 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Letters to the EditorsDomestic violence task force is needed
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 7, 2001 Re: Sheriff's decision could weaken abuse protection, April 22, C.T. Bowen column Editor: These words from the column speak volumes: "Typical of an abuser. He blamed the victim." Across the board, society and local residents, in the form of the Pasco County sheriff, appear to be blaming the victim. As we celebrate Mother's Day, how many mothers will be hidden away in a back room, black-eyed and bloody, maybe with broken teeth and bones that were attended to by an emergency room staff? It's unlikely these mothers will receive pretty cards and flowers from their mates and children -- unless family is coming to visit, and they're presentable enough to hide their wounds. Our legislators need to wake up to the fact that domestic violence is a very serious and widespread crime in our country. Our local police officials need to be "man enough" to tackle the real problem here: That men are criminally abusing the women and children in their lives and, for the most part, getting away with it. Crime victims cannot fight for their rights; they cannot, often, walk away from their abusers. They are vulnerable victims of criminal acts against them, and they need medical and law enforcement assistance. Those of us with our eyes open and our hearts breaking already know about the existence of domestic violence. A domestic violence awareness billboard or flash point is not going to make us any more aware of this crime. What we do need is a Domestic Violence Task Force headed and teamed by compassionate human beings who wouldn't want their own mother, wife, daughter or sister to be the vulnerable victim of an abusive spouse.
Judges ignore fitness of dads in custody casesRe: Judges need to give dads equal rights, May 1 letter Editor: Congratulations to the individuals who wrote about father's/mother's rights. You are not alone. There are many of us out here who feel as you do, and I urge others to respond to these letters as voices that are heard trigger action. It is not fair to our children who are victimized and society to be burdened by bad judgments made by the judicial systems in this country. Letter writer Rainer R. Karls' statement about fathers being regarded as financial supporters and incapable of raising their children is correct. Just because women have been blessed with the means to bear children does not give them rights to have custody of these children by any means. This is a biased thought or belief, which leads to prejudice, and this is discriminatory. There are a lot of good mothers out there, and I applaud you. However, there are just as many bad ones out there, who for some unknown reason have been granted custody by incompetent and irresponsible judges. Why? These are the cases we see more frequently on television and in the newspapers. Teachers, day care workers, counselors, psychologists, and others who deal with these unfortunate children, see it, know it, but are unable to do much about it. Why? My three boys were put in their mother's custody. Within two years, two of my boys have failed in school, been put on Welbutrin, not with my blessing or authorization, and two have discipline problems at home and in school. It sickens me to watch my wonderful boys deteriorate to the level they have because of the decision of a careless and incompetent judge. If custody is given to more dads, a lot of these situations in school, home, and society would not be occurring. Think about it, judges.
Apology, responsibility for child are in orderRe: Mom fights for son thrown off school bus, May 3 Editor: This is something that should never have gotten to the paper or the news. The child did something wrong and now is being punished for it. If anything, the parent should be taking the child to the aide on the bus to teach him how to say he is sorry for something that he did that is so very wrong. One thing that I did not see in the paper or on TV was the child saying he was sorry or the parent saying she was sorry for what the boy had said. I did see in the paper the one thing that parents love to say, "He's only repeating what he hears on TV." And in the same breath saying he is only 3 years old. If he is only 3 years old, what is he watching on TV that would teach him that when he is mad at someone, he should go get his dad's gun and shoot that person? I do not think anyone thought that the child would carry out this threat, but it's not like he said "I will kick you or punch you in the nose" when he got mad. I think that the school did the right thing. They gave a punishment for doing something wrong. They took him off the bus but not out of school, which I thought was good because that is where it happened. I say, "Good job" to the school. Kids need to learn at a young age when you do something wrong, you will get punished for it.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From today's Pasco Times |
