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COLUMNS: Slices
of Life
Somewhere in my many boxes of snapshots I have a photo of a black bear, taken at the local dump in the town near where I grew up. Bears were such a novelty then that I’m sure this particular picture made the rounds of the coffee shops. I can hear the men exclaiming, "Imagine seeing a bear that near town. I’ve never even seen one in the woods, let alone in town." A few years later, one crashed across the road in front of our car as my husband, my mother and I were driving late at night. It was such a novelty that my husband stomped on the brakes, pulled off the road and jumped out of the car for a better look. "No, no!" I’m crying frantically. "Don’t go out there. What if that bear attacks you?" He went anyway, of course, and after being unsuccessful at sighting the bear again, got back in the car, saying, "As fast as it was going, it’s halfway to Bradford by now." But that was those days in the late 1950’s. It’s a different story today. Bears are being seen everywhere. A friend showed me two up-close snapshots, both framing a good-sized black bear. I’m wondering why it stayed so close as she took two pictures. "Oh, it’s not the same bear," she said. "One picture was taken in my back yard (in Montrose) and the other was taken at my cottage at the lake." I thought she was very brave to stand outside and take one photo, let alone two of two different bears. I heard a story today about a neighbor on our street who was working outside in her yard, and a bear came right down through the lawn behind her, and she never knew it until the neighbors told her later. That’s a little too close for comfort for me. After hearing that story, as I’m continuing my walk out the old railroad grade, my head is swiveling, hoping I won’t catch a glimpse of something black. I love to go berrying, but I don’t want to end up like my Dad, who discovered he was picking berries on one side of a blackberry bush while the bear picked on the other. Gathering blueberries makes me especially nervous, because I know that they are one of the bears’ staples, and it takes a lot of those little berries to fill up a bear. I’ve been told that a bear’s eyesight is not that good, and they can smell an intruder in their space before they see it. It was definitely smell that lured the bear into my niece’s kitchen where she had been baking cookies. It walked right through the screen door as soon as she went down the long driveway to meet her kindergartner at the bus stop. Luckily the bear took what he wanted and left by the time they got back, but he also left the kitchen in a mess and some nervous folks behind. So we do this uneasy dance with our furry friends, hoping to admire them from afar, but not wanting to meet them up close and personal. Time will tell. Now a PS to last week’s story: If you are making the cookies, be sure you use one and two-thirds cups of graham cracker crumbs. Computers, being as assertive as they are, left the "1" at the end of one line and the "2/3" on the next. Hope you didn’t get confused.
OAKLEY: Notice has been received from the government that after August 1st the Post Office at this place will be discontinued. GREAT BEND-HALLSTEAD: Fifteen new stables are being built at the Horse Breeders' Association track to accommodate the large number of horses being entered for the approaching races. SILVER LAKE: St. Augustine's congregation of Silver Lake intend holding a picnic for the benefit of the church, August 15th, in the beautiful grove adjacent to the church. All are cordially invited. A pleasant afternoon's outing is assured and the very best of music has been engaged. SUSQUEHANNA: The cornet band gave a delightful concert in the Main Street pagoda, Saturday evening. AND: A shooting gallery is to be opened in the Birdsall block by W. Hogancamp, and a good patronage is assured. AND: Work, which will terminate in a much needed system of sewerage, has been commenced. MONTROSE: Welcome Clemons, of Helmetta, N.J., in town for a couple of weeks, stopped at Albert Miller's and [is] viewing the scenes of his boyhood. His brother, Wm. H., who usually comes here each summer, goes to Massachusetts this year on an automobile trip. The Messrs. Clemmons are engaged in the manufacture of snuff, on a large scale, at Helmetta. They are sons of the late Henry Clemmons [of Montrose]. There are 17,000,000 lbs of snuff manufactured annually in the United States, of which this factory produces 7,000,000 lbs. ELK LAKE: Madame Arthur, having most successfully graduated her dancing class, has now given her attention to diving, at which delightful pastime she has become most expert; her instruction to a notice, that "the bottom of the lake would push her up again if she struck it hard