Judge Wells should throw the book at Traficant

Judge Wells should throw the book at Traficant
EDITOR:
I have written to Judge Lesley Brooks Wells strongly urging her to throw the book at James A. Traficant and sentence him to the maximum prescribed by law. A strong message must be sent to the congressman that his behavior, while a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. I also asked her to order that his sentence begin immediately.
The congressman began defying the law early in his political career. The then-newly elected sheriff of Mahoning County was issued a court order to evict citizens who defaulted on their mortgages. Traficant refused. He was sent to jail for contempt of court. His disrespect for the law has just exacerbated to its present state.
The congressman's choice to be a pro se defendant left citizens with little doubt where the congressman's priorities were when it came to his own welfare or that of his district. The House of Representatives has issued notice to the congressman not to set foot in the House chamber, effectively rendered him useless to the district. Postponing his sentence would allow him to participate in the upcoming general election by adding further embarrassment to the humiliated 17th District.
All during the trial, the congressman complained that jury selection was unfair. The jury pool was not made up of what the defendant felt was a group of his peers. If Judge Wells sentences him to the proper federal correctional institution, his peers will surround him: all of them local politicians and citizens serving sentences for crimes fostered by the idea: "If Traficant can get away with it, so can I."
I would like to commend Judge Wells personally for her patience and professionalism. She is a breath of fresh air in this cesspool of corruption. It is time for her to have the last word and to see that justice is delivered swift and final.
THADDEUS M. PRICE
Warren
U.S. should work harder on Palestinian problem
EDITOR:
Terrorists are not born, they are made. And what makes a terrorist? Terrorists may be born into a hate-filled environment, but behind the hatred there is injustice and a desire for retaliation. Having lost their homes and being consigned for generations to refugee camps, the Palestinians form a breeding ground for terrorists. Unable to compete with the Israelis' sophisticated military equipment, the Palestinians resort to stone-throwing and suicide bombing. The Arab world identifies with the Palestinians and thus becomes a widening breeder of terrorists, who seek retaliation against the military might of Israel and its sponsor and arms provider, United States.
Those who planned and executed the September 11 attack on the United States committed a terribly evil crime against humanity. There is no excuse for the mass murder of innocent people. But we could deny the terrorists their victory if we could refuse to respond with hatred and violence. The idea that we can stamp out terrorism by dropping bombs is going in the wrong direction. Escalating the violence will only breed more terrorists. War has a way of making terrorists of almost everyone involved.
If we are serious about wanting to reduce and contain terrorism, does it not make sense to look for the underlying injustice that breeds terrorists? The Palestinian suicide bombers and Israel's retaliatory incursions into the West Bank and the Gaza Strip call for the attention of the rest of the world. Instead of looking for another war theatre where we can throw our might around, the United States should be joining the rest of the world in trying to find a solution to the Palestinian problem.
Being the top nation in the world with the most powerful military machine in history should be not so much a matter of pride as one of awesome responsibility. The British poet, Rudyard Kipling, when his countrymen gloried in the idea that "the sun never sets on the British Empire," and deeply aware of the curse of hubris that goes with power, wrote:
"The tumult and the shouting dies;
The Captains and the Kings depart;
Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice,
An humble and a contrite heart.
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet
Lest we forget, lest we forget!"
ANNA MARY AND PAUL GAMBLE
New Wilmington, Pa.