Excessive force by police no surprise
Surprised? It has been long well-known that the Oneonta Police Department has a history of using excessive force for minor infractions, especially with handcuffed or supine young men, as in the article on Feb. 26, and young ladies are not immune either. They may be knocked about or smashed against the vehicle.
Cops no longer keep their cameras on all the time anymore because film was being used against them by defense attorneys.
Most cases are never reported and quietly disappear. It takes courage to report abuse. We can't waterboard terrorists in Guantanamo who have sworn to kill us in numbers by any means possible, yet American citizens can be tasered for even minor offenses, and many have died as a result. Remember the Florida film of a prostrate, face-down victim sobbing and begging not to be tasered any more and subjected to much more anyway? Google it.
OPD had this latest victim and cuffed, prostrate, face down; they were there in adequate number, carrying guns, billy clubs, handcuffs and pepper spray and used it more than once. Why?
The esteemed editorial board recently expressed delight in cops nationwide, despite their firearms and other weapons, being given the right to taser us. Wake up, America, and God help us.
Watch the blotter sheet to see if I am persecuted for exercising my First Amendment rights.
Jacelyn Bridger
Maryland
Pay more attention to rural back roads
Winter isn't over yet, and part of winter is snow. The snow has caused roads to be slippery and dangerous to drive on, which is where plow trucks, salt and sand come in. The state of New York, counties and towns work to make the roads safe to drive on so that buses can transport children to school and people can drive themselves to work without worrying about getting into an accident.
Unfortunately for people like me, the back roads are often neglected and that is where many people must drive to get to the main roads. I understand that most traffic is on the main roads, but what about the people who live out in the country?
More than once we've had school on a day when the roads and the weather were terrible and often our bus had trouble getting up our hill because it didn't get properly sanded. Even when we decide to drive, the roads are horrid and slippery.
The departments of transportation need to pay more attention to the roads in rural areas so that more people can drive safely and so parents don't have to put their children's lives at risk so they can go to school for a day.
Roseanna Peloso
Mount Upton
Peloso is a senior at Unatego Junior-Senior High School. Peloso and other students have written letters to the editor as part of Kevin D. Bartolomeo's Participation in Government class.
Local PBS should show more `Dr. Who'
I was saddened to learn of Oneonta's local PBS carrier being overtaken by "Antiques Roadshow" episodes. I don't care if your grandpa left you an old ornate box, I want to watch "Doctor Who"!
If I want to watch episodes of "Doctor Who," I have to wait until odd hours of the day (9 a.m., when I'm usually in class, or 11 p.m., when I'm usually sleeping) or pony up $100 apiece to buy a DVD boxed set. "Antiques Roadshow," by contrast, is on all the time!
Why? "Roadshow" doesn't have sex appeal, where "Doctor Who" has both Freema Agyeman and Billie Piper. "Who" is comedic, dramatic, romantic and a host of other traits, where "Roadshow" makes me want to watch something more entertaining, like drying paint.
I'm not saying that PBS doesn't have quality programs. Indeed, it has been very good about airing other British shows such as "Jeeves and Wooster" and "Masterpiece Theater." But no network, not even BBC America, seems to air a regular "Doctor Who" episode. I merely ask that PBS yank some boring-to-tears programs and replace them with episodes from the almost-50-year history of "Doctor Who."
Nico Meyering
Oneonta
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