enough" is worth remembering. AND: Will Powell and his sister, Helen, gave a swell dance at the Fuller cottage, which was elaborately decorated with Chinese lanterns. KINGSLEY: The Gibson cornet band will give an open-air concert here, Saturday evening, Aug. 6. and the Kingsley cornet band will hold a lawn social on the same evening; ice cream and cake will be served. SOUTH GIBSON: Fred McNamara lost, July 31st, between Gibson and this place, a cornet and case; finder please notify the owner or leave it at G.G. McNamara's store; a suitable reward. NEW MILFORD: A number of years ago ten young ladies organized what they were pleased to term the Sense and Nonsense Club. Several times the members have met in annual greeting and on Friday of last week nine of the original number of ten made their pilgrimage to New Milford, the scene of their earliest social gatherings, and reunited for a day in one of the most pleasurable of all their gatherings. Those present were: Mrs. R.D. Bailey; Miss Nina Moore, Seattle, Wash; Mrs. George Leonard, Kansas City; Mrs. Louis Donnelly, Miss Inez Shelp, Binghamton; Mrs. E. B. Moss, Meriden, Conn.; Mrs. Wm. Patterson and Miss Elizabeth Shelp, New Milford. AND: John Jackson, who some 30 years ago left New Milford and had not until last week been heard from by any of his family, was a visitor, accompanied by his wife, to the scenes of his early youth. Miss Belle Jackson, of Binghamton, a daughter of Jefferson Jackson, recently visited the St. Louis Exposition. On her way home she stopped at Chicago and at the request of her father she began a search for her long lost uncle. It was not in vain for among the western city's numerous Jackson's she succeeded in locating her uncle John, and so delighted was he that he made immediate preparations to accompany her home. UPSONVILLE, Franklin Twp.: Someone has been breaking open the Presbyterian sheds again; there seems to be trouble in the wind. HOPBOTTOM: Guy Davies is the proud possessor of a new bicycle and a handsome little Scotch Collie, enough to make any boy smile. CLIFFORD: Winnie Tenant, of Clarks Summit, is visiting friends in town and vicinity. She drives her own rubber-tired carriage and pony. AND: William Lott, our blacksmith, drives the fastest horse in town. BIRCHARDVILLE: Frank Turrell is the boss butter-maker, having made 100 lbs. per cow since April. He has one of the famous separators that D.W. Terry sells. Mr. Turrell says it pays far better to keep the milk at home; you have more clear profit besides the calves and hogs. It would be hard to find a finer lot of calves than Mr. Turrell has. It would be much better if all farmers would think the way Mr. Turrell does, for it is death to horses, besides the time it takes to go to the creamery 4 or 5 miles away in haying time, when wages are $2 a day. FAIRDALE: Will Rhinevault met with an accident on Friday last, while going to Montrose. Near A. Robinson's the horse caught his check in the thill and it threw him to the ground. Mr. R. sprang out of the wagon and tried to control the horse, which in its struggle to get up struck him on the foot, breaking one of the bones. Zenas Smith, who is over 80 years of age, was also in the wagon, and fearing an overturn jumped and fell, shaking him up some, but doing him no other injury. JACKSON: An auctioneer has been at the Central Hotel for the past week and has been selling goods to the public. Many availed themselves of the opportunity to buy at reasonable rates. NEWS BRIEFS: While a circus parade was in progress at Harvey's Lake, one day during the past week, a huge, black bear in the line, wheeled suddenly throwing the keeper to the ground. The animal then made a dash for the crowd, dragging its two keepers, who were unable to check its mad rush. Among the large body of spectators, and in close proximity to the enraged brute, was a Montrose young man, Lewis Loomis, who had in his charge a child in a go-cart, and it was toward him the bear directed his attention. Mr. Loomis "made tracks" with as much speed as he could shoving the slow-moving go-cart, with the bear closely following and at times almost within the reach of his teeth or claws, while the panic-stricken crowd screamed, ran or stood rooted with horror to the spot. Seeing his intended victim was escaping the bear turned on a young lady and succeeded in tearing off her skirt before the keepers had subdued him by the vigorous wielding of heavy clubs. The crowd seemed powerless to render any assistance and but for the bravery of the keepers serious injury and possibly death might have resulted, as the animal was unmuzzled. The excessive heat probably caused temporary madness. Anyway, it was a narrower escape than most of us care to go through and "Lew" knows what it is to experience a "real scare."
