Re: Attorney: Suspect feared for his life, story, Aug. 4.
Now I've heard everything! A man can break into your home, ransack your home, kill you and then plead self-defense. Why? It was a "do or die situation," the attorney said.
The Times doesn't seem to like the felony murder rule. This is why it exists. A person armed with a club who forces his way into your home to rob you creates a "do or die" situation. You have a choice to either leave yourself at his mercy, trusting he won't kill you when he's done, or you can fight back.
Vernon Gilbert, the dead man who was the victim in this home invasion, fought back. He was justified in shooting the home invader. Check out Florida statutes. For his killer to try to justify killing a man 67 years older than he stands justice on its head. It is outrageous.
This sends a frightful message. Home invaders are free to kill their victims. Just hire an attorney to plead self-defense.
It just proves my belief that some in our society believe there is a right to harm, rob, victimize and even kill people. There is an expectation that the innocent, the victim, must remain utterly passive and accept whatever hurt an evil person may choose to inflict.
It was a do or die situation. By the newspaper accounts, it was a situation created by the killer - a situation in which an 88-year-old man was killed trying to defend himself, his wife and his property against a home invader. The killer must be held responsible for killing.
-- Philipp Michel "Mike" Reichold, Largo
Building inspectors exist to ensure public safety
Re: County denies fault for damaged homes, story, July 27.
Pinellas County building inspectors, this is outrageous.
Because the government requires building inspectors to examine work before they issue a certificate of occupancy, they are definitely "insurers of public safety."
It could be your courthouse or your children's home that may be affected next. Do the right thing for the people who placed their money and trust in Pinellas County.
-- Mildred L. Lavery, Dunedin
Don't sweat bridge color, but fix downtown parking
Clearwater City Council members, and some others, found the new Memorial Causeway Bridge color to be "putrid" (rotten), and one found the idea of removing parking from Cleveland Street to be "Draconian" (severe).
City Manager Bill Horne wisely observed that the council, and others, have much more than a shade of green to be concerned about in the bridge fiasco. I am only one viewer, but the green looked fine to me. No color will suit everyone.
Council members decided to ignore the traffic problems on Cleveland Street after Councilman Frank Hibbard suggested looking at the removal of parking.
It is not the bridge color that is "putrid" - that word goes with the traffic situation on Cleveland Street. "Draconian" does not belong with the removal of parking, the word "intelligent" does.
There are two parking garages, a city parking lot, now parking on Fort Harrison Avenue and other side street parking for the few businesses downtown. Removing parking from both sides of Cleveland Street would help those downtown businesses and businesses on the beach, including those owned by council member Hoyt Hamilton's family. So often I and others avoid the downtown businesses, although I worked downtown for over 25 years, and the businesses on the beach because of that Draconian bottleneck on Cleveland Street.
Keep the color green and eliminate the parking! Then I will visit the downtown businesses and go back to frequent trips to beach restaurants. For many, many years there was no parking on Cleveland Street and traffic moved.
-- Tom Bruckman, Clearwater
Woman who left boys in hot van is guilty of child abuse
Re: Who's to blame when boys are left in van? letter, July 29.
Just because a woman is biologically capable of bearing children it does not necessarily guarantee that she will go on to be a fit and capable mother to her children. Letter writer Audrey Yancey illustrates that as she describes how two young boys were locked up inside of a van for 30 minutes while their mother shopped at Albertsons.
This is an act of child abuse. While Ms. Yancey did not state this in her letter, my hope is that she reported the color, make and model of the van along with the license plate number to the dispatcher at the Largo Police Department.
Although the LPD should be made aware of the lax response of the dispatcher who was on duty that evening, the situation involving the two young boys possibly suffocating in a locked vehicle is as important as any traffic accident. Nevertheless, if the identity of the woman is made available, not only should a background check be done on her but she should also be charged with a crime.
-- JoAnn Lee Frank, Clearwater
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