Columnist should label himself irresponsible

What is with columnist Steve Smith and his Family Time columns?

His column with his “advice” to high school graduates about not

going to college because college is for suckers and to send

graduation announcements to anyone you know, and even those you do

not know, because they will send you money, and other rather unusual

items was bad enough (“A curt list of tips for graduates,” June 22).

Now, in his column Saturday about Samantha Runnion’s kidnapping

and murder, he calls those he interviewed “ignorant” because they

planned to take action to prevent Samantha’s fate from happening to

their own children (“No reason to let fear tear you apart,”

Saturday).

Even if the number of incidents of stranger abduction is low, it

is irresponsible to not educate and warn children of potentially

dangerous situations. Smith seems to believe this is only done with

fear and anxiety, not with love and concern. Maybe he should

interview the Lomita residents whose son was almost abducted by a

stranger on Saturday.

I would venture to guess that if Smith surveyed his readers and

asked how many had been “offered candy,” asked to help find a lost

pet, or merely followed by a stranger, or experienced a “close call,”

he would receive a surprisingly high number of responses.

JANE HILGENDORF

Corona del Mar