Suspect’s criminal history has no bearing on current case
Dear Editor,
I was disturbed by the detailed coverage of Antolin Garcia-Torres past difficulties with the law. These unwise incidents have no bearing on his guilt or innocence in the Sierra LaMar case. What the newspaper coverage did was prejudice the public against him, seeming to try him before he was even arraigned. It is true that the public has a right to know, but Antolin deserves appropriate defense. Your article noted that he refused counsel in a previous case. I hope he does not do that this time.
I was reminded of a case from several years ago where a young adult was accused of rape. The newspaper published stories about items in his apartment. When he was acquitted, he needed to leave town, find a new job and nearly establish a new identity to put the past accusations behind him.
In Antolin’s case, he is still innocent until proven guilty. Stupid acts committed in the past have no bearing on this case.
Mary Fisher, retired teacher, Live Oak High School
The annual Budweiser Celebration sends the wrong message
Dear Editor,
During the weekend of May 26 and 27, the city of Morgan Hill created for the citizens (children and adults alike) the wonderful celebration of Budweiser. I read about a celebration in the local newspapers and magazines. I even saw a marvelous sign on the 101 freeway.
I followed the signs to the corner of Monterey and Dunne. There I found a celebration identified with two very large banners announcing the Budweiser celebration at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center.
Entering the celebration from Monterey Road I was impressed with our city’s endeavor to extol one of our nations largest alcohol factories – Budweiser. There were a number of booths and vendors at the festival but the most impressive were the huge booths set up and operated by the city on city property. These booths were for the advertising and distribution of alcohol.
I rejoice that our city government is helping us to easily acquire this potent drug – alcohol. We are teaching each other, and especially our children, that using drugs for fun and to “raise money” is wonderful.
We are selling alcohol to raise money for the police department. We are selling alcohol for school grad night. We are announcing on the junior high school billboard that a wonderful alcohol factory is supporting a school activity. We are selling drugs on our “downtown” sidewalks. We even have alcohol evening walks in the downtown area.
These endeavors, promoted by our agencies of civil order, are teaching us the following: using drugs is wonderful; using drugs is fun; using drugs raises money; and using drugs benefits education.
In our society we have made the selling of alcohol legal. Some buyers want the narcotic to soften the realities of life. Private industry usually acts as the supplier. Government is assigned to keep the drug use within limits for public safety.
The Surgeon General of the United States reports that adults who consume more than one to two alcoholic drinks per day are at risk for several types of cancers, digestive diseases, cardiovascular diseases, addiction-related mental disorders, accidents and injuries.
When our major organs of a civil society are promoting drug distributors, and the selling of drugs then the activity becomes depredation. On these occasions are we listening to the things we are capable of doing to one another?
Staten M. Johnston, Morgan Hill
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Mushroom Mardi Gras is put on by the nonprofit and volunteers, the city has nothing to do with it other than to rent the center.
Claiming Obama wasn’t born in U.S. is an insult to all us
Dear Editor,
OK – lets just admit it. We live in a world where “stupid” is becoming the new “smart.” Case in point is The Donald claiming that Obama wasn’t born in America. Not only is this an assault on our collective IQ, but the message actually works against Republicans because it turns out they are the ones whose presidential candidates are foreign born.
Case in point – 2008 – John McCain was born in Panama. Although there are likely a number of plausible exceptions, McCain has never explained it. And quite frankly, I’m still curious to hear it.
But McCain wasn’t the first foreign born Republican candidate for president. Mitt Romney’s father, George Romney, was born in Mexico, yet he ran in the 1968 presidential election. And the reason he was born in Mexico is because his grandfather fled to Mexico where he wouldn’t be arrested because he had five wives. George Bush at least was a real Texan who was born in Connecticut.
So the way I see it, Obama is a naturally born U.S. citizen where Romney is the son of a Mexican immigrant who illegally tried to run for president.
Seems to me that the issue itself works for Obama and against Romney. So Donald, are you listening to me? Not only is the issue stupid, but even raising the issue works against your guy.
Marc Perkel, Gilroy
