VANDALISM: No justification

On May 15, a writer submitted a letter to the editor which begins, “No one can justify vandalism,...”

The letter writer proceeds to pen four paragraphs trying to justify vandalism!

Oh no, the poor children were deprived of their Constitutional Right to play basketball, therefore their crime of vandalism isn’t a crime at all. Instead, it is merely an understandable outlet for the aggrieved to register their complaint about the unfairness of it all.

This is a similar rationale: a parent telling their teen “You are forbidden to have sex,” then giving their child a condom telling them “but if you do, use this.”

Or my favorite: “You may not consume alcohol until you are 21,” then adding, “but if you do drink, I would rather you did it at home so that you aren’t out there drinking and driving.”

What ever happened to taking a stand? Are we so wishy washy now that we can’t say “Vandalism is wrong?”

There are ways people can express their displeasure with laws they believe to be unfair, but damaging the property of someone else, even a public entity’s property, is unjustifiable.

May the offender(s) be caught and punished. Perhaps, as they work to earn the restitution money they owe for their misdeed, they’ll figure it out.

Most of the time, right is right and wrong is wrong. Don’t make it any more complicated than that, folks.

JOSHUA COHEN

Hayden