Along
the Way...With P. Jay
At last week’s meeting of the Susquehanna County Board of Commissioners the agenda included a resolution to establish an Emergency Services Advisory Board. The nine-member board would include representatives from volunteer fire and ambulance organizations, the county sheriff, an employee from the county’s 9-1-1 Communications Center and one county commissioner. On the surface, it appears like a pretty good idea. The fire and rescue people are out there in the trenches day after day and certainly know the importance of adequate communications. Suggestions from the front line to the comm center, including constructive criticism, would certainly help to bridge any gap between the comm center and the fire and rescue services. However, when one begins to scratch a bit below the surface, the so-called advisory board suddenly takes on an appearance that is akin to George Orwell’s Big Brother. If you recall Orwell’s book, "1984", the ever-watchful eye of Big Brother monitored every move the citizens made. Big Brother commanded the total support of the people and no one dared speak out against him for fear they would be met by the wrath of Orwell’s totalitarian state. In its mission statement, this "advisory board" wants input on just about every facet of the 9-1-1 operation. The board wants to assist in developing standard operating guidelines and monitor them when they are in place, make recommendations regarding training, make sure appropriate issues are being addressed, review job descriptions, help with hiring including a review of all applications for employment, and assist with grant applications and financing. Moreover, the board wants the door kept open for input on additional proposals that might come up from time-to-time. From here it does not appear that some of the items included in the mission statement should become the responsibility of an advisory board. I have seen advisory boards in other communities and in private enterprise that have no say on hiring or creating and monitoring operating guidelines, to name just a couple of areas where this board wants to poke its nose. It also came as quite a shock when Commissioner Jeff Loomis said the committee members (apparently) given the responsibility of creating this board did not want input from Dawn Watson, who has been director of the 9-1-1 Comm Center since its inception in the county. "They did not want Dawn there (at their meetings). Why I don’t know," Mr. Loomis said. "I have not participated other than one meeting," Ms. Watson said. She also expressed concern about some of the objectives in the board’s mission statement. "I have some reservations about some of the things in there because of state laws and regulations that I have to follow." There are a few things the 9-1-1 comm center could use. Like better quarters and wages commensurate with responsibility. It does not need an advisory board that appears anxious to usurp the authority of the department head. Commissioner Loomis wisely flagged a motion to approve the creation of the advisory board until some of the controversial issues generated by the board’s mission statement could be addressed. He called for a meeting of all the principles involved to iron out any differences. "Given the wide number of objections, I will make a motion that we hold this until we can all meet together to discuss it. I do not feel right adding things until we can get together and discuss the ramifications of what they are proposing." Commissioner Mary Ann Warren seconded the motion and it carried 2-0. Commissioner Roberta Kelly was absent. The feeling here is that advisory boards are political. Banks create them to reward large depositors that aren’t good enough for a coveted seat on the Board of Directors. But you can bet the ranch that the advisory board has little or no input on the day-to-day operations of the bank and certainly does not oversee the duties of the bank president. To this, we can only add, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.
The Hallstead–Great Bend American Legion Post 357 is in the process of building a Memorial, at the Post. It is near completion, for the dedication ceremony on September 11, 2004. They would like to publish a booklet honoring the occasion. In the booklet they would like to: "Honor the Men and Women now Serving in the Military"; "Honor the Men and Women that Served"; and dedicate it in memory of those that served. Any family member can send in their kin’s name. There is a slight fee. Deadline is August 14. For more information call the Legion in Hallstead at 879–4277, or write: A. L. Post 357, Booklet committee, P.O. Box 429, Hallstead, PA 18822 c/o The Committee. Best Little/Big Hospital! – A few weeks ago, I spent several days in our local Barnes-Kasson County Hospital. I went in as a very sick boy, but came out feeling quite a bit chipper. The treatment received is second-to-none. Nurses and aides, on all three shifts, left nothing undone. They were at your beck and call when needed. Dr. M. Shah made me comfortable in the emergency room. The next day (my doctor) Dr. P. Patel took over. After a series of Ultra Sound, X-Rays and Cat Scans the culprit that made me sick was found – and treated. Several years ago, I remember seeing a title, "the Best Little (???) in Texas," and it made me think of Barnes-Kasson as the "Best Little/Big Hospital" in all of Pennsylvania. So, it’s Hats Off to the hospital doctors and staff. ABOLISH the "D.H." – The "Designated Hitter" in the American League should be abolished. The National League is smart for not having it. Time and time again batters are being hit, "on purpose." The pitchers have nothing to worry about as they "don’t bat in the American League." Thus, they are not afraid of repercussions. If they were