Writer needs better sources on homicides

Writer needs better sources on homicides

In his Oct. 10 letter, “More gun control is not answer to deaths,” Peter Henningson states that, “Australia, Mexico and the United Kingdom have homicide rates much higher than ours, according to official records.” Mr. Henningson gives no reference for his “official records.”

However, according to the U.N. Office of Drugs and Crime and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United States has a much higher rate of homicides than all but three of the 34 OECD developed nations. These three nations are Mexico, Turkey and Estonia.

The OECD data (https://data.oecd.org/) show that the U.S. homicide rate is about four times higher than that of Australia or the United Kingdom.

Perhaps Mr. Henningson should reevaluate his sources?

Roberta Steiner

Schenectady

People need guns to protect themselves

On Oct. 6, there was an article showing that 22 people a day die from homicides involving a gun. No mention if any of them were legally owned, (which I doubt) or if they were justified or not.

The most disturbing trend in the article was: “When the police arrived, they found … ” This in itself explains the need to have the option to defend yourself. These situations need reactors, not responders.

Robert Todt

Amsterdam

Have abortion rights been taken too far?

Growing up in Western Pennsylvania during and after WWII gave me the opportunity to become aware of the atrocities committed by those in power in Nazi Germany.

As a young boy whose heroes included American generals, Stan Musial, Joe DiMaggio and FDR, it sickened me to read about medical experiments performed on European Jews, downed American pilots (Japan) and mass executions of religious sects.

Ah, but that was in the past. That could never happen in my homeland. Then came Roe v. Wade.

That historic case seemed to state that abortions — the terminating of the life process of a human being — were now legal and made part of what is called, “women’s rights.” And why not? Incest, rape, the health, physical or mental well-being of the mother or the unborn child should compel us to condone such a thing. But has the right to abort gone too far? Some records show that one out of three pregnancies in the United States is terminated in abortion. But there is something else which is being carried too far.

It is hard to ignore the recent revelations about Planned Parenthood brought to light by the right-to-life advocates. Undercover documentation by films showing a carefree approach to the selling of human body parts is as revolting as was the slaughter of human beings during World War II.

The harvesting of body parts of aborted babies, sold on the open market, is inhumane. The former speaker of the House of Representatives says that such films are not real. (She has never seen them, but defiantly states that they are fraudulent.)

Interesting. It is also interesting to note that Jane Roe, the name used in the historic case that led to legal abortions, was a pseudonym. The real person in that case was Normal McCovey, and she now supports making abortion illegal.

As stated above, there are valid reasons why abortion should be available to women. But destroying a human life to harvest body parts should not be part of what young Americans read and remember.

Allen R. Remaley

Saratoga Springs

Planned Parenthood not same as Nazis

I am writing in regard to the Oct. 12 letter, “Use Of Body Parts No Different Than Nazis,” by Wendell Neugebauer. It is letters like his that make me lose faith in mankind.

I am the son of a Holocaust survivor. I am the son of a man who was imprisoned behind those barbwire fences at Auschwitz. I am the grandson and nephew of family members who never made it out of the death camps or Nazi ghettos. I am the son who was told the story by my father so I would not forget the stench of the burning of mass bodies that filled your air around Auschwitz.

Mr. Neugebauer, it is people like you and your religion that led directly to the death of well over 6 million people, simply because they were Jewish, or gay, a Gypsy, or had the strength and courage to stand up to the Nazis. Weak people like you let this happen, and you need to live with that.

You have no right to mention the Holocaust and certainly no right to compare an organization that has saved millions of lives to the Nazi death machine. You have crossed the line. In your attempt to vilify Planned Parenthood, you have exposed your own intolerance. Shame on you. Shame on you.

As citizens of the greatest country in the world, our female population has the right to decide whether they wish to terminate a pregnancy. Not you, and certainly not your fascist friends and religion. Research on donated DNA from terminated pregnancies has led to many advances in medicine that may save your life or that of your family members. (I refer you to an Aug. 11 AP article, “Scientists say fetal tissue remains essential for vaccines and developing treatments.”) The key word there being “donated.”

