Let counselors, not courts, deal with teen sex cases
Published May 4, 2004
Editor: I am amazed at the recent headlines in the local newspapers regarding improper "consensual" sexual encounters with teenaged boys and underaged girls. Please tell me where these girls' parents are?
What happened to telling your daughters and sons what the word "no" means? What happened to parents telling their daughters that a boy will go as far as they let him? What happened to parents knowing where their children are and who they are with? What happened to turning the TV off when Sex in the City or some other mind-wasting, so-called situation comedy promoting promiscuity comes on the screen? What happened to taking your daughters and sons to church on Sunday and teaching them right from wrong?
Please tell me why these young men need to face criminal charges, be humiliated in the newspapers and carry a record for the rest of their lives for something that, unfortunately, is common.
The parents of these underaged girls also should be accountable. They too should be charged and have their names in large, bold headlines.
Should it be criminal? Doubtful. Is it disgusting? Yes. But all those involved should be humiliated and held responsible. Better yet, since it's seemingly "consensual" in these cases, take them all to counselors and don't waste the court system's time and money.
-- J. Soto. Brooksville
Bush brothers might fix justice system
Re: Attacks on trial by jury are attacks on U.S. democracy, April 29 guest column by Pamela Mills:
Editor: Mills, an attorney, stated that "our civil justice system is under attack by President George W. Bush and his allies." She also took swings at Gov. Jeb Bush for wanting to rid our courts of frivolous lawsuits.
All I can say is "thanks" to George W. and Jeb because this criticism of huge awards by juries in frivolous lawsuits is long overdue.
Ms. Mills referenced the McDonald's hot coffee case, as she should, because this case should never have even made it to court. This woman, Stella Liebeck, was 79 years old and ordered hot (not iced) coffee at a McDonald's drive-through window while a passenger in a car. She placed the cup holding the coffee between her legs and attempted to remove the lid when the coffee spilled into her lap. How many people with any common sense would place a hot cup of coffee between their legs?
Her coffee cost 49 cents, so this means she had a small cup of coffee to begin with, even if she got the senior citizen discount. Ms. Mills stated that Ms. Liebeck's coffee was in excess of the boiling point when, truthfully, it was under 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
At any rate, the jury awarded her $200,000 compensatory damages and $2.7-million punitive damages. The $200,000 was reduced to $160,000 and the $2.7-million was reduced to $480,000. Both sides appealed, but before the appeals took place, McDonald's and Liebeck made a secret agreement to settle the case and the amount of the settlement was not made public.
This case cost taxpayers and took up the time of the jury. By avoiding these kinds of lawsuits, our court system will be free to hear lawsuits that really are justified and at the same time will be saving taxpayers money. Our doctors are closing their doors because of the outrageous amounts awarded to plaintiffs by juries in malpractice cases. They have even taken on the fast food restaurants and the gun manufacturers. I am sure that someone choked the hamburger down the throat of the plaintiff and the gun just jumped up and shot someone all by itself.
I am hopeful the Bush brothers can make a difference in this screwed-up justice system of ours.
-- Betty Dobson, Brooksville
Fire department leadership lacking
Re: Facts on Spring Hill's fire agency misstated, April 27 guest column.
Editor: As I read Spring Hill Fire Rescue Chief J.J. Morrison's guest column, I was compelled to state some facts of my own that conflict with Morrison's.
Morrison said (Robert) Kanner's own political party would not allow him past the last primary when he ran for Hernando County Commission. He blamed the Spring Hill Fire and Rescue District for his loss.
I say a political party cannot allow or disallow a candidate from running in any phase of the political process. Kanner was a front-runner, as reported in the press, until three fire district employees committed acts that were unbecoming fire district employees.
Kanner's subsequent actions caused him to fall into disfavor with voters. If those three firefighters had not done what they did in Altamonte Springs, Kanner would have been elected.
Morrison said (former Chief Dennis) Andrews was forced to resign from our department.
I say he was not forced to resign. Andrews later wanted to apply for the assistant chief's position. He was not allowed by state statute to serve as a fire commissioner and an employee, so he resigned to apply for the vacancy. Morrison implies he was forced to resign for some derogatory reason.
Back in 1998, a Spring Hill home burned to the ground while our firefighters responded to a false alarm in Masaryktown. Kanner called for an end to our automatic aid policy. It failed on a 3-2 vote, but then-Chief Mike Morgan admitted that some changes needed to be made. He met with Danny Roberts, chief of the East Hernando and South Central fire districts, and Michael Nickerson, chief of the Northwest District. The three agreed that each department will respond with automatic aid only to life-threatening emergencies and fires in areas immediately adjacent to its district, roughly those within a mile of its border.
Fact: Last year, Spring Hill Fire District responded to 150 requests outside its district, and we requested assistance 100 times. Remember, Spring Hill is a densely populated area, as compared with the surrounding community.
Morrison said, "This department has not asked for an increase in the tax rate in more than 12 years."
I say this is a very misleading statement. Each year the assessment on our homes goes up, and the fire district automatically gets more income because we pay the fire district according to the assessed property value of our homes. The constant increase in population automatically brings in more money to our fire district. How about rolling the budget back to where it was 12 years ago? Or, better yet, tell the public what your budgets have been for the past 12 years.
Lastly, in spite of all of the above, I think we have an above-average department staffed by highly dedicated paramedics and firefighters. The leadership leaves something to be desired.
-- Nick Morana, Spring Hill
New services available to veterans
Editor: The veterans of Hernando County have two reasons to celebrate.
First, the Veterans Administration has opened a new, larger outpatient clinic at the Pinebrook Medical Center on Cortez Boulevard. This VA clinic will be able to handle a greater patient load, offer specialty care for podiatry, psychiatry and audiology, and has a small pharmacy.
If you are seeing a primary care doctor at the New Port Richey VA clinic or Tampa VA Medical Center, you may consider transferring to this new clinic.
Second, with the leadership of Disabled American Veterans Chapter 67 in Brooksville, especially Commander Mary Ann Keckler, and the generosity of the Hernando County Board of County Commissioners, a new 10-passenger DAV van will be transporting veterans from Hernando County to the Tampa VA Medical Clinic this fall.
If you need transportation assistance, please call 754-4033.Ken Wrinkle, director, Hernando County Veterans Services Department
-- YOUR VOICE COUNTS
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