Example of why new laws are needed

Editor,

In answer to Ms. Stonehocker's letter of Oct. 13: My heart bleeds at the trauma you have experienced at the hands of a drunk driver.

However, the drunk driver who injured you had been drinking at a local bar, and not affected by our new open container law.

Are you saying that we don't need any new laws in addition to the laws that we have, because people will just break them anyway? I believe that's the anarchists' theory, and would lead to chaos.

Here's a perfect example of why we do need new laws: Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) currently has a new bill before the United States Senate to implement a national database for sex offenders and those who molest and kill children. This law will also include stiffer penalties for sex offenders who fail to register. It is imperative that law enforcement be able to keep track of the predators' locations, to notify neighbors of the impending danger.

Senator Cantwell's bill comes before a Senate committee in two weeks. It has strong bipartisan support, so will probably pass and be in effect by January.

Just one example of new laws that are needed — especially to protect the innocent and the vulnerable.

Other countries have much stiffer DUI laws and penalties than the U.S., and I don't think their law-abiding citizens feel that their rights are being taken away. Nor are these laws ineffective, because these countries have much lower DUI-caused fatalities and injuries than the U.S.

For instance, in Norway, for two offenses in five years, their license is revoked for life; in Canada, jail for 10+ years if bodily injury is caused.

You don't want a DUI conviction in El Salvador, because your first offense is your last — you are shot by a firing squad. In Bulgaria, a second DUI conviction results in execution. (www.drinkingdriving.net)

If you want to see the enormity of the drunk driving problem, visit the website

www.duipictures.com. Go to Anthony's website. Look at Denice Wagoner, how she looked before and now. In this case, she was the drunk driver.

Again, drunk drivers in the U.S. kill over 17,000 innocent Americans every year. That's one victim of a drunk driver who dies every half-hour in the U.S. The effect of a few beer cans beside the road pales in comparison to the value of a human life saved.

Again, please know the sadness I feel for your situation.

Claire Adrienne

Polson