No one is forcing women to have abortions. Your words show ignorance and lack of compassion for the difficult decision these young women face. And certainly no government is making it mandatory to donate DNA from that abortion. The medical knowledge gained here is not at the expense of innocent people, herded like cattle, into death camps.

In closing, you should see what it was really like in Auschwitz and what your kind did to cause the Holocaust. It took a lot of courage, but my father eventually found the strength to write about his experiences and published his story at the age of 90, (“Cry, if You Can,” by Leo Winokur Winn, 2014).

I am proud to live in this country, but it depresses me that so many of my fellow citizens are so quick to defend “potential life,” while they are deaf and dumb to the death all around them.

Michael Winn

Saratoga Springs

Rybak puts personal stamp on justice

We have worked as court clerks for Clifton Park Town Justice Robert A. Rybak ranging from four to 26 years, and his dedication to his job is second to none.

From spending time with defendants and their parents to following up to make sure that a defendant has complied with the terms of his sentence, Judge Rybak has made sure that every case he has handled received his personal attention.

We have been able to witness firsthand his passion for the rights of victims and defendants, as well as his ability to keep an open mind while judiciously weighing all facts from a disciplined and objective point of view.

There is no question that Judge Rybak deserves to be re-elected, and we are urging voters to casttheir vote for Judge Robert A. Rybak as Clifton Park town justice.

Carol O’Brien

Clifton Park

Darlene Sharron

Rexford

The letter was also signed by Connie Brown of Rexford, Charlene Marra, Susan Nielsen and Janet Gomes of Clifton Park, and Laura Davidson of Stillwater.

DeLucia would make great leader for Malta

Vince DeLucia and I have known each other for a long time. We both were Ballston Spa graduates, though he was several years behind me. He excelled in sports in high school and college.

His older brother and I attended St. Lawrence University, and Vince was always there for trips back to school. Our paths crossed again for 12 years at Shenendehowa Central, where he was an elementary principal and I was director of pupil services.

In 2000, I asked Vince if he would be on the board of Newmeadow, our preschool for children with disabilities that I had established with my wife. As busy as he was, he came on and rose to become its president.

He was capable and dedicated to the task. He was always looking out for the kids, always making sure every decision started with, “How does this help the children?” The school’s success, now a top school of its kind for autism in the region, still rides on Vince’s energy and efforts.

Vince is a candidate for town supervisor in Malta. I know he will treat the town as he did our school. I wish I could vote for him, but I live in Halfmoon.

Thomas Funiciello

Halfmoon

The writer is the retired executive director of Newmeadow.

Support Farley for Supreme Court judge

Please join me and vote for Mary Farley for Supreme Court on Nov. 3. There are two vacancies this year, so you can choose two candidates on the ballot. You can vote for Mary on either the Republican or Reform party line.

Mary began campaigning in all 11 counties of our 4th Judicial District back in January, when I first met her. She is intelligent, down-to-earth and is a people person. If you haven’t met her in person, I urge you to watch her “Elect Mary Farley” Facebook page and go to an event so that you can meet her. She received the highest rating a judicial candidate can receive: “highly qualified” by the judicial screening commission (IJEQC).

Having served as now-retired Supreme Court Justice David Demarest’s principal law clerk for more than two decades, she has the experience and training to do the job on day one.

Check out Mary’s resume, her IJEQC rating, endorsements and testimonials on her Web page: MaryFarley2015.com. She has my unqualified support and I ask you to join me in supporting her candidacy. Please vote for Mary Farley for Supreme Court on Nov. 3. Tell your friends, neighbors, co-workers and relatives how important this election is. Mary needs to be one of two top vote-getters in all 11 counties of our judicial district to be successful. Every vote does count.

John Lant

Wilton

Correction

An endorsement editorial in Sunday’s Gazette stated that there were no major grocery stores in the city of Schenectady. There is a large Price Chopper on Eastern Parkway.

Categories: Letters to the Editor