Nevertheless, as a society we have an obligation to address some of the issues that have arisen. As the article states, it seems the driver of the car that allegedly plowed into the car in which the couple were passengers served ten years in prison after his conviction for manslaughter and robbery. He was also awaiting trial for driving while under the influence, though it has not been determined that he was intoxicated at the time of the accident because he surrendered several days afterward.
And there is the rub. He was out on the street because a judge denied the district attorney’s request for setting bail at a relatively high amount as a condition of his release until trial. Perhaps we have to tighten the rules for the release, even the temporary release, of someone convicted of violent acts and accused of driving under the influence.
A car can be a lethal weapon and someone who is so indifferent as to commit manslaughter and drive when not fully in control of himself should be presumed to constitute a continuing risk to others and kept off the streets.
Alan Karlin
(Via E-Mail)
‘Strategic Ally’ Bill (I)
I am having a lot of trouble understanding the logic of those in Congress who are pushing to officially designate Israel a key ally of the United States (“Congress Introduces Bill to Make Israel ‘Major Strategic Ally,’ ” news story, March 8).
It is one thing to arrange for legislators to join in a letter or adopt a resolution urging the president to support Israel on a particular issue or set of issues. But it is quite another thing to seek a law requiring him to pursue a certain foreign policy that seems to me to be unprecedented and beyond the province of Congress.
Shlomo Trachtenberg
(Via E-Mail)
‘Strategic Ally’ Bill (II)
I applaud the bipartisan effort of Republican Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Democratic Congressman Ted Deutch to pass legislation requiring that the Obama administration deal with Israel as a “major strategic ally” in terms of cooperation on defense issues, energy research and cyber security.
It seems like a good idea in principle and is certainly called for in view of the many existential threats Israel faces.
Allison Berg
New York, NY