to bat, they would think twice about hitting a batter. Sure, they throw inside, but when they hit a batter "in the back," that’s on purpose. Throwing at a batter’s head is the most serious and it could "kill" a batter. Batters are being hit all over the league. One report had batters – up to 100 or more of them – nailed by pitchers this year. The National League isn’t even close due to the pitcher having to bat. Yes, let’s get rid of the D. H. Let the pitcher bat in the A.L., and you will see less batters hit. A well placed pitch can ruin a player’s career. I say outlaw the D. H. The N.L. is smart not to adopt it. (Any pros or cons?) A BASEBALL QUIZ – How can a pitcher strike out six batters in a scoreless inning? (Please respond in writing to "NewsBeat.") SMART CATCHER – Did you notice that Boston catcher Jason Varitek did not remove his mask when he went after A-Rod in a recent game with the Yankees in Boston? A smart move, for sure. I AGREE & Disagree – Toronto first baseman, Carlos Delago, has irritated many major league teams and fans. He refuses to stand when "God Bless America" is played at different stadiums. He says this is the stupidest war (in Iraq) ever. More were killed after the war ended than during the war. He may be right there, but he must stand at attention during the song, and not take it out on present and past servicemen who are still fighting. Delgado said, "It takes a man to stand up for what he believes. I am not pro-war, I’m anti war. I’m for peace." Delgado, from Puerto Rico also added, "I don’t support what they do. It’s just stupid." IN MY MAIL – In regard to Satchel Page, Negro baseball pitcher, of several years ago – the clipping read, "Among the many Satchisms recorded, my personal favorite, regarding athletes is, "We don’t stop playing because we get old. We get old because we stopped playing." FREE HIM "now" – The Denver courts might as well free Kobe Bryant, NOW. For months, they have delayed the trial. Now they want all of the past history of the woman supposedly raped by Bryant. What gets me is that Bryant, a pro basketball player, is acting like nothing is wrong as he is trying to play with another team. Does that tell us something about the upcoming trial? Does that sound like a man that may go to jail? STUDENT Becomes Ambassador – Eric Brown, 11, has been accepted as a student ambassador with People to People and is currently in Australia with a delegation of students from northeastern Pennsylvania. During his two-week stay, he will be traveling in Australia, learning about the culture, school system and government. His trip will include touring Sydney and the harbor, an outback stay on a working station, meeting the Aborigines, a visit to the Australian zoo and snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef. A sixth grade student at Blue Ridge School, he is the son of Roger and April Brown of Hallstead. THOMPSON at .307 – Rich Thompson, Montrose graduate, now playing baseball with the Pirates AAA team is batting (as of July 23, 2004) .307. He has been at bat 264 times with 81 hits, 49 runs, and 28 stolen bases. During the past week he batted .394. A LAUGH OR TWO LORDLY, It’s a Hole-In-One – Moses, Jesus and an old man went golfing. Moses stepped up to the tee and hit the ball. It sailed over the fairway and landed in the water. Moses parted the water and chipped the ball on to the green. Jesus’ ball sailed over the fairway and landed in the water. Jesus walked on the water and chipped the ball on the green. The old man stepped up to the tee. His ball sailed over the fairway but just before it fell into the water, a fish jumped up and grabbed it. As the fish fell, an eagle swooped down and grabbed the fish, then flew over the green where a lighting bolt barely missed it. Startled, the bird dropped the fish, which dropped the ball, which rolled into the cup. Jesus turned to the old man and said, "Dad, if you don’t stop fooling around, we won’t bring you next time." AN AMATEUR! One afternoon I was in our living room reading the sports pages. "This pitcher earns $2.2 million a year just for throwing a ball straight," I ranted to my wife. "Anyone can do that." I picked up a rubber ball that was lying next to my chair and threw it at a couch cushion. "Look at that," I bragged. "Bull’s-eye!" My wife tossed the ball back and I threw again, hitting dead center. "Two in a row," I cheered. My third toss went wild and ricocheted into one of my wife’s favorite pictures, knocking it off the end table. She didn’t even look up. "And that," she said, "is why you make $22,000 a year." WORLD NEWS BRIEFS PITTSBURGH – State officials, doctors and health insurers plan to announce a program that will combat the city’s perennially pregnant women who smoke. Pittsburgh has the nation’s highest maternal smoking rates in a decade. SAUDIA ARABIA – The head of slain American hostage Paul M. Johnson, Jr., who was kidnapped and decapitated by militants last month was found in a freezer house during a raid on militants. HARRISBURG – The number of Pennsylvania-trained teachers who became certified in the state grew by a dramatic 60 percent during the 2003-04 year, an education official said. WASHINGTON – Senator John Kerry and President Bush have agreed to three debates, September 30, October 8 and October 13. A debate has also been set for the vice president candidates, Edwards and Cheney, on October 5. WASHINGTON – A commission investigating the September 11, 2001 attack on the WTC in New York said, "We are safer than before ‘but we are not safe.’" AUSTRIA – OPEC is committed to keeping crude prices from rising further and members are investigating boosting their production capacity to stabilize a turbulent oil market. An OPEC official said, "This should help the United States get back to moderate prices."
