Letters to the editor for Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015

Police officers not solution to core problem

Regarding Mr. Statham’s column, all of the tragic deaths began with the investigation of a reported crime, all the slain resisted the investigating officers, resulting in a physical hassle which led to their deaths.

All those slain had prior records which may have led to their decision to resist the law officers.

Mr. Statham speaks of morals in these unfortunate deaths, but is it morally correct to commit a crime or resist a law officer investigating a crime?

Per Mr. Statham:

“The police killing of unarmed suspects of minor offenses, most often young black men, are tragic. Unfortunately, but realistically, the near-term responsibility for stopping most such unnecessary takings of a human life must rest with the police.”

I don’t think improving the psychological and sociological skills of law enforcement officers will have much to do resulting in a reduction in the committing of a crime.

Rather than starting protests, which often leads to crimes of rioting and the destruction of property, I feel a community should condemn the crime, point out the possible results, and work to improve the morality of the people within it.

Providing cameras and sensitivity training to law officers is not the short or long-term answer to the core problem.

Sanford E. Deyo

Minden

Intelligent mind responsible for life

Seth Berenstein’s article about scientists recreating what may be life’s first spark — and these scientists are supposed to be ... intelligent?

Based on their deduction that “... direct consequence of the conditions on the primordial earth and its surroundings” started life on earth, my first thought is, wait a minute! Where did you get the “primordial earth and its surroundings?”

And then to equate their theoretically, cognitive, scientific findings with “conditions on the primordial earth and its surroundings” is tantamount to saying all life evolved from brainless asteroids, unleashed rocks hitting our planet earth, resulting in living entities and the continuation of same? Did these scientists ever hear of the Natural Law? Do they figure the asteroids and tumbling rocks designed the Natural Law?

The only way this could have happened is if an intelligent, designing mind had first created “the primordial earth and its surroundings!”

Mary Santomauro

Stagecoach