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(Photo from Flash90)
(Photo from Flash90)

Don’t insult those against the death penalty

With one significant exception, I agree with everything stated by Baruch McDoodle (Letters: “Death penalty for shooter,”, March 13), and I am saddened that people who were a part of his life and whom he obviously dearly loved were so horrifically taken from him and from all of us on our modern day of infamy, the slaughter at the Tree of Life synagogue building.

Yes, of course, those who were slain by the heinous killer did not in any way deserve their fate, there was no justification whatsoever for such an antisocial act, and yes, he surely would have gone on to other beloved Jewish institutions to commit slaughter had he not been stopped by our brave law enforcement officers.

In my view, the killer deserves the death penalty, and swiftly, not decades from now, not following appeal after appeal. There are, however, two sides to every issue and those who disagree with us, including many victims’ survivors, are to be respected.

To say that those who prefer life in prison as his future sentence are “not in their right mind” goes down a dangerous road and it is an insult to the many members of our community who do not believe in capital punishment, even for the worst of the worst. Such dismissiveness for those who disagree is something with which I am familiar from daily participation in online newspaper forums in which I am subjected to ad hominem attack and classified as “deranged” for consistently challenging the president with facts.

Disagree, debate, and challenge, tell me why I am wrong, but please: Those who disagree with you are not mentally disabled. 

Oren Spiegler
Peters Township

Embrace the staycation

Get up a little earlier than the family. Take a quick shower, get dressed, put on a little makeup and have breakfast. Then wake up the family. Otherwise, the day, the news, the to-dos will get ahead of you and you won’t eat breakfast until 1:30.
We need all the help we can get to relax our overstressed brains. Turn down the lights, put some candles in the bathroom, add a delicious-smelling bubble bath, play relaxing music on your iPhone speaker and sip a glass of wine from your nicest goblet. Staycation!

Grab your favorite snacks and get in your car. Drive around with the windows open and your favorite tunes playing. Wave to all the bicyclists, strollers, joggers and dog walkers. Park at a lovely spot and call a good friend on your speakerphone. Come home and take a bath. Ahhhh. 

Ilana Schwarcz
Squirrel Hill

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