Letters to the editor for May 29
Body camera footage must be reviewed by the right people
Do we want body cameras on police? Yes, but only if the camera action is reviewed by someone qualified to review it. The issue is not body cameras; it’s the interpretation of the camera information.
If you have body cameras, it’s critical that experts review it; by experts I mean people who have had to act under stress with only limited information. Police have seconds to determine the issue while these back-seat drivers have hours or days to critique it. The only ones competent enough to make a determination are others who have to make the same decisions.
Firefighters have to determine within seconds of arriving at a fire if lives are in danger and how to proceed. Medics have to determine injuries and make life or death decisions within seconds with limited information. And both of these groups are usually working without guns being fired at them.
Body cameras should be used to solve crimes and provide training for future cops, but I would reject their use if lawyers or politicians analyze the information. Limit the analysis of responsibility to those who have been on the firing line, not those lounging in their offices.
Ardean Anvik, Shelton
Gun-free zones aren’t the way to keep schools safe
What have I done to bar me from owning an AR 15 with a 30-round magazine or a Glock 19 with a 15-round magazine? Mine sit quietly in a safe. I’m Mr. Squeaky Clean. No criminal record and pristine background check. I teach gun safety and shooting classes in the Olympia area. Much like an NBA player, I practice daily to be “shooting” proficient.
Can you please explain to me why the government feels the need to regulate my ownership of anything? I’m being penalized for someone else’s bad behaviors. What’s next? If my neighbor drives drunk, are they going to regulate what kind of car I can drive? It is nonsense to restrict everyone for the actions of a few mentally ill individuals.
If you want to make schools safer, let teachers conceal carry. I have a teaching certificate and hold 14 pistol instructor licenses. I would gladly provide on-campus protection and teacher firearms training without compensation to make schools safer. Yet schools won’t let people like me or retired law enforcement help. Go ahead and keep hanging those “Gun Free Zone” on every campus ... and paint a target on every kid’s back while you’re at it!
Steven Michael Rosenoff, Lacey
Abortion debate is about freedom and responsibility
The abortion conversation hinges on a couple of core ideals in our society: individual freedom and personal responsibility. The freedom for a woman to make choices regarding their health and safety, and make responsible decisions for their lives, family, and community.
So the question is, and this is directed at the religious and political conservatives out there who have drawn a hard line on abortion: Are you willing to give up some of your freedom and let the government tell you what to do with your own bodies and lives?
Countless times we’ve seen the danger of letting governments decide how free we can be. They often don’t stop until they have total control. That’s dictatorship, and it has always led to people being killed or imprisoned for loving who they love, believing what they believe, or simply being who they are.
And they already said the quiet part out loud. They’re coming for marriage equality next. Couples across the gender and racial spectrum who did nothing but fall in love will be cast back into the shadows or forced to flee altogether. It’ll be people you know and love.
They’re coming for your parental rights. Do you really want the government in your living room telling you how to raise your kids, telling you what you’re allowed to let them watch and read?
Is that the America you envision when you say the Pledge of Allegiance? A divided nation of us and them, with liberty and justice for some?
Rob Richards, Olympia