Dear Editor:
Tom Birchfield, in your last column you made it sound as if these “Christians and Americans” in the jails are there for no reason.
I agree that the jails are overcrowded, but that is because there are criminals (yes of every type, even the “petty” offenders) who need to be off the streets.
Do you really think that just because the student’s charge was (again) “petty,” he had the right to expect not to be thrown in jail? People shouldn’t commit crimes if they don’t want to be thrown into such “horrible conditions.”
And what “stupid laws” are you talking about? Laws against stealing, public drunkenness, drug possession? Why not go further and say that all laws are stupid? Why not say it’s OK to rape someone, or maybe even kill someone? Would you go so far as to say that the rapists and murderers don’t belong in prison just because they are “Christians and Americans?”
I find it hard to believe that you would still say “petty” criminals shouldn’t be put in those terrible prison conditions if they stole something from you, or got drunk and ran into your car.
I doubt you would be there offering them a shoulder to cry on and money to take care of their psychological evaluation. You would probably be the first in line with the cane.
I don’t want to meet a person on the road who has been allowed to go free after their fourth or fifth drunk driving offense.
I have a 4-year-old daughter to take care of. If I were killed by that drunk driver because, instead of being in jail where he belongs, he was allowed to go free, where would my daughter be?
Do you still think these are stupid laws? Hey, it is our God-given right to go out and steal a few things, get boozed up, smoke a joint, fight, rob a bank, etc … right? Wrong. If people want liberty and freedom, and to not worry about going to jail, the simple answer would be (drum roll please) DON’T BE STUPID! Don’t go out and break the law, and then you won’t go to jail.Kristi Davis

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