LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Call COPPS To Solve

Neighborhood Woes

Do you have a neighbor ignoring the fact their children use your yard as their own? Do your neighbor's children seek carte blanche trespass rights on your private property? Do your neighbor's children kick balls in your yard, climb the fence to retrieve it, shoot pellets at your no trespass signs. Do they authorize their children to drive the family riding lawnmower as a means of entertainment for joy riding on your residential street? Do your neighbor's children bring invited guests over, only to have you find them playing in your yard?

Gus and I have the perfect solution for you: Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving, COPPS, is a Hernando County Sheriff's Department program designed to curb these type of intrusions and encourage sheriff's deputies to problem solve and approach their cases (as opposed to an "incident driven" one), expanding their influence into a wide range of quality-of-life issues.

When you call the sheriff's department, ask for Sheriff Deputy Michael Little or Sergeant Ignacio Velez, deputy of all deputies, COPPS crimebusters, that Gus and I rated AAA+++.

Gus and Cy Hollister

Brooksville

Blaming Democrats

John Boyle's letter attacking me and Democrats was an excellent example of right-wing irrationality. I had said that the 1960s fear of an overpopulation catastrophe was not hype. We haven't experienced that catastrophe because of improvements in agriculture and birth control, widespread legal abortion and desperate measures taken by India and China in the 1970s. From this, Mr. Boyle derives a plot by Democrats to destroy America by aborting everybody.

Mr. Boyle seems to believe that if I say that something is true, I must want it to be true. This confusion is typical of the right wing. Critics of the Iraq War, for example, must be America hating traitors because thinking that a policy will fail is the same as wishing it to fail. And wishing it to fail will, in the right's magical world, cause it to fail.

So, when the policy fails, it is the fault of the people who advised against it in the first place.

To folks like Mr. Boyle, there is no such thing as fact. If you believe something strongly enough, it will be true. Government can forever spend more than it collects in taxes and more revenue will magically appear. World population can grow indefinitely at an uncontrolled rate and resources will magically come into being. But, as Republican economist Herbert Stein, pointed out, "Processes that are unsustainable eventually stop." Folks like Mr. Boyle blank out that unwelcome reality.

Mr. Boyle believes that Democrats are out to destroy the United States. The actual Democratic Party brought us Social Security, victory in World War II, the moon landing, civil rights legislation and many other things that have made America stronger and life in America better. It is only the tiny Democrats in Mr. Boyle's head that have those vile motives.

Dallas Dunlap

Brooksville

Censor Music, Movies

Webster's defines commitment as a promise or pledge. But in today's world where sex is everywhere around us, does it still mean the same?

Many countries have about five divorces for every 1,000 people, but the United States has about a 50 percent divorce rate, meaning one out of every two marriages is expected to end in divorce.

Allan Bloom, in "The Closing of the American Mind," says that "the most visible sign of our increasing separateness and, in its turn, the cause of ever greater separateness is divorce." He discusses how Americans have become less attached to religion and family, which he calls "separateness."

I believe that Americans have stopped putting as much faith into the family, but why? Sex is no longer something sacred to marriage or even to adults.

Therefore, people do not have to look at marriage as the only place that can occur. I think that if our government tried to censor music and movies more that sex might not be as out there for everyone to see as it is right now. And, hopefully, if marriage became more sacred, the rate of divorce would go down.

Katie Hutto

Pensacola

Impeachment unwarranted

This past Friday I read with some amusement the letter from Ann Darling in which she calls for the impeachment of the president and vice president.

Now, I am not writing to defend the president or the vice president in regards to the Iraq War or Iran. To be honest I cannot make an honest assessment about either since I am not privy to the information and, frankly, the media in its coverage has been less than honest.

Now, I am writing to give Ms. Darling a civics lesson. If I knew where she lived I would bring her a copy of the Constitution and explain to her that her calling for impeachment against the current administration is uncalled for.

Based on the Constitution he has not committed any high crimes or misdemeanors. President Clinton lied under oath before a grand jury. He perjured himself and that is a crime under the Constitution. Now, if President Bush or Vice President Cheney lied under oath regarding an investigation into the Iraq War or Iran then I would say, yes, they should be impeached.

Peter Stathis

Spring Hill

Letting The

Good Times Roll

The letter in Sunday's paper by Joseph S. Allesi about county spending caught my attention, because a few years ago I had written them at a time when they were spending freely and considering a dog park, a county swimming pool, etc.

I told them that good times would not last forever, and how are you going to pay for them in bad times?

They did not listen very well and now the bad times are upon us.

And they, the commissioners, need to make the adjustment and not us taxpayers.

Bob Van Istendal

Spring Hill

Held Accountable?

Our judicial system is an utter disgrace. Three men set out to rob someone, and nearly kill him, and they are allowed to plea-bargain.

After the age of 21 Anthony Hawkins will be free to enjoy life. John Kelly and his family will never be normal again.

I say do away with plea-bargaining and give them the maximum penalty by law. After all it was premeditated. I'm quite sure the outrage of this sentence is felt by many.

Martha Lesquereaux

Brooksville