Not Saddened

Re "Gone Baby Gone" (MetroNews, Sept. 17): I am outraged that the general public would care about keeping a criminal's "mind and heart strong." When you have committed and are found guilty of a crime, you lose your freedom. It is a shame that assemblymembers and senators would waste their time on such a frivolous issue. I am not saddened nor feel any sympathy for a convicted criminal who will not get to see his family. What about his victim? After all, they are not taking away his right to visitation, just relocating them. In conclusion: Travel to Arizona to visit your son.

Nicole Camet
San Jose

Families Have Rights

Re "Gone Baby Gone": Someone needs to do something in defense for the inmates whose families will suffer because of an insensitive judicial system called the Department of Corrections. There is so much corruption in that system—and unfairness.

Families are already suffering ... they don't need to suffer any longer. In order to help correct the overcrowding, judges need to re-evaluate how they are sentencing. They need to look at what programs and can help rehabilitate the problem that got the inmates in the prison system originally.

The system today is corrupt and so the people feel that it is hopeless to get any assistance based on that.

I had a family member in the jail once, woke at 5am to stand in a long line for my baby boy to see his dad, only to wait three hours. And when we finally got "in," the sheriff refused to call my husband for visitation and when I asked, "What are you doing? My baby and I have waited to see his dad, my husband," he said, "Oh well, that's what you get ... you have no rights."

I believe in America, I do—as well as all the wives, mothers and family members whose loved one went into the system for whatever reason And, I might add, the system knows that there are innocent people in there, and is doing nothing about it.

Someone needs to do something.

Tina C.
San Jose

Change Agent

Re "Growing Real Change" (Live Feed, Nov. 12): Hi Metro and Mr. Stett Holbrook: Thanks for the attention that you all gave to my letter to Michael Pollan. I appreciate it.

Andrew Griffin
Watsonville

Save 8

With all due respect to my fellow Campbell resident, Julia Rodriguez (Letters, Oct. 8), Prop. 8 is not an "amendment," but rather a nonbinding initiative. Liberals like state Attorney Jerry Brown, Mayor Gavin Newsom and the California State Supreme Court like to flaunt the laws on the books whenever it is convenient for them to not carry out the consensus will of the people. I urge [Californians] to send a strong message to the state attorney general and the Supreme Court that they should uphold and enforce the existing laws and not to legislate new laws by executive decree or from behind the bench.

Pete Josenhans
Campbell

I Heart Horse

I appreciated the article regarding FDA regulations on genetically modified foods ("Animal Pharm," MetroNews, Nov. 12). I believe that this is a great time for this issue to be brought up, considering all the wonderful recent changes in the government. While I do see benefits in GM foods, I fear that it is a slippery slope and believe that humans must stop trying to disrupt Mother Nature. I also find that there is an interesting correlation between this issue and those of gay rights, especially regarding Proposition 8. I wonder how the people who voted yes on Prop. 8 based on religious or traditional views feel about genetic modification. If they believe being gay is unnatural, then they must be against genetic modification. If gay marriage were to come back and genetic modification were to go on with full force, we could have men married to genetically modified horses. And I don't believe that is OK in the Bible.

Tiffany Cruickshank
San Jose

Protect Jobs

For millions of Americans struggling to ride out this economic turmoil, good jobs are harder and harder to come by. And with CEOs getting golden parachutes while working families get stuck holding the bag, we need to level the playing field.

How can we do it? We have to at least ensure more men and women have access to good union jobs that strengthen the ability for workers to have fair pay, quality health care, better job standards and less insecurity.

Barack Obama has promised to help pass the Employee Free Choice Act, a bipartisan bill which would make it easier for workers to form unions and stay in the middle class. I hope our new leaders in Congress will pass the Employee Free Choice Act and make the economy work for everyone.

Millions of Americans voted for change on Nov. 4, and this bill is a concrete step in the right direction.

Mike Perona
Cupertino