Who had right to stand ground?

Who had right to stand ground?

I have followed the Trayvon Martin case from the beginning to now. I have heard so much about George Zimmerman having the right to use the law Stand Your Ground for the actions he took, but what about Trayvon? If somebody was following me down the street, I feel that I have the right to approach that individual as well with the intent to protect myself. If George Zimmerman could use the Stand Your Ground law as a defense, then Trayvon’s family can as well in defending against an intruder of his personal space.

Based on the facts I have heard, further action needs to be taken to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. May God bless and keep Trayvon’s family in his hands.

Cherelle Conner, Youngstown

Let justice system do its work

The death of Trayvon Mar- tin is of course a tragedy. The death of the truth surrounding this incident is also a tragedy.

NBC has admitted the 911 call that it broadcast was edited in a way that portrayed Zimmerman as a racist. Congresswoman Maxine Waters, D-Calif., says she believes it’s a hate crime. To the contrary, reports suggest that Zimmerman was a caring person who mentored black children and passed out gift cards to the needy. Congressman Hank Johnson, D-Ga., claimed that Trayvon had been “executed.” The police report states that Zimmerman was bleeding from the nose and back of his head, which could corroborate Zimmerman’s claim it was Trayvon who attacked first.

A letter last week stated that Zimmerman must be lying because “there is no way that a 140-pound boy (Trayvon) can knock a 240 pound man (Zimmerman) down to the ground.” According to the police report, Trayvon was 17 years old, 6 feet tall, 160 pounds. It’s reported that Zimmerman was 5 feet 9inches and 170 pounds (he apparently weighed 240 pounds some years earlier).

Meanwhile, the New Black Panther Party offered a $10,000 bounty for the capture of Zimmerman (“wanted dead or alive”), and President Obama is now silent. Before more bad conclusions are reached based on bad information, we should all let the investigation proceed and let the justice system render a judgment first.

Mark E. Munroe, Youngstown

The writer is chairman of the Mahoning County Republican Party.

People should know what’s right

Any civilized fair-minded person who believes in truth and justice knows that the loss of life whether by accident or violence is senseless and tragic.

My 81 years on Earth have taught me that life and time are a person’s greatest riches and greatest teacher.

I was raised in the belief that justice for one and all is God’s way. Anything less is man’s way and evil. I personally believe the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon should be thoroughly and truthfully investigated by those who swear in defending justice. All deaths — suspicious, accidental or violent — should be investigated.

Hopefully those protesting Trayvon’s death will not surrender to a saying my Irish grandmother often said in Gaelic, “Hot heads fry brains.”

Those who pray for Trayvon and his loved ones should also pray for George Zimmerman and his loved ones. We are all God’s children and He hears the prayers for victims as well as for those who victimize.

Mary Lou Jurina, Youngstown

More guns mean less crime

The last several weeks I have read in several publications that violent crime — murder, rape and armed robbery — is down. All those articles have lauded these findings. What is puzzling to the researchers is the cause.

Of all the explanations by over a dozen reporting sites on the web and the liberal news media, none, not one, ever reported what I consider the primary reason we have enjoyed the continued reduction in major crime over the past two decades.

The pundits mention the Brady bill and the assault-weapons ban. Both were found to be ineffective. Immigration, abortion, death penalty, the economy. President Bill Clinton even claims he was responsible with his program to put 100,000 police on the street. What a farce that was. The 22,000 gun laws haven’t done it. Red states have less crime than Blue states; now that’s an interesting thought. Here is the one major reason for the drop in major crime.

What the liberal media will not tell you: Over the past 20 years, starting in Florida with other states following, they passed “concealed-carry laws.” There are now 49 states that have concealed carry. With each state putting these laws into effect a drop in major crime results.

Concealed carry reduces major crime. Please give credit where credit is due.

Tom Page, Boardman

Citizens drive referendums

The ideology of the writer from Canfield whose letter last Sunday warned of Ohio’s loss of sovereignty was laughable.

He abhors the money sources for funding referendums and places blame on unions. He really must be smarting from the loss suffered by the Kasich debacle of SB 5. He never mentioned the petitions signed by over a million residents of Ohio supporting the effort to overturn SB 5.

He must have been delirious when five of the clowns in the black robes declared that corporations were people. Apparently, he believes that it’s all right for U.S. presidents to be elected by foreigners and stone buildings, but referendums in Ohio must be funded by local dollars.

John Zordich, Youngstown

Big Brother will be watching

I heard the news the other day that Youngstown’s Water Department spent $50,000 to purchase cameras that will be put in various locations in an attempt to stop water theft. Is this really the prevention they’re after, or something else?

If they just want to stop criminals, wouldn’t an alarm system do as well? Then you wouldn’t be capturing law abiding citizens on tape, violating our right to privacy. The day of Big Brother is here, and he doesn’t play well with a free people.

Beverly Bressler, Youngstown

Words of wisdom

The things that will destroy us are: politics without principle, pleasure without conscience, wealth without work, knowledge without character, business without morality, science without humanity and worship without sacrifice.

These words are as pertinent and relevant today as when Mahatma Gandhi described them as the seven deadly sins.

Seven powerful lines that need only to have “out” left out of each phrase to insure and secure our future.

Louis Mamula, Lowellville