Furthermore, many people are familiar with laws that commonly known as "Three Strikes" laws. Generally, such laws are aimed at serious, repeat offenders who have demonstrated that they cannot be rehabilitated. Critics of the law suggest that the straight numerical formula of counting "strikes" fails to properly take into account the gravity of the offense, i.e., a petty thief who stole a piece of pizza and, because it was his third conviction, received a sentence of life imprisonment. Under normal circumstances, a court would generally consider the prior record score together with the offense gravity score to determine an appropriate sentence. Because stealing a slice of pizza would be considered a minor offense, the potential sentence would generally be a shorter period of incarceration, even for a serious offender. If a "Three Strikes" statute was applicable, the offense gravity score would not be considered in determining the length of incarceration. Pennsylvania does have a version of a "Three Strikes" law, which targets violent, repeat offenders. The Pennsylvania law targets those persons convicted of violent offenses, such as murder, rape, sexual assaults, arson, aggravated assaults, robbery and similar serious offenses. The key component of the act requires proof of prior convictions – arrests are not sufficient. Further, the statute defines certain offenses as "crimes of violence," regardless of whether any actual violence ever occurred. For instance, in a robbery, there may be a threat of violence without any actual physical harm resulting from the threat, but that robbery will still be considered a violent crime for purposes of the "Three Strike" law. Under Pennsylvania’s "Three Strike" law, however, the pizza thief referenced above would not be subject to an enhanced sentence based upon his prior convictions because the theft of the pizza would not be a violent offense (assuming he did not use a weapon in the commission of the theft of the slice!). The Pennsylvania version of the "Three Strikes" law operates on a sliding scale, with increased penalties for each subsequent violent conviction or "strike." If a person has a prior conviction for a crime of violence, and then commits and is convicted of a second violent crime, the statute requires a court to sentence the offender to a minimum period of incarceration of ten (10) years, regardless of the sentencing guidelines. Furthermore, if a person has two prior convictions for crimes of violence, and then commits and is convicted of a third violent crime, the state requires a court to sentence the offender to a minimum period of incarceration of twenty-five (25) years of incarceration, regardless of the sentencing guidelines. If a person has three (or more) prior convictions for crimes of violence, and then commits and is convicted of a fourth violent crime, the court is still bound to sentence the offender to a minimum period of incarceration of twenty five (25) years, unless the court determines that such a sentence is "insufficient to protect the public safety," in which case a sentence of life imprisonment without parole would be imposed. In each instance, the maximum sentence must be twice the minimum sentence, so that a repeat offender sentence to a minimum period of incarceration of twenty-five (25) years would receive a maximum period of incarceration of fifty (50) years.
