Letter: Why not cut off their thumbs?

Friday, Nov. 11, 2005 | 8:33 a.m.

There is now an overwhelming majority in our populace who sincerely believes that fellow human beings should simply not be held responsible or accountable for their individual actions. We have proven this in our political arena, our judicial system, our educational system, our immigration policies and enforcement, our sports/entertainment industry, private business, public health and social services and, most tragically, in our family structures.

We have abandoned both common sense, in lieu of not wanting to offend anyone, and the true spirit of the First Amendment. Punishment rarely fits the crime, and then only after years of appeals and exorbitant legal costs to taxpayers, generally arguing technicalities and not common sense or evidence.

So, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman does, at times, express views based primarily on what the rest of us have abandoned -- common sense and reality! Cut the thumbs off so-called "graffiti artists"? Well, we don4t hold the perpetrators or their legal guardi-ans accountable, so, why not?

How many thumbs do we think would be lost before the graffiti came to a screeching halt? We could then take the $1 million a year it costs taxpayers for cleanup and spend it on teaching the "artists" what is and is not accepted behavior in a civilized community -- something their parents have obviously failed at.

Rob Litchie

Las Vegas