Require background check to get a marriage license

Require background checkto get a marriage license
EDITOR:
One day the House and Senate are going to make it a priority to improve the lives of law-abiding citizens, but until then, next month they are going to vote on legislation that would require marriage brokers to ask clients for their criminal record.
Mail-order brides/Internet prostitution, clients/Johns ... aren't they interchangeable terms? When you have a company marketing to women the image of wealthy American men, maybe what needs to be disclosed are bank statements. Also, an industry marketing to American men the image of docile women they can control. Well, let's just say these men should invest the fees these companies charge for long-term therapy instead.
Obviously it is horrible that Anastasia King, a mail-order bride who this bill is inspired for, was killed by her husband. Equally as horrible is the fact that American citizens die every day at the hands of their spouses, most recently the very publicized case in Modesto, Calif., where Scott Peterson is charged with the death of his wife, Laci.
If we are going to pass a bill that discloses this private information to these companies, we should as well have this information available upon request for every person who applies for a marriage license.
An ounce of prevention is at least a start!
CHRISSY FLESCH
Mineral Ridge
Complaining in the military
EDITOR:
The writer who addressed complaining in the military gave us a dose of his own political agenda and a version of "black-ops" reporting.
In the opening paragraph, he cast aspersions on a recent letter in The Vindicator about troop morale. Then, he opted to reveal to us that he contacted an "inside source" (I hope it wasn't anyone who was involved with the Niger letter) and ultimately revealed that the current "assessment" about troop morale was false. Ultimately, I believe his source let him down.
Having served for 20 years in the military, I guess I did my share of complaining. A recent interview with one of the soldiers in Iraq, as part of a national news story, shows the point missed by the letter writer. He wasn't simply miffed about not getting to go home on time; the soldier called for the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld for putting him in Iraq. I would say that goes just a mite beyond the scope of complaining.
Place our troops in a no-win situation, drag it out too long, don't allow our troops to go home on time and before we know it, the troops (who just couldn't be disgruntled and whose morale just couldn't be low) will be calling for the impeachment of Dubya!
I wonder, can we find a source?
JOHN ZORDICH
Youngstown
Meshel stays in characterin support of civic center
EDITOR:
Harry Meshel never saw a piece of pork he didn't like while he was a member of the Ohio Legislature, and it appears he still likes the "other" white meat.
The letter authored by Mr. Meshel in Sunday's paper advocating the building of the convocation center in downtown Youngstown simply to spend the $26 million is both laughable and completely in Meshel's character.
This "white elephant" will be a constant reminder of the stupidity of the politicians that have passed through the halls of Columbus from the Valley. Not only will the city of Youngstown be strapped with the eventual cost of maintaining and operating that pachyderm, but the entire premise of the center is based on false assumptions.
The assumption that people in the suburbs will brave the war zone known as Youngstown to frequent the center is a joke. Even the YMCA finally recognized that to remain a viable entity it had to move to the 'burbs. Where have the hospitals gone? To the suburbs, of course.
The only sane solution would be to build the convocation center in the suburbs or not build it at all. Please, Mr. Meshel, stay retired!
BILL JOHNSON
Boardman