Letters

Profitable Police

I may not agree with everything in Staci Thrasher’s story about her daughter (“There’s Been an Accident,” Cover Story, June 5), but there is one thing that she is dead-on about, and that is the ineptitude of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. The sheriff’s department is a for-profit organization that is only concerned with enforcing laws that will generate revenue. Why should they care about vehicular manslaughter when there are cars to be impounded and traffic tickets to write? I’m honestly surprised that the Thrashers didn’t receive a bill for the accident in which Jadean was killed. The sheriff’s department needs to be restructured from the ground up, and I for one can’t wait until 2010 when we can vote out Bill Kolender and get someone in there who will shift the priorities from dollars and cents back to “To Serve and Protect.”

J. Edwards
via email

Little Rules Broken

I thought the story of Jadean (“There’s Been an Accident,” Cover Story, June 5) was wonderful in the way it honestly revealed just why it is not a good idea for children under the age of 18 to experiment with drugs and party with older young adults without parental supervision and permission. The heartbreaking lesson in this story is that children make seemingly little infractions on parents’ rules of checking in on the cell phone and leaving it at home so they can’t receive parental safety checks, and their breaking these seemingly minor safety rules can lead to children paying for the misstep with their lives.

The brutal honesty of the story revealed how the criminal justice system breaks its neck to enable criminal behavior to continue, and it revealed an interesting fact that this family could insure their truck, drive it legally, yet be found criminally responsible in the death of a minor, and not have the legal requirement to carry insurance while on the public roads or when driving with a passenger in their car on public roadways.

This article was brutal, honest, and informative. It was missing no element for an interesting and informational retelling of the tragedies and pitfalls that can booby-trap everyone from kids, to their parents, their siblings, and grandparents. It shows the ways in which crime pays and the ways the rich of society abuse the poor of society. After the roller-coaster rides, I wish just one thing about that day would have been different so that Jadean would have lived. I came away from the article with love and respect for the family of Jadean and the courage with which they fight Jadean’s battle, since she has moved on to a better place. That is what our families are for.

I am so relieved that everyone can see how disgusting it is for older twentysomethings to date children under the age of 18 without parental permission or knowledge, and the best part of the article is that this Doug person can no longer legally date children under the age of 18 without serious legal action being taken against him. So, for that, all children under the age of 18 can be grateful California has one less parentally sanctioned and supported predator in his neighborhood. That effort alone was a mountain most people can’t figure out how to move — a problem most of us can’t figure out how to get corrected. Good luck to Mrs. Thrasher with the defamation-of-character suit that the predator and his family have financed to file against her. This person needs to not have access to children. Thanks for us parents whose children want to go from 13 to 30. We need every bit of help we can get to see them safely into adulthood and steer them from humans who would do them harm and throw them away like garbage. Children, save your own good judgment when it comes to your personal safety, and don’t let older people put illegal substances into your hands. They know better. You don’t want to find out the hard way that drugs make you weak and vulnerable to predators in the first place.

Sunday Weiss
via email

Merriam Phooey, Webster Phooey

Duncan Shepherd quotes the Merriam-Webster dictionary affirming that he had correctly used “to beg the question” (Letters, June 5). The thing is, the Merriam-Webster dictionary is famous for including as an alternate pronunciation or meaning misapprehensions of illiterate people. “To beg the question” means the (a) definition: it means assuming an argument has already been made that hasn’t been presented, so you’re begging the question. It does not mean prompting a question or eliciting a question. That’s exactly not what it means, and unfortunately a lot of people have the misapprehension that it does, and so you hear improper usage of that all the time. And so Merriam-Webster’s philosophy is, if a lot of people do something wrong, it’s okay — now it’s right. Wrong is right.

Name Withheld

City Folk, Country Folk

I want to thank Joe Deegan for his excellent overview of the Sunrise Powerlink boondoggle (“Will These Keep the Lights On?” Cover Story, May 29). It clarified the whole business for me and impelled me to action. I know the folks in the backcountry directly in the path of this monstrosity have been fighting it, but it’s time we city folk joined the fray. If you don’t want to see your favorite hiking/riding/camping spots blighted by giant transmission towers, I’m urging everyone in San Diego County to contact your local representatives, the PUC, and the governor. Together we can compel Sempra/SDG&E to produce solar energy locally at lower cost. Sorry, Sempra shareholders, don’t count your profits yet. Some of us in this little backwater are going to put up one hell of a fight.

Beth McCrindle
via email

Me Too!

Is Maggie Young really part of your staff (“Confessions of a Phony Navy Wife,” Cover Story, May 8)? Because I would have to congratulate her so much after reading her article. It made me so happy, as I was in the Navy and the same thing happened to me. She really is one of my heroes. I really wish I could talk to her and learn from her how she pulled through it so easily, which I could not.

Toby Bailey
via email