Letters to the Editor

Safe injection sites

I oppose proposals establishing “safe injection sites” in Massachusetts.

Legislation like Senate Bill 1134 sponsored by state Senator Joseph Boncore would create taxpayer funded and staffed medical facilities through-out the state, including Cape Cod.

People would bring illegal drugs obtained on the street and inject themselves without risk of criminal prosecution.

Such proposals conflict with federal law.

These sites would normalize intravenous use of heroin and fentanyl, but not be off limits to federal law enforcement efforts. Moreover, employees and users of such a site would be exposed to federal criminal charges regardless of any state law or study.

Federal statutes prohibiting illicit narcotics and maintaining premises for illegal narcotics use make of it a crime to do so.

Properties hosting these sites would be subject to federal forfeiture.

Additionally, there is no credible empirical evidence which suggests that safe injection sites lead drug addicts into ongoing treatment.

We are in a war with the opioid epidemic. We do not need state-sponsored shooting-up galleries which is essentially what they would be.

Undermining the rule of law is all these sites would achieve rather than aiding our valiant communities ravaged by the opioid crisis, and the courageous families residing within them.

— Ronald Beaty
Barnstable County Commissioner
Barnstable

 

Partisan process

I’m one of the 63 million Deplorables that voted for Donald Trump. Like Mr. (Jeff) Robbins, I’m often appalled by his behavior but I agree with many of his policies (less government regulation, lower taxes, tougher on Iran, etc.), especially when compared to what I consider the radical policies of the Democrat presidential candidates. I understand that many people will disagree with me and I respect their opinion. I don’t denigrate them as racist, misogynist or xenophobic because they don’t support Trump.

This basic lack of respect of anyone with a different opinion makes it very hard to respect an impeachment process that is being run by a different standard than previous impeachments, which have been bi-partisan endeavors with full transparency and open hearings. In the current process, the hearings are closed, there is no ability to cross-examine witnesses/accusers, the access to transcripts is limited or nonexistent, and selective testimony is leaked to the press. This feels like something that would happen in a banana republic, not the United States.

I understand that Mr. Robbins’ hatred of Donald Trump has a following that enjoys his writing. They are fully entitled to do so and I respect his opinion. On the other hand, if his goal is convince everyday people, it has the opposite impact.

— Brian Miller
Sudbury

 

Varsity Blues

As a middle class American parent, I’ve had my own children doing “all nighters” routinely in preparing and studying to get into good colleges and possibly secure scholarship and financial aid.

Ironically, to see folks leverage their affluence and get off with a slap on the wrist despite cheating though the college admission process is a grave injustice to students who work their way assiduously.

What Felicity Huffman and some other parents did to push their children ahead of others though unfair and unscrupulous means is absolutely unacceptable and is a willful act of blatant cheating. The fact that Ms. Huffman was granted leniency sends a wrong message to the perpetrators of such unethical and illegal acts.

— Atul M. Karnik
Woodside, N.Y.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2PIRtTC