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KILLER'S LEGACY

Little sympathy for thin-skinned reaction to hard-hearted reality

Editor, The Times:

So one of Gary Ridgway's lawyers, Michele Shaw, is "offended" by comments critical of Ridgway's family ("Ridgway's relatives 'mortified by grief,' " Times, Local News, Nov. 9). I have a message for Ms. Shaw: The rest of us are offended by a few things ourselves.

We're offended by a system that permits sub-humans like Gary Ridgway to plea-bargain his way out of the death penalty by essentially holding taxpayers and the families of his victims hostage. The families need some semblance of closure for their tragic losses and taxpayers need to be relieved of the exorbitant financial burden of his defense — a burden that was artificially inflated far beyond reason.

Shaw and her cohorts are callously using these stresses on victims' families and taxpayers to (influence) the prosecutor into this unconscionable agreement.

We're further offended by the prospect of this case being used as an excuse by other defense lawyers to attack the death-penalty verdicts faced by other convicted murderers.

Finally, we're offended by the fact that Ridgway will now be fed and cared for medically for the rest of his life at our collective expense.

While it is good that this individual has finally been apprehended, the resolution of his case is truly a travesty of justice — thanks to people like Michele Shaw and Tony Savage.
Jim Sullivan, Renton

Dial 'M' for murderer

In "Ridgway's relatives mortified by grief," we learn that Ridgway attorney Michele Shaw "flew to California to meet with Matt, Ridgway's only son, and his wife, Dianne," in order to break the news of the plea agreement to them.

Who paid for this trip? Not the taxpayers of King County, I hope. Ridgway is entitled to a defense at taxpayer expense, but this sort of service is ridiculous. A phone call would have sufficed, and as I can see no way in which this conversation would be relevant to his defense, it should have been made collect.
Michael Dolenga, Woodinville

Not worth the price of admission

When's the motion picture? When's the HBO miniseries? When will it be released on DVD and VHS? Who'll play Gary? Will there be an Emmy or an Oscar nomination? When's the book? What's the advance gonna be?

Oh, yeah... where's the justice?
Jonathan Granato, Seattle

Hate differentiates

As difficult as it must have been to resist the temptation to convict Gary Ridgway of the four murders for which he was arrested and send him to the table for a lethal injection without going any further into the investigation, I applaud the sheriff and King County prosecutors for doing so. The plea-bargain arrangement made it possible for family members of many of the victims to get final answers to questions that have tortured them for so many years.

The Green River Task Force, including Sheriff Dave Reichert, stayed true to their promise of helping these families and should be commended for it.

Talk to or read the story of anyone who has ever lost a child and it quickly becomes apparent that there is nothing in life more sad, except not knowing how the loss occurred. Lack of closure is torturous. Because of the plea bargain, many people now have the closure they were so desperate for so many years and can now live a less tortured existence.

A lot of good has been done for a lot of people, and living the rest of his life in the hellish confines of a prison will be a much more difficult existence for Ridgway than simply laying on a table and being put to sleep.

The ability to resist the urge to kill someone we hate is one of the things that makes us different from Gary Ridgway.
John Nixon, Renton

SEEKING COMMON GROUND

Clarity begins at home

We applaud The Times for publishing Avraham Burg's analysis on how the Israeli occupation, which humiliates Palestinians, is also destroying Israel's future as a peaceful, democratic and pluralistic Jewish state ("A lost tribe: Israel must choose between right and wrong," guest commentary, Nov. 9).

As American Jews who share a deep love for Israel, we advocate for bringing settlers home to Israel and ending the occupation. There is a strong chorus of voices supporting Burg's concerns, emanating from the very core of Israeli society.

Alternatives exist to a culture of callousness and blind force. Israelis and Palestinians have negotiated the "Geneva Accord" — a bold new peace initiative resolving every aspect of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Ami Ayalon and Sari Nusseibeh's People's Initiative (a grass-roots peace petition that dovetails neatly with the Geneva principles) has obtained more than 160,000 Israeli and Palestinian signatures in three months.

Burg's impassioned cry deserves to be heard: "Israel's friends abroad — Jewish and non-Jewish alike, presidents and prime ministers, rabbis and lay people — must reach out and help Israel navigate the road map toward our national destiny" as a society of peace, justice and equality.

For the good of Israel, for hope for the Palestinians, for stability in the Middle East, support Avraham Burg and other advocates for a just peace.
Rabbi Hillel Gamoran, Rainer Waldman Adkins, Barbara Lahav and Charles Davis, for Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, Seattle Chapter-Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace

Welcome friends

As a Jewish American, I am proud of the state of Israel, which has been under constant attack by terrorists and her Arab neighbors for over 50 years. If all countries of the world were based on the same moral foundation as Israel, this world would be a better place.

Israel is a democracy — the only democracy in the Middle East. Like America and all other free countries in this world, Israel struggles with issues of racism, sexism and classism, but Israeli is a country with the freedom to assemble, freedom of religion, freedom to vote, freedom of speech, socialized medicine and public education.

Arab Israelis have many more freedoms in Israel than they ever would if they lived in Arab countries. Most Arab countries have few to no civil rights. Many Arab Israelis migrated to Israel for this better life. Israel is a democracy that awaits partners for peace.

Mr. Burg, don't forget that the very fact that you can even write and publish your (opinion) in Israel that strongly criticizes the Israeli government without any risk of being imprisoned or executed for your anti-Israel sentiments, is evidence that the good and right moral foundation of a democratic Israel is alive and well.
Rebecca Berman Phelps, Everett

STATE OF RELIEF

The end isn't near

I see where a scientific conference on hazards of comets smashing into the Earth concluded that "an object about 1,000 feet would flatten everything in an area the size of New Jersey and kill everybody there."

What I like about living in the state of Washington is that the state of Washington is not the size of New Jersey!
Stephen Napierala, Edmonds

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