MAILBAG - Nov. 9, 2006

Officers did what they’re trained to do

I do not believe that the two Huntington Beach police officers should be charged in the shooting of 18-year-old Ashley MacDonald. The shooting was a tragedy for her family, of course, but also for the officers involved. They certainly did not want to shoot her that day.

How can we train officers to do a job and then charge them criminally when they use that training in real-life situations? My understanding is they repeatedly told her to drop the knife she was carrying, and when she did not but came toward them instead, she was shot. The decision to shoot must be made in a split second.

Our children need to be taught to obey police officers’ directions; to put down a knife does not seem like such a difficult request. When someone is upset or possibly on drugs and they do not comply with officers’ directions, they must bear some responsibility for their actions. That MacDonald paid for this mistake with her life is definitely tragic, but do not make the officers pay a price for doing exactly what they were trained to do.

SUSAN PINKSTAFF

Huntington Beach

Officers should not be prosecuted

I don’t think the police officers should be prosecuted.

DOROTHY WASHBURN

Huntington Beach

People need to know to obey officers

I do not believe that those officers should be charged. That’s their job, and if people aren’t taught at home to stop, then they deserve to be shot. Yes, that was sad, but you know what, they are doing their job. They are protecting our community. I think if this happens, it’s absolutely horrifying.

VIVIAN NEWTON

Huntington Beach

Signs pollute our otherwise beautiful city

I pay a great deal of attention to the campaign signs that are littering the entire city of Huntington Beach. I see a total lack of respect on the part of the candidates toward their neighbors and neighborhoods.

It seems irrelevant to the candidates whether the signs are placed on city property or private property. There also seems to be a contest as to who can erect the largest and most grotesque sign. There are two incumbent City Council candidates who are vying for the title. I have decided to not vote for either of these two candidates since their own future is far more important to them than maintaining the cleanliness of our beautiful city.

GEORGE GOEBEL

Huntington Beach

Who is Harman out to hurt?

What is my state senator, Tom Harmon, doing blasting his Republican colleagues in the U.S. Congress? Is it because he wants the Democrats to take control of Congress?

His rant against FEMA’s response to Hurricane Katrina most specifically should be directed at the local and state governments that failed to do anything. They didn’t even follow their own plan. They didn’t even ask for FEMA help in a timely manner.

To blame Congress for the boarder problems is a shotgun approach to the problems in Congress. The House of Representatives has been and is taking action on the boarder problem. It was the RINOs (Republican in name only) that joined the Democrats in the Senate to come up with a shameless amnesty program and stymied the Congress.

Harman needs to explain why he, a Republican, is speaking out to further the Democrats in this election.

CURTIS CAMPBELL

Huntington Beach