Mike Butler, Houston, TX While information about pollutants has been publicly available in the U.S. since passage of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986, the public was not able to access it easily until the advent of the Internet, which now makes the research quite easy. The easiest-to-use source of such information is Scorecard, a free on-line service provided by the non-profit environmental organization Environmental Defense. Steer your web browser to the Scorecard web page and cough up your zip code, and you’ll display a "Pollution Report Card" providing easy-to-read information on polluters and their pollutants in your locale. At the bottom of every Scorecard report are links to help you take action, with options ranging from e-mailing your governor to urge support for tougher air quality controls, to faxing the companies responsible for polluting your air or water. If Scorecard can't provide the information you need, other options exist. The Right-to-Know Network (RTKNet) provides free access to numerous government and scientific databases that track environmental trends. The service allows users to identify specific factories and their environmental threats, and also provides information on the demographics of affected communities. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made its data much more accessible to the general public via its own website, where users can find detailed information on specific types of pollutants and their environmental threats. The agency’s TRI Explorer, for instance ("TRI" stands for "toxic release inventory"), allows you to search from coast to coast by zip code, state or county for spills and accidental emissions of toxic chemicals. For more general information on global environmental trends, the United Nations Environment Programme’s GEO Data Portal contains national, regional and global statistics, as well as maps and graphs covering themes such as fresh water, population, forests, emissions, climate and health trends. The site’s snappy technology displays data quickly in several user-friendly formats. CONTACTS: Scorecard, www.scorecard.org; Right-to-Know Network, (202) 234-8494, www.rtknet.org; EPA Toxic Release Inventory Program, (202) 566-0250, www.epa.gov/tri; United Nations Environment Programme’s GEO Data Portal, http://geodata.grid.unep.ch/. Dear EarthTalk: What does "dolphin-safe tuna" mean, and how can I make sure that the tuna I buy is "dolphin-safe"? Charlie Vestner, San Francisco, CA Biologists estimate that, since the beginning of large-scale commercial fishing in the late 1950s, more than 10 million dolphins have been drowned when inadvertently snared in the huge underwater driftnets meant to catch tuna and other fish. Driftnets, which can extend 50 miles as they are left to drag overnight, are indiscriminate killing tools often referred to as "walls of death." In addition to dolphins, large numbers of whales, sharks and other non-target species die every day in driftnets. The industry refers to these as "by-catch" and they are usually just tossed back overboard. Driftnet fishing has been illegal in American waters since passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) in 1972. Yet seafood companies were able to source their products from fishing fleets in other countries not subject to U.S. law. By the late 1980s, fishing fleets around the world were deploying some 30,000 miles of netting daily to meet a steadily growing demand for seafood. After public outcry over the needless killing of dolphins, Congress amended the MMPA in 1990 to establish a "dolphin-safe" labeling system so consumers could find tuna caught without the use of driftnets. Meanwhile, the UN followed suit in 1993 by instituting a global moratorium on driftnet fishing. Biologists estimate that these measures have saved millions of dolphins over the last decade. However, since the early 1990s the U.S. government has gradually been weakening the standards for which companies can use the "dolphin-safe" label on their cans. In 1995, the World Trade Organization pressured the Clinton administration to lift its embargo on tuna from Mexico and other countries less concerned about the harmful effects of driftnet fishing. The Bush administration is currently seeking to further weaken dolphin protection efforts by allowing for the importation of driftnet-caught tuna as long as fishermen see no visual evidence of dolphin snaring while harvesting their catches. While the U.S. government’s definition of "dolphin-safe" may not mean what it used to, the top three American tuna sellers–Starkist, Bumblebee and Chicken of the Sea–have vowed to avoid distribution and sale of tuna from fishing fleets that use driftnets. And according to Defenders of Wildlife, a number of major grocery store chains–including A&P, Albertson’s, IGA, Kmart, Publix, Safeway and Walmart–stock only dolphin-safe tuna. Meanwhile, restaurant chains such as Subway, Carl’s Jr., Olive Garden and Red Lobster serve only dolphin-safe tuna. Tuna consumers who stick to these brands, stores and eating establishments will know their lunch did not cause hundreds of needless dolphin deaths. CONTACTS: Defenders of Wildlife Save-the-Dolphins Campaign, (202) 682-9400, www.defenders.org/wildlife/new/dolphins.html; Earth Trust, (808) 261-5339, www.earthtrust.org; Starkist, (800) 252-1587, www.starkist.com/faqs.html; Bumble Bee, www.bumblebee.com/faq.jsp; Chicken of the Sea, www.chickenofthesea.com/dolphin_safe.aspx. GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; or submit your question at: www.emagazine.com, or e-mail us at: earthtalk@emagazine.com.
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Bears,
Bears Everywhere
A
few weeks ago, this article addressed the sentencing guidelines, along
with the use of prior record scores and offense gravity scores to determine
appropriate ranges of sentences. There are numerous circumstances in
which the guidelines do not apply because the legislature has mandated
a certain sentence regardless of the defendant’s prior criminal
history. For instance, a conviction for first degree murder requires
a life imprisonment without parole, even if it was the first offense
ever committed by the defendant. The legislature has also established
certain mandatory minimum sentences for certain offenses, i.e., if a
firearm is used in the commission of a robbery, there is a mandatory
minimum sentence of five (5) years of incarceration.
Dear
EarthTalk: How can I find out which companies may be polluting my community?