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All
Sides Now
To
the Editor:
It’s
always nice to see the utter hypocrisy of liberals regarding
the criminal justice system. For liberals no individual can
be executed unless there is 100-percent certainty that no
errors occurred in the trial.
But for sex offenders and child molesters anything goes. So
what if the criminal justice system releases individuals who
molest children again? That’s not important; what’s important
is that at least some of them don’t and that’s good enough.
Why isn’t the standard for release of child molesters the
same as the one for individuals to be executed—100-percent
perfection? It wouldn’t be that the staff of Metroland
feels more empathy with child molesters than with their victims?
Joel
Margolis
Albany
To
the Editor:
The
recent hysteria over sex offenders, especially those who target
children, concerns me. While I’m convinced there is no cure
for pedophiles, the problem is that most of them have never
been reported, arrested or convicted. We can put all kinds
of restrictions on offenders (a nice word for molesters, rapists,
pedos, sexual sadists, etc), but people will just feel safer,
when they aren’t. Pedophiles are everywhere, and many are
not reported. They are the uncles, bus drivers, coaches, priests
and dads no one suspects. They are close family members or
friends and no one wants to believe they are capable of such
a heinous crime. They may be a public figure and no one reports
because they fear no one will believe. They could be operating
in secrecy because the child has not told, or told and was
not believed. Mothers may not report because the offender
is their only source of support and income. Others use child
prostitutes and are unlikely to be reported by them. Some
have even been arrested, but pleaded to other crimes so they
don’t have to register.
The “knowing” gives us a false sense of security; but we never
truly know all the offenders in our midst and never will.
Regardless of how many we register and how closely we watch
them, there are others moving freely among us. That is the
true danger. Just because an offender is not arrested again
does not mean he has not reoffended. It is often years, and
many victims later, before their first arrest, and time in
prison has taught them to be more careful about leaving evidence
the next time. I find no solace in the statistics you offered.
While Malta’s town supervisor would not welcome a “concentration”
of offenders (4), how many is too much? I just looked up my
zip code on www.criminalcheck.com and found 16 registered
sex offenders (all level 3) near my home, one with a victim
2 years old. Do you know how many schools, parks and day-care
centers there are here?
It would be nice if landlords checked the online registry
before they rent to people. At least we can try to keep the
known offenders away from areas where potential victims are
concentrated. And while I fully understand the difference
between a sex offender and a pedophile, I don’t care to live
near either one, thank you.
Wanda
Lubinski
Albany
For
the Children
To
the Editor:
While
I enjoyed David King’s article on the Ravena skate park [“In
Bob We Trust,” May 19] and applaud Bob Garcelon’s efforts
to improve it, I resent being called oblivious. Yes, I was
the father teaching his son to ride his bike (he was the one
wearing the helmet) that day in the parking lot. I hardly
think my 4-year-old on training wheels was a major obstacle
to the two skateboarders who showed up, though I did “lead”
him out of their way anyway. I think the skate park is a great
idea as maybe my son will take up the sport someday. If Mr.
King had asked, I could’ve told him how my brothers and I
made our own ramps in our driveway back in the ’70s, and how
this creaky 40-year-old could still probably skate circles
around Fry and Staples.
Dan
Happ
Ravena
Metroland
welcomes typed, double-spaced letters (computer printouts
OK), addressed to the editor. Or you may e-mail them to: metroland@metroland.net.
Metroland reserves the right to edit letters for length; 300
words is the preferred maximum. You must include your name,
address and day and evening telephone numbers. We will not
publish letters that cannot be verified, nor those that are
illegible, irresponsible or factually inaccurate.
Send
to:
Letters, Metroland, 4 Central Ave.,
4th Floor, Albany, NY 12210
or e-mail us at metroland@metroland.net.
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Columns
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