Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

It's time to end all the attention on the Jennifer Porter case

My husband has long since stopped reading your paper and now I'm right behind him. How dare you use your paper to persecute Jennifer Porter. I do not even know this young lady, but I feel sorry for her. It's not as though she set out to do harm to anyone that evening. She made a mistake! Don't you think that she has to live with what happened that night for the rest of her life?

Does your paper believe that it is your duty to continue the agony of all those involved? I feel very sad that those children are now gone, and I cannot imagine what their mother is going through. However, what were those children doing out in the dark crossing the street improperly and who was the person in charge of their safety? Porter has been judged for what she did and even though there are those who do not agree with the outcome, it is time to let it rest.

Race still plays a part

Re: The Jennifer Porter case.

As I read the first in the series and then your Nov. 13 editorial, I had to really do some soul-searching of my own.

I am an African-American, who is totally upset about the entire case. I cannot see how this young lady can receive house arrest while a young African-American man (William Thornton IV) two counties away gets 30 years for a very similar accident. America will have to realize that race does play a part in both decisions.

No matter where one goes, race is a part of your life. In college I faced racial questions some 40 years ago, and the answers have not been found. When looking for employment after college, race played a part in my obtaining a job. When moving into certain neighborhoods, race plays a part.

Until we as a nation accept the fact that race plays a part in this society and truly begin to work together for some answers, we will always have cases like the Porter and Thornton cases, which bring to light the shortcomings of our nation.

Judge followed the law

Re: Porter case.

Lawyers have an ethical obligation to defend judges who are unfairly criticized. I write, therefore, to defend Judge Emmett Lamar Battles from the unfair criticism he has received as a consequence of his sentence of Jennifer Porter.

At the sentencing hearing, Ms. Porter's lawyers overwhelmingly proved two mitigating circumstances established in Florida Statute 921.0026. These facts upon which Judge Battle ruled plainly justified the downward adjustment in Ms. Porter's sentence. If anyone is unhappy with that sentence, it is because of the law Judge Battles was required to apply to the facts presented, and not with the judge's application of that law. Criticism should be directed to the Legislature that provided the law.

Had the record been different, the sentence would have been different. But it is reckless to speculate that Judge Battles would have made a different decision on the very same record if the defendant were black.

We won't swallow this injustice

Enough already on Jennifer Porter. If you think stuffing her down our throats every day will make us swallow this miscarriage of justice you have another think coming.

Investigate things that matter

Re: Jennifer Porter article, Nov. 13.

Have you lost your perspective? Taking up half the front page on this Porter case borders on tabloid journalism. You made your point in the Nov. 13. editorial.

Let's have more emphasis on investigative journalism and the people, government and corporations who seek to destroy what matters most: our air, water, food, health and freedoms.

Hoping for a more equitable feeling

Re: Jennifer Porter case.

I have long believed one can prove statistically that there is "Poor Man's Law" and "Rich Man's Law" applied within our society. The articles in the past as well as the first part of the present series are assisting me to think that there is a subset of my above stated feelings. Yes, we have different consequences and accountabilities for "black on black crime," "black on white crime," "white on white crime" and what is at hand with this article, "white on black crime."

Hopefully this series will bring me to a more equitable feeling toward the consequences of the actions of Jennifer Porter and her parents as they relate to leaving the scene of an accident.

It's about responsibility

There is still a debate going on with reference to the Porter case. This is not a case whether you were black or white. This is a case where two wrongs don't make a right.

Jennifer Porter should not have left the scene of the accident, and the mother of the children should not have allowed a 13-year-old boy to be in charge of three small children.

Again, it has nothing to do with race. It has to do with taking responsibility. The children should have been accompanied by a reliable adult and Porter should have stayed put at the accident site.

Responsibility has nothing to do with color; it includes everyone.

Court appointed attorneys are capable

Re: The Jennifer Porter case.

