LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Rape is rape; punish the perpetrator

9/6/2012

Op-ed columnist Eugene Robinson, like other liberals, is eager to crucify Rep. Todd Akin over his comments about "legitimate rape" ("War on women flares anew," Aug. 25).

But Mr. Robinson is right about one thing: All rapes are legitimate rapes. It doesn't matter whether the victim fought like crazy, was too paralyzed by fear to resist, or was drugged. As Mr. Robinson said, even the statutory rape of a child counts. Rape is rape.

So why don't liberals consider all pregnancies legitimate? It doesn't matter whether the child was wanted. It doesn't matter whether the parents aren't together anymore, or whether they cannot afford a child.

How is it that couples who tried to conceive rejoice over the tiny child growing inside the mother, while the incest or rape victim is told about the tiny parasitic fetal tissue mass that can be removed without any guilt or negative repercussions?

If society doesn't want women to suffer the emotional roller coaster of carrying to term a child conceived via incest or rape, then it should come down harder on the rapist. Make rape too costly to commit. Punish the perpetrator, not the victim created by the act.

Thomas Gerken

Kingsmoor Drive

'Legitimate' rape needs witnesses?

What's next? Does the woman who is "legitimately" raped need four male witnesses to testify to the horrible crime as further proof ?

Joanne Tollison

Petersburg, Mich.

Hoover was a businessman too

Mitt Romney's business background often is touted as the reason he should be elected president. The thinking is that anyone who is successful in business should be able to improve our business environment, increase employment, and return our country to prosperity.

Before voters subscribe to that view, they might do well to remember what happened the last time we elected a president with solid business experience.

The year was 1928 and the man was Herbert Hoover. He had made his fortune and reputation as a mining engineer in California. He later served as secretary of Commerce in the Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge administrations.

He was inaugurated in March, 1929; the stock market crashed in October. That led to the Great Depression.

If he is elected, Mr. Romney may be a good president. But success in business does not guarantee success in governing the United States.

Robert Kelso

Sylvania Township

Where are those to start U.S. firms?

I agree with the writer of the July 21 Readers' Forum letter "Lawmakers should check clothes labels." Most of my clothes also are of foreign origin.

My household only buys foreign-manufactured goods when it is necessary. We have been attempting to replace our automatic coffee maker, can opener, and toaster.

I cannot find any of these products made in the United States. It would be foolish to replace these with foreign-made appliances, because their quality and workmanship are not as good as ours.

I hope some venture capitalists will start American manufacturing companies to produce high-quality goods.

Bill McKimmy

Sylvania