisition of Defiance Hospital and purchase of an area family practice demonstrate the aggrandizement and pervasive influence that are characteristic of the burgeoning industrialization of health care in our country.

A more disturbing concern to patients and the public locally is the announced shortage of registered nurses, and a proposal to import nurses from abroad. Reminiscent of an influx of foreign medical graduates in the 1960s to address a physician shortage, this rekindles apprehensions about quality of patient care. Offering “signing on” bonuses and other financial incentives as a recruiting strategy (a la professional sports) certainly is not conducive to public confidence, not does it augur well for the commitment-to-service reputation of the nursing profession.

The multiple activities and ancillary services cited in the recent widely distributed ProMedica “Community Value Report” are laudable. However, a reasonable commitment of resources to the community usually is a sine qua non for large not-for-profit organizations. Focusing on their beneficence to the community, (which ProMedica values at more than $41 million) distracts from continuing efforts to capture facilities and physicians, thereby to achieve a larger share of the health-care industry “market.”

HOWARD S. MADIGAN, MD

Sylvania

Is it the place of The Blade to rewrite history? The May 8 paper said: “The current St. Hedwig Church ... after the original building was destroyed by a fire in 1886.”

The implication of fact is that the building was totally destroyed, leaving the parish without a building until 1892. In fact, the new church was not used until April 23, 1893. The original church building blessed on May 7, 1876, though “destroyed” by fire, indeed still stood at the same location until the 1930s.

The parish history (supposedly used as a source) records that “The church was rebuilt within the next few months, and then rededicated by Bishop Gilmour on June 27, 1886.” Fire - Feb. 17, 1886; rededicated – June 27, 1886. Total loss?

I spoke with Toledo Fire Captain Carla Stachura, who said the term “total loss” is seldom used and its meaning today would not be what it was in 1886. In her opinion the building was “structurally sound” (i.e. would not have had to be razed and rebuilt), and the fact that it was in use again by June 27, 1886, from a fire on Feb. 17 of the same year would not imply “total” destruction as we know it today, but rather “repairable damage,” hence the choice of the word “damage” by the Ohio Historical Society in the written history of St. Hedwig Parish as found on the Ohio Historical Marker.

I stand behind the historical facts presented on the Ohio Historical Marker.

JERRY MAZUCHOWSKI

Chestnut Street

High gas prices keep tourists home

I would like to thank the petroleum industry for saving me a lot of money. I don't like being ripped off. The price of gas at this writing is $1.85 a gallon. So this summer, I'll just sit home and keep my tourist money in my pocket. I am sure others feel the same. This means that the little guy depending on tourist trade to make a living will be hurt. It's a dirty shame that anyone has to suffer due to corporate greed.

DENNIS FLOYD

Delta