Right wing columnist picks on Europe and Cuba

Right wing columnistpicks on Europe and Cuba
EDITOR:
What is it with The Vindicator and its flood of right wing propaganda? It just seems endless. Jan. 8, Myriam Marquez 's column claimed that the European Union ignores the plight of jailed dissidents in Cuba because it plans to lift sanctions on Cuba.
Fine, it is good that the dissidents are getting moral support since I believe that the Cuban regime is too dogmatic, although I must say that Fidel Castro has at least tried to offer an alternative to American exploitation of his people unlike other more subservient regimes. However, somebody should remind Ms. Marquez that the worst prison on the island of Cuba is at a place called Guantanamo, where human rights are totally outlawed and torture is the grim everyday reality for those inmates whether or not they were ever involved with terrorism.
The line that Cuba has its own apartheid has absolutely no basis in fact and the snide comment about Cuban rum and prostitutes was tacky at best. What is the level of our reporters today?
ROGER LaFONTAINE
Youngstown
Reaction to steroid use should be swift and strict
EDITOR:
I am a proud student at Jackson-Milton High School and a resident of North Jackson. I want everyone I know to be safe, and that is why I am writing this letter. I want to make people aware of a crisis that happens all the time. I am writing to give my opinion on steroid use in professional baseball.
According to baseball, you can get five strikes and then you're out. In the national baseball league a player, who is supposed to be a role model, gets a warning (and counseling) for using steroids and three shorter suspensions before being suspended for a year with a heavy fine. I am very concerned about the player's health and the health of the people who look at them as heroes. If officials and fans don't want steroids to be an issue, the rules for steroid use have to become stricter. It is not an option if the health and lives of the players are in jeopardy.
Many kids look at these baseball players and want to be just like them. No one wants a student athlete to think that steroids are OK to use. The player's health and reputation will be affected by taking steroids. The fans who watch them follow in their footsteps, which can lead to a devastating ending.
Steroids will change your family and your life forever. Everyone needs to help in the process of changing the rules to tighten the use of steroids in professional baseball. If a baseball player or other athlete experiments with steroids, many results will occur. According to information available on the Internet, acne, long-term aggression, and even a disease called jaundice can occur. Steroids need to b decreased because the outcome is a risk that nobody should be faced with.
Although many people and fans believe that this is not a major problem and are ignoring the situation, I believe that this is a major issue and could become larger. People need to become aware that steroids are a problem and the issue should be addressed. If the players' problem with steroids was not fixed the first time, why should they be able to have more chances?
I strongly believe that by increasing the punishment for this immature act, the steroid use in baseball will decrease. The punishment that is being used at this time, such as counseling and other minor outcomes, are not a corrective action. Because this issue reflects on the baseball team, coaches, and even other players, I pray and wish that the officials will modify the rules and regulations for steroid use.
BEN ROBERTS
North Jackson