Today's Letters: Those who hurt walker are cowards
Letters to the EditorPublished September 24, 2007
Deputies seek assailants of 'the walker' Sept. 21, story
Those who hurt walker are cowards
I was appalled when I read the article about John Kelly. I have seen him walking for many years and always feared he would be hit by an auto one day. He was always dressed neatly, clean and courteous to passing drivers.
I can only hope that whoever assaulted him is caught and receives the maximum penalty. Whoever they are, they are a danger to the public.
There is but one name for them: cowards!
Lewis Gates, Spring Hill
A ban on pit bulls would save lives Sept. 17, guest column
It's not just one breed that bite
Mary Kousathanas wrote that Florida should ban all pit bullterriers, citing times people have been bitten. I don't know of any breed that has not bitten someone. Why not ban all dogs?
How many of these bit because of children teasing the dog? There are no bad dogs, only bad owners.
To ban all because of some, not even knowing the circumstances, is overkill (pun intended).
Also remember, people's property is private and there should be no trespassing.
Some people who don't have a dog have signs "Beware of Dog" just to keep unwanted visitors away. And, yes, keep your dogs away from other dogs when out walking them. It's common sense.
George Massey, Spring Hill
Show the sheriff your appreciation
You will never find a better sheriff in our nation than Richard Nugent. I have no agenda other than to say "thanks."
Sheriff's deputies respond to every call 24/7, in the pouring rain, sweltering heat, wintry nights, family holidays and weekends, with rotating shifts. One auto accident can keep a deputy on the scene for an hour to assist, await a tow truck, write a report, await an ambulance and direct traffic.
Car accidents and speeding incidents sometimes are traced to drugs and alcohol, which can lead to an arrest, entailing a second deputy.
Robbery in progress, burglaries and carjackings put a deputy at risk and often require a backup, especially domestic violence.
No other job in our industry requires a person to put his or her life on the line 24/7. Our local sheriff's deputies give 150 percent every second of every day for you and I.
Especially because the United States is in wartime, we do not have the usual homeland military resources to assist with natural disaster aftermaths; instead, we depend on our local law enforcement, who are our first responders.
Our deputies fight crime and prevent crime by being proactive. Upkeep on police vehicles is necessary in order to pursue fleeing violent criminals. Deputies need uniforms for the public to identify them. Deputies require regularly updated education to keep current with new laws and to be supplied with the latest technology to fight crime.
Sheriff Nugent is a blessing; his safety record extends to Democrats and Republicans. He shields every man, woman and child. He is a giver.
When Sheriff Nugent stood before the Board of County Commissioners, he was not asking for money for his own behalf, but for every commissioner's safe future, as well.
Some residents would argue for the county commissioners to cut corners on public safety, but that is the worst place to cut costs.
Sheriff Nugent interacts with us through his Web site by giving almost instantaneous knowledge of every arrest in order for the public to be aware. His deputies are the best of the best. Records department, civil process, warrants, detectives, undercover, property room, surveillance, fingerprinting, forensics, liability insurance - all cost a lot of money to maintain behind the scenes.
Thanks to Sheriff Nugent for being dedicated. It's your turn now to publicly show your appreciation to your sheriff. Safety first.
Cyril Hollister, Brooksville
Budget meeting revealed much
Congratulations to all those who showed up at the County Commission's Sept. 13 budget hearing.
It was very manipulative for the commissioners to put the constitutional officers first on the agenda to burn up almost two hours of the public's time. I felt the good guy-bad guy show by Sheriff Richard Nugent very interesting.
That said, we saw which commissioners were listening and which were not. Did you ever figure that those commissioners who voted for pay increases across the board for county employees wanted to keep those votes in their pocket? Just a thought.
Also, did you catch the budget of Tax Collector Juanita Sikes' department? Quite a chunk of change and quite a large department, considering hers, among other departments, can be done online.
If this fiasco of more taxes and free-wheeling spending continues by our county, I will have to go somewhere else.
My thanks to the two commissioners who voted against pay raises for county employees.
Mary Scarff, Brooksville