Government excess demands a response
1. 41-vehicle wreck ties up traffic Sunday on I-81 in Rockbridge County
2. Virginia Tech football roster has holes on picture day
3. Medicare penalties hit hospitals in Roanoke, New River Valleys
4. Microfestivus beer event gets downtown Roanoke hopping
5. McFarling: 2 little numbers are a big hurdle for Virginia Tech football
6. Arrest made in case of missing Nelson County teen
7. DAN CASEY: Copter cost still stirring up dust
8. Roanoke farmers markets making local foods more accessible
9. Virginia attorney general's office grows under Ken Cuccinelli
10. Man's drowning is 5th in Lynchburg area
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Government excess demands a response
I’m writing this letter to implore the readers of The Roanoke Times to lay down their partisan ideals today. We are a country of diverse views, and we tend to focus on our disagreements.
But we now have a cause that spans these borders and brings us together. During this administration and the last, Republicans and Democrats have thrown our Fourth Amendment in the trash.
Liberals, Republicans, Libertarians, Democrats, Independents, etc., should be equally outraged toward the actions of the National Security Agency and other government agencies. We should stand together to say that we have had enough.
Let us work together, just as the politicians are, but to turn back this tyranny and show the world that we will not tolerate this behavior. This issue transcends political boundaries. This issue is bigger than Bush versus Obama. We must stand up against this unconstitutional aggression no matter what administration is in power.
I implore you to not get distracted in the coming weeks by the mainstream media, but to work together to undo the Patriot Act and the National Defense Authorization Act.
BRETT ROBERTS
RINER
Samaritans are still liable for their acts
Re: James P. Hicks’ suggestion for a Good Samaritan law (“Armed intervention should be protected,” June 25 letter) to allow an armed citizen bystander to respond to an ongoing crime and not be held criminally responsible for “flawed” judgment:
A “good Samaritan” with the best of intentions responding to a roadside accident may or may not save another human, but he has put himself into the position of having to decide whether or not to take another human life. The “good Samaritan” has single-digit seconds to determine: a.) who was the initiator and who is the defender; b.) is the defender under the “good Samaritan’s” “mantle of protection”; c.) does the level of force utilized by the combatants justify the threat or use of lethal force; d.) will his deployment of a gun escalate a non-lethal situation to a lethal one?
Generally, it is better to call 911 and to try to be an accurate, reliable, responsible witness. If in an event such as the above you decide to use lethal force, then you are and should be responsible for the consequences that arise from the bullets that leave the barrel of your weapon.
DANA JACOBS
BLUE RIDGE
1. 41-vehicle wreck ties up traffic Sunday on I-81 in Rockbridge County
2. Virginia Tech football roster has holes on picture day
3. Medicare penalties hit hospitals in Roanoke, New River Valleys
4. Microfestivus beer event gets downtown Roanoke hopping
5. McFarling: 2 little numbers are a big hurdle for Virginia Tech football
6. Arrest made in case of missing Nelson County teen
7. DAN CASEY: Copter cost still stirring up dust
8. Roanoke farmers markets making local foods more accessible
9. Virginia attorney general's office grows under Ken Cuccinelli
10. Man's drowning is 5th in Lynchburg area
THE ROANOKE TIMES
