Letters to the editor: 08/08/02

Cruelty to animals is a crime

To the Editor:

Where is your mind? And equally important, where is your heart? What kind of person would do such a cruel thing? Frankly, I think you deserve the same fate as your dogs, to experience being closed up in a vehicle with no air and no idea when you will be let out. What you absolutely do not deserve is the right to own pets. I have owned pets all my life, and I am sickened and infuriated that someone could be so unfeeling as that.

I went to report the situation to the person in charge at Food Lion, only to discover that another woman had already done that and was pointing out your car to him. We waited there until we saw you walk out and over to the car. I have never seen you before, and I don't know if your are from Sylva or not. I do know your car had a N.C. license tag. But trust me, I will not forget your face for a very long time, and if I see you again, I'll be keeping an eye out for your dogs. You, and other people like you, who think it's okay to be cruel to animals, need to know that animal cruelty is a crime, and there are many people, including the other woman who reported you, that are looking at you and looking out for your pets.

I would like to say, I'm totally amazed by this behavior, but unfortunately, I'm not really ­ I see people doing stupid things all the time, but this went beyond the bounds of stupidity into downright cruelty and must be brought to people's attention. Animals are living creatures too , and they need air and water as much as you do. Take care of them, please, and to other people out there, don't be afraid to report animal cruelty, so that those people who commit this crime know it will be taken seriously.

Sharon Dobrovicz

Sylva

Keep kids near home

To the Editor:

I had heard we need to cut this cruising problem out for years, although I never saw it as being so bad. I'm sure there were mild incidents of vandalism and tires being squealed and things like that. Winn Dixie closed at 9 p.m., the other stores a little earlier. It seemed to me the only traffic problem was getting out of the theater after the 9 o'clock show. The cruising never started before then.

Our children were harassed and threatened by law enforcement. We opened a new fitness center, and hoped our children would go there, but it didn't happen.

Local law enforcement's view of this matter is mission accomplished, they ran those teenagers right out of town. I don't know where they thought our children would go, and now we all know, they go to Asheville every chance they get.

So if you want to come shop at our plaza after the stores are all closed, or come see a show at our run down theater, you can get right in. Or maybe you eat at Antipasto's there is no traffic problem there. But don't ask us where our children are, the one's who drive, because we do not know. They are somewhere in Asheville, every weekend and sometimes during the week. They are somewhere in Asheville, where there have been 10 murders so far this year, where they have a problem with gang related violence, where there are numerous stabbings and shootings.

Parents of Sylva teens, learn from our mistake, don't let local politicians run your children out of town. At least for now you know where your children are, that's important, very important.

Lavone Swanger

Waynesville

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