Death penalty: Where's justice?
Death penalty? Is it justice to kill someone to show that killing someone is wrong?
-- Cindy Petrovich
Anchorage
Crime lab crowded, out of date
I just have to say "right on" to the letter from Karen Foster concerning our crime lab ("We need a new crime lab to stop criminals earlier in their careers," Jan. 17). It is amazing to me that our crime lab is so out of date. Recently my son took a field trip to the crime lab and said how crowded it was for the workers and how it was their job to pick and choose what was to be processed in some cases.
DNA is DNA and we need to be able to process every criminal to prevent further crimes. It's preventive. So let's get with the program; let's get a real crime lab with more qualified technological support and move into the 21st century. We will be safer in the long run. Law enforcement needs it; we need it as a community!
-- Denise Maurice
Anchorage
Get your bus figures right, Don
It's nice to see that Don Smith continues to provide us with something to chuckle over while reading our morning paper. His Jan. 7 article regarding People Mover ridership and its budget is misleading. But not telling the whole story can be forgiven. It's become a learned behavior in politics; we all know how hard it is to teach old dogs new tricks.
After adjusting the transportation budget for amounts unrelated to the People Mover and offsetting revenues, local tax support is $13,482,578. Mr. Smith overstated local tax support by more than 58 percent. One might well conclude that this represents a quite reasonable investment in safe and reliable public transportation for a city our size.
Most of us have figured out that when the public demands improved or increased service and inflation is considered, those pesky operating budgets just continue to increase.
Many of us are also tiring of his same old liberal versus conservative game. I'll take integrity and honesty. Alaska could use more of that lately. Seniority will come again. It appears most Alaskans have spoken as well by electing Sen. Begich. Don, can't we all just get along?
-- Michael A. Saville
Eagle River
Palin did promote capital creep
What falsehood is this? Saturday's article on the capital creep caught my eye ("Juneau reps blamed for loss of jobs," Jan. 17). In particular, this statement attributed to Palin spokesman Bill McAllister doesn't ring true: "Each department decides what configuration best suits its objectives. There has been no goal or quota to move jobs out of Juneau ..."
In fact, an e-mail penned by Palin on this very subject was on the front page of this paper last month. According to "Capital shift?" Dec. 21: "Palin elaborated to top aides about her plan to shift government work to Anchorage in e-mails sent to staff members in March 2007, recently obtained through a public records request. 'Come end of legislative session I'm joining YOU, and the majority of the people of AK, by conducting the state's business where the people are -- where I can access them, and they can access me ... We're going to have to fundamentally change some perceptions of WHERE the admin needs to conduct its business in order to stay connected w/the world outside of Juneau,' the governor wrote."
And McAllister has the gall to say there was no goal to move jobs out of Juneau? What else lies within?
-- Andrée McLeod
Anchorage
Plows block driveways on Parks
I would like to congratulate the State Department of Transportation for its continuing care of the Parks Highway, namely around the Talkeetna/Sunshine area, and it is hard to keep up. However, the ice berms they throw into driveways and leave are totally unnecessary. All it would take is one scoop from those massive road graders to ease the problem.
As it is, residents directly off the highway risk life, limb and vehicular disaster just trying to get out of or into their driveways.
This is a common complaint in this area and this year has been worse then most. I have answered calls to accidents up to Mile 180 where it was so slick responders or Alaska State Troopers could not stand up on unsafe roads.
I can't help but think justice would be served if I, as a medic, could not get out of my driveway, nor could the ambulance in Willow, to respond to aid one of those drivers and/or their families who have slid off the road, or worse, and needed help.
-- Virgie Hartley-McKeown
Willow
Talented black doctor in Iowa paved way for Obama's victory
I agree with Andrea Veach that the Iowa caucuses set in motion an Obama wave now uniting America ("Iowa gave black Americans hope," letters, Jan. 20). Fortunately white Iowans were prepared to value Obama's leadership qualities fairly because of their long experience with another talented man named Montague Lawrence -- a black physician whose work life began picking cotton "down south" in rattlesnake-infested fields, but who in the 1960s was appointed assistant director of Iowa's Statewide Cardiothoracic Surgery Program.
For by then Lawrence was one of our nation's most capable chest surgeons -- and a true gentleman, esteemed by students and patients alike. As word spread of his legendary skills (e.g., his routinely successful repairs of ordinarily fatal ruptured abdominal aneurysms), Iowans were proud to claim him as their own. Even after Lawrence entered private practice, his reputation continued to grow.
Thus the spectacular and caring services provided to Iowans by Monty Lawrence for so many years directly opened the way for Barack Obama's essential early success in the Iowa caucuses -- which proved so important for our nation and the world. Indeed this seems an ideal moment to recognize another good man's remarkable impact. And those of us trained by Lawrence would be happy to relate stories about his life and humor to any capable historian. A proper biography of Lawrence would obviously honor those enlightened Iowans as well as his personal talents.
-- Arndt von Hippel
Anchorage
Lottery winner coverage too much
The media is partly responsible for the attack on the lottery winner.
That Mr. Ahsoak has been working hard to make up for past mistakes should have been the highlight of the story -- not the headline that identifies him as a sex offender. The story didn't need a sensational headline to report the winner. The headline, along with his picture, just gave some misguided thug an excuse to recognize him and beat him up. Mr. Ahsoak may well have grown up with the problems identified in Elise Patkotak's column on Jan. 14 ("Boys sex abuse a private horror"), and if so, he deserves better than the treatment the media has given him.
I have long enjoyed reading the ADN to get the news, but anymore I wonder, what is the real story? Do you consider your readers to be "dumbed down" to the point that we only read for the sensationalism? Do you think that is the only way to draw readership? If so I say you are mistaken.
-- Terri Davis
Soldotna
We need a governor dedicated to conservation of our resources
It was thoughtful of Sharon Leighow to explain that when the first family moved to Juneau in Dec. 2006, major leaks were discovered in the residence's wastewater pipes (Daily News, Nov. 27).
During the summer of 2007, Sarah Palin entertained executive editors of insider political magazines from back east, including some owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.
John Bolton, who served as the Bush administration's ambassador to the United Nations from 2004 to 2006, and in 2001 helped guide the Bush administration's withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, was part of two luxury cruise groups that were entertained by the governor in 2007. (New Yorker, Oct. 27, 2008). He is also renowned for his infamous statement that losing the top 10 floors of the United Nations wouldn't make a bit of difference to the U.S.
Fortunately Sarah is a "real Alaskan" and was probably able to duct tape those leaks so that her guests and friends of Karl Rove didn't get dripped on.
Alaskans need to consider supporting a new governor -- maybe someone who didn't support the governor's $1,200 handout just before the election. We need to be self-sustaining for the long haul, and we need a governor who will support conservation of the resources that we do have, both renewable and non-renewable, and not one who is more interested in self-promotion and personal publicity.
-- Barbara Winkley
Anchorage