Dear HCN,
I found it ironic and
disturbing that the same issue containing an article decrying the
hate crime in Laramie had a letter cheering the hate crime in Vail
and an opinion piece loosely excusing it (HCN, 11/9/98). Whether
you like the Vail decision or not, it was shaped by public
involvement and scrutiny. Applauding or making excuses for the
secretive unilateral criminal act at Vail is to discard our system
of rules, checks and balances and show tolerance for the bully’s
violence-on-a-whim of anarchy.
If that is what we
really want, then in principle we should hold the burning of
buildings in Vail with the same regard as the bulldozing of a road
into the Utah wilderness or even the senseless murder of a young
man. Personally, I view the perpetrators of these acts with the
contempt and disgust they
deserve.
Bruce
Erickson
Frenchtown, Montana
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline There’s no excuse for criminal acts.
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