Your Nov. 13 editorial ended with a speculative and unwarranted conclusion: ". . . chances are that if Jennifer Porter had been a poor black woman represented by a court-appointed attorney . . . she would be serving jail time."

While the teenager in Citrus County is a glaring example of disparity in sentencing in our criminal justice system, it is an inaccurate comparison to the Porter case. The charges were different there and more serious: vehicular homicide compared to leaving the scene of an accident with death. The sentencing guidelines would have been very different.

Your unfortunate conclusion merely reinforces the misconception that public defenders and court-appointed attorneys are not good lawyers. That is simply not true. They are often the most capable and experienced advocates in our system. Court-appointed lawyers are often former public defenders and prosecutors. They are experienced litigators and capable and conscientious advocates.

Barry Cohen is a superior advocate and he achieved an excellent result for his client. However, I personally know dozens of other superior advocates who have achieved and will continue to achieve excellent results for their clients, black or white. The difference is that these lawyers don't call a press conference every time they get a tough case.

Beware too easy comparisons

Re: The Jennifer Porter case.

Thank you for an excellent editorial. There was only one problem: your juxtapositioning of Ms. Porter, an educated white woman, with a poor black woman.

Had Ms. Porter been a poor white woman represented by a court-appointed attorney, she may well have faced jail time.

It does not follow that a black woman with a clean record and an education would have been represented by a court-appointed attorney, or that she would have necessarily faced jail time by virtue of her wealth, level of education or skin color.

It also does not follow that poor people are necessarily poorly educated, or that poor people necessarily have a record.

Absorbed in other matters

The Jennifer Porter case has "absorbed the Tampa Bay community" for two years? I must have missed something.

I have been absorbed with my rising homeowners insurance, the cost of gasoline and the horrendous direction this country is going.

I would rather read a five-part series on any of the above mentioned subjects.

Trouble in mind

I actually feel sorry for the Times staff. The Jennifer Porter case is over (at least for rational people) and the world is sadly moving on. There were no race riots, the judge deciding the case stuck to law and common sense in his ruling and Jennifer Porter wasn't publicly executed.

No wonder the Times felt it so necessary to plaster Ms. Porter's face all over the paper vending machines and keep the story alive. It has to hurt that the tragedy of children accidentally being killed crossing a road can't be used to stir up trouble. With this kind of civilized behavior in our communities, the Times may find itself having to stick to reporting the news.

Focus on mother's actions

Re: The Jennifer Porter case.

I am trying to understand why a mother who says she was tempted to keep her kids indoors all the time because she feared stray bullets, feared that one of the children would slip into the long trench right outside her door, and feared a robber would invade her apartment would leave her children alone in a park in the area she feared so much! The story also stated that drug dealers were so brazen they waited for children at bus stops in the neighborhood she lived in.

And still, she let them go to a park in this area. Lisa Wilkins is their mother and should have been with them or made them stay home. We have spent so much time talking about what Jennifer Porter did after the accident and not enough time talking about what Lisa Wilkins did before the accident - an accident that I believe could have been prevented.

Impressive traits

Re: Islam's ambassador, Nov. 16.

After reading Sherri Day's feature on Ahmed Bedier, I could not help but be impressed by his sincerity, deep faith, and willingness to compromise.

I would submit he is this way because he spent his formative years in the United States rather than in a theocracy like Egypt, Saudi Arabia or Pakistan, where practicing a faith other than Islam can be met with imprisonment and torture. This goes far beyond the playground taunts and ridicule he faced here.

So, kudos to Mr. Bedier for his devotion to his faith and his family. I hope he thanks God every day for the freedom to live in this Judeo-Christian country and express his views openly. If only this were true in countries that officially embrace Islam.

Questions bring more questions

Re: Islam's ambassador.

Kudos to Sherri Day for the informative article on Ahmed Bedier, Central Florida director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). We need more such articles on leaders of different cultures and religions. The comments of non-Muslims on Bedier's character impressed me except for the comments made by Norm Gross, the head of PRIMER, a pro-Israeli organization.

Gross said to the reporter: "We're asking questions that we'd like to get answers to, and we haven't been able to. What is his mission? Who funds him? Let them tell us."

Those of us who have been reading his many letters to the editor are asking the same questions about his organization, PRIMER. I wonder to whom "we" refers?

School Board's moral bankruptcy

The Hillsborough County School Board showed moral bankruptcy by succumbing to pressure and reversing its decision on religious holidays.

Just two weeks prior to that decision, they gave a long lecture to the community about the separation of church and state. As a matter of fact, one of them flatly admitted that the board made a mistake by granting the Jewish community Yom Kippur as a school holiday. Before the ink was dry on their earlier decision and instead of listening to logic and fairness, they yielded to the pressure of hysterical voices reminiscent of medieval times, warning that Jesus will be so angry that he will send another Katrina or Wilma to Hillsborough County if they don't reverse their decision.

I can't understand how the board members will look their children and grandchildren in the eyes and tell them, "We did the right thing."

I think an honorable exit for those who switched their votes is nothing short of resignation.

People can act to change things

I'm writing in response to the Hillsborough County School Board's reversal of its original stance to do away with religious holidays from its school year calendar.

It was very gratifying to see people from the community come out and speak their minds about a topic that many people in America feel very strongly about. The good things in life seem to happen when someone steps above the fray and decides that destructive activities have no place in our society and good impulses are worth fighting for. Whether you are religious or not, this should tell you that something can be done about it.

Activities like the School Board's original vote can only take place when decent people feel they are helpless to stop them. The person or persons who were instrumental in instigating this on the School Board could in no way stand up to the concerted efforts of members of the community or the bright light of public scrutiny. Something was done about it. And the next time we run into another such episode, it can be done again.

Ali exercised his rights

Re: An insulting award, letter, Nov. 11.

As a Navy veteran, I am not insulted by what Muhammad Ali did during the Vietnam War. What he did is exercise a right given to all Americans. This great man risked everything he had worked for to stand up for something he believes in. It doesn't matter if you agree with his beliefs or not. He did something that 99 percent of the citizens in this country could not do. If you remember correctly, he paid a great personal price for these beliefs. As a matter of fact, Ali was an Olympian in the 1960 Games in Rome. He performed for his country, but did not want to die for something he did not believe in.

I agree with the letter writer that more needs to be done for past, current and future veterans. But I am not insulted by a man exercising the rights that I helped protect for him, even if I don't agree with his position.

National health care succeeds

Re: We don't need socialized medicine, letter, Nov. 12.

The writer claims, "Socialized medicine has never worked." This is untrue. Among the "failures" he cites are Britain, Norway and Canada. The populations of none of these countries would exchange their national health care system for what we have in the United States.

I have visited the countries of Scandinavia and Finland plus Great Britain from one to three times each during the past four years. In Scandinavia, for example, I have found national health care so widely accepted that even business people and political conservatives support it. And most are appalled by our lack of universal care.

The proof is in the results: Infant and childhood death rates are much lower than in the United States, and people of all ages are medically secure. For this high-quality care, these nations spend a fraction of what we do of the national income.

A Canadian viewpoint

Re: We don't need socialized medicine, letter.

The letter writer is misinformed about health care in Canada. Some doctors leave, probably for more money. It seems my doctor does well, judging from his lifestyle. And he would be insulted to hear he is giving substandard care due to overwork.

I am a middle class-snowbird. Three years ago I had a serious operation that would have wiped me out financially, $250,000 at U.S. prices. My cost was $20 for a phone during my two-week hospital stay.

We pay more taxes. Liquor and beer are four times the price, gas costs more and taxes on purchases ditto. Go figure.

[Last modified November 19, 2005, 01:08:18]