Sympathy

I'm writing in response to the photo of the traders on the stock exchange floor with their heads in their hands ("Summer plunge," Aug. 5). My heart goes out to those little brats in their $3,000 suits . Especially the one with the $10,000 wristwatch. Next time, show a picture of the poor chap sweeping the stock exchange floor who might lose his job. John A. Pica Jr., Baltimore

I find it very difficult to compare children losing their playmates to parents being bound, gagged and stabbed to death by a neighbor ("A sister arrives at a different view," Feb. 10). Whether John Booth-El wielded the knife or not, he still participated in a vicious attack that resulted in the deaths of two people he knew, and he is therefore just as guilty of their murder. Peggy Alley, Baltimore Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

Public sympathy for Pfc. Bradley Manning is misplaced ("Manning: 'I thought I was going to die,'" Nov. 30). He may well be a misfit, but he is a soldier who volunteered for the job. As a member of the armed forces, he must do as he is told. He had no authority to release classified information to the public. He stands to be convicted of sedition, mutiny, dereliction of duty and other crimes. As a civilian, you can "blow the whistle" and not expect to go to prison for it. But you cannot do that as an member of the armed services of any country in the world.

As a taxpayer and a private-sector employee all my life, why should I feel sorry for the federal employees who, on average, make more money than me, have a better pension than I do, have more vacation time to be with their families, and work fewer hours ("Federal workers rally, underscore their sacrifices," Dec. 6)? The Wall Street Journal just published the results of the American Time Use Survey, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics administers to a large and representative sample of American households each year.

I find it very difficult to compare children losing their playmates to parents being bound, gagged and stabbed to death by a neighbor ("A sister arrives at a different view," Feb. 10). Whether John Booth-El wielded the knife or not, he still participated in a vicious attack that resulted in the deaths of two people he knew, and he is therefore just as guilty of their murder. Peggy Alley, Baltimore Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

Susan Reimer seems extremely misguided; her sympathy for Sgt. Robert Bales, who massacred men, women and children, is an enigma to me ("War makes you crazy, both there and here," March 26). But since these are her feelings, why is she ashamed to admit them? Geraldine Segal, Randallstown

As a retiree from Bethlehem Steel who lost two thirds of his pension and has no health care, I can't feel sorry for these government union workers ("Lawmakers reach deal on pensions, retiree health care," April 5) as tens of thousands of workers lost their benefits. I don't think that these people understand that all the things they receive are only good for the life of the contract. When there is no money, then all benefits stop, and their complaints about promises made — these can't be met. Beth Steel made promises to their employees also.

The article "A slow death" (Feb. 13) explains that executions in Maryland are on hold again because a lethal injection drug is no longer being manufactured. I have a solution to this "problem. " While our "justice system" seems to protect the criminal and not the victim and their family, a reasonable and common sense end of life for the criminal would be to let them die in the same way they killed their victims. This way could bring some closure for the victims' family, and the taxpayers of Maryland would not have to spend money keeping the ruthless criminals alive.

The community wishes to extend its sincerest sympathies to the family and friends of William "Bill" Walker, who recently passed away. Bill will surely be missed by all and always be remembered by his flamboyant style and driving his white 1952 MGTD. Sincerest sympathies to the family and friends of Mattie Waddell, who passed away recently, from her friends at Dublin. Mattie was quite a lady and will surely be missed by all who new her. The Horton/Burchette Reunion was held at the home of Lisa and David Lane this Saturday with family from Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Delaware, Virginia, Florida, New Jersey, North Carolina and Maryland.

THERE is no double standard of justice in America.If it proved nothing else last week, the much-criticized jury in the Reginald Denny beating case proved that.The two black men who were videotaped beating innocent whites at the corner of Florence and Normandie in Los Angeles got the same sort of leniency that allowed the white police officers videotaped beating Rodney King to win acquittals in their first trial and reduced sentences in their second.Don't blame us, said the police -- it's a jungle out there, and we're just trying to protect you. Don't blame us, said the Denny defendants -- we were angry; we were just part of a mob.The sympathy defense is the hot growth stock in American criminal law.Don't blame us, we were abused, say Lyle and Erik Menendez, the Beverly Hills brothers who confessed to murdering their parents.

Public sympathy for Pfc. Bradley Manning is misplaced ("Manning: 'I thought I was going to die,'" Nov. 30). He may well be a misfit, but he is a soldier who volunteered for the job. As a member of the armed forces, he must do as he is told. He had no authority to release classified information to the public. He stands to be convicted of sedition, mutiny, dereliction of duty and other crimes. As a civilian, you can "blow the whistle" and not expect to go to prison for it. But you cannot do that as an member of the armed services of any country in the world.

Pertaining to the Perry Hall shooting, I have sympathy for both the victim and the shooter. When are parents going to teach their children not to be bullies? In this day and age when bullied victims bring guns to their schools, it would be a good idea not to be a bully. I have absolutely no sympathy for the bullies, but the true tragedy is when innocent victims are in the shooter's path. Every school and every parent should view the documentary "Bully" and then discuss it after.

Columnist Susan Reimer and Elizabeth Letourneau seem to have forgotten the harmful role that some mental health practitioners have played - and may continue to play - in the worldwide clergy abuse scandal ("Child sexual abuse needs prevention, not just punishment," July 19). Many abusive priests were not only weren't reported to the authorities by their bishops but were sent to sympathetic treatment centers that didn't report them either. Contrary to Ms. Letourneau's assertion that "there is no way for someone to get help for themselves or someone else without involving the criminal justice system," too often mental health practitioners sent abusers back to communities where they could continue to rape children.

The community wishes to extend its sincerest sympathies to the family and friends of William "Bill" Walker, who recently passed away. Bill will surely be missed by all and always be remembered by his flamboyant style and driving his white 1952 MGTD. Sincerest sympathies to the family and friends of Mattie Waddell, who passed away recently, from her friends at Dublin. Mattie was quite a lady and will surely be missed by all who new her. The Horton/Burchette Reunion was held at the home of Lisa and David Lane this Saturday with family from Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Delaware, Virginia, Florida, New Jersey, North Carolina and Maryland.

Susan Reimer seems extremely misguided; her sympathy for Sgt. Robert Bales, who massacred men, women and children, is an enigma to me ("War makes you crazy, both there and here," March 26). But since these are her feelings, why is she ashamed to admit them? Geraldine Segal, Randallstown

Susan Reimer 's column on the U.S. soldier accused of murdering 17 Afghan civilians was the most outrageous and offensive nonsense I have ever read ("War makes you crazy, both there and here," March 26). She feels nothing for the innocent, murdered children of Afghanistan but feels "sympathy" for Sgt. Robert Bales. Is this supposed to be a joke? Because it sure isn't funny. Like all decent Americans, I think Robert Bales is a subhuman worm. He should not only be executed for his crimes, he should be turned over to the Afghans for whatever cruel method of execution they can think up. Nothing the Afghans could do to him could possibly be too horrible.

Havre de Grace. -- If I were in the public relations business (far-fetched idea) and Governor Schaefer asked me for help (even farther-fetched) in softening up his public image, I'd suggest that he arrange to be unfairly attacked by someone even less popular than he. Sympathy works wonders.A real mugging would do the trick, but those can be dangerous, and there's a fine line between being roughed up enough to draw sympathy and being really hurt. Besides, there would be sure to be someone who would argue unhelpfully that if the governor had carried a handgun and known how to use it, he would have escaped unscathed.

Susan Reimer 's column on the U.S. soldier accused of murdering 17 Afghan civilians was the most outrageous and offensive nonsense I have ever read ("War makes you crazy, both there and here," March 26). She feels nothing for the innocent, murdered children of Afghanistan but feels "sympathy" for Sgt. Robert Bales. Is this supposed to be a joke? Because it sure isn't funny. Like all decent Americans, I think Robert Bales is a subhuman worm. He should not only be executed for his crimes, he should be turned over to the Afghans for whatever cruel method of execution they can think up. Nothing the Afghans could do to him could possibly be too horrible.

I am ashamed to admit that my heart aches for Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, and I feel almost nothing for the families of the Afghan men, women and children he is accused of killing. It is alarming, almost horrifying, to realize that I feel this wave of sadness for him and for his wife and two young children but can find no pity for the people he is said to have methodically gunned down. He snapped, I tell myself. He was in his fourth combat tour and had just seen the grave wounds of a comrade, and something inside